Orasi Ilmiah Guru Besar ITB : Prof. Ir. Wahyu Srigutomo, S.Si., M.Si., Ph.D.

Inaugural Professorship Ceremony Overview
📌 The event was an academic oration ceremony for new professors at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) held on Saturday, August 20, 2022, featuring three professors.
📚 The three professors presented their scientific orations on diverse topics: electromagnetic geophysics, urban planning, and passive safety systems in passenger trains.
📜 The ceremony officially commenced after the reading of the ITB Professor Forum Chairman's opening remarks.

Professor Wahyu Srigutomo: Electromagnetic Geophysics
🎯 Prof. Srigutomo's oration focused on the application of electromagnetic (EM) methods in geophysics in Indonesia, detailing challenges and development potential.
🌍 EM methods utilize the principle of electromagnetic induction to understand subsurface conditions (like electrical conductivity or resistivity) without direct excavation, crucial for Indonesian geology (e.g., volcanic arcs).
🌋 The primary applications discussed were volcanic/geothermal hazard mitigation and geothermal energy exploration, capitalizing on conductivity contrasts caused by magma or hydrothermal alteration clays.
💡 The research involves both passive methods like Magnetotellurics (MT) and active methods like Transient Electromagnetics (TEM), with varying spatial resolution dependent on frequency (low frequency for deep penetration, high frequency for high resolution).

Geophysical Exploration and Modeling
⚡ Key concepts covered the generation of primary EM fields (passive from solar wind/lightning, active via transmitters) and how secondary fields contain subsurface information.
📉 Applications demonstrated include shallow geotechnical studies (e.g., GPR), detecting seawater intrusion in aquifers, and analyzing subsurface structures related to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) sites.
📊 For geothermal exploration (e.g., Mt. Slamet, Gorontalo), MT surveys help map resistivity structures to locate reservoirs and guide drilling, improving energy reserve estimates.

Challenges and Future Directions in EM Geophysics
🧑‍🔬 Major challenges identified include a relative lack of human resources skilled in deep EM science and instrumentation development, leading to reliance on expensive foreign instruments.
🛠️ Instrumentation limitations exist, as achieving deep penetration requires large source moments, demanding significant power resources for stable, low-frequency oscillators.
🤝 Suggested solutions involve expanding collaborative networks between ITB departments (e.g., FMIPA and FTTM) and forming consortia with industry to share resources and promote joint R&D.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Electromagnetic induction principles are vital for non-invasive subsurface investigation, particularly effective in contrasting geological systems like volcanoes and geothermal fields.
➡️ Technological advancement requires overcoming instrumentation dependency by fostering local capacity in developing robust, high-power EM sources for deep earth sounding.
➡️ Collaboration between academia and industry is essential to expand research scope (e.g., airborne/marine EM) and ensure scientific findings translate into tangible societal benefits, such as improved geothermal energy management.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 18, 2025, 15:47 UTC