UNS — The Architectural Engineering Program Faculty of Engineering (FT) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held an international workshop in partnership with several universities in South East Asia. International Workshop on Asian Heritage (IWAH) 2021 was opened on Saturday (4/9/2021) and will continue until Monday (25/10/2021).
The universities that hosted the workshop are UNS (Indonesia), Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (Thailand), Mahasarakham University (Thailand), National University of Civil Engineering (Vietnam), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Malaysia). The workshop took Asian Experiences: Recovery the Pandemic for Urban Street Culture and Meaningful Public Space as a theme and is a follow-up for a collaboration between UNS and UTM Malaysia established on April 2021.
In his remark, the Dean of FT UNS, Dr. Techn. Ir. Sholihin As’ad, delivered his appreciation for all universities that had worked together to hold the workshop.
“Thank you for providing an opportunity for UNS in this event. This workshop brings us back into post-pandemic recovery, especially in urban culture amid the pandemic. The pandemic that has occurred for more than a year brought a lot of stories. This is hard, but we need to survive,” the FT UNS Dean stated.
In this hard situation, everyone has a vital role. How to solve an issue, to fight and survive, and to understand the role of the nature in this changing situation.
“For example, in Indonesia, there is gotong-royong culture. People work collectively to solve an issue. The key point is to respect one another, be responsible to one another, and be responsible to the community,” he added.
The pandemic also affected many sectors, including health and the economy.
“Java is one of the islands (in Indonesia) most affected by the pandemic. But people took the initiative to make quarantine spots at school or the village chief office. Many people conduct fundraising, donate thermometers, oximeters, and other health equipment. I am sure we all have strong local wisdom,” he concluded.
The opening ceremony also marked the start of the workshop series. Six speakers delivered materials on the first day: Adjunt. Asst. Prof. Janet Pillai, Ms. Vicki Wong, Prof. Pham Dinh Viet, Dr. Le Quynh Chi, and Dr. Mongkol Khan. Humas UNS
Reporter: Bayu Aji Prasetya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti