The Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), Prof. Dr. Agussani, MAP, accompanied by Vice Rector III, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rudianto, M.Si, presented appreciation awards to two UMSU teams who won the top prizes in the 2024 Innovillage competition. The ceremony took place on Friday (May 9) in UMSU’s VIP Room on Jalan Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan.
The two winning teams were the Marahalim Team from the Faculty of Engineering and Kitainklusi Team, a collaboration between the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FIKTI) and the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP). The competition was organized by Telkom University in partnership with several state-owned enterprises (BUMN).
In his remarks, Rector Prof. Agussani expressed pride in the teams’ achievements.
“Congratulations to all of you on this remarkable accomplishment. This should not be the end, but a beginning. We will continue to develop this as part of our efforts to bring impactful innovations from campus to society,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of cross-faculty collaboration and innovation continuity, highlighting the Kitainklusi team’s synergy between FKIP and FIKTI students.
“Don’t stop here. Continue to create new innovations. This will enhance both your personal competencies and the university’s recognition on the national and even international stage,” he added.
Earlier, Kitainklusi team leader Vickri Vebrian, along with teammates Wahyuni and M. Khoirul Fahmi, expressed gratitude for the university’s support and briefly introduced their innovation.
“Our product is focused on enhancing learning inclusivity for students with disabilities in mathematics, integrating it with local culture,” said Vickri.
He noted that although the team participated last year without securing a win, they improved their product and succeeded this year.
The team’s advisor, Arief Aulia Rahman, S.Pd., M.Pd., CISHR, praised the students’ hard work.
“They worked tirelessly day and night, and today, their efforts have paid off,” he said emotionally.
Meanwhile, the Marahalim Team from the Faculty of Engineering developed a Smart Greenhouse system using IoT technology. Team leader Erdiansyah, along with M. Alwi Ripay Harahap and Zulfakhry, shared that the project took two and a half months to complete.
“We’re proud to represent the Marahalim team, which has existed before this event, and to bring victory to UMSU. Now we’re preparing for the upcoming Indonesia Robot Contest. Thank you for all the support and guidance throughout the competition process,” Erdiansyah said.
Their advisor, Arya Rudi Nasution, S.T., M.T, explained that the project involved three departments within the Faculty of Engineering and was developed with a highly efficient budget.
“We created a cost-effective budget plan but still produced a high-quality product. Alhamdulillah, we won the gold medal,” he said. The project even caught the attention of lecturers from Telkom University who are interested in turning it into a mobile app.
Vice Rector III, Dr. Rudianto, added that UMSU was among a select group of universities that advanced in the 2024 Innovillage competition, alongside prestigious institutions such as Universitas Airlangga and Telkom University. Out of approximately 50 top teams, UMSU proved its consistency as a leading institution in innovation development.
UMSU has actively participated in Innovillage since 2021 and previously won first place in 2022 with a prize of Rp45 million. In 2024, UMSU also received the Best University Program award for Innovillage 2023 in the Best Endorser category, reaffirming its commitment to supporting student innovation.
During the event, Rector Prof. Agussani symbolically handed over the appreciation awards and announced that the winners would receive exemption from their final thesis as a token of appreciation for their national achievement.
