Ibu Dian, thank you for your time and congratulations on winning Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020. First of all, could you tell us a bit about your background?

Thank you so much, Karina,
I got my bachelor’s degree in applied science in Clinical Midwifery and became a clinical midwife in East Java. After that, I continued on to gain my master’s at Airlangga University and graduated in 2017. During this period, I was a Junior Lecturer in the Academy of Midwifery in Bondowoso. I got a scholarship to Sydney in 2019 to continue my study.

The theme of your presentation is about “Breaking the Wall
of Preeclampsia”. Why are you interested in that topic?

Okay, I would like to explain what preeclampsia is; basically, it is a disorder during pregnancy where pregnant women can develop
high blood pressure, and there is a protein in their urine reflects the damage in the kidneys.

Actually, it came from my own experience when I was a student
in midwifery school. One day, I experienced an unfortunate moment when my patient had preeclampsia. She died in front of
my eyes because of preeclampsia just one hour after she had delivered her twin babies. I was thinking to myself, “What can I do to save them?”. I do not want to see this kind of case anymore; it really broke my heart to see the twin babies without their mother. Then I told myself, “I have to do something about it!”.

As a midwifery student, I studied really hard; but when I finally became a clinical midwife, I began to understand that I could save the mother and the babies only. That was it. The impact that I gave was for my own patients. What about the others? Preeclampsia is still one of the leading causes of maternal death in Indonesia and around the world.

As time went by, I had an opportunity to continue my studies at Airlangga University; that was an incredible experience. When I became a lecturer I was very happy, at least I could educate more midwives to be aware of preeclampsia and how to handle the situation. But I was disappointed that I could only educate approximately 20-40 midwives per year. The impact was not as huge as I had expected.

Suddenly, I had an idea in my head, what if I could make a tool that could detect preeclampsia and could be used by midwives around the world, especially in remote areas, so that we could treat our patients before the onset of preeclampsia? This was my “Aha moment”; at this point I decided to move on to study Biomedical Science and try to break the wall.

What was your motivation in joining Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020?

I want the world to know that we have this problem. Countless mothers and babies around the world have died because of preeclampsia. For me personally, it is not about the competition for myself, it is the competition to save my patients, our patient’s lives. We are fighting against time.

Since this year’s lab was conducted online, what were your biggest challenges as finalists?

To keep eye contact with the camera; that was very challenging. I am not an artist (celebrity), I am a lecturer that usually teaches my student directly. I think this experience has given me an opportunity for self-improvement.

When you were mentioned as the winner of Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020, were you shocked?

I was totally shocked. Some Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020 finalists had much more experience than I did; I consider myself as a new researcher with a huge dream.

As the winner of Falling Walls Lab Jakarta, you will present
your idea in Falling Walls Remote 2020. You also got the
chance to join the Science Communication Training offered
by Euraxess. Can you share your experience of the training?

That was a fantastic experience because I could meet experts from the UK and they taught me how to deliver my scientific speech effectively and efficiently. That was my first experience of working in a multi-country environment to make my presentation look better.

Last but not least, do you have any words for those who would like to join Falling Walls Lab next year?

No matter how old you are, this stage is an opportunity for us to
deliver our ideas. Be prepared and practice, practice, practice.

Pak Ozi, thank you for your time and congratulations for coming in second place in Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020.
First of all, could you tell us a bit about your background?

Thank you. I finished my bachelor’s and master’s degree in
Chemistry at Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia. I have
worked in surface tailored bio-based and silica-based materials
for various applications, such as environment and biomedical
science. I am now a Research Assistant in Dr. Wibowo’s lab,
Chemistry Department, Universitas Sebelas Maret.”

The theme of your presentation was about “Breaking the Wall of Dye Effluents Contaminated Clean Water.” Why are you interested in that topic?

Water is essential for human sustainability; however, with the rapid development of industry, especially the textile industry, the quality of water has decreased due to the poor wastewater disposal systems. So, I think the textile industry is majorly contributing
to water pollution, and if we do not take action on this issue, we will suffer from a water crisis.

Since 2015, my co-workers and I have been developing products from high-performance adsorbent local materials, such as clay, cellulose extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch, and other aluminosilicate-based material, like zeolite. We have found that with a small touch of chemistry (surface modification), we could increase their performance in wastewater containing dyes treatments.

What was your motivation in joining Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020?

Honestly, I was pushed by my friend to join this event. At first, I didn’t even know about this competition; I just wrote what I thought in my mind during the submission process.

