On Monday, October 9, 2023, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia hosted a public lecture to encourage intellectually stimulating discussions on various aspects of Energy Harvesting. This enlightening event, organized by three study programs – Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Education, and Industrial Automation and Robotics Engineering Education – focused on the theme “Energy Harvesting from Electromagnetic Waves and Fields.” The event was held in the Auditorium on the 4th floor of the Faculty of Technology and Vocational Education (FPTK) Building.

The event showcased Muhammad Bilal, M.Sc., a prominent expert from the University of Portsmouth, UK. The moderator was Dede Saputra, S.Pd., M.T., representing the Electrical Engineering department at Universitas Jenderal Ahmad Yani (UNJANI).

The lecture began with an intriguing introduction to the world of energy harvesting, also known as Energy Scavenging. This process involves extracting energy from various environmental sources and converting it into usable forms, such as electrical power. Although it produces relatively modest power outputs, energy harvesting excels in efficiently harnessing low electronic energy.

One of the lecture’s fascinating points was how Energy Harvesting can empower electronic devices in places lacking conventional power sources. To function smoothly, EH systems need dependable energy storage and efficient delivery methods. A key takeaway was the idea that Energy Harvesting could provide a continuous energy supply, significantly extending the lifespan of electronic devices.

The lecture explored the reasons behind the growing interest in Energy Harvesting. It emphasized advancements in transducer technology and the use of low-power circuits as key factors. The lecture stressed the importance of pushing electronic devices to their limits. A crucial message was conveyed: a device’s reliability is directly linked to the reliability of its power source. As long as minimal requirements are met, every device will function.

Moreover, the lecture highlighted significant trends driving innovation in the field. Specifically, the integration of ultra-low-power processors and electronics into a wide range of smart devices and sensors is creating a network of interconnected smart devices across sectors like healthcare, industry, buildings, equipment, and transportation. With this network expanding, there is a growing demand for new electrical solutions to ensure energy efficiency and reliability. The event concluded with a thorough examination of essential design factors for Energy Harvesting, which included:

1. Assessing the accessible energy in the surrounding environment.
2. Enhancing energy harvesting efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
3. Computing power needs for all operational modes.
4. Fine-tuning energy storage, acknowledging that a bigger battery may not always be the best solution.

The public lecture offered insights into different energy sources that can be harvested, such as light (captured through photovoltaic cells), vibrations or pressure (captured via piezoelectric elements), temperature variations, radio frequencies, and electromagnetic frequencies.

In summary, the public lecture held on October 09, 2023, shed light on the pressing requirement for affordable energy harvesting solutions. These solutions will power the billions of smart devices expected to be in use in the coming years. The success of this initiative depends on the convergence of the Energy Harvesting Ecosystem, where innovation and sustainability come together to pave the way for a more energy-efficient future for electronic devices globally.

Bandung – UPI

Dalam memeriahkan Dies Natalis Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) dan Perpustakaan UPI yang ke-69. Perpustakaan UPI berkolaborasi dengan Prodi Perpustakaan dan Sains Informasi UPI melaksanakan kegiatan seminar internasional dan workshop dengan tema “Open Educational Resources: The Involvement of Libraries and LIS Professionals” yang dilaksanakan pada tanggal (5/102023).

Kegiatan ini didukung oleh iGroup Indonesia dan bekerja sama dengan Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Chulalongkorn University, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), FPPTI Wilayah Jawa Barat, dan Creative Commons Indonesia (CCID) dalam menyukseskan kegiatan seminar dan workshop internasional ini. Seminar ini diikuti lebih dari 100 orang peserta yang terdiri dari pustakawan berbagai perguruan tinggi di Indonesia, Pustakawan Institusi Pemerintah serta Mahasiswa hadir mengikuti kegiatan ini dengan sangat antusias.

Acara diawali dengan sambutan oleh ketua pelaksana kegiatan seminar dan workshop internasional yaitu Bapak Hada Hidayat Margana, M.I.Kom. Kemudian acara dibuka oleh Prof. Dr. H. Didi Sukyadi, M.A. selaku wakil rektor bidang pendidikan dan kemahasiswaan.

