ITS Patriot Expedition with the Ministry of Transmigration, FT-EIC Contributes to Transmigration Areas

Image: ITS students and lecturers during the send-off ceremony of the Patriot Expedition Team.

Surabaya, ELECTICS ITS – Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) officially dispatched the Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) on Friday, August 22, 2025, as a form of support for national development in transmigration areas. This program is a collaboration between ITS and the Ministry of Transmigration and involves seven major universities in Indonesia, including Universitas Indonesia (UI), ITB, UGM, UNDIP, UNPAD, and IPB.

The expedition, which runs until December 9, 2025, covers 57 transmigration areas across Indonesia, stretching from Aceh to Papua. Lecturers and students from the Faculty of Intelligent Electrical and Informatics Technology (FT-EIC) at ITS are actively participating in this program.

One of them is Prof. Dr. I Ketut Eddy Purnama, Dean of FT-EIC for the 2020–2024 period and Head of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology Studies, DRPM ITS. He leads the team stationed in West Sarudu, West Sulawesi, with the primary task of evaluating the Transmigration Area Plan (RKT), which will serve as the basis for the government’s program recommendations in the following year.

He emphasized that cross-team coordination plays a crucial role in compiling the final report. “ITS assigns one coordinator for each deliverable, ensuring the activities run in a more structured way. Next year, the results of this evaluation will be followed up, such as recommendations for land development, the establishment of fishing communities, or the application of IoT technology for shrimp farming,” Prof. Eddy explained.

Furthermore, he hopes that this activity will not only produce valuable data for the ministry but also open up opportunities for research and community service.

“For lecturers, this program serves as a platform to explore real problems in the field. For students, it provides an extraordinary experience of living and working directly in rural communities until the program is completed,” he added.

Image: Send-off moment of the Patriot Expedition Team by ITS.

In addition to lecturers, FT-EIC students also took part in the program. One of them, Mutiara Noor Fauzia, a 2022 Information Systems student, was assigned to the Ponu area in East Nusa Tenggara. Together with her team, she carried out mapping of the transmigration area to provide updated data for the Ministry of Transmigration.

“This program is called the Patriot Expedition by the Ministry of Transmigration, and at ITS, it is part of the ITS Berdampak initiative. The selection process was quite rigorous, starting from filling out forms, submitting CVs, writing a short essay, to interviews that focused on survival skills in remote areas,” explained Mutiara.

She further shared that her team faced unique challenges as Ponu is considered a rabies and malaria-prone region. “We were prepared with rabies vaccinations and malaria prophylactic medication, coordinated directly by ITS in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine,” she said.

Under the guidance of a lecturer from the Department of Civil Engineering, Mutiara’s team was tasked with the first deliverable, which was mapping transmigration areas.

“Our hope is that the data we collect will provide updated insights for the Ministry of Transmigration and be well-received by the local communities,” she concluded.

This expedition is expected not only to generate beneficial data but also to strengthen collaboration between universities and the government. The active participation of FT-EIC lecturers and students reflects the faculty’s strong commitment to supporting the success of the Patriot Expedition.

FT-EIC Lecturers in the Patriot Expedition Team

1. Dedet Candra Riawan, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering)
   
2. Prof. Dr. Ir. Imam Robandi, M.T. (Electrical Engineering)
   
3. Dr. Ahmad Saikhu, S.Si., M.T. (Informatics)
   
4. Dr. Sholiq, S.T., M.Kom., M.SA (Information Systems)
   
5. Ahmad Muklason, S.Kom., M.Sc., Ph.D. (Information Systems)
   
6. Prof. Dr. I Ketut Eddy Purnama, S.T., M.T. (Computer Engineering)

FT-EIC Students in the Patriot Expedition Team

1. Rohmah Hidayah (Electrical Engineering)
   
2. Analisye Maryar (Electrical Engineering)
   
3. Amri Diensyah Hufadz Abdullah (Electrical Engineering)
   
4. Isna Rizky Alviansyah (Electrical Engineering)
   
5. Robby Ulung Pambudi (Informatics)
   
6. Raynaldi Anggiat Samuel Siahaan (Information Systems)
   
7. Leonardi Paris Hasugian (Information Systems)
   
8. Miftakhul Jaah Sulastri (Information Systems)
   
9. Qudsiyah Zahra Ilham Naseela (Information Systems)
   
10. Rifqi Naufal Luthfyardy (Information Systems)
    
11. Maulidiya Meilani (Information Systems)
    
12. Mutiara Noor Fauzia (Information Systems)
    
13. Adimasdefatra Bimasena Sulthantik Maryono (Information Technology)
    
14. George David Nebore (Information Technology)