Batam State Polytechnic Winner of National Level of Indonesian Robot Contest (KRI)

YOGYAKARTA - Barelang 5.1 Robot Team of Batam State Polytechnic became the first winner in the National Indonesian Robot Contest taking place at Grha Sabha Pramana, Sunday (12 /6) after defeating P-Next robot team from Electrical State Polytechnic of Surabaya (PENS).
In the final, Barelang 5.1 had not been considered that they would be thewinner because usually the robot team from PENS won the national championship and represented Indonesia at the world level. However, unexpectedly, Barelang 5.1 beat PENS. Both of them even managed to get the same score, 242 points.
The discussion among ten juries to determine which team deserved to be the champion went tough. The team of jury chaired by Dr. Ir. Wahidin Wahab had a variety of considerations, including that both robots have got a penalty in the form of reduction of points for violation. Therefore, each received a score reduction of 20 points.
The situation became more tensed. Supporters from both sides waited for the final result of the jury's decision anxiously. Finally, the jury decided that the fastest automatic robot that had put the complete Krathong in the river surface was declared as the winner. Based on these results, Barelang 5.1 managed to do it within 2 minutes 55 seconds, or  4 seconds faster than the P-Next team in 2 minutes 59 seconds.
When the jury announced Barelang 5.1’s victory, the whole members of Batam State Polytechnic team welcomed this and celebrated the victory. Happiness can be seen in Adi Cahya’s face, one Barelang team member who served as a manual driver for the robot team. “Alhamdulillah! For the first time, KRI championship is won by colleges other than PENS," the Electrical Engineering student said with tears in his eyes.
The man from Tanjung Pinang admitted that preparation of his team had been made for 10 months. In the early preparation, there were obstacles, especially for motor components of the robot. However, eventually all problems could be overcome. Adi Cahya did not think that the struggle they had carried out so far led to a success, namely the national championship, making them entitled to represent Indonesia in the robot contest held in Thailand in November this year. "For the next championship, the speed of the robot needs to be improved," he said.
The competition attended by 101 teams from 51 State Universities and Private Universities in Indonesia consists of Indonesian Robot Contest (KRI), Indonesian Art Robot Contest (KRSI) and Indonesian Intelligent Robot Contest (KRCI), which is divided into KRCI Wheeled Robots, Legged Robots, and Battle Robots.
For the category of KRI, the first winner was  "Barelang 5.1" of Batam State Polytechnic, second winner was P-Next (Surabaya State Polytechnic), and the third winner was Harm-Vy (ITS).
Furthermore, in Wheeled KRCI category, the victorious teams were Hamazar (Telkom Bandung Institute of Technology) as the first winner, R2C-Deus Vult (Satyawacana Christian University Salatiga) as the second winner, and Warfire (UGM) as the third winner. Meanwhile, in legged KRCI, the first winner was gained by Aqabah (ITB), followed by Barelang 2.1 (Batam State Polytechnic) as the second winner, and Revecto (UI) in the third position.
Furthermore, the position of the first winner of KRCI "Battle" was occupied by the E-1205 (Surabaya State Electrical Polytechnic), the second position was occupied by Barelang 4.1 (Batam State Polytechnic), and the third winner Al-Aadiyat (Yogyakarta State University). For KRSI category, the first winner was Asmorobangun (UI), second winner was Satria 177 (Telkom Bandung Institute of Technology), and the third winner was Be-Mask 2 (STMIK technocrat Telkom Bandar Lampung).
Minister of National Education, Prof. Dr. M. Nuh assessed this kind of robot contest is very beneficial in developing the creative spirit and sportsmanship; students can learn from each other from different regions in building national unity. "From Yogya, they (the winners) will represent the nation at Asia Pacific region," he said.

