The Story of UGM Alumni Who Once ‘Lived’ in Antarctica, Here’s What the South Pole Is Like

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Jakarta -Only a handful of Indonesians have set foot in Antarctica or the South Pole. Two of them are alumni of Gadjah Mada University (UGM), namely Dr. Nugroho Imam Setiawan and Gerry Utama.

Both successfully explored Antarctica at different times for research expeditions. Nugroho came to Antarctica from November 2016 to March 2017 on the Japan Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE), while Gerry is part of the Russian Antarctica Expedition (RAE) mission that takes place from February to July 2024.

For Gerry, he succeeded in becoming the first Indonesian and ASEAN citizen to participate in the RAE program, which has been running for 69 times.

What are UGM Alumni Doing in Antarctica?

Nugroho, who went to Antarctica first, departed with five Japanese researchers and two others from Mongolia and Thailand. Because Antarctica is a continent with extremely harsh climates, various thorough preparations need to be made.

For a month, he had to undergo intensive training such as how to use equipment in the snow, dressing procedures, emergency survival training, tent setup, cooking, and sanitation.

“I joined eight people in the geology team at that time.” At that time, it was summer in Antarctica, so the sun shone 24 hours a day, while the air temperature ranged from -5 degrees Celsius at night to -2 degrees Celsius during the day,” recalled Nugroho, as quoted from the UGM website, Thursday (1/23/2025).

Amid the extreme cold weather, he and the JARE 58 team must complete research divided into ten topics, including meteorology, atmosphere, terrestrial biology, oceanography, geophysics, geodesy, and geology. They are required to collect metamorphic rock samples at each research location.

“We are trying to uncover metamorphic rocks, the oldest rocks on Earth, which are 3.8 billion years old and found in Antarctica.” “We are trying to reconstruct and detail the existing data on the metamorphic rocks in Antarctica,” said the lecturer from the Department of Geological Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UGM.

Meanwhile, Gerry is exploring Antarctica while pursuing a Master’s program in Paleogeography at Saint Petersburg State University, Russia. He departed with the RAE team using the Russian academic research vessel Tyroshnikov.

He and his team conducted research to reconstruct a new atlas of the King George Island region for the Russian government. Interestingly, during the research, Gerry and his team discovered a 130-million-year-old wood fossil.

“This can prove that Antarctica was once covered with green plants like other parts of the Earth,” explained the alumnus of the Geography and Environmental Science program, Faculty of Geography UGM.

Challenges of Living in Antarctica

During the mission, Nugroho admitted that there were many challenges to face. Especially regarding body adaptation and habits.

He admitted that his body felt itchy all the time, so he had to take medication every day to prevent that reaction. This condition is compounded by the lack of tent heaters, forcing everyone to wear three layers of clothing.

Nugroho recounted that even the feces produced must be brought back home. Because the extreme temperatures of Antarctica make it impossible for decomposing bacteria to survive.

“Later, this feces will be brought back and burned on the ship,” he said.

In line with Nugroho, Gerry also faced challenges while in Antarctica. He mentioned that the daily schedule is very regulated to maintain physical condition.

For example, the shower time is set, and the time for each day will be reset, so it can be earlier or later.

“Similarly, the direction of the qibla can change every day,” said Gerry.

That condition, he continued, can be worsened by strong winds that can reach up to 300 km/h. Not infrequently, this forces him and his team to spend the night at the research station.

Hope for UGM Alumni

Despite many challenges and obstacles, both Nugroho and Gerry hope that this achievement does not stop with them.

“I hope the other UGM friends can continue to Antarctica,” hoped Gerry.

According to him, it is very important for Indonesia to care about Antarctica. Because the southern pole of the Earth is located in the same ocean as Indonesia.

Gerry added that everyone needs to be aware that Antarctica is currently facing problems. So, the world, including Indonesia, will be indirectly affected.

“Thus, Indonesia can prepare an Antarctic research institution to be directly present and study Antarctica,” he concluded.

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