Five UI undergraduates break into global geoscience programme in Houston
Five undergraduate students from Universitas Indonesia (UI) have become the only team composed entirely of bachelor’s students in the international SEG EVOLVE geoscience programme, and have received an invitation to present their work at IMAGE 2026 in Houston, United States.
The five students are members of Team Kenanga from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at UI: Ellysa Dinda Nathasya, Michael Partogi, Hishnu Ghaitsul Hudna, Luthfan Zaidan Akbar, and Muhammad Fairuz Ulya.
Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Indroyono Soesilo, in a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Washington received on Saturday (22/8), welcomed the UI students’ achievement positively.
He assessed that the experience of participating in a programme such as SEG EVOLVE is important for preparing Indonesian human resources to face changes in the energy industry.
“Experiences such as SEG EVOLVE are very important for strengthening the readiness of Indonesian human resources in facing changes in the energy industry. The world needs a young generation that masters geoscience and digital technology, is able to work across disciplines, and understands the direction of a sustainable energy transition,” said Indroyono.
According to him, the students’ experience encompasses not only mastery of professional software and seismic data analysis, but also an understanding of the energy exploration process and decision-making that considers both scientific and business aspects.
The five students participated in SEG EVOLVE, a career development programme lasting approximately six months, designed to resemble a working environment in the energy industry, involving processing real data, working with professional mentors, developing exploration strategies, and presenting analytical results.
Team Kenanga took the Energy Exploration track, evaluating hydrocarbon prospects based on data from the Eugene Island area in the southern Gulf of Mexico by analysing geological conditions, rock characteristics, seismic data, reserve potential, and the economic viability of energy prospects using a range of professional software used in the global energy industry.
Their work was presented in a final presentation on 2 June 2026. From that process, Team Kenanga subsequently received an invitation to bring their work to the International Meeting for Applied Geoscience and Energy (IMAGE) 2026 in Houston on 17-20 August.
Their participation is a notable achievement in itself, given that SEG EVOLVE is generally attended by postgraduate students from geoscience, engineering, and related disciplines. Team Kenanga is recorded as the first and only team in the programme whose members are all undergraduate students.
Team Kenanga’s achievement also adds to the record of Indonesian student accomplishments in international geoscience forums. Previously, postgraduate students from the Geological Engineering programme at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) won the Imperial Barrel Award at the AAPG meeting in Houston on 17 August 2026.
Team Kenanga’s achievement demonstrates that Indonesian students, even at the undergraduate level, have the opportunity to compete in the global academic and energy industry environment through mastery of geoscience, technology, and the ability to work across disciplines.