Excellences, distinguished keynote speakers, professors, presenters, and honored guests, ladies, and gentlemen,
Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wbr!
Good morning!
Welcome to the opening ceremony of the TREPSEA2018 conference.
This is the 3rd international conference of the Trans-disciplinary Research on Environmental Problems in Southeast Asia
I am grateful to Allah SWT for His blessings in our conference.
I am delighted to see that many people all whom I know have a high academic and professional reputation can attend this conference.
This conference has a significant meaning for Universitas Negeri Gorontalo. We feel that this conference will become an important benchmark for the development of new interdisciplinary approaches in the region.
For us in Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, we have a hope that this interdisciplinary study will have the influence on our academic achievement. In the long run, we are currently designing some research agendas that hopefully will give larger contributions to the prosperity of our society.
Our vision in this campus is to make culture and innovation as our academic spirit. We would like to strengthen researches that based on Gorontalo and its surrounding regional potentials.
Through this approach, development policies will be based more on knowledge, technology & innovations; development will be based on the prominent research evident. Through this as well, cooperation among universities, government, and the business entity will be more productive.
In this context, through this opportunity, I would like to convey my highest appreciation to Ehime University, Japan for their cooperation with UNG which was started in 2010. Several professors, former university President and lecturers including students from Ehime have been doing research, field studies, community services (KKN Kebangsaan of 2017!) and focus discussions to study the development problems and solutions in this country.
Distinguished guests and audience,
I have to say that the largest benefit of this cooperation is the establishment of the new academic climate in finding the strategic solutions of various regional problems in many places, including Gorontalo. Why so? Because we have become more and more aware to diverse perspectives to find the best solution in a practical level.
In several discussions with Professor Sakakibara (from Ehime University) for instance, it was strongly evident that the environmental preservation, disaster mitigation, urban development and local economy, have to be comprehensively studied and understood by involving interdisciplinary understandings. The same also applies for other comparative studies between countries, especially Southeast Asian countries.
I personally believe that the interdisciplinary approach will become a promising research agenda in Indonesia. As a big maritime and archipelagic country with its complex natural resources, social diversity, and economic challenges, Indonesia needs a more open an innovative strengthening for higher education.
Distinguished speakers and guests,
This conference is a new pathway to build a productive partnership between Japan and Southeast Asian universities.
Therefore, through the presence of Prof. Tetsu Sato (Ehime University and Ms. Kana Furusawa (Vice Secretary General, The Japanese Geoparks Network), our two keynote speakers today, we expect that the two remarkable speakers will enrich our academic knowledge in seeing how interdisciplinary research collaboration developed and implemented, both in Indonesia and in Japan.
I hope that through the new findings and aspirations discussed by all researchers in this conference, especially related to Japanese and Southeast-Asian experience will be able to enrich the following regional challenges in Gorontalo :
- University Research Centers;
- Expert networks, human resources, and government agencies;
- Conduct any kind of collaborative works on regional studies;
- Technology which based on the local and regional advantages;
- Strengthening market network for Gorontalo commodities.
Distinguished speakers and guests,
In UNG, research collaboration has been intensively carried out since 2000. Almost all excellent researches in this university were collaborative researches. Several researchers establish a working group on certain research teams and they published their research together. It has to be acknowledged, however, that for basic research in science, were only implemented by very specialized researchers.
As a public university, UNG has a high commitment to contribute in increasing the welfare and quality of life of the Gorontalonese people. Therefore, through this interdisciplinary collaboration, themes such as environment, natural disaster study, economy, food, health, public policy, education, security study, and culture, become more relevant.
In many places in the world, cooperation among universities, industry, community, and government have offered a big benefit for the society. Therefore, for us in Indonesia, we have to make various innovations both in the local and regional level in order to accelerate the productive changes of people’s welfare.
Distinguished guests and audience,
Finally, as Rector of UNG, I convey my congratulation to all the speakers and participants of TREPSEA 2018. In particular, I would like to thank Ehime University, The Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and Muhammadiyah University of Gorontalo (UMGo), and all the institutions which have been involved in making this conference a success, today.
With that, I would like to wish you all a very fruitful and successful conference and to our (very special) international guests (from Japan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Lesotho South Africa.
Please have a pleasant stay in Gorontalo.
Thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wbr
Prof. Dr. Syamsu Qamar Badu