The 33rd National Student Scientific Week (PIMNAS) was officially launched on Wednesday (25/11). The PIMNAS opening ceremony was organized at the hall of Universitas Gadjah Mada, celebrated by some participants and audiences who attended online.
In his speech, UGM Chancellor, Prof. Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng., IPU, ASEAN Eng., congratulated the 625 student teams from 101 Higher Educations who triumphantly proceeded to PIMNAS after passing through a series of selection processes.
"You are a creative and innovative candidate for the sake of the nation's leader. Ensure the judges that you are great young men and deserve to be champions," he said.
PIMNAS is a conference for scientific meetings and an exhibition of student creative ideas posters, the culmination or last stage of implementing the Student Creativity Program (PKM). This year, the implementation of PIMNAS needs to be carried out online and offline due to the Covid-19. The turns of the host for the PIMNAS event this year fell into UGM hands.
UGM Deputy Chancellor for Education, Teaching, and Student Affairs, who is at the same time also the Head of the 33rd PIMNAS Committee, Prof. Dr. Ir. Djagal Wiseso Marseno, M.Agr, revealed that the judges will conduct an offline assessment this year but are still applying health protocols. On the other hand, the participants will participate remotely in online activities.
"This is the first offline and online arrangements for 2020 PIMNAS implementation. Even though it is in a pandemic condition, the PIMNAS' enthusiasm and liveliness should not be extinct," said Djagal.
He revealed that PIMNAS has annually contributed creative works and produced winners who highly contribute to solving society's problems. He hoped that this year's PIMNAS could inspire superior, creative, innovative, and adaptive student characters in handling various world problems.
"Congratulations on serving the 33rd PIMNAS committee and congratulations on competing for 625 PKM teams from 101 universities throughout Indonesia," he said.
The Student Creativity Program itself consists of several fields, namely PKM Research (Exact and Social Humanities), PKM Entrepreneurship, PKM Community Service, PKM Applied Technology, PKM-Karsa Cipta, PKM Written Ideas, and PKM Constructive Futuristic Ideas.
Although the event was held in the middle of a pandemic, the Student Creativity Program still earned a good response from students this year. There were 65 thousand proposals submitted this year.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has not caused the nation's youths to become unconcerned. This year, the number of proposals submitted reached up to 65 thousand proposals from around a thousand universities. There are 5,783 funded for its applications from the total," explained the Head of the 33rd PIMNAS Jury Team, Dr. Med. Dr. Indwiani Astuti.
She further disclosed that the number of PKM proposals from year to year had a booming trend. For PKM 5 Fields, the number of proposals has increased from 45,103 in 2019 to 57,723 this year. Meanwhile, for PKM KT / GFK, there was an increasing number from 6,606 in 2019 to 7,063 in 2020.
"Almost all universities are starting to discern that PKM is learning under the concept of independent learning because students can learn anything, so they do not feel indisposed," said Indwiani.
In this opening ceremony, there was a handover moment of the Adikarta Kertawidya trophy from UGM as the champion of PIMNAS 2019 to the judges. The judges will then hand over this trophy to the 33rd PIMNAS general champion at the closing ceremony on 28 November.
Author: Gloria
Translator: Natasa A