USU PR – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) once again held a Permanent Professor Inauguration Ceremony at the USU Student Center on Wednesday (10/22/2025).

On this occasion, five Professors were officially inaugurated, namely Prof. Dr. Cut Fatimah Zuhra, S.Si., M.Si.; Prof. Dr. Ir. Gerry Silaban, M.Kes.; Prof. Dr. Yurnaliza, S.Si., M.Si.; Prof. Dr. Fahmi Natigor Nasution, S.E., M.Acc., Ak., CA., CMA.; and Prof. Dr. Esther Sorta Mauli Nababan, M.Sc.

In his opening remarks, the Rector of USU, Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., stated that since the beginning of 2025, USU has inaugurated 52 Professors.

Overall, a total of 230 Professors have received Decrees, and 228 of them have been officially inaugurated as members of the Professorial Board.

“This achievement is expected to enhance accomplishments at both national and international levels. In addition, the duty of a professor is not only to carry out the tridharma, but also to become a tangible symbol within society,” he said.

Prof. Mury added that this noble duty must be carried out on the foundation of inclusive education, strong research, high-quality publications, and broad collaboration, so that the reputation of Universitas Sumatera Utara is increasingly trusted by scholars and industries worldwide.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Gerry Silaban, M.Kes., one of the Professors inaugurated at this ceremony, in an interview discussed his research on potential hazards in the work environment.

These potential hazards are divided into five major categories, namely physical, chemical, biological, economic, and psychological factors. The International Labour Organization (ILO) states that there are 97 types of diseases caused by the work environment.

“Once they complete their duties, in the sense of retiring, those diseases will emerge. This will burden our workforce,” he said.

Furthermore, Prof. Gerry also encouraged students and young lecturers to conduct more research on potential hazards in the workplace, which will have an impact on both workers and companies in mitigating these risk factors.

“These become diseases known as silent killers, whose effects only appear after retirement, such as cancer and others,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, another Professor, Prof. Cut Fatimah Zuhra, presented the results of her research entitled Starch Modification: Strategies for Improving Physicochemical Properties and Its Applications in the Pharmaceutical, Food, and Packaging Industries. Prof. Yurnaliza delivered a lecture entitled Plant Endophytes: Hidden Germplasm and Their Role in Environmental Sustainability.

Prof. Fahmi Natigor Nasution presented an inaugural lecture entitled Resilient and Sustainable Management Control Systems, and lastly, Prof. Esther Sorta Mauli Nababan delivered a lecture entitled System Dynamics and Mathematical Modeling in Environmental and Natural Resource Management: Applications and Implications.

The increase in the number of USU Professors is known to have continued during the leadership of Rector Prof. Muryanto Amin. This step represents a strong commitment by USU to continuously produce scholars who are capable of creating positive impacts within society.