As part of the 60th anniversary of AIS/STIS/Politeknik Statistika (Polstat) STIS, Polstat STIS once again held a National Seminar (Semnas) in the Polstat STIS auditorium on Thursday, October 25, 2018. Unlike previous years, this year's National Seminar adopted the branding "Official Statistics," which will remain the brand name for Semnas going forward. The theme this time was "Poverty Studies from the Perspective of Expenditure and Savings Behavior." This annual seminar featured two keynote speakers and three invited speakers who are experts in the fields of poverty and statistics.

Novia Budi Parwanto, Ph.D., Chair of the 2018 National Seminar Committee, stated in her remarks that the topic of poverty is very interesting to study because it aligns with the first target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely eliminating poverty in all its forms. By highlighting seven sub-themes related to poverty and its indicators, this forum also aimed to present estimates and determinants of poverty and the savings behavior of the Bengkulu community as part of the 2018 PKL (Public Workers' Day) activities.

The first keynote speaker, Dr. Suhariyanto (Head of the Statistics Indonesia), began his presentation by quoting Ali ibn Abi Thalib: "If poverty were a human being, I would kill him." The speaker, familiarly known as Pak Kecuk, described poverty as a scourge that must be combated. Poverty is a major challenge facing countries worldwide, both developing and developed. Poverty means struggling to find food for daily living, difficulty accessing adequate education, and living an unhealthy lifestyle. Poverty is our shared responsibility. He also stated that Bengkulu is a province worthy of study regarding its poverty phenomenon. Based on existing data, Bengkulu is the seventh poorest province in Indonesia. Ironically, however, the province's high poverty rate contrasts with its high economic growth rate, reaching six percent, and controlled inflation.

Next, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Erani Yustika, the second keynote speaker, presented Indonesia's poverty rate over time and the role of statistics in supporting poverty alleviation efforts. According to the Executive Director of INDEF, who is currently also the President's Special Staff for Economic Affairs, all Indonesian leaders have a strong commitment to eradicating poverty. Therefore, when the poverty rate reaches single digits, as has been achieved today, it is a feat for all leaders. "Congratulations on this excellent seminar. We wish you success, and may you be ready to become the backbone of the nation's progress in the future," he added at the end.

Entering the main event, Dr. Margo Yuwono, S.Si., Deputy for Social Statistics at the Statistics Indonesia (BPS RI) and Chair of the Indonesian Statisticians Association, served as moderator and guided the plenary session. One of the agenda items at the plenary seminar was the presentation of the 2017/2018 Academic Year (TA) internship results from the 57th batch of Polstat STIS students, presented by Rahardian and Dyah Ayu as student representatives. The 57th batch of students used Small Area Estimation (SAE) with the Empirical Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (EBLUP) estimation method, a method that can estimate data down to the smallest area. Three invited speakers also attended the plenary seminar: Dyah Anugrah Kuswardani, MA (Head of the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) of Bengkulu Province), Setyo Budiantoro, MA (Economic Development Pillar Manager, SDGs Secretariat, Bappenas), and Dr. Agnes Tuti Rumiati, M.Sc (ITS Lecturer).

The next series of events was a parallel seminar, where there were 55 papers consisting of 26 general call for papers selected results, 22 research papers from Politeknik Statistika STIS lecturers, and 7 papers resulting from analysis of the 2017/2018 PKL module (sub-theme). The event ended with the announcement of several awards based on the assessment of the paper components and presentation results, namely 3 (three) best papers, 1 (one) best presenter, and 2 (two) best posters. The following are the names of the participants who received awards:

1. Arif Rahman and Ika Yuni Wulansari won 1st Best Paper
2. Lestari Indriani and Setiyono won 2nd Best Paper
3. Easbi Ikhsan, Chintia Arisandi Hidayat, and Wirda Avie Nurizza won 3rd Best Paper
4. Lucia Resty Wijayanti won Best Presenter
5. Alfan Bahar won Best Poster
6. The 57th Class of PKL Module 4 Team won Best Poster