The Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum at the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing (FK-KMK) of Gadjah Mada University welcomed a visit from Prof. Zixu Mao, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of Pharmacology and Neurology from Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States. This visit was part of the International Guest Lecture series organized by the Department of Histology and Cell Biology at FK-KMK UGM on April 17, 2025.
Prof. Mao was a guest speaker at a lecture titled “An Organelle Centric View of Neuronal Stress Response and Therapeutics in Neurodegenerative Diseases”, which discussed organelle-based approaches to understanding neuronal stress and therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. As part of his academic visit, Prof. Mao took the opportunity to visit the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum to view firsthand various collections and artifacts documenting the evolution history of humanity.
During his visit, Prof. Mao showed deep interest in the museum’s collection and educational system, as well as the potential for future interdisciplinary collaboration. The FK-KMK UGM Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum plays a strategic role in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Quality Education, by providing access to education in the field of human evolutionary history.
Through this visit, FK-KMK UGM strengthens the institution’s position as a bridge between medical education and anthropological understanding of humanity in a broader context. It is hoped that the museum will continue to be widely recognized both nationally and internationally, and that it will contribute to the development of knowledge and sustainable education. This aligns with another goals on SDGs, which are Sustainable Cities and Communities and Partnership for the Goals by fostering innovation in history education.
Activities such as those prove that museums are not merely places for storing historical artifacts, but also spaces for scientific dialogue and multidisciplinary reflection that can enrich academic insights across generations to make museum an integral part of efforts to educate the nation through inclusive and sustainable access to education. (Contributor: Ilham Novitasari/Translator: Tedy A)
