Dekan Fakultas Biologi UGM Menerima YARSI Award
Dekan Fakultas Biologi UGM Menerima YARSI Award
Dean of Faculty of Biology UGM, Dr. Budi Setyadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc., earned YARSI Researcher Award which was assigned by Vice-President of Republic of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, during the 50th anniversary of YARSI University on Thursday (27/4) at YARSI University. He earned an award, the Best Indonesian Researcher in Life Science category, upon his research achievement on Biology.
“It was selected based on curriculum vitae, poster, and executive summary. The poster was taken from an outstanding publication and I used my plant breeding journal in 2005. I had presented them last week,” said Budi on Friday (28/4) at Faculty of Biology UGM.
In front of the judges, he presented several of his essential research, particularly regarding his effort in solving agricultural issues, including plant virus. The plant disease, according to Budi, becomes one of the most threatening factors of concerns. However, there are not many researchers who conduct research on this disease specifically.
“At first, I solved the upstream problems and map them, then I found that the main problem of the agricultural sector in Indonesia is pests and diseases. After finding the problem, I used genetics and plant breeding to solve it. I succeeded to produce melon which is resistant to disease and safe to be consumed,” he explained.
Moreover, he used a molecular biology application with the latest technology to accelerate and increase the accuracy in producing those new and prime plant varieties. This contribution led him to earn the award.
“The judges appreciated me for finishing from upstream until downstream processes and our product has already been commercialized,” he added.
It was not the first time for him to earn an acknowledgment for his research. He has earned several awards both in national and international events, including Young Scientist Award in The 2nd International Symposium on Cucurbits in Tsukuba, Japan, in 2001, an award from Indonesia Science Foundation for Science and Technology in 2008, and Best Presenter in The 2nd International Environment and Health Conference in 2014. Even so, he admitted he never aimed to earn those awards, but he just focussed on pursuing research he likes.
“Research is a hobby and passion for me. I never get tired because there are always new challenges. The key is love what we do. Passion teaches us to be persistent, patient, and focused. There are also teamwork and togetherness in it,” said Budi.
The award becomes a trigger to keep giving contribution through his research. He told his experience when earning an award as the best UGM young researcher back in 1997 when he was still a young lecturer at Faculty of Biology. For Budi, this award raised his confidence on his research skill and he was challenged to keep doing research.
“It boosted up my confidence in doing research. Despite being a young lecturer, getting chosen as the best young researcher in UGM had increased my confidence,” he added.
Therefore, he hopes through this award, he can motivate academicians both at Faculty of Biology and UGM for doing research, not just for earning an award but for giving contribution for the nation.
“As a Dean, I would like to motivate my staff and inspire my students who have more time to conduct a research than me. We often face a dilemma, for me as researcher who is getting older, but I prove that it is just a matter of time management. If we are disciplined, we can do anything,” he emphasized.