UNAIR NEWS – A proudest achievement was attained by three UNAIR students. Riska Anggun Maulani (Bachelor of Nursing, Class 2025), along with her teammates Olga Prastika Williamsyah (Bachelor of Environmental Engineering, Class 2025) and Bayu Yuda Hidayatullah (Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, FIKKIA, Class 2025), won second place in the scientific poster competition at the SPECTRUM 2026 event. The competition was announced online on Wednesday (September 23, 2026).
Maulani explained that she and her teammates were motivated to join the competition to sharpen their critical thinking skills. “As the younger generation, we must be sensitive to and understand the problems around us so we can find solutions. We focus on solutions presented in visual form, namely posters,” Maulani said.
Cross-faculty collaboration
Although they come from different faculties, Maulani said this was not the first competition for her and her team. Previously, the three also won a competition in a similar field at Brawijaya University.
This collaboration was possible because they came from the same high school. “We were part of a class group that included friends from high school who also went on to study at UNAIR. From there, we decided to try competing together. After that, we built a strong chemistry, so we’ve always competed as a team,” said Maulani.
Focus on fair teacher salaries
Maulani explained that her team’s idea was based on a subtheme of SPECTRUM 2026: “The Irony of Minimum Wage vs. Decent Cost of Living.” The team focused on the inequality faced by honorary teachers, especially regarding the wages they receive.
They proposed a solution to advocate for the rights and welfare of honorary teachers. “We offer a solution called LAYAK, which stands for L (protect teachers’ rights and contracts), A (gradually appoint honorary teachers), Y (ensure teachers’ wages meet decent living needs), A (end dependence on cheap labor), and K (teacher welfare = investment in education),” Maulani said.
Hybrid team discussions
Maulani explained that the entire process, from preparation to the creation of the poster, was carried out in a hybrid way. Because they were in different locations, the team members could only discuss their work online.
“We assigned specific tasks to each person and applied the principle of ‘one day, one step forward.’ So, during our free time, we would each submit our progress reports. Alhamdulillah, by the time of the finals, we were able to gather in person at our home base in Probolinggo,” explained Maulani.
Maulani hopes to keep trying new things while developing fresh ideas. She also aims to win other competitions, especially alongside her teammates.
Author: Niken Dara Fesya
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
