Husnul Ermalena, a 2018 undergraduate student in Geography, brought honor to the FMIPA UI by winning the award for Best Presenter 1 at the National Seminar organized by the Department of Geography Education, FKIP, Halu Oleo University thanks to her research entitled “Place Sensitivity in Gunung Padang Hamlet to Historical Tourism of the Gunung Padang Site”.
Seminar with the theme “Geographic Challenges in the Era Society 5.0” was held on November 6, 2021, held online (by participants) and offline (by the committee).
There are six sub-themes: geography education, remote sensing, regional development and planning, tourism, disaster mitigation, and agricultural geography. Husnul chose tourism as the theme, reflecting the findings of his recent research in one of the courses, Field Work Lecture 3.
“The research was conducted to analyze the sensitivity of Gunung Padang Hamlet to the historical tourist attraction of the Gunung Padang Site,” Husnul told the UI Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Public Relations team.
The main idea behind the research, Husnul said, was that the site is a megalithic site that is included in the national cultural heritage. This is also supported by the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture No. 023/M/2014 concerning the designation of the Gunung Padang Site as a National Cultural Heritage.
According to him, the decision has changed the sensitivity of the residents of Gunung Padang Hamlet to make the Gunung Padang Site a historical tourist attraction.
To complete his paper, he collected data through in-depth interviews with informants and local residents of the Gunung Padang site, as well as observations in Gunung Padang Hamlet. Interview questions focused on tourist attractions, culture, accessibility, amenities, and the local economy.
From the results of his research, he concluded that since the Gunung Padang Site was made a National Cultural Heritage, the Gunung Padang Hamlet changed their sense of place to support the Gunung Padang Site tourist attraction.
In geography, place sensitivity (sense of place) can be interpreted as a human perception of the characteristics of the environment in which they live. The aforementioned ministerial decision has had a positive impact, as it encourages the community to participate in protecting the megalithic site from damage.
Talking about challenges, Husnul revealed that his biggest challenge was when he had to complete his paper in a very short time.
“Actually, I only found out about the seminar on the day itself. deadline “It was November 4th, but fortunately, the committee extended the deadline until the following day. I actually processed the data overnight. So, it’s safe to say it was very fast, as the next day was also the main event of the seminar, with presenter presentations in the afternoon,” Husnul explained his challenges.
On the main day of the seminar, Husnul not only presented his research but also had a 15-minute discussion with the judges. Presentations were held in rotation by student participants from across Indonesia.
Husnul menceritakan bahwa dengan pengalamannya tersebut, ia telah mendapatkan banyak manfaat.
“Menurut saya, manfaatnya banyak banget. Saya jadi semakin belajar untuk menulis jurnal jurnal dengan benar, melatih kedisiplinan waktu, menambah pengalaman, menambah kepercayaan diri, dan juga menambah relasi.” ujar Husnul.
Closing the interview with the FMIPA UI Public Relations Team, Husnul advised all FMIPA UI students not to miss any opportunity, as he believes that opportunities don’t come twice. For example, taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in competitions is crucial, as the most valuable experience is valuable.
For your information, there are timeline The National Seminar on Geography Education will begin on October 18-November 5, 2021 (seminar registration and abstract submission deadline), November 2, 2021 (full paper deadline), November 4, 2021 (full paper announcement), and November 6 (seminar implementation). The announcement of the winners will be made on November 18, 2021, via WhatsApp by the event’s organizing committee.
