The 78th graduation at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) featured a distinct atmosphere compared to the previous years. It was noticeable especially during the farewell speech, highlighted by the presence of a graduating student representative riding an automatic pedicab built by Udinus toward the stage podium.
The electric vehicle named ‘Becak Listrik Kampus Udinus’ abbreviated to ‘Becik-KU’, was the latest innovation made by the Engineering Faculty at Udinus. Becik-KU utilizes a battery as its main power source, which is also powered by solar panels placed on top of it. The innovation that was developed by students and lecturers has a total capacity of 4 passengers.
“The reason why Becik-Ku is able to work autonomously is because during the development it uses the Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) Technology,” stated Dr. M Ary Heryanto, S.T., M.Eng., as both the instructor and a team member involved in the development of Becik-KU.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Edi Noersasongko, M.Kom., The chancellor of Udinus explained that the purpose of Becik-KU is to contribute toward the government's efforts in transitioning from petrol-fueled transportation to renewable energy vehicles. It also serves as a tangible product that emerges from the ‘Tri Dharma’ philosphy of universities in Indonesia that would be beneficial for the community.
“We will always support improving the ‘Matching Fund’ Research like Becik-KU so that it would give the best result. We are hoping that Udinus can play a role to contribute in creating Semarang into a Smart City,” said Prof. Edi.
The Chancellor of Udinus also congratulated more than 1200 graduates who were officially commenced at the 78th graduation event. Currently, Udinus is also carrying the ‘Superior’ accreditation from the High Education National Accreditation Board (BAN-PT). Not only that, but several study programs at Udinus have also acquired the same accreditation as well. At the end of his speech, Prof. Edi also encouraged all graduates to contribute to Indonesia with the skills and knowledge that they have learned at college.
“Hopefully, everything that you learned during your college years can be fully utilized in public. As anticipated, graduates of Udinus can play an active role in advancing both the current state of the nation and its future,” advised Prof. Edi.
At the 78th graduation ceremony, Becik-KU made its debut before a large audience of Udinus' academic community, including the graduating students. It featured the top three graduates from Udinus' bachelor’s degree (S-1), Applied Bachelor’s degree (D-4), and Diploma Degree (D-3) programs. Furthermore, students who received the 'Best of the Best' award were personally honored by the chancellor of Udinus. Prior to that, Becik-KU also received a great appreciation during the enforcement of Province Sports Week (Proprov) XVI Central Java not long ago. (Udinus Public Relation/Alex. Photo: Udinus PR)
