The UNY Faculty of Engineering continues to forge the technopreneurship mentality of UNY students to support a productive and skilled society. “UNY continues to cultivate the spirit of student independence so that they are keen to turn opportunities into challenges of economic value by integrating them with competencies in the field of technology. All of this is based on the spirit of creativity to continue to innovate. Throughout the past year, our students have also offered various products, concepts, and ideas as an effort to present solutions in community problems and to present new job opportunities,” said Prof. Herman Dwi Surjono, Ph.D.

Several student innovations have earned prestigious awards. For example, the prototype of solar-powered bird repellent has a positive prospect to support farmers in effectively repelling bird attack on crops compared with traditional methods. This innovation has earned Bronze Medal at the Indonesian Young Scientist Association (IYSA) and successfully attracted the attention of the Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries Service of Sleman Regency for further development.

There is also a SPICoPlast (Spark Plug Ignition Connector from Plastic Waste), a spark plug cap with a minimum resistance value made with plastic waste as the base material. This work, which received a Gold Award in the Green Technology category by the Indonesian Invention and Innovation Promotion Association (INNOPA), is highly efficient and has the opportunity to reduce the ever-expanding waste.

"My Farm" is developed by students and utilizes sunlight energy as a water supplier in hydroponics and fish ponds. In addition, this innovation is equipped with a monitoring system with the Internet of Things (IoT), such as pH, water temperature, and oxygen levels. This idea also won a gold medal in the World Youth Invention and Innovation Award (WYIIA) organized by the Indonesian Young Scientist Association (IYSA).

The latest is the "Inobike" electric bicycle made by students with Pedal Assist, which has been mass-produced and has been used in the campus.

Herman added that technology is a way or method to process business, so that cost and time efficiency occurs and produce higher quality products.

"However, technology is not everything in technopreneurship. That’s why we continue to consistently forge students' character through various learning activities, training, and other student activities to convert ideas and creativity into profitable products or businesses and develop a mentality that can manage business risks.” Herman said. (Hryo, Tj. Lak)