The 34th National Student Scientific Week (PIMNAS) at the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) was officially opened on Tuesday (26/10/2021) at the USU Rector Bureau Courtyard, Padang Bulan Campus, Medan. Filled with a variety of 8 ethnic dances typical of North Sumatra Province by students on a magnificent stage, colorful spotlights, VVIPs, university leaders, and invited guests pressed the button to mark the opening of PIMNAS 34 USU.

Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim in his speech virtually congratulated the 735 teams from 108 universities who became finalists in the 34th PIMNAS at USU.

“I am waiting for the research ideas and innovations. Because welcoming the moment of Youth Pledge is the right time for students to collaborate with each other to build the country,” he said.

“This PIMNAS event is also proof that our students are superior seeds that will be able to realize the Golden Indonesia as envisioned,” he said.

Prof. Nizam emphasized that students who competed in PIMNAS USU were finalists who were already champions because they had passed a series of tiered selection processes. “Therefore, students must maintain creativity and innovation because it is the key to a Golden Indonesia,” he said.

USU Rector Dr. Muryanto Amin congratulated the competition in his speech. “This competition is a place to fight for ideas and ideas, and most importantly as a form of our commitment in building the nation and state,” he said.

The Rector said, the theme of the 34th PIMNAS at USU deliberately raised the theme Towards Golden Indonesia Through Collaboration for Innovation in the Frame of Local Wisdom because local wisdom is the wealth of the nation that must be developed so that it can have an international flavor.

“PIMNAS is also expected to inspire educators, lecturers, or head of study program secretaries about ideas regarding research and innovation in various fields, especially in order to implement the MBKM program,” he said.

The Rector also hopes that PIMNAS will be able to arouse and ignite the enthusiasm of students to be more active in creativity, science development, research and innovation whose results can be used to build the nation and state.

Head of the USU 34th PIMNAS who is also Vice Rector I Dr. Edy Ikhsan, S.H., M.A. reported that as many as 3,126 students who are members of 735 teams from 108 universities throughout Indonesia competed in the USU 34th PIMNAS and was held in a hybrid manner (online and offline).

This PIMNAS activity in 2021 competes in nine categories. “Namely PKM-Constructive Futuristic Ideas, PKM-Written Ideas, PKM-Entrepreneurship, PKM-Creative Initiative, PKM-Innovative Works, PKM-Application of Science and Technology, PKM-Community Service, PKM-Science Research and PKM-Social Research,” he said.

Dr Edy said that the participants of the competition attended through an online network whose facilities were centralized in two places with 35 classes. 18 at the Faculty of Computer Science Systems and Information Technology, while 17 classes are at the Faculty of Dentistry.

“The national jury chaired by Prof. Dr. Nuni Gofar, MS, has been present in Medan 98 people while 9 others are present virtually,” he said.

PIMNAS at USU will be held from October 25 to October 30, 2021, which began with a Gathering Night on October 25, 2021, at the Maimun Palace, followed by the Opening Ceremony on October 26, 2021, the competition process, judging, and poster exhibition on October 27-28, 2021.

Then on October 29, 2021, a public lecture was held by one of the ministers of the Onward Indonesia Cabinet and continued in the evening closing ceremony. On October 30, 2021, the judges and delegates from the ministries returned to their respective homes.

The opening ceremony was also filled with the handover of the PIMNAS rotating trophy from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), which is the 33rd overall champion, to the Head of the USU 34th PIMNAS Committee to be recontested and the parade of PIMNAS participants represented by traditional clothing and dances of USU students, as well as the typical Nias stone jumping dance to the student choir.

Also attending the opening ceremony was the Acting Head of the National Achievement Center, Asep Sukmayadi, S.IP, M.Si, Deputy Chairman I of the North Sumatra DPRD, Harun Mustafa Nasution, Head of the Medan City DPRD, Hasyim, SE, Head of the North Sumatra Police Human Resources Bureau, Kombes Pol Heru Budi Prasetyo, S. I.K, Expert Staff for Economics of Pangdam I/BB, Colonel Eric Christian Simanjuntak, S.H, rectors of PTN / PTS, Coordinator at the North Sumatra High Prosecutor's Office, Hendra A. Ginting and Vice Rectors II, III, IV and V and Secretary of the Universitas Sumatera Utara.