Yogyakarta, August 7, 2026 — The Community Service Team of the Functional Materials Research Group at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta conducted a Workshop on the Production of Ferrite-Based Water Filters from Glagah Beach Sand, Kulon Progo, as an Effort to Utilize Local Materials for Students of SMA Negeri 5 Yogyakarta. The activity was held on Friday, August 7, 2026, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Western Indonesia Time at SMA Negeri 5 Yogyakarta.

The activity was part of a community service program aimed at introducing the use of local materials, particularly sand from Glagah Beach, Kulon Progo, as a material that can be developed for simple water treatment technologies. Through this activity, students gained not only knowledge about water filtration concepts but also hands-on experience in conducting experiments and producing water filters.

The activity began with a welcoming address by Prof. Dr. Ariswan, M.Si., representing the UNY community service team, followed by remarks from the Principal of SMA Negeri 5 Yogyakarta, Daimah, S.Pd., M.Pd. The opening session emphasized the importance of activities that connect scientific knowledge with environmental issues and the utilization of local resources.

The participants then received an introductory session entitled “An Overview”, delivered by Dr. Rita Prasetyowati. The session provided an introduction to the community service program and the context of utilizing local materials in everyday life.

The next session was delivered by Riza Ariyani N.K., Ph.D., entitled “Background, Objectives, and Innovation of Ferrite-Based Water Filters.” In this session, students were introduced to water quality issues, basic filtration principles, and the potential of ferrite materials derived from beach sand as one of the components of a water filter. The presentation also encouraged students to understand the connection between physics, materials, the environment, and appropriate technology.

The students showed increasing enthusiasm during the demonstration and experimental session. The participants were divided into three groups to conduct hands-on activities. Each group practiced assembling and using the water filter and observed the filtration process. Through these experiments, students were able to directly observe how the arrangement of filter materials contributes to improving the quality of the filtered water.

The activity was conducted interactively, with active student participation in discussions and practical activities. This experimental approach is expected to strengthen students’ understanding that physics and science concepts learned at school can be applied to address real-world problems in their surrounding environment.

Through this workshop, the UNY community service team hopes that students of SMA Negeri 5 Yogyakarta will become more familiar with the potential of local materials, gain practical experience in conducting scientific experiments, and be encouraged to develop simple innovations oriented toward the utilization of local resources and environmental conservation.