Makassar – Hasanuddin University (Unhas) has made history by successfully hosting the 38th National Student Scientific Week (Pekan Ilmiah Mahasiswa Nasional – PIMNAS). This highly prestigious national event, which serves as the pinnacle of appreciation and competition for the best student scientific works across Indonesia, was officially inaugurated with a vibrant opening ceremony held on Monday, November 24, starting at 07:30 AM WITA, at the legendary Baruga A.P. Pettarani. The venue was immediately filled with an air of enthusiasm and optimism from delegate students representing the top higher education institutions nationwide.
The opening ceremony was particularly spectacular, masterfully blending academic formality with the rich tapestry of Indonesian culture. The atmosphere was enhanced by diverse artistic and cultural performances from across the archipelago, including a fashion show featuring traditional attire from various regions. This display was more than entertainment; it was a profound reflection of the spirit of kebhinekaan (diversity) and unity within the academic world, powerfully asserting that innovation thrives through collaborative diversity.
The First Day: Dedication to Scientific Rigor and Logistics
The inaugural day of the 38th PIMNAS began with crucial logistical and technical stages. Following the smooth registration process for all participants, teams immediately proceeded to set up their scientific posters and install their presentation files (PPTs) in the competition venues. This meticulous preparation was essential to ensure all teams were ready for the intensive and rigorous judging sessions ahead.
Later that same day, the scientific poster judging session took place, showcasing hundreds of innovative student works from various fields of science. These posters served as vibrant showcases for brilliant student ideas, reflecting their abilities in critical thinking, creativity, and their commitment to providing tangible contributions toward solving national challenges through scientific and technological approaches. Solutions ranged across health, appropriate technology, social empowerment, and advanced engineering, all competing head-to-head at Unhas.
Inspiration and Motivation: Public Lectures and Champion Mindset Talks
Beyond the intense competition sessions, the 38th PIMNAS also featured non-competitive activities designed to enrich the participants’ perspectives and provide motivation. These included a Public Lecture and an Inspirational Talkshow.
The Public Lecture featured Miklos Sunario (Co-Founder and CEO of Futurity), an inspirational young entrepreneur who successfully scaled innovation to a global level. Miklos shared invaluable experiences in building technology-based startups and offered insights into how students can effectively transform their research ideas into valuable products or services with high economic and social value.
Equally compelling was the Inspirational Talkshow titled “The Secret to Building a Champion Mindset for Generation Z”. This session provided a critical platform for discussion and motivation, encouraging students to not only excel academically but also to develop themselves professionally and personally. Speakers shared strategies for coping with failure, emphasized the importance of mental resilience, and provided techniques for transforming challenges into opportunities—all crucial assets for the next generation of leaders.
FKM Unhas: The Epicenter of Community Engagement Innovation
One faculty that showed particularly high enthusiasm and served as a strategic location for the 38th PIMNAS was the Faculty of Public Health (FKM) Unhas. Hosting competition events within the FKM environment created a lively atmosphere, strongly emphasizing the spirit of community engagement.
FKM Unhas was designated as the venue for the Student Creativity Program in Community Service (Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat – PKM-PM) competition. This category specifically challenges students to not only innovate in the lab but also to directly implement their solutions within the community. The PKM-PM competition took place in Rooms K111 and K112 of FKM Unhas.
A total of 17 competing teams from various universities participated in this category, presenting innovative community service programs designed to address real-world social problems. The programs displayed were highly diverse, ranging from health education campaigns, construction of simple clean water infrastructure, to economic empowerment initiatives for coastal communities. Hosting the competition underscored FKM Unhas’s central and active role in driving student-led development based on health and social welfare.
Student participants were enthusiastic in showcasing innovations across fields, including public health, appropriate technology, and social empowerment. Each team meticulously presented their best ideas in a creative and solution-oriented manner to the judging panel and visitors, making FKM Unhas the arena for social impact innovation.
Expo Side Fest: A Hub for Creativity and Entrepreneurship
The 38th PIMNAS was further enlivened by the Expo Side Fest. This expo served as a vibrant meeting place for ideas, innovations, and creativity from the entire academic community. Various exhibition stands from Student Activity Units (UKM), faculties, the Student Entrepreneurship Program (Program Mahasiswa Wirausaha – PMW), and numerous sponsors filled the MKU Platform with diverse featured products and innovative works.
The expo showcased a wide array of items, from functional food products resulting from research to digital technology applications for public services, alongside arts and crafts. The Expo Side Fest was open to the public and ran until November 27, which coincided with the closing day and the award ceremony for PIMNAS 38. The expo acted not only as a display but also as an incubator for student entrepreneurial ideas, culminating in the rewarding of the best student works. FKM Unhas’s presence in the Expo Side Fest was also strongly felt, featuring innovations in health and public health-based startups.
The 38th PIMNAS and Tangible Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The hosting of the 38th PIMNAS at Hasanuddin University, with all its competition categories and related activities, is fundamentally aligned with Indonesia’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This event is tangible proof of the strategic role of higher education institutions in developing an excellent, globally competitive generation dedicated to sustainability.
- SDG 4 (Quality Education): PIMNAS represents the apex of quality education that prioritizes student research and innovation. Through rigorous competition and mentorship, PIMNAS ensures that students develop the critical, analytical, and problem-solving skills that are essential to high-quality higher education.
- SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): By fostering student entrepreneurship, particularly through the Expo Side Fest and the Student Entrepreneurship Program (PMW), PIMNAS directly supports SDG 8 targets. The event encourages the creation of new innovation-based jobs (job creators), moving students beyond merely seeking employment.
- SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): All projects competing in PIMNAS, from PKM-K (Entrepreneurship) to PKM-KC (Creative Works), provide impetus for technology, innovation, and sustainable solutions applicable to national infrastructure and industry. This competition cultivates an innovation culture crucial for resilient economic development.
- SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The special focus on FKM Unhas as the venue for PKM-PM highlights PIMNAS’s commitment to finding community service solutions based on public health. Programs related to disease prevention, nutrition education, and sanitation directly contribute to achieving SDG 3 targets, ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
Conclusion: Unhas, A Successful Host Cultivating an Innovative Generation
Overall, the 38th PIMNAS at Hasanuddin University was not just a competition; it was an intellectual festival that successfully mobilized the creativity of students from across Indonesia. Unhas’s success as the host, especially the pivotal role played by FKM Unhas in organizing the PKM-PM competition, reinforces the university’s reputation as an institution dedicated to community service and sustainable innovation. The award ceremony on the closing day marked a fitting conclusion to an event that successfully fostered thousands of brilliant ideas and reaffirmed the strategic role of higher education in building a knowledge-based future for the nation.