Agenda utama pada kegiatan ini yaitu seminar internasional dengan narasumber Prof. Madya Ts. Dr. Roziya Abu dari UiTM yang membawakan topik “The Role of Open Educational Resources in Academic Libraries in Supporting Lifelong Education”. Dilanjutkan pematerian yang dibawakan oleh Dr. Riche Cynthia Johan, M.Si dari UPI dengan topik “The Challenges and Opportunities of Managing Open Educational Resources in Academic Libraries for Community Learning”. Terakhir, pematerian dari Fitriayu Penyalai, S.Hum dari Creative Commons Indonesia dengan topik “Creative Commons License For Open Educational Resources In Higher Education”

Pada kesempatan ini juga, Perpustakaan UPI menandatangani Perjanjian Kerjasama dengan Perpustakaan Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Universitas Jember, Sekolah Tinggi Farmasi Indonesia, dan Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Cirebon. Setelah itu, dilaksanakan juga penandatanganan Implementation Agreement antara Prodi Perpustakaan dan Sains Informasi UPI dengan Fitriayu Penyalai, S.Hum. dari Creative Commons Indonesia, dan Bani Mutakhir, S. Kom. Dari Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta.

Setelah itu, acara dilanjutkan dengan kegiatan workshop yang terdiri dari tiga kelas workshop dengan topik yang beragam. Peserta memasuki kelas-kelas workshop sesuai topik yang dipilih pada saat pendaftaran. Topik-topik wokrshop pada kegiatan ini yaitu “Framing The “Trustworthiness” And “Digital Preservation Initiatives “In Your Repositories” oleh narasumber Ms. Pimnapa Amaritworachai, MBA. dari Chulalangkorn University. Topik “Optimizing Document Life Cycle Academic Repository through SUMa (Sistem Unggah Mandiri)” oleh narasumber Santi Santika, S.Sos, MP. Dari Perpustakaan Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. Untuk topik “Security and Access System of Academic Institutional Repository” dibawakan oleh Bani Mutakhir, S. Kom dari Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta.

Kegiatan ini dapat berjalan dengan sukses dan lancar berkat kerjasama yang dilakukan semua pihak yang terlibat. Semoga dengan adanya kegiatan ini dapat membantu para pustakawan untuk meningkatkan kualitas sumber-sumber informasi digital (e-resources) demi memudahkan para pemustaka sebagai pengakses/pengguna sumber informasi. Diharapkan melalui kegiatan ini dapat lebih mempererat hubungan silaturahmi dan kerjasama antar perpustakaan perguruan tinggi maupun perpustakaan institusi pemerintah/swasta.(Kontributor Humas UPI, Herli Bachtiar, Ed.HN)

On Thursday, October 5^th, 2023, the Faculty of Technology and Vocational Education (FPTK) UPI hosted a public lecture on sustainability, themed “Collaborative Actions for Sustainable Future”. This event was sponsored by the United States Embassy Jakarta, jointly organized by the Directorate of International Affairs (DIA) UPI, Faculty of Technology and Vocational Education (FPTK) UPI, and Architecture Study Program UPI. This public lecture was held in hybrid mode, where 140 participants attended onsite in Auditorium FPTK UPI, 4^th floor Gedung FPTK; while another 40 participants joined virtually through the Zoom Meeting platform. The participants varied in terms of background education (from FPTK, FPIPS, FPMIPA), but shared the same interest in sustainability.

The public lecture commenced with an introductory speech from Director of the Directorate of International Affairs (DIA), Prof. Ahmad Bukhori Muslim. He mentioned the importance of sustainability, highlighting that sustainable development is not the choice, it is the imperative. Architects, engineers, and environmentalists take a big role in this journey towards achieving sustainability for present and future generations. We have to be resilient in preparing our future, amidst the challenge of climate change. 

Cultural Attaché of the United States Embassy in Indonesia, Ms. Emily Norris, also presented her introductory speech using Bahasa Indonesia. She hoped that this public lecture event sponsored by The US Embassy in Indonesia would be a memorable moment in college for students and beneficial for their study. She also looking forward to future collaborations with UPI, knowing that many of UPI lecturers graduated from US universities. Moreover, current students were encouraged to pursue further education in the US, starting by gaining information from websites and social media of the US Embassy and US Education. 