National Robotical Contest 2011: To Profesionally Train the Competitive Attitude

Yogyakarta - There were 101 teams from 51 different colleges and universities in Indonesia attending the National Robotical Contest (Kontes Robot Nasional/KRN) 2011, on Saturday to Sunday 11-12 June 2011 in the Grha Sabha Pramana Hall,  Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta. The event titled "Jogja Robot Under Attack" was held by the Indonesian Directorate General of Higher Education in cooperation with Gadjah Mada University. The contest participants were final participants of the regional robotic contests that was previously held in five regions; at the Batam State Polytechnic for Sumatera Region, at the Telkom Technology Institute Bandung for  West Java Region, at the Yogyakarta State University for Central Java Region, Surabaya State Electronic Polytechnic for East Java and Kalimantan Region, and at the Tadulako Palu University for  East Indonesia Region.

During KRN 2011 there were 5 categories of competition: Indonesia Robotic Contest were participated by 24 teams, Indonesia Smart Robot with wheels Contest  were participated by 24 teams, Indonesia Smart Robot with feet Contest were participated by 20 teams, Indonesia Smart Robot battle competition were participated by 17 teams, and 16 teams competed in the Indonesia Artistic Robot Contest.

This year's Indonesia Robotic Contest (KRI) theme was "Larungan" (float offering), adapting from the theme of an international robotic contest, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Robocon 2011, that is going to be held in Bangkok -Thailand the coming 9 September 2011, which is "Loy Krathong". Loy Krathong in Thai means releasing padma flowers into the river as an offering for the river goddess, and is usually done each November in Thailand. In this international competition, 2 teams consisted of 1 manual robot with driver and 2 automatic robots will compete on arranging krathong (the padma flower) and proceed to put it on the river's surface. The winning team of KRI 2011 will represent Indonesia in the ABU Robocon 2011.

Indonesia Smart Robot Contest (KRCI) with wheels and feet had the theme of Fire Extinguisher Robot. In this category, automatic robots will compete for the fastest time in discovering fire points in an arena built like a house, and then extinguishing the fire. While KRCI battle had the theme of Soccer Robots where each team's robot will compete in soccer matches. KRCI battle winner will be sent to Mexico to represent Indonesia in the Mexico Robo Cup 2012.

This year's  Indonesia Artistic Robot Contest (KRSI) was themed Klono Topeng Dancing Robot. KRSI is relatively new since the competition only started in 2009. Its first theme was Jaipong Dancing Robot. KRSI is designed to be a competition of robotic design and construction with elements of art and culture. In  the contest the robot must simulate the movement of Klono Topeng dance, a Yogyakartan traditional dance, while following a line drawn on the stage.

KRN 2011 was inaugurated by the General Director of Higher Education Djoko Santoso, representing the National Minister of Education Muhammad Nuh. In his welcome speech, Djoko Santoso expressed his wish for the robotic contest to produce champions with high competitive qualities to maintain the quality of Indonesian robotic teams in the global level of competition. In a separate occasion Muhammad Nuh stated that this kind of contest is important in developing the spirit of creativity and sportivity amongst students. At the same subject, the Rector of Gadjah Mada University, Sudjarwadi stated how such contest can be the means to train the readiness to compete professionally, thus creating new leaders with quality.

At the same time, an exhibition and competition event were also held at the lower ground of the Grha Sabha Pramana, putting forward the concept of innovation in the robotics, in the form of robotic show, toy robot, robot artwork, technology and education booths, musical show, interactive games and robotic costume festival. There were also robot coloring competition, robot drawing competition, water rocket competition and line follower competition to win the D.I. Yogyakarta Governor trophies.

During the two days of KRN 2011 event, competition were tight between the contending teams. Happy, anxious, sad, upset or angry faces became a common view in the competitions. But the most intense and emotional is the KRI categories since it requires good teamwork and coordination between the manual robot driver and the two automatic robots. High difficulty level making it the most prestigious category, aside of the human factor driving the manual robot who's required to be able to operate the robot with high accuracy.

Barelang 5.1 team from Batam State Polytechnic was finally crowned to be the first prize winner in KRI category after a tight match with P-Next team from Surabaya State Electronics Polytechnic (PENS) in the finals. Both team received a tie score but Barelang 5.1 had the advantage of 4 seconds in finishing the task. In the final match, Barelang 5.1 was the underdog because P-Next had been champion for 13 consecutive times.