I was surprised when I got the email announcing me as a finalist
in Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020. After this, I watched a presentation video of FWL contestants around the world on Youtube and this was a “WOW” moment for me. At that point, I told myself, “I wanna be a part of this event. This is what I am looking for. I wanna show what I study in my lab to everyone in the world.” Finally, I prepared as best as I could to join this event.

Since this year’s lab was conducted online, what were your biggest challenges as the finalists?

Maybe the internet connection and the new and infamous method of meeting online was the biggest challenge faced by all finalists.

When you came in second place in Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020, were you shocked?

I was stunned. I never thought about it. All contestants were outstanding and had innovative ideas. But I believe, an achievement never betrays an effort.

As the second place in Falling Walls Lab Jakarta, you will present your idea in Falling Walls Remote 2020. Do you have any hope or expectations about introducing the idea on the international stage?

I never expected that I could join Falling Walls Remote 2020. As far as I knew, it was only for the winner. I am really happy about this opportunity. Anyway, I hope that by sharing my idea to a large scientific forum, I can gain more experience and advice on how to improve my research. Also, this could become a door for me to spread my connections; therefore, I can make research collaborations or gain research funding in future.

Last but not least, do you have any words for those who would like to join Falling Walls Lab next year?

This event is challenging and interesting. By participating in this event, I gained a lot of experience and had “WOW” moments. You guys have to join this. You never know what is missing from your subject or research interest, until you join a scientific event like FWL. This gives a positive punch to your work.

Pak Jouvan, thank you for your time and congratulations on coming in third place in Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020.
First of all, could you tell us a bit about your background?

Currently, I am working as a Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, Bakrie University. Additionally, with a background of publication and research, I regularly conduct several experimental and computational studies and publish them in indexed journals. Consequently, I have been appointed as a reviewer in indexed journals.

I got my bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Universitas Diponegoro, and I did a Final Year Project as a research student at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. Subsequently, I completed my master’s degree by research programme in Civil Engineering by researching green building technology at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.

The theme of your presentation is about “Breaking the Wall of Sick Building Syndrome.” Why are you interested in that topic?

My curiosity regarding green building technology started to grow while I was conducting my final year project on indoor air quality modelling. It indicated that the quality of indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. However, people usually spend 90% of their time on average indoors for living, working, etc. Based on this information, I am excited to explore more deeply into areas related to green building technology.

Furthermore, during my master’s degree, I researched and explored the relationship between buildings and its occupants, both in the engineering and medical aspects as manifested in the study of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). At the same time, I worked on a number of papers based on the results from my research and published them in nine indexed journals.

Ultimately, the main thing as a researcher is to provide a positive impact in the form of innovation or breakthrough not only for human beings but also to maintain the balance of nature.

Therefore, I am conducting research regarding Sick Building Syndrome that aims to improve the quality of life for humans
and their surroundings.

What was your motivation in joining Falling Walls Lab Jakarta
2020?

Competing in events and being involved in research, publication,
and providing added value in the fields of science and technology is obviously the proper approach to being an academic. I wanted to gain some feedback in terms of the research process so that I could answer various questions in the future.

Since Falling Walls Lab is an international forum for creative thinkers and innovators from different fields of expertise, it encouraged me to get involved in the competition and to share innovations that I have developed and hear about innovations from other participants.

Since this year’s lab was conducted online, what were your biggest challenges as the finalists?

One of the biggest challenges of an online presentation is keeping the audience’s attention. When things are conducted online, the audience can do many things and even have various windows open during your presentation. Due to this, they may miss an important message that could compromise their understanding regarding your presentation.

Besides this, for a presenter, the key point is emphasizing and developing variety in voice and selecting the right words to convince audience members and jurors. Since this year’s lab was conducted online, you’re relying solely on the internet to connect you to your audience.

When you came in third place in Falling Walls Lab Jakarta 2020, were you shocked?

Of course, I was shocked when my name was mentioned. Some of the finalists had interesting ideas to solve certain problems. Additionally, they came from a variety of areas of expertise, and that makes the solution emphasis more attractive and competitive.

Last but not least, do you have any words for those who
would like to join Falling Walls Lab next year?

The most important thing for creating innovation is an idea, and it can be developed through collaboration in the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field of expertise. Since the participants of Falling Walls Lab come from a variety of expertise, then it’s not only about competition, but it’s also a good opportunity to network to create innovations.

Ultimately, Falling Walls Lab is a great event for innovators to speak their mind.