IPB University’s GFM Department Holds National Climatology Seminar and Visits GAW Kototabang

Department of Geophysics and Meteorology (GFM), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) IPB University held a national seminar with the theme ‘Application of Climatology in Various Scientific Fields’, (5/12) at Ibis Hotel Padang, West Sumatra (West Sumatera).

This seminar was attended by more than 100 people consisting of Postgraduate students of Doctoral and Master Programmes of Applied Climatology of the GFM Department of IPB University. Students from Padang State University (UNP) and Andalas University also attended, both from undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

“This seminar aims to promote dialogue and discussion on the application of climate science in various sectors. The output of this seminar is expected to contribute to the initiation of research cooperation between IPB University and UNP researchers,” said Vice Dean of FMIPA IPB University for Academic, Student Affairs and Alumni, Dr Akhmad Faqih.

This seminar, he said, was also part of the educational cooperation between IPB University and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) which has been going on for more than 10 years. On this occasion, there was also a signing session of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between FMIPA IPB University and FMIPA UNP.

“In 2024, let us fill it with various research programmes that can explore the academic and scientific potential between the two universities. BMKG representatives are also here, hopefully we can fully support this research for the sustainability of climate change and climatology studies,” said Dr Yulkifli, Dean of FMIPA UNP.

Dr Akhmad Faqih also enthusiastically welcomed this moment. He called it a strategic step to face the phenomenon of climate change that is happening in various parts of the world.

In the seminar, there were 21 speakers who presented their research results. A total of 13 of them were the results of research from IPB University Postgraduate students, both S2 and S3 Applied Climatology Study Programmes. The remaining 5 papers were the results of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department of Physics FMIPA UNP, and one paper each from Andalas University, Global⅞ Atmosphere Watch (GAW) and the West Sumatra Agricultural Instrument Standards Implementation Centre (BPSIP).

In West Sumatra, the IPB University GFM Department team also visited the GAW office in Kototabang hill, Agam. GAW is a programme launched by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), an agency of the United Nations (UN) that takes care of the field of meteorology, to make observations of various parameters in the earth’s atmosphere.

“The purpose of the visit to GAW is to see modern equipment used to observe and understand meteorological, climatological, air quality and geophysical phenomena. In addition, to know the process of data obtained as part of reliable and trusted meteorological, climatological, air quality and geophysical information,” he said. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)