A student from the Department of Biology Education is Aditia Pramudia Sunandar (Biology Education / 2017) along with three team members from the Chemistry Education Department and the Elementary School Education Department guided by Rr. Lis Permana Sari, Dra. M.Sc. won the Gold Medal Prize Category Social Science in the 2019 International Bujang Valley Innovation Invention and Design Competition (BVIIEC) held at the Mara University of Technology, Merbok, Kedah. This competition was held on June 13, 2019 with 150 teams from various countries in Asia, such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.

This competition is a competition that is participated by those working in the field of academics ranging from elementary school students to the level of researchers. In this competition there are 4 categories competed with several categories of participants with national and international levels. The competed categories are Category 1 (Science and Technology for Professional Inventors / Innovators and Young Inventors / Innovators), Category 2 (Social Science for Professional Inventors / Innovators and Young Inventors / Innovators), Category 3 (MOOC is open to the public), Categories 4 (Special for Product / Research, Design for disable people and government agencies). Participants in this competition are very diverse ranging from researchers, lecturers, government officials, students, to elementary school students.

The product created by the team from Yogyakarta State University is Utilization of Wood Ash Waste as a Pozzolan for Making Eco-Friendly Cements. The innovation created was aimed at reducing the use of rock in cement which is commonly used in the community because it causes air pollution. The use of wood ash waste can reduce the use of rock tras with better quality above the ISO 80% standard that is 89.89%. The use of this Eco-Friendly Cements can later be used as a substitute for the cement we normally use in cementing buildings or monuments. In this competition, participants are required to make a 7 minute presentation in English and then a 10 minute question and answer session. Preparations made are preparing raw materials namely wood ash, clay, limestone, gypsum and sand waste, then making cement into mortar forms, Strength Activity Index (SAI) testing, making supporting prototypes such as video infographics, and standing banners. Funding received by the CEMENTS ECO-FRIENDLY team came from 4 sources, namely the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the Faculty of Education, UNY Student Affairs, and the Government of Gunungkidul Regency.

During the Awarding Ceremony, this team managed to get a Gold Medal Prize in the Social Science Young Inventor / Innovator Category. This is a good achievement for the achievements of students and universities. Hopefully in the future more teams from UNY will get international achievements. To scent the faculty alma mater and Yogyakarta State University. Proud of achievement! (Adit, -red)