UNAIR NEWS – An atmosphere of grief enveloped the academic community of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPK) Universitas Airlangga . One of UNAIR’s best academics, Ir. Muhammad Arief, M.Kes, Vice Dean II for 2015-2020 period of FPK as well as a lecturer teaching the Aquaculture program died at the age of 61 on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 01.00 Western Indonesian Time (WIB) in the morning.
Ir. Arief was a Lamongan native, born on August 23, 1960. Previously he was a lecturer at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and served in the Animal Feed Laboratory and taught in Aquaculture three year vocational program (D3).
Then, when Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPK) was established with Aquaculture bachelor’s degree program, Ir. Arief was the first head of Department of Fish Health Management and Aquaculture or MKI-BP, in short, (currently Department of Aquaculture) in 2009-2010 and became Vice Dean II of FPK from 2015 to 2020. He was also responsible for courses in Fundamentals of Aquaculture, Freshwater Management, Brackish Water Management, and Coastal and Marine Management.
Head of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine (FPK) Aquaculture Department, Dr. Akhmad Taufik Mukti, S.Pi, M.Si, who had served as the Secretary of MKI-BP Department 2009-2010 said that while working together, Ir. Arief was resilient, persistent, hardworking, and full of motivation, and always motivated young lecturers to continue working and creating.
“His enthusiasm to always participate in field practicum activities and community service is clear evidence of his activeness, discipline and responsibility in his work,” said Dr. Taufik to UNAIR NEWS Saturday afternoon, January 9, 2021.
According to Dr. Taufik, he even participated in the department’s routine meetings, out-of-campus visits that are scheduled by the department. “About a week ago he had the chance to communicate via Whatsapp as he couldnt attend the department meeting because he was in isolation at Dr. Soetomo Hospital and he gave a message to staff members of the department, especially to continue their careers and work for the advancement of the department and FPK UNAIR, “said Dr. Taufik.
In terms of consistency, passion, hard work, intimacy, kinship, sense of responsibility and organizational experience, Ir. Arief is an exemplary character for UNAIR Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPK) academic community. Looking back at the memories with Ir. Arief, Dr. Taufik when traveling by car with him, he always tuned in to the radio broadcasting Al Qur’an reciting as his habit.
“Hopefully this habit will become his syafa’at in the grave and the hereafter,” hoped Dr. Taufik.
Meanwhile, when he served as Vice Dean II of FPK, Vice Dean I Dr. Endang Dewi Masithah, Ir., MP., remembered Ir. Arief as a person who is patient and careful in his actions, including paying attention to his fellow friends and the environment, and his close attention was sometimes unthinkable by others.
“He always taught kindness and upheld to the hablum minallah and hablum minannaas,” said Dr. Endang.
Throughout 2020, despite the pandemic, Ir. Arief had led the FPK Community Service team, providing probiotic knowledge to prevent crop failure for Sidoarjo shrimp farmers .
Author: Dimar Herfano
Editor: Feri Fenoria
