The UGM Faculty of Engineering Alumni Association (KATGAMA) has presented Indonesia’s Father of Concrete Professor Roosseno Soerjohadikoesoemo with the Herman Johannes Award posthumously in recognition of his dedication to the development of science in Indonesia.
KATGAMA Chair Agus Priyatno gave the award to Prof. Roosseno’s youngest daughter, Damayanti Roosseno, at the 76th Anniversary of the Faculty of Engineering on Thursday (17/2). Priyatno said the Herman Johannes Award was an award given by the Faculty of Engineering to figures who have made significant contributions to the development of science and technology in Indonesia.
“This award is an acknowledgment of his outstanding service and dedication to the nation and homeland while he was still alive. Hopefully, it can be a motivation and inspiration for all of us,” he said.
Prof. Roosseno (2 August 1908 – 15 June 1996) was a well-respected civil engineer famous for the extensive use of concrete in his building projects, including the Istiqlal Mosque, the National Monument, the Hotel Indonesia, etc. He graduated cum laude from the Technische Hoogeschool te Bandoeng (now Bandung Institute of Technology) in 1932.
Soerjohadikoesoemo was a former minister of Public Works and Energy (1953), Transportation (1954), and Economic Affairs (1955) during the first cabinet of Prime Minister Ali Sastroamidjojo. In 1946, he served as chair of the Yogyakarta Technical College, the forerunner of the UGM Faculty of Engineering. For Soerjohadikoesoemo’s contribution, the Faculty of Engineering named the newly-built Smart and Green Learning Center (SGLC) after him.
