Yogyakarta, November 4th 2025 – The prestigious 13th International Graduate Students and Scholars’ Conference in Indonesia (IGSSCI) has officially commenced its series of scholarly discussions. The first day of parallel sessions immediately presented a dense intellectual menu, dozens of researchers and academics dissected the most pressing challenges of the modern era. The grand theme “Navigating The Future: Strengthening Resilience Through Global Collaboration Towards World Peace,” participants from various institutions dove directly into crucial topics. In the first day Parallel Session I, intensive discussions held from 13:00 to 14:45 WIB were divided into six main panels, each with a sharp and relevant focus. The six panels covered “Cultural and Social Resilience” (Panel 1), “Digitalization, Technological Advancement, and Ethical Frameworks” (Panel 2), “Education as a Catalyst for Resilience” (Panel 3), “Energy Transition” (Panel 4), “Food Security and Agro-Resilience” (Panel 5), and “Peacebuilding and Civic Collaboration” (Panel 6).
Amidst the onslaught of social and technological issues, two research from UGM offered interesting perspectives. In Panel 1, Jamaludin (UGM) presented findings on “Relying on Social Capital: How Older Indonesians Perceive Financial Satisfaction in Later-life.” His study highlights how social capital—networks and trust—is a crucial factor for the financial satisfaction of the elderly in Indonesia. Meanwhile, in Panel 2 which discussed digitalization, Ishadiyanto Salim (UGM) raised the topic “Agricultural Extension Workers’ Readiness for Digital Literacy…”. This research explored the readiness of agricultural extension workers to adopt digital technology, a key factor for modernizing the agricultural sector in the future. Resilience also means building peace and sustainability. In Panel 3, Imanuel Geovasky (UGM) presented his quantitative analysis on “The Predictors of Tolerance…”. His study examined the significant impact of peace education on increasing tolerance among university students.
The issue of planetary sustainability was thoroughly discussed in Panel 4, where Idang Prihantoro (UGM) presented “National Energy Transformation, Challenges and Opportunities in Indonesia’s Shift from Fossil Fuels to Renewable-Based Electricity.” This presentation underscored the urgency of Indonesia’s energy transition. In the panel on food security (Panel 5), a unique perspective came from Muhammad Nabil Pratama (UGM) through his research “Honeybees as Agro-Ecological Agents.” This study explored the fundamental role of bees as agro-ecological agents in facing the global food crisis. Completing the discussion, Panel 6 highlighted the importance of cultural resilience. Batari Oja Andini (UGM) presented her research on “Cultural Identity Reproduction among Chinese-Indonesians in Temples.” This research examined how Chinese-Indonesian cultural identity is continuously reproduced and preserved through religious practices in temples, as a vital part of social cohesion.
This first day of parallel sessions at IGSSCI proved that the “glocal” (global and local) collaboration promoted in the theme is not just jargon. These intensive discussions are just the beginning, as the conference will continue into its second day, which will also feature equally engaging parallel sessions. It is hoped that this entire series of discussions will generate concrete ideas for the future.
Author : Berlian Belasuni