Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), Dr. Dipl. -Ing. Nuraziz Handika S.T., M.T. M.Sc., was selected as one of the scientists involved in the 2022 Indonesian Young Scientists Congress (KIMI). Nuraziz or Aziz is a lecturer and researcher at the FTUI Civil Engineering Study Program who is an expert in the field of structural engineering, especially in experiments and modeling the fracture mechanics of a structure and materials. He earned his doctorate from INSA Toulouse, France, and is a member of the Road and Bridge Tunnel Safety Commission (KKJTJ) of the Ministry of PUPR RI, namely a collection of bridge experts from various elements tasked with evaluating the safety of bridges and tunnels so that they meet applicable standards.
Aziz’s involvement in KIMI began when he was selected as one of the scientists who successfully passed the Science Leadership Collaborative (SLC) selection, which is a research leadership capacity development program initiated by The Conversation Indonesia. This achievement made Aziz considered one of Indonesia’s potential scientists. Furthermore, he was invited to attend the congress with 18 other SLC participants. At the congress, the young scientists who attended discussed several topics based on their respective research clusters. Aziz will join young scientists from the Materials and Computational Science cluster.
The research he has carried out is the mechanical properties and collapse of alternative materials, such as aggregates made from palm shells, recycled aggregates, and other by-products from the industry for alternative materials in the construction sector.
In the congress with the theme “Strengthening the Future Science Architecture by Young Indonesian Scientists” there were also well-known Indonesian scientists such as Prof. Satryo Brodjonegoro, Prof. Sangkot Marzuki, and Dr. Eng. Ilham Habibie. The Indonesian Academy of Young Scientists as the organizer welcomed young scientists from various fields of study, institutions, and regions to this congress.
“As one of the SLC participants, a training organized by The Conversation Indonesia, I had the opportunity to participate in KIMI December 3-4 2022,” said Aziz. He mentioned that on the first day of congress activities, the Chairman of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI) was present, and also a member of the Engineering Sciences Commission, Prof. Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro, as the keynote speaker who gave a speech entitled “Benefits of Science for Society”.
Prof. Satryo invites young scientists to open the wider community’s horizons about science (scientific literacy) by looking at its impact, benefits, development, and role in life. “Departing from basic research to downstream, technological development is one of the benefits of science which is currently growing exponentially. Of course, the benefits of science are felt in the Covid-19 pandemic era. It can be seen that the formulation of government policies requires input from science,” said Prof. Satryo.
In the afternoon session, with the theme “Strengthening Future Science Architecture by Young Indonesian Scientists”, the young scientists who attended held discussions based on their research clusters. “I am part of the Materials and Computational Science cluster. The discussion is based on a book published by AIPI entitled Sains45 Agenda for Indonesian Science Welcoming a Century of Independence. The points resulting from the discussion will be integrated into this book as a form of contextualization and reinforcement of the vision of Indonesian science 2045. There are many potential natural resources in Indonesia that we need to realize we have so that we can use them wisely for future survival,” said Aziz, who teaches a specialization in structure, particularly in experiments and numerical modeling of damage mechanics (Damage Mechanics), cracking, and material resistance.
After the congress took place, Aziz continued to attend the Science Leadership Collaborative Network Gathering (4/12) with 21 other scientists. This activity will be hosted by Beth Macdonald, Louie Angsico, and Sahala Harahap. All three are leadership development experts from the United States, the Philippines, and Indonesia who will help participants develop their potential to lead and create impact.
“It is an honor for me to be able to participate in this SLC program. Many lessons were learned, such as awareness of conditions and the surrounding environment, warm data sessions, fluid mind practice, and so on. The interesting thing is how to practice some of these ways of thinking and solving problems in real life. Well, in the end, we need to believe in our instincts. Instinct honed with time and experience. That’s where experience becomes the best teacher for everyone,” said Aziz.
Meeting other SLC participants offline after several months of only meeting online, according to Aziz, was a moment to get to know each other better. At the SLC Network Gathering, researchers from various fields were present, including health, social science, law, engineering, natural sciences, IT, to economics. With various work backgrounds such as doctoral students, post-doctoral students, lecturers, researchers, heads of departments, deans, deputy deans, CEO/CTO start-ups, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), public and private sectors, the SLC participants enlivened the gathering atmosphere at that Sunday. The hope is that future collaborations can be carried out or initiated from this activity.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU expressed his pride at Aziz’s achievements. “In the future, how do we find solutions and answer so many of the nation’s problems that cannot be done by only one party. Collaboration from various parties is required. Starting from researchers and lecturers in universities, the industrial sector, government, NGOs, and many more. Hopefully Aziz, through his involvement in SLC, will be able to bridge the innovations that exist in FTUI and the future needs of the industry and society.”
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Bureau of Public Communications
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia