Look back at the years when intellectualism was the foundation for the independence of Indonesia, our founding fathers and mothers put science, culture, and teaching as the core of the nation’s pathway. The values of science suit to a society and ecology as diverse as Indonesia. Various ethnic groups in Indonesia have advanced science, knowledge and technology in diverse forms of local wisdom and excellence. The language of science can be a unifying language that is an important component in knitting together the collective Indonesian identity. In the future, the challenge will be more complicated since technology affects in shaping our humanity, and thus our identity.
Indonesia is home to eleven percent of the Earth’s species and has the world’s richest marine biodiversity. But many species of flora and fauna in its coastal and oceanic ecosystems—including the deep sea—has not yet identified. This leads to many unfortunate facts, such as poor coastal community and loss of biodiversity and extinction. How can science and technology restore our maritime abundance, and therefore we can contribute to the world?
Everyone hopes and prays to grow healthily and remain productive even in their old age. Yet diseases threaten humans in many possible ways: as an emerging or reemerging diseases, infectious ones, or diseases related to lifestyle. Interdisciplinary collaboration between sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics and computational science are crucial to create a leap in medical science. Biodiversity of Indonesia on the other hand, harbors huge potentials to be developed into medicines and source of nutritions. How are we to utilize Indonesia’s potential?
Water, food and energy are staple to human life, no one can live without it. Yet the abundance of resources are seemingly unable to keep up with the population growth. This necessitates the need to utilize these vital resources in a sustainable manner. What science needs to be explored? What kind of technology has to be developed? Can Indonesia, with its rich biodiversity and geographical condition, lead the endeavor towards this goal?
The Earth and the universe we know today have a long and complex history, and are, by their very nature, dynamic. Every part of them has, is, and will undergo change. Humans, on the other hand, are affected by many aspects of the dynamics of Earth and the universe, and conversely affecting them. To what extent do we understand the place we inhabit? How can science increase our understanding to create a better future?
Disasters are inseparable to human life. Sometimes it arrives in the form of a volcano running amok, at other times it is an earthquake and a tsunami, or disaster caused by technological failure. The one and only thing we can do is to mitigate by decreasing the risks of disasters. How can we understand these processes and how can we mitigate their impact? How are we to prepare for the occasional disaster that strikes to create an adaptive and resilient society?
Indonesia’s biodiversity and peoples present complex problems and challenges. Future generations have rights over natural resources and sustainable energy, and therefore we require a comprehensive and accurate Indonesia’s natural resource mapping. This archipelagic country also needs a good connectivity supported by strategic industries with unique material designs to fulfill the country’s diverse needs. New and advanced materials are also needed to capture abundant and free sunlight as alternative energy source for providing sustainable energy in the future. Appropriate modeling in computational science offers solutions to meet these challenges.
Every nation innately aims to build a robust society that can thrive and develop in the complex global ecosystem. But the life goals and interests of every nation and society naturally differ, as do the prevailing social, economic and political institutions. How to build society that excels and prospers, despite the various dynamics and constant challenges surrounding it?
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