UNM Students Break into BRIN Research, Tackle Border Language Big Data and Prepare to Become Data Science Talents

Universitas Nusa Mandiri (UNM), as a Digital Business Campus, is once again affirming its national role. This time, students from the Data Science programme are directly involved in a strategic research project with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

The three students involved are Siti Zainab, Nouval Ghoonimu Tsawab, and Kasa Inti Josia Tambunan. They are participating in the research titled Development of Border Language Big Data, which runs from March to August 2026 in its first phase.

The project aims to document regional languages in Indonesia’s border areas with neighbouring countries using big data technology and a citizen science platform. The students’ involvement also implements the Internship Experience Programme (IEP) 3+1, namely three years of study and one year of off-campus experience.

Head of the BRIN Knowledge Engineering and Data Research Group, Foni Agus, explained the importance of the project for preserving the nation’s culture.

“The development of border language big data aims to document regional languages as part of preserving Indonesian national identity,” he said.

He added that the students are involved in various cutting-edge technology-based research activities.

“The students are conducting dialectometry analysis to developing chatbots based on Large Language Models. This requires programming skills, SQL, NLP, and data engineering relevant to modern data science needs,” he stated.

The data produced in this project can be accessed through the BAHASAN platform and utilised by the public, researchers, and academics as a real contribution to developing open data-based knowledge.

Head of the UNM Data Science Programme, Tati Mardiana, emphasised that the collaboration with BRIN provides invaluable learning experiences for students.

“This collaboration allows students not only to understand theory but also to engage directly in real research, build professional networks, and boost confidence,” she stated in a release received on Monday (11/5/2026).

The involvement of UNM students in this national research serves as proof that higher education now focuses not only on academics but also on practical experience and readiness for the technology-based world of work.