Tanoto Scholar Yumna Dzakiyyah, along with teammate Richie Fane, have been chosen to represent Asia Pacific in the Global Finals of Schneider Go Green 2021 in collaboration with Aveva.
Under the team CarragEnergy, Yumna and Richie of Bandung Institute of Technology proposed an organic battery made from red seaweed extract to tackle battery waste. They beat out the other 171 teams in the Asia Pacific competition that looks for bold ideas and new technologies for a smarter and more sustainable future.
CarragEnergy found that carrageenan, a natural ingredient extracted from red seaweed, was a good conductor, which they utilized in an organic rechargeable battery. It is hoped to be an alternative energy source that is safe and sustainable.
They began preparation in January by brainstorming, and prototyping was done in March.
“With the fact that battery waste management in Indonesia is awful and would cost a lot of money, we’re interested to find a solution to provide a sustainable green energy,” Yumna said on Bandung Institute of Technology’s website.
“On the other hand, Indonesia is blessed with abundant natural resources, including seaweed that so far has yet to be fully utilized.”
To compete in Schneider Go Green 2021, teams must consist of two Bachelor’s or Master’s students who study business, computer science, engineering, maths, marketing or innovation related studies. At least one team member must be a woman, in line with the company’s diversity and inclusion philosophy.
The five categories in the Schneider Go Green 2021 are Access to Energy, Homes of the Future, Plants of the Future, Grids of the Future and De[Coding] the future. CarragEnergy is one of the teams in Access to Energy category.
The global finals are on June 15 to 17 and each team will have the chance to pitch their ideas in a 15-minute presentation to the jury panel consisting of major Schneider Electric’s decision-makers. It will be followed by a five-minute Q&A session.
Global winners will win a trip to a city such as Boston, London, New Delhi, Paris or Shanghai to visit Schneider Electric’s offices and have a chance to network and interact with the employees and management.
Tanoto Foundation won the Digital-Based Innovation in Education award for our PINTAR program at the 2021 Gatra Innovation Awards.
Held virtually on April 30, the awards recognised those who introduced innovative ways that contributed to society amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It included four categories: banking services; ministry and state institution services; corporate social responsibility of state-owned enterprises; and foundation and corporate breakthroughs. Tanoto Foundation was included in the latter category.
“On behalf of Tanoto Foundation, allow me to thank Gatra Innovation Awards for the recognition,” said Margaretha Ari Widowati, Director of PINTAR, upon receiving the award.
PINTAR program aims to enhance basic education in Indonesia by improving teaching quality and school leadership. The foundation works with partner schools in 25 districts in five provinces to create local and regional centres of excellence. It also partners with the government, teacher training institutes and associations to spread best practices.
Its digital learning management system, called e-PINTAR, is open to all Indonesian teachers. Participants can train independently or with facilitators to develop active learning methods.
e-PINTAR was created to train teachers in hard-to-reach places as well as to serve as an alternative learning source. The program was launched amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as restrictions took place around the world.
Teachers are trained to apply the active learning method that includes MIKIR, an acronym of mengalami (experiencing), interaksi (interaction), komunikasi (communication) and refleksi (reflection). They are expected to urge students to think openly, productively and imaginatively.
“Our teachers believe that quality education will encourage equal opportunities,” said Margaretha.
“I’d like to thank the government, partner schools, teachers and headmasters who have endlessly worked with Tanoto Foundation to find the best ways to provide unlimited opportunities for teachers to improve themselves,” she added. “This award will motivate us to consistently partner with the government and society in improving the quality of education in Indonesia.”
Becoming parents is usually one of the things couples look forward to the most after tying the knot. Some feel the longing for children of their own, and some may feel the baby fever from all those adorable pictures your friends post on Instagram. But raising a child is more than just having cute pictures of your offspring on social media.
A child will affect and change your whole life, including your relationship with your spouse. You’ll need to adapt and learn new things every single day.
In the second episode of Selalu SIGAP, our host Anastasia Praditha talks with Anna Surti Ariani, known as Nina, Chairwoman of the Indonesian Clinical Psychologists Association Jakarta, and Widodo Suhartoyo, Senior Technical and Liaison Advisor Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) at Tanoto Foundation, about what to prepare in becoming a parent.
This episode covers:
a. How prepared are you b. The right parenting style for you c. What to expect
All Bases Covered
“A lot of young couples tend to think that getting married and having a child is charming, because that’s what they see on Instagram,” said Nina. “What they don’t see is the chaotic mess behind those pretty pictures. Reality doesn’t often show up on social media.”
When you’re surrounded with just one part of becoming parents, it can be easy to forget that there are actual preparations you need to do.
According to Nina, these preparations learning about child nutrition and parenting styles, and even thinking about your personal circumstances and whether now is the right time to have kids.
“Sadly, there’s yet to be a formal education in Indonesia on how to be a parent,” said Widodo. “Parenting is the process of how parents interact with their child so he or she can fully develop. But most of the time parents come unprepared and with no purpose.”
Parents can also tend to apply what they learned as children, though the conditions and situations may very well differ. Don’t be discouraged to learn new things as your child’s well-being is what matters.
Parenting Styles
The environment children grow up in can go a long way into their adulthood, shaping their characters and personalities.
For children to become resilient and agile adults, Nina said that it’s best when parents give clear boundaries.
“Parents can be warm but they are also expected to set rules and motivate their children,” said Nina.
Parents need to communicate and discuss which style they think is right for their own family. One of the most popular categorizations of parenting styles came from Diane Baumrind, who created the following four types in the 1960s.
Authoritarian parents tend to enroll strict rules and expect obedience. Permissive parents, on the other hand, set minimal rules and indulge their children. Uninvolved parenting have limited communications and let a child do whatever he or she wants. The last is authoritative parenting, with parents behaving warmly, supportive and who set out clear rules for their children.
The last type is thought to be the most beneficial to children, as they can have more self-esteem and higher academic performance.
Learn and Adapt
Becoming parents means learning and adapting as you go through this journey together. Feelings and opinions may differ, conflicts can arise, and both speakers agreed that communication is always key. By communicating openly, hopefully any problem will be met with a solution and the family can go from there.
An opportunity for open and warm communications, Widodo said, can happen when a family dines together. He noted, however, that the activity has been missing from our society lately. “It is the perfect time for a family to converse, from talking about their daily lives to whatever problems they’re facing,” he said.
Nina also said that instead of aiming to be “superdad” or “supermom”, parents should focus on forming a super team. Members can include all the people around the immediate family, such as grandparents, neighbours, relatives and the school, with a mutual agreement on how to raise a child.
Alongside a super team, Nina suggested making friends with parents of children of similar age, so they can share ideas and give each other support.
As the last note, Widodo stressed that with the exception of nursing, parents should aim to share tasks between them rather than think of them as being gender-specific. “In parenting, there are no decided father or mother roles. There are only parenting roles,” he said.
