Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) once again achieved outstanding recognition by securing two top awards—first place—in the prestigious Innovillage 2024: Innovate for Impact, Act for Sustainability, held on Friday (April 25) at the Damar (K) Auditorium, Telkom University, Bandung.
The two prestigious awards, presented at the Innovillage event organized by Telkom University and state-owned enterprises (BUMN), were awarded to two UMSU teams: the Marahalim Team from the Faculty of Engineering and the Kitainklusi Team—a collaboration between the Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology (FIKTI) and the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP).
Both teams earned top honors for their technology-driven innovations that directly address social and sustainability issues.
UMSU Rector Prof. Dr. Agussani, MAP expressed his deep appreciation, pride, and gratitude for the students’ achievements. He emphasized that the awards reflect the commitment and collective efforts of faculty leaders and departments across the university.
“Alhamdulillah, I am proud and grateful for the awards our students have received. Congratulations to them—this achievement is a strong motivation for us all,” he stated.
This is not UMSU’s first success at Innovillage. In previous years, UMSU students have consistently emerged as winners at the event.
“We hope these innovations will bring real, positive impact to wider society,” Prof. Agussani added.
UMSU has actively participated in Innovillage since 2021 and won first place in 2022, receiving a prize of IDR 45 million. In 2024, UMSU also received the Best University Program Innovillage 2023 award for the top endorser category, reaffirming the university’s strong and consistent support for student innovation.
Arief Aulia Rahman, S.Pd., M.Pd., CISHR, the supervising lecturer of the Kitainklusi Team, also expressed his gratitude for the university’s support and the active involvement of the community in the development of the students’ projects.
“Alhamdulillah, we are grateful for the university’s support in helping our team continue contributing and innovating for society. We hope our innovation can grow and benefit even more people. This success was made possible through strong collaboration with the local community,” he explained.
The Kitainklusi Team was awarded in the Social Impact for Disability Sustainability category (SDG 4 & 10) for their innovation titled Histomathic: Ethnomathematics 3D Visual Interactive App to Enhance Inclusive Math Learning for Children with Autism at SLB Negeri Autis North Sumatra.
Guided by Arief Aulia Rahman, S.Pd., M.Pd., CISHR, the team was led by Vickri Vebrian, with members Wahyuni and M. Khoirul Fahmi. The app was developed to address challenges in inclusive education, particularly in teaching mathematics to students with special needs.
Meanwhile, the Marahalim Team impressed the judges with their project titled Implementation of Smart Hydroponic Greenhouses Using IoT and Machine Learning, Powered by Renewable Energy (Solar Panels), to Improve the Economy and Agricultural Productivity of Women in the PKK Group of Sambirejo Timur Village.
Supervised by Arya Rudi Nasution, S.T., M.T., the team was led by Erdiansyah, with members M. Alwi Ripay Harahap and Zulfakhry Siregar. Their innovation won in the category Creating Shared Value through MSME Innovation and Women Empowerment (SDG 5 & 8) for its effective use of appropriate technology to empower rural women.
This achievement further solidifies UMSU’s position as a university consistently committed to supporting innovative student programs that directly benefit society and contribute to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
