64th Anniversary of Faculty of Engineering: Science for Social Welfare

Toward its 64th anniversary, Faculty of Engineering of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) continues to make change and improvement to implement University’s Tri Dharma motto. UGM also strives to be qualified higher educational institution that is able to produce graduates who are as qualified as those from world best universities and implement their knowledge to improve welfare and give benefit for the people, the country and the state.

That statement was delivered by Ir. Tumiran, M.Eng., Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty, Wednesday (17/2) at the Auditorium of the Faculty. “To face the challenge, Faculty of Engineering in the future needs more comprehensive synergy in order that lecturers and students’ experience can be more empowered for national advancement,” he said.

In year 2009 the applied programs were focused on efforts to improve academic quality and research. Therefore, Faculty of Engineering continues to make breakthroughs to increase international cooperation networks such as by establishing two new cooperation networks through Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window Program (EMECW Program) and University Network for Climate and Ecosystems Change Adaptation Research (UN-CECAR). In EMECW program, UGM is entitled to send 39 students and lecturers to partner universities in Europe for a period of 10 to 20 months. This program was started from August 2009 to August 2012.

The spirit to be World Class Research University (WCRU) is also an inspiration for the Faculty’s academic community to create research, seminar and international publication climate. Through WCRU there are 20 recipients of international publication grant and patent, also 12 recipients of faculty exchange grant. Through this program, several research cooperation have been initiated such as in geothermal field with GNS Science and University of Auckland, and in product development with Chalmers University of Technology and Politecnico di Torino.
 
Meanwhile in national level, in 2009 there were 7 titles of research having received funds from the government, there were 34 titles from DIKTI (RUSNAS organized by LPPM UGM), 13 titles in competitive grant suitable with national priority, 2 titles in competence grant, and 2 titles (RUSNAS organized by DP2M) with the total amount of 7.12 billion rupiahs. Meanwhile, there were 59 titles of research being financed by social fund  totalling 728 million rupiahs. “So it can be said that the number of titles and amount of research fund in 2010 increased. Hopefully this year they  increase even higher,” he added.

In attempting to accelerate academic performance improvement, Quality Assurance Cluster of Faculty of Engineering  facilitates to develop student centered learning system, academic perfection, merge audit devices of AMAI based on BAN PT, and develop forms of non-academic staff. Those are expected to accelerate sustainable improvement in the Faculty.

Tumiran said that in recent years many of their students have made several achievements both in national and international levels, such as world champion in Mondialogo Engineering Award 2009, runner up in National Robot Contest 2009, champion in Ganesha Line Follower Robot 2008, and other achievements.