Indonesian Biology Consortium (KOBI) And Department Of Biology UNP-UNAND-UPGRISBA Hold Community Service For Biology Teachers In West Sumatra

In the framework of the series of activities of the Indonesian Biology Consortium (KOBI) 2024 in Padang, the Department of Biology FMIPA UNP, the Department of Biology UPGRISBA and the Department of Biology FMIPA Unand held a community service on Thursday, July 18, 2024 at SMA Pembangunan Laboratorium UNP Padang, with the theme “Biology for Indonesia’s Future Solutions”. 

The activity was officially opened by the Secretary of the UNP Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM), Prof. Dr. Rahadian Zainul, M.Si and attended by Prof. Suwarno (KOBI Advisory Board), Prof. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr. Sc. (Chairman of KOBI), Mahyan, S.Pd, MM (Head of PPSMA of the West Sumatra Education Office), representatives of the Padang City Education Office, and Prof. Dr. Nurhasan Syah, M.Pd (Director of the UNP Laboratory Development School Foundation).

This activity is also the result of cooperation from lecturers representing universities throughout Indonesia, including Gadjah Mada University, Brawijaya University, National University, Cenderawasih University, Esa Unggul University, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Diponegoro University, Mulawarman University, Bogor Agricultural Institute and several other campuses.

A total of 88 Biology teachers from SMA / MA / SMP / MTsN throughout West Sumatra attended as participants in community service activities.

Prof. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr. Sc. as a speaker in this activity delivered a presentation related to “AI Technology in Biology”. The Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM said that Indonesia is the highest megabiodiversity country in the world. The megabiodiversity is important to be preserved as early as middle school. He views that AI technology will be very helpful for teachers to introduce biology as one of the efforts to maintain megabiodiversity since middle school.

On this occasion, Prof. Budi also highly appreciated the service activity that invited high school teachers. He sees this as important to be done by universities and in the future it will become a routine activity at the KOBI National Meeting. This activity can be a means to introduce and bring biology closer to schools.

The second material was presented by Dr. Nofi Yendri Sudiar, S.Si., M.Si, MCE who is the Head of the Research Center for Climate Change (RCCC) at Padang State University with the topic “Disaster Mitigation in Biology and Climate Change Studies”. The Chairperson of the Climate Change Research Center said that we can do small things that we have taken for granted, but it can save our earth from damage.

The third material on “Fun Photography on Biodiversity” was presented by Relsas Yogica, M.Pd. According to the Biology lecturer at FMIPA UNP, the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), one of which is Google Lens, can be used to recognize and identify biological objects, up to the conditions related to these types, which include number, distribution, conservation status, and extinction threats. The activity ended with practice by the participants, using Google Lens on live object photos, macro and micro photography.

Teachers were satisfied with the activities organized today. Masnidar, S.P., M.Pd (SMPN 21 Padang Teacher) said that this event was extraordinary because it could help teachers, especially in the use of IT, “it turns out that there is very good stuff stored, with this activity it opens our horizons to know things that are very important in learning and the development of science”, she said.

Hopefully this activity will be able to make a real contribution to biology to become a solution for the future of Indonesia.