The International Academic Affairs Unit (IAA) had the honor of being visited by Prof. Herry Utomo, Chair of the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global (IDN Global). A Professor at Louisiana State University (LSU), USA, Herry was born in Malang and is an alumnus of the Faculty of Agriculture at Universitas Brawijaya (UB) from the 1980s. After receiving a scholarship for his Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral programs at LSU, Herry continued to live and work at his alma mater, eventually becoming a professor in agriculture. In addition to leading IDN Global with branches in 23 countries, he also chairs the Indonesian Association of Scientific Academics (IASA), which is a forum for Indonesian-born lecturers working at overseas universities.
The visit to the UB Rectorate Building was also attended by UB Rector Prof. Widodo, S.Si., M.Si., Ph.D.Med.Sc, Vice Rector for Planning, Cooperation, and Internationalization Andi Kurniawan, S.Pi., M.Eng., D.Sc, and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of Universitas Sebelas Maret Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Yunus, who accompanied Herry from Solo to Malang.
During the meeting with the Rector and his staff, Herry mentioned that he returned to Indonesia to attend guest lecture invitations in Bandung and Solo. From there, he took the opportunity to visit Malang and his first alma mater after decades. At LSU, he successfully developed low-calorie rice that has been patented and is ready for consumption by US residents. With this achievement, Herry wishes to share his success by inviting UB researchers to join the research. “The rice has been successfully developed in the US. I hope it can be developed in Indonesia, in collaboration with UB and UNS researchers,” said the SDN Dinoyo graduate.
Meanwhile, UB Rector Prof. Widodo welcomed the visit of this distinguished alumnus to UB. He expressed interest in joining Herry’s research on low-calorie rice and other DNA editing fields that Herry is involved in. On this occasion, the Rector immediately called several lecturers from the Faculty of Agriculture to get acquainted. “These are our lecturers from the Faculty of Agriculture. I hope they can join Prof. Herry’s research and produce joint publications,” said the Rector.
