Good news comes from psychology students from Universitas Brawijaya (UB) who initiated the Tactile Paving program in the 2024 Student Creativity Program (PKM).
The Social Humanities Research (RSH) PKM program has successfully passed funding and officially become a participant in the 37th National Student Scientific Week (PIMNAS) in 2024. The psychology students are Herdias Falahi, Adinda Azkia and Destiana Dian.
Herdias Falahi explained that this research began with the inequality of guiding block or tactile paving facilities in urban areas in Indonesia, one of which is in Malang City.
“Therefore, we try to raise this idea using more objective methods in psychological research, especially those involving equipment that measures the psychological responses of the individual themselves so that it can produce more up-to-date and novel research outputs,” he explained.
From the research they conducted, Adinda Azkia said the expected output is the equalization of tactile paving facilities in urban areas.
“With this equalization, it can help blind friends in walking and also doing activities because tactile paving has been proven cognitively to help blind friends to make it easier to walk and know the conditions around blind friends,” she said.
The initiation of this program began with the alignment of perceptions and collaboration between the supervising lecturers and students, both from the Department of Psychology and other faculties who are members of the RSH PKM group.
After that, they prepared a proposal until they got funding and made an online presentation with reviewers from the central Directorate of Higher Education. The long process they went through also successfully led them to become participants in the 37th PIMNAS which will be held at Airlangga University.
“Of course we are happy and proud to have reached this stage. We need to go through a fairly long process and are proud because we are part of the contingent representing Universitas Brawijaya and FISIP. Therefore, we still need to maintain the spirit to complete what we have started, as well as the good hopes entrusted to us at the PIMNAS event later,” said Destiana Dian.
Destiana Dian also advised other FISIP students not to be afraid and hesitate to start realizing the research ideas they have. She also said to build collaboration with lecturers and friends from other faculties so that next year there will be more representatives from FISIP to come forward in the PIMNAS event. (Fazlar/FISIP PR/ UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
