Yogyakarta, October 2024 — Achievements know no time limits. A student team from the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), consisting of Gian Luky Saputra and Saprina Saputri (Statistics 2021), made history by winning third place at the Paper Competition (PapCom) as part of LOGIKA Universitas Indonesia (UI) 2024, held from February 3 to 4, 2024. Although the competition has passed, their achievement remains an inspiration, particularly in this era of technological advancements and ongoing developments in data science applications.
PapCom is a prestigious national-level competition, and this year it featured the theme “Developing Data Science Applications in Industry 5.0.” The competition attracted teams from renowned universities across Indonesia, including Politeknik Statistika STIS, Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Airlangga, and many more. Out of dozens of teams that applied, only five advanced to the finals, including Gian and Saprina, who competed with their innovative idea of developing a machine learning-based application to combat the spread of fake news in digital media.
With their project AKSARA (Akses Sahabat Berita Terpercaya), Gian and Saprina successfully formulated a solution based on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to filter and classify fake news. In their paper, they analyzed the rising trends and challenges of fake news, particularly on digital platforms. The AKSARA application represents an early breakthrough in helping society filter trustworthy and reliable information.
“Working on this project while preparing for midterms was quite challenging, but we saw it as an opportunity to learn time and team management,” Gian shared.
In the final round, held offline at the FMIPA UI in February, Gian and Saprina presented their analysis to a panel of expert judges in the field of data science. Despite initial nerves, they managed to impress the judges with their proposed solution, securing a place among the top teams in the competition.
Saprina expressed her joy, saying, “This is our second experience as a team, and this victory motivates us to continue innovating and contributing more to the field of data science.”
This achievement is not the end but rather a stepping stone toward more future accomplishments. Gian and Saprina plan to further develop the AKSARA application so that it can eventually be used by the general public. Their success also serves as an inspiration for other UGM students to participate in various technological innovation competitions.
This accomplishment supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, which focuses on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation, particularly in developing technology-based solutions for challenges in the digital world.
Keywords: Student Achievements, Data Science, Statistics
Contributor: Gian Luky
Author: Endang Sulastri
Photo: Gian Luky