This public lecture was officially opened by Vice Dean of Academic Affairs FPTK, Prof. Dedi Rohendi. He warmly welcomed the guests from The US Embassy, thanked DIA for this jointly organized event, and encouraged participants to take advantage of this public lecture with the invited speaker from the United States.

Moderator of this public lecture, Ilhamdaniah Saleh, S.T., M.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., commenced the lecture session by introducing the main speaker of this public lecture, Ms. Lucia Athens. She is the former first Chief Sustainability Officer in Austin, Texas, US (2010-2012) and has been leading efforts to create a sustainable future for over 30 years. She helped create a rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Buildings Water/Site credits & LEED for Cities/ Communities.

The moderator began the session by introducing the topic to the audience, underlining that collaborative actions, concerted efforts among stakeholders, and leadership in climate change in built environment sectors (cities and communities) are important, that is going to be addressed in this public lecture: “Collaborative Actions for Sustainable Future”.

Ms. Lucia Athens was very passionate about sharing her knowledge/experience through inspirational writing, public speaking, and connecting with other leaders. She walked the audience through the slides about sustainability concepts, climate change as another layer of challenge in achieving sustainability, barriers in applying sustainability, strategies to engage many stakeholders to participate in the sustainability actions, involving people in sustainability implementation, highlighting the importance of collaborative actions, the need for leadership in reaching sustainability goals, sustainability measures, technology to achieve sustainability goals, and best practices of sustainability measures in green buildings, green neighborhood, and green community in United States cities, Austin Texas in particular. Her slides were rich in content, visually captivating, and narrated interactively with passion and encouragement.

The lecture followed by the question and answer session. The QA session was interactive, with entertaining questions from the audience, both onsite and virtually. Jennifer Hengstenberg (ECON Officer) Climate Officer of the US Embassy in Indonesia also participated in the question and answer session. She answers questions pertinent to US efforts to implement sustainable technology in the US and encourages international counterparts across the globe to participate in implementing sustainable measures, including in Indonesia.

The public lecture was concluded by exchanging tokens of appreciation between The US Embassy and UPI. This joint activity was an initial action between two parties. In the long run, both parties were looking forward to having more forms of collaboration and collaborative actions between UPI and the US.

On October 4, 2023, in Bandung, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia collaborated with the World Bank Indonesia to host an educational roundtable, addressing the learning setbacks faced by Indonesian students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. M. Solehuddin, the Rector of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, and Ms. Bolormaa Amgaabazar, Portfolio and Operations Manager for the World Bank in Indonesia and Timor Leste. The agenda aimed to shed light on the learning loss Indonesian schoolchildren experienced during the pandemic. The discussion focused on the World Bank Indonesia’s role in understanding the hidden consequences of the outbreak. Participants engaged in insightful conversations, both offline and via Zoom, sharing perspectives on the learning loss issue and exploring potential solutions.

The research presentation was delivered by Mr. Shinsaku Nomura, Senior Economist of the World Bank. The research entitled The Invisible Toll of COVID-19 on Learning, which was published as part of the Indonesia Economic Prospect June 2023, shares the idea that school closures and disrupted learning processes affected students’ subject-matter understanding. Indonesia had one of the longest periods of school closure due to the pandemic among Asia Pacific countries, which affected students’ learning process over an extended time. The government has shown effort in mediating the challenges. The research was nationally representative based on 400 school samples. The survey shows that 11 months of learning losses in math and language happened among grade 4 students in Indonesia. Economy inequality, internet connection, and grief of the passing family have also worsened the loss. It is important to note that most of the teachers did not recognize the learning loss and they tended to go back to business-as-usual after school reopening. It is suggested that policymakers and all stakeholders should be conscious of the learning losses and increased inequality in learning outcomes, and take deliberate actions for learning recovery. 

