KUPANG – Nusa Cendana University (Undana) once again held the appointment of professors at the Graha Cendana Building on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
The three professors appointed are Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Sudirman Syam, ST., MT., IPM as Professor in the field of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering (FST), Prof. Dr. Kalvein Rantelobo, ST., MT., IPM as Professor in the field of Telecommunication Engineering, FST, and Prof. Ir. Lily F. Ishaq, M.Phil., Ph.D in Agro Technology Program, Faculty of Agriculture, as Professor in the field of Soil Fertility Science.
The appointment was conducted by the Rector, Prof. Dr. drh. Maxs U. E. Sanam, M.Sc, while the bestowal of the professor's medal was performed by the Chairman of the Undana Senate, Prof. Ir. Fredrik L. Benu, M.Si., Ph.D.
Rector of Undana, Prof. Maxs Sanam, in his address mentioned that until now, Undana has inaugurated 53 professors. Out of this total, 19 individuals have retired or passed away, and one person has relocated. As a result, there are currently 32 active professors.
"The number of 32 active professors is still far from the ideal percentage, at least according to Undana's conditions which should be 10 percent, and the conditions in Indonesia which should be 15 percent. If it's 10 percent, then Undana still needs 90-135 professors, considering the current number of lecturers at Undana is around 900," expressed the Rector of Undana.
On that occasion, the Rector commended the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FST), which now has 10 professors, followed by the Faculty of Agriculture with 8, and the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education with 5. Therefore, he also encouraged some faculties that only have one professor, such as the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences and the Faculty of Law, to encourage lecturers to become professors. According to the Rector, this initiative should start with the deans.
In Indonesia, he continued, Gajah Mada University has around 415 professors. For this year alone, Undana's Rector said that UGM has added 50 professors.
With the appointment of these three professors, he hopes to motivate and inspire lecturers at Undana to strive for the highest academic positions.
“This year, Undana has appointed 15 professors from January to November 2023. We hope that more professors will emerge in accordance with the proposals we have submitted,” stated Prof. Maxs Sanam.
“I also express my gratitude to the families of the three Professors who were inaugurated today, for their support and prayers, allowing the Professors to achieve this accomplishment. The hope is that the achievements obtained will be beneficial for the nation, especially the East Nusa Tenggara Province,” continued the Rector of Undana in conclusion.
Scientific Oration
Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Sudirman Syam, ST.,MT, IPM delivered a scientific oration with the title "Design Modification of Sivonis Epis Type Wind Turbine Integrated with Axial Generator without Gear Wheels: A Solution to Develop Wind Energy Potential in NTT towards Energy Independence."
On that occasion, he admitted that becoming a professor was not an easy feat. Throughout his dedication to Undana, he had never imagined achieving the title of professor.
Throughout 24 years of dedication, he has obtained several patents, including designing 15 electric machines that have been applied to several SMEs in NTT.
Several of his tridarma have even been immortalized in his autobiographical book titled: The Story of Tridarma Experience to Achieving Professor in the Field of Mechanical Engineering.
With the inauguration, the book was officially launched and is now in the hands of the professors and members of the Undana Senate.
"His academic oration is part of the results of his research through the ongoing grant for the period 2022-2024," he added.
Prof. Dr. Kalvein Rantelobo, ST., MT., IPM, on that occasion, delivered an inaugural lecture titled "Wireless Communication Systems as Support for Regional Development."
“First and foremost, I express my praise and gratitude to Almighty God, the Triune God, because only through His love and grace can I stand in this honorable position as a professor in the field of telecommunication engineering in the Electrical Engineering Program,” he said.
He mentioned that several achievements have been made, namely the prototype for evaluating video transmission performance used for completed and ongoing research.
Prof. Kalvein also mentioned that the prototype for monitoring moving objects has been implemented, although it is still in the TKT 5 technology readiness stage. However, he strives to advance it to a higher level, namely the downstreaming of products.
Additionally, the Head of the ICT Unit at Undana has even developed a prototype for precision agriculture that utilizes information and communication technology.
"This has also been patented by us, and hopefully, in the future, this patent will yield products that can be used for precision agriculture in NTT," he said.
Furthermore, Prof. Kalvein explained that this year, grants with collaboration from various parties through the integration system of plants and livestock using ICT based on Internet of Cloud will be proposed for a patent and will be disseminated in various places in NTT, as he believes the scheme is in line with the real conditions of the NTT Province.
Meanwhile, Prof. Ir. Lily F. Ishaq, M.Phil., Ph.D, in her inaugural lecture entitled "Mycorrhiza for Sustainable Agricultural Productivity," presented her views on the importance of maintaining soil fertility as the primary resource for agriculture and the potential of mycorrhiza in supporting sustainable agricultural productivity.
According to her, mycorrhiza can act as a nutritional bridge, transporting nutrients from fertile areas to plants growing in less fertile regions.
The utilization of biofertilizers, known as mycorrhiza, is not only as a fertilizer but also as a biopesticide. It is used to absorb water and contribute to plants, aligning well with the conditions of plants in NTT, which are characterized by dry land.
One of Prof. Lily's hopes is to produce biofertilizers based on mycorrhiza. Therefore, she suggests using native microbes from the region because they have adapted to the existing conditions, making their success rate much higher than microbes from outside the region.
"Ideally, to improve agricultural products, we must adhere to the concept of sustainable agriculture, which is utilizing existing natural resources to meet our needs. But there is a note; we must be able to maintain or improve environmental quality and preserve existing resources," she concluded. (rfl)