The final results of KRN 2011 in the KRI category; the first prize was won by Barelang 5.1 team from Batam State Polytechnic, second prize was taken by  Surabaya State Electronics Polytechnic (PENS) and the third prize went to Harm-Vy from Surabaya Institute of Technology. For the KRCI with wheels category, first prize went to the Hamazar team from Telkom Technology Institute Bandung, second prize was taken by the R2C- Deus Vult team from Satyawacana Christian University Salatiga, and the third prize went to Warfire team from Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta. Best Algorithm for this category went to the Warfire team and the best design was made by R2C- Deus Vult team. Meanwhile, for the KRCI with feet category, the first prize was taken by the Aqabah team from Bandung Institute of Technology, second prize was taken by Barelang 2.1 Team from Batam State Polytechnic and the third prize went to Revecto team from Indonesia University. For this category, the Best Algorithm was won by Aqabah team and Best Design was made by Muhammadiyah University Malang.

Next, the first prize for KRCI Battle category was won by E-1205 team from Surabaya State Electronics Polytechnic, second prize was taken by the Barelang 4.1 team from Batam State Polytechnic, and the third prize went to the Al-Aadiyat team from Yogyakarta State University, which also won Best Algorithm. Best Design was made by the E-1205 team. For the KRSI category, first prize was taken by Pandji Asmorobangun team from Indonesia University, second prize was won by Satria 177 team from Telkom Technology Institute Bandung, and the third prize was taken home by  Be-Mask 2 team from STMIK Teknokrat Telkom Bandar Lampung.

ASEAN : Asia's Perfect 10

Academic Excellence Through AUN

Education has been Southeast Asia's priority for progress and has yet produced numerous outstanding schools that offer one of the best education in the continent. To further develop Southeast Asian schools into producing competitive graduates for the region, the ASEAN formed the ASEAN University Network (AUN), an arrangement between 20 universities in 10 ASEAN countries.

Founded in 1995, its goal is to strengthen the existing network of cooperation among universities in Southeast Asia. It also aims to promote cooperation and solidarity among scientists and scholars in the region and develop academic and professional resources as well as to produce and disseminate scientific knowledge and information among the universities in the region.

Now these universities are cited the best in their own country and may help you find your way to the best ASEAN education. Let us take a look at these 20 schools that together form the AUN:

BRUNEI
1. Universiti Brunei Darussalam- UBD is the largest and oldest university in the country. Founded in 1985, it is now composed of 7 Faculties including the Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education and the Academy of Brunei Studies.

CAMBODIA
1. Royal University of Phnom Penh-RUPP is also the oldest and largest university in Cambodia. With over 5,000 students across three campuses, it offers a wide range of high-quality courses. It began as the Royal Khmer University and saw closure during the establishment of the Khmer Republic in 1970 and educated persons were targeted and killed. Few educated Cambodians who survived stayed in the country when the borders were reopened and the school was deserted for five years. In 2001, the RUPP opened its first post graduate degrees.

INDONESIA
1. Universitas Indonesia- One of Indonesia's premier universities ranking 395th in the Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings in 2007. Universitas Indonesia or UI was founded in 1851 by the Dutch East Indies Government to train medical assistants. The school consists of 12 Faculties providing courses at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.

2. Gadjah Mada University-The largest university in Indonesia in terms of population. UGM ranked 360th in the Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings in 2007. It has 18 faculties, 73 undergraduate study programs, 28 diploma study programs, and a graduate program of 62 study programs ranging from Social Sciences to Engineering. It has approximately 55,000 students, 647 foreign students, 2,240 employees, and 2,273 lecturers.

3. Bandung Institute of Technology- Is a public coeducational research university in Indonesia. It is the oldest technology-oriented university in Indonesia founded as the Technische Hogeschool te Bandung. In a global survey of the Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS), released at 5 October 2006, ITB was placed on the 258th among other universities around the globe.

4. Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember- Is a public university in Surabaya, East Java focusing on technology and engineering. Due to lack of engineers, the Indonesian Engineers Association set up a foundation to start a technical college which then evolved to what is now the ITS. It is composed of 6 faculties and two autonomous polytechnics.

LAOS
1. National University of Laos- A young university in with departments brought in form other existing colleