News and Opportunities
Festival celebrates science education
15 Nov 2012
A series of Australian events and activities celebrating science education was held across Indonesia during the month of October. The events in Jakarta, Surabaya and Pontianak aimed at encouraging more enrolments in the natural sciences, and were delivered by Austrade together with the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE), the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and a number of Australian education institutions.
A highlight of the month-long program was the Science For Our Future Festival Indonesia 2012 (SFOFF), which saw Austrade partnering with the Faculty of Science from the University of Western Australia (UWA).
Under the SFOFF banner, a range of campaigns promoted the importance of science for addressing major challenges faced by modern society. Various science education activities targeted Indonesian students, researchers and the general public, with 2200 Indonesians taking part in one of more of the events.
The initiative was supported by the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales and the University of Western Australia. Two key activities were the science study information day by the University of New South Wales and the public research seminar by the University of Melbourne. Science education was also the main focus of Austrade’s outreach activities during the month.
The festival’s four feature topic lectures were:
- ‘Prevention diagnosis of infectious diseases’, by Nobel laureate Professor Barry Marshall.
- ‘Restoring and maintaining a balance between our natural environment’, by Professor Carmen Lawrence, UWA Psychology.
- ‘Sustainability of food supplies for human kind’, by Professor Kadambot Siddique, UWA Institute of Agriculture.
- ‘Discovery of new knowledge about the world of physics and its application in ways that serve humanity’, by Professor Tim St Pierre, UWA Physics.
Other highlights of the festival included:
- participation by more than 2000 people from around 20 high schools and 30 universities in Jakarta and Surabaya
- 10 festival events in Jakarta and Surabaya
- guest speakers including Indonesia’s Minister for Education, the Deputy Minister for Science and Technology, Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, the president of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences, university rectors and many more.
- media coverage through more than 30 articles, including many in the most influential and popular media outlets in Indonesia, including Kompas, Metro TV, Jakarta Globe and Jawa Pos.
Australian education providers wishing to seek support for in-market activities or for showcasing academic excellence should contact Ms Sovi Arinta, Senior Education Manager, or Ms Selvi Tanggara, Education Manager, Austrade Indonesia.
Professor Kadambot Siddique explaining the use of agriculture products for biofuel to students at the Science for Our Future Festival, Indonesia, October 2012.