MEDAN — September, 10 I Academics from Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) have once again made their mark on the international scientific stage. Daffa Afsajulianda, a class of 2026 student from the Mining Engineering Study Program at USU’s Faculty of Engineering, presented as a speaker at the prestigious 6th International Conference on Humanities, Education, Law, and Social Science (ICHELSS), held in conjunction with the 8th International Conference on Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (ICSSIS) 2026 on Wednesday (Sep 9, 2026) at the Aryaduta Hotel, Medan.
Hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences at Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED), this global conference served as a cross-disciplinary collaborative platform for international academics, researchers, and practitioners. The annual event drew participation from a consortium of leading Indonesian state universities, including UNIMED, Universitas Negeri Manado, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Universitas Negeri Malang, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Universitas Negeri Padang, and Universitas Negeri Makassar.
During the global forum, Daffa presented two strategic, research-based ideas focused on disaster mitigation and sustainable environmental governance in North Sumatra.
In his first paper, titled "Assessing School Preparedness for Flash Flood Disaster in South Tapanuli Regency," he examined the readiness of educational infrastructure in South Tapanuli Regency against the threat of flash floods. This scientific study formulated a regional risk-based mitigation mapping to minimize the impact of disasters on the education sector.
Meanwhile, his second study, titled "GIS-Based Assessment of Sustainable Development Strategies in Toba Regency, Toba Caldera Geopark," utilized Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The research focused on formulating sustainable development strategies in Toba Regency to support measurable and environmentally conscious governance for the Toba Caldera Geopark region.
The presence of this representative from USU Mining Engineering reinforces the active role of students in delivering data-driven solutions for critical regional issues. The comprehensive analytical results presented are expected to serve as a constructive reference for local policymakers, both in formulating school disaster management protocols and in designing sustainable spatial planning for geopark tourism areas.