Indonesian Student Association of Hokkaido held their first international academic webinar

The Indonesian Student Association of Hokkaido (PPI-H) gathered students from around the globe in their very first international academic webinar, held on February 24, 2021. This webinar was entitled ‘Materials Chemistry for Better Future’. Two Hokkaido University faculty were invited as the speakers: Professor Bunsho Otani of Institute for Catalysis and Professor Shin-ichiro Noro of Faculty of Environmental Earth Science. The event received support from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Tokyo.

The organizing team of the webinar, from left to right: Webinar planner: Eggie Febrianto Ginanjar (Graduate School of Science), Webinar moderator: Laras Fadillah (Graduate School of Engineering), Webinar chairwoman: Fitri Rizki Amalia (Graduate School of Environmental Science), and PPI-H president Nurcahyo Iman Prakoso (Graduate School of Environmental Science). (Photo by PPI-H)

“We chose this topic because the likelihood of materials chemistry as a vital key to solve challenges is increasing,” explained the chairwoman of the event, Fitri Rizki Amalia, a student of Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Environmental Science. “In health, energy, water, etc, humans are required to conceive new methods in producing stronger, cheaper, and lighter materials. Not to mention, we also need to consider the functionality and sustainability potentials of these materials.”

With this purpose, the organizing teams invited the two experts who gave enlightening lectures on the subject. Prof. Ohtani explained the importance and key elements of identification and detailed characterization of metal-oxide powders. Prof. Noro gave a lecture on metal-complex based adsorption materials for environmental remediation and energy saving. Each lecture was followed by a Q&A session in which the participants gave equally insightful questions and feedback.

The president of PPI-H, Nurcahyo Iman Prakoso, who is currently enrolled as a student in the Graduate School of Environmental Science of Hokkaido University, confirmed that there was a total of 325 participants registered in this event. The number was beyond their expectation. While the majority of the registered participants are from Indonesia, they also received registrations from Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Hungary.

“The unexpectedly large number of applicants caused a slight trouble for us due to the limited capacity of our video conference space which we previously had. However, thanks to the support from the Embassy, we received a larger capacity for the webinar. Our deepest gratitude especially goes to the Education and Cultural Attaché, Prof. Yusli Wardiatno.”

In the previous years, the PPI-H convened an annual scientific meeting called Hokkaido Indonesian Student Association Scientific Meeting (HISAS) that always took place at Hokkaido University. By taking on various themes as the focus, the meeting aimed to enhance cross-disciplinary scientific exchanges among young Indonesian researchers. As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented to carry face-to-face event, PPI-H is bringing the academic meetings through online medium. This webinar on material chemistry is the result after six months of thorough preparation.

The participants of the ‘Materials Chemistry for Better Future’ webinar. (Photo by PPI-H)

PPI-H has been actively providing information on academic and research-related activities, such as how to study in Japan, to young Indonesian researchers through social network platforms. Their first English language-based webinar garnered not just Indonesian students’ attention but also those of people from other countries. Seeing this as a success, they are planning to hold a similar event by taking the discipline area of engineering as the main theme.

Written by Aprilia Agatha Gunawan