"KUPANG - Students from the Physics Study Program, Faculty of Science and Engineering (FST), secured victory in the national innovation creation competition at Nusa Cendana University (Undana) in 2023. Geronsius Dopo and his colleagues innovated a maintenance system for corn plants in arid land based on Android, emerging as champions in the final round conducted of the competition which was held in combination of online and offline (hybrid), on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at the Swissbel Hotel Kupang.
Geronsius and his team successfully surpassed more than 40 participants in this competition. The limited water supply and diseases affecting corn plants inspired these Undana students to design an Android-based plant care innovation.
"Geronsius and his friends have successfully tested their built innovation, and during the system performance testing, it was able to respond to low soil humidity due to sunlight exposure by automatically irrigating the plants," as stated in the Undana press release.
In response to this presentation, Chairman of KADIN NTT, Bobby Liyanto, MM., MBA, who was present as a panelist, expressed great appreciation for the developed innovation. He expressed his willingness to finance the research and technology development until it is ready for sale, while suggesting the need to calculate the financial feasibility when this innovation is scaled up in the business world.
Similar sentiments were also expressed by another panelist, Prof. Enos Tangke Arung, Ph.D, who attended the event online. This faculty member from the Faculty of Forestry at Mulawarman University in Samarinda conveyed that the innovations presented by the finalists further enriched the distinctive thinking of young people in creating technology in Indonesia. The ideas offered by the contestants were very interesting, although there were still footnotes for continuous development to be truly ready for replication.
The final round featured 9 groups of finalists who were selected from 40 papers that participated in the competition.
The head of the committee, Lusia Marimpan, explained that the innovation creation competition was participated in by contestants from various campuses across Indonesia. There were 16 campuses represented, coming from Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and, of course, NTT. In the selection process, the committee involved senior researchers and experienced individuals to produce 9 finalists who presented their innovative works.
Furthermore, Lusi mentioned that the involvement of young researchers in this innovation creation competition signifies high hopes for the future development of technology in the field of dry land.
Meanwhile, Vice Rector I for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. drh. Annytha I.R. Detha, M.Si, in her opening remarks during the final round, expressed that Undana has a significant responsibility in exploring potential and critical thinking in technology development. "This activity is the third annual event that is routinely held. I am grateful to the nation's children who have participated in this process," she said.
In line with Undana's Vice Rector I, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Undana, Dr. Muhammad S.M. Nur, MSi, stated that the most important aspect of this activity is the growth and development of the students' ideas during their interactions. "So, the most important thing is not who wins and gets the championship, but how all friends (participants) have processed, discussed good and original ideas. This will certainly color the thinking process for all of us," he concluded. (Press Release from the Committee/rfl)
