A student team from the Geophysics Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FMIPA UI), who are members of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Universitas Indonesia Student Chapter (SEG UI SC), has secured funding of US$12,500 (approximately IDR 195 million) from the SEG Foundation through the Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB) program. This exciting news was officially announced by the SEG Foundation on March 3, 2024, via email to the Project Aquinas GWB Team.

The team, consisting of Stella Eulia Andoko (Geophysics 2021), who serves as the President of SEG UI SC 2024, along with her research team led by Michael Partogi (Geophysics 2022) and Muhammad Rizki Setiawan (Geophysics 2022), received the funding to carry out a social project titled “Aquinas: Aquifer Analysis Using Geophysical Methods as a Solution to Help the Clean Water Crisis for the Well-being of Cipayung Residents.”

The main objective of this project is to resolve the clean water crisis in Cipayung District, Depok, by exploring groundwater conditions and educating local communities about the importance of clean water.

“The Cipayung area, Depok is a densely populated area whose residents still depend on groundwater as their main source of water, plus there is a final waste disposal site located close to residential areas, this can certainly increase the risk of groundwater pollution which threatens public health,” said Stella explaining the background of her project.

He continued, his project focuses on efforts to identify and address groundwater contamination, in order to improve the quality of life and minimize health risks for residents.

In her project, Stella and her team will work together with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and local government. She also involved members of the UI student chapter to participate in responding to the issue of groundwater pollution in the area around the Cipayung Landfill, Depok, which is caused by the accumulation of waste.

“We will collect, analyze and interpret data to find long-term solutions to resolve the problem from mid-2024 to the end of 2025,” he said.

Stella also explained that in data acquisition, the team utilized geophysical methods such as resistivity methods, self-potential, GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) methods, and geochemical methods. This project continued with data processing and interpretation, which will later be used as a benchmark for suggestions for the construction of clean water wells for local residents, to the installation water filter untuk mengoptimalkan kualitas akses air bersih di sana.

Meanwhile, as an effort to build awareness among local communities about the importance of clean water availability, the Aquinas project will also organize… Charity event which will be implemented in nearby schools and health centers.

Furthermore, this Aquinas project carries 3 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The first goal is a healthy and prosperous life (3), by ensuring that clean water is always available, so that the health and welfare of the local community in Cipayung are maintained. The second goal is clean water and sanitation (6) ensuring that access to clean water is obtained for all local residents of Cipayung, and helping to maintain the quality of sanitation in the local community, and the third goal is a partnership to meet common goals (17) by working together with parties outside the campus such as NGOs and also the local government, to achieve common goals, namely improving the welfare of the Cipayung community, Depok.

The SEG UI SC team is committed to implementing this project as well as possible in order to achieve maximum final results. The final results of the aquinas project itself are planned to be presented directly by Stella and the team in 2025, at the SEG Annual Meeting 2025, in Houston Texas, USA.

About the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and Geoscientists without Borders (GWB)

For your information, SEG is a global non-profit organization that aims to accommodate students, as well as geoscience industry professionals to study and develop science in the field of geophysics. The organization based in Houston, Texas, USA has carved a long history in developing education and professionalism in the field of Geophysics, and has more than 20,000 members in 128 countries. One of them is SEG UI SC. While SEG UI SC is the Student Chapter of SEG at the University of Indonesia.

GWB is a funding program for social action projects in the field of Geophysics, for students organized by the SEG Foundation, to encourage student participation in providing real impact, through community service projects, and utilizing geophysical science.