[Unpad.ac.id, 1/04/2016] Graduate School Universitas Padjadjaran has officially established Communication Forum of Graduate School Students (FKMSP) Unpad. The Forum was expected to serve as forum for students to exchange information and knowledge from the entire course at the Graduate School Unpad.
The launch was held at Graduate School Building Unpad, Jln. Dipati Ukur 35 Bandung, Friday (1/04). The event featured a series of activities of aerobics, blood donor, talk show about dangers of drugs by National Narcotics Agency and dangers of smoking and HIV by Center for Lung Health Community (BKPM). Attending the event were Dean of Unpad Graduate School Prof. Dr. Ir. Hendarmawan, M.Sc., Vice Dean and managers at Universitas Padjadjaran.
Budi Irawan, M.Sc., the Chairman FKMSP, said that the target of this forum is to increase student competence, particularly in increasing number of scientific publications. “We can gather friends postgraduate students to exchange knowledge between different disciplines,” Budi said.
Furthermore, students of the graduate program in Environmental Sciences, said that in general FKMSP could carry two activities, of academic activities and non-academic. In academic activities, forum focused on improving student competence in the field of scientific writing, with training and workshop publications in scientific journals.
In non-academic activities, the forum would hold community service activities by organizing academic activities of national and international scale. According to Budi, non-academic activity also aims to support the academic activities.
“To improve competence, we have to balance between academic terms with the non-academic,” said Budi.
FKMSP accommodated three courses currently held by Unpad Graduate School: Master of Environmental Sciences, Doctor of Environmental Science, and Master of Biotechnology. In the future, this forum was not only for students of Graduate School, but also includes all the alumni.
“We expect this forum to become a place for students and alumni of the Graduate School,” said Budi.
Meanwhile Prof. Hendarmawan said that with the structure changes of being Graduate School, the increase in the number of scientific publications is absolute necessity. To obtain good scientific publications, students need to deepend their research sector development.
“However at the end Graduate School is about student publications. If they do their own they would not receive research enrichment, “said Prof. Hendarmawan.
Furthermore, Prof. Hendarmawan said that learning atmosphere in Graduate level is different with undergraduate program. At Graduate program, students and lecturers are a colleague, so unity shall be a key factor of learning.
“Let’s not only have the name of Graduate School without abundant number of research and publication,” said Prof. Hendarmawan.
Therefore, the forum was also a medium to introduce research generated by Graduate School students. The naming of the “forum” itself, according to Prof. Hendarmawan is for the institution to be more academic.
“This forum should not be a lighthouse tower. The Graduate School can contribute to encourage the strengthening of Unpad Nyaah ka Jabar program and increasing the number of scientific publications in Unpad,” he said.
For further development of Graduate School, Prof. Hendarmawan revealed that the school planned to open six new courses; Master of Bio Resources, Master in Regional Innovation, Master of Sustainable Science, Doctor of Biotechnology, Master of Tourism, and Master of Energy.
“The process of opening this study program is at 80 percent. Hopefully by the upcoming academic year it would be realized,” said Prof. Hendarmawan.
In addition, Unpad Graduate School would also increase the number of foreign students from the ASEAN region and other developing countries, expanding the network of Double Degree Program. “So far we have done DD program with the Netherlands. We will expand the cooperation to French for department of Tourism, along with Britain and the United States for Energy program, “said Prof. Hendarmawan. *
Reported by Arief Maulana / eh
