The Student Association of Science Education (HIMA IPA), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (FMIPA UNY), organized a National Science Education Seminar under the theme “Integrating Ethnoscience and Digital Technology in Science Learning to Strengthen the Scientific Literacy of Future Generations.” The seminar was held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Ballroom on the 4th Floor of the Doctoral and Master's Building, FMIPA UNY. The seminar featured two distinguished speakers, Dr. Susilowati from the Science Education Program at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta and Beni Setiawan, Ph.D. from Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA). The session was moderated by Dr. Ismail Fikri Natadiwijaya. The event was officially opened by Purwanti Widhy Hastuti, Coordinator of the Undergraduate Science Education Program, and attended by Dr. Pujianto, Vice Dean for Planning, Finance, General Affairs, and Resources (PKUSD) of FMIPA UNY. The seminar attracted 216 participants from diverse backgrounds, including undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students, teachers, education practitioners, and members of the general public.

In her presentation, Dr. Susilowati highlighted the importance of strengthening scientific literacy among future generations and discussed the role of ethnoscience in science education. Ethnoscience provides a way to connect scientific concepts with local knowledge and cultural wisdom developed within communities, enabling science learning to become more contextual and meaningful. She also discussed the reconstruction of local knowledge into formal scientific concepts that can be systematically incorporated into science learning. Local practices, including traditional salt production, indigenous environmental knowledge, and traditional boat technology, can serve as meaningful contexts for exploring scientific concepts. Meanwhile, Beni Setiawan, Ph.D. focused on the integration of ethnoscience and digital technology in science learning. His presentation illustrated how local wisdom can be transformed into Ethno-Socio Scientific Issues (Ethno-SSI) and supported by digital technologies as learning scaffolds. Such integration can be implemented through inquiry- and project-based learning to support scientific literacy and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Several examples of implementation were also presented, including the use of Virtual Reality (VR) to provide immersive cultural learning experiences, AI-personalized learning to support learning differentiation, and learning management systems to facilitate ethnoscience-based learning. The seminar provided participants with opportunities to explore how science education can move beyond conceptual knowledge by connecting scientific learning with real-life contexts, local culture, technological development, and future challenges. The integration of ethnoscience and digital technology offers opportunities to develop science learning that is contextual, meaningful, and relevant to the needs of future generations. Through this event, HIMA IPA FMIPA UNY reaffirmed its commitment to providing an academic forum for knowledge exchange and collaboration among students, academics, teachers, education practitioners, and the wider community in advancing science education in Indonesia.