During the discussion, participants addressed the following key points:

1. Encourage Collaborative Solutions: Participants emphasized the need for increased collaboration to tackle the challenges effectively.
2. Promote Digital-Based Learning: The importance of implementing digital-based learning methods was highlighted.
3. Reflect on Prolonged School Closures: There was a collective reflection on the impact of long-term school closures and the need to adjust learning time accordingly.
4. Flexible Learning Approaches: Suggestions were made to compensate for lost time through flexible schedules and customized learning content, allowing teachers more flexibility.
5. Maximize Learning Resources: The importance of maximizing available learning materials was stressed.
6. Individualized Instruction: Participants advocated for differentiated instructions to cater to individual learning needs.
7. Parental Involvement: The role of parents in assisting students with understanding subject matter was recognized.
8. Utilize Simple and Accessible Applications: Maximizing the use of user-friendly and accessible applications for learning purposes was suggested.
9. Understanding Learning Responses: There was a discussion on recognizing diverse learning responses, including motivation levels, anxiety, and boredom.
10. Regular Reporting: It was emphasized to regularly report on learning losses to maintain awareness of the situation.
11. In-Depth Understanding over Broad Coverage: Educational institutions were urged to focus on deepening students’ understanding rather than rushing through extensive curriculum coverage.
12. Assessment Based on Depth: Student achievement assessments were proposed to be based on in-depth understanding rather than surface-level knowledge.
13. Targeted Recovery: Strategies for recovering learning losses were discussed, emphasizing the need to comprehend specific materials effectively.
14. Policy Support for Recovery: Policymaker support for recovery learning initiatives was deemed crucial for their success.
15. Teacher Quality Control: The discussion also touched upon teacher quality control, noting that it had been addressed in the Teacher Professional Program (TPP), but the quality control for teachers not included in TPP had yet to be decided upon.

The decrease in learning among school students has impacted their university education. A mathematics education faculty member participating in the discussion noticed that some students lacked essential skills from high school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She recommended providing extra support or remedial sessions to help these students bridge their learning gaps.   

The session concluded with a vital message: instead of looking for a single solution, it is crucial to recognize the complexity and multidimensional nature of the challenges at hand. The responsible authorities must fully grasp the context and be willing to experiment with multiple resolutions. Additionally, there is a hope that educators will remain aware of the ongoing disruptive changes within the education sector. Prepared by Intan/ABM. 

Feel-Watch is a creativity from students in Digital Business Program of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI). Feel-Watch is existed on conscience and humanity, which sees the situation around  with more people get mental health disorders, especially anxiety disorders that need help. Research from the Indonesia-National Adolescent Mental Health Survey (I-NAMHS, 2022) cites that around 2.45 million adolescents throughout Indonesia had mental health disorders and around 3.7% of adolescents in Indonesia had anxiety disorders.

Based on this problem, Feel-Watch team initiates an innovation technology based within smartwatches application through features that reduces excessive anxiety disorders as  an initial screening stage for  handling mental health disorders equipped with ease in consulting with professionals. In addition, we hope that Feel Watch can produce a mentally healthy generation in order to achieve the third point  of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely “Good Health and Well-Being” in achieving the goals of golden Indonesia 2045.

In the end of 2023, the Feel Watch team initiated this idea and competed in the Constructive Ideas Video Student Creativity Week competition held by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Technology and managed to get funding. We hope, through Feel-Watch, could build public awareness about the importance of mental health and become a small, sustainable step.

Feel-Watch is part of Student Creativity Program. The team are not only creating  video output, but also conducting  a social experiment with the theme “Here for Us” which has been carried out in Blok M, South Jakarta (Tuesday, 01/08/2023). Through  this social experiment, we were able to show how small actions, like writing down kind words emotionally can help others feel better. The social experiment that we have conducted has reached 7,861 accounts with 8,365 playbacks.

The social experiment was packaged interestingly on Instagram Feel-Watch reels content and was managed to get a positive response from netizens enthusiastically to welcome ideas, ideas and be interested in the available features. 

One account named @netriandaa commented, “Wow, what an interesting idea! Can you share how technical the features are,” he wrote. In addition, in a post we shared about a social experiment made during  the shooting  process in South Jakarta, one of the accounts of the person we targeted wrote in the comment section. An account named @alysap____ commented “Thanks ya sis ❤️❤️❤️❤️” in the post. 

In the future, we hope to be able to help and share to all users who feel complaints about mental health. In addition, we hope to inspire friends to always innovate and continue to strive for positive change through business ideas.