Several things cause an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, including the use of fossil fuels. Therefore, it is necessary to transition energy to New Renewable Energy (EBT). One of the most efficient sources, when compared to other renewable energy sources, is nuclear energy. The situation faced by humans today has inspired Priscilla Tiffany, a student of the Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia (FTUI), to develop nuclear as a primary energy source.
This 2021 student expressed his ideas in a paper entitled “Youth for Nuclear Energy (YNE): Utilization of Technology for Education Towards the Target of 2050 Nuclear Energy Implementation”. He stated, “From the existing environmental problems and the lack of public interest in nuclear, I initiated an application called Maja. Maja is a piece (of) the word teenager. This application was developed with the target of Indonesian youth as users,” said Priscilla.
He continued, the Maja application can also mean an abbreviation of “mainin aja”, which describes an interesting and entertaining concept, even though its main purpose is to provide education and promotion. He then explained the five main features of Maja.
The first feature is Artificial Intelligence (AI), where nuclear energy information is packaged in the form of a quiz, and users can use voice or speech recognition to answer questions. In addition to providing questions and answer keys, Maja AI also explains the answer keys provided, so that users get new information related to nuclear energy.
The second feature is the game. In this feature, users are invited to play a nuclear reactor simulation game on PTLN so that users can experience personal experiences and actively participate in providing education related to the implementation of nuclear energy which is arranged in the gamification method.
This game feature is also an educational tool to show that as long as the settings in the nuclear reactor are carried out correctly, there will not be a reactor explosion as feared. In this game, users are invited to understand and simulate the procedure for disposing of nuclear reactor waste, so that the wrong stigma about radioactive waste can be slowly removed.
The third feature is articles, which allow users to dig for the information they need about nuclear energy. In this feature, users also get information about the latest news related to the development of nuclear energy.
Users can discuss with fellow Maja users in the fourth feature. Thus, various points of view are obtained and fellow Indonesian youths can educate and correct each other if there is an inappropriate stigma related to nuclear energy. This feature can also be used directly without having to read the article first.
The fifth feature is community. The idea of making Maja is based on the hope that Maja can become a means of education and promotion that reaches all of Indonesia’s young generation. Therefore, the idea of Youth for Nuclear Energy (YNE) was also born, which is a community consisting of young people who have an interest in the field of nuclear energy. Through this community, Indonesian youth can discuss with each other and convey their innovative ideas for the development of nuclear energy in Indonesia.
Priscilla Tiffany’s idea led her to win third place at the 2021 National Nuclear Festival Paper Competition held by the University of Bangka Belitung with PT ThorCon Power Indonesia.
The Dean of FTUI Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU welcomed the idea of the Maja application. “Utilization of nuclear energy is carried out by considering the security of national energy supplies on a large scale, reducing carbon emissions, continuing to prioritize new and renewable energy potential according to its economic value, and considering nuclear energy as a last resort with strict attention to safety factors.”
He hopes that the Maja application can help outreach programs to the Indonesian people about the benefits of nuclear energy in various fields. The implementation of nuclear as an energy source, especially as a power plant, still reaps the pros and cons, thus hampering the development of Nuclear Power Plants (PLTN) in Indonesia.
The younger generation can play a role in efforts to develop PTLN, one of which is by educating the community. YNE targets the younger generation of Indonesia because in the future they will play a role in meeting the target of implementing nuclear energy by 2050.
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Public Communication Bureau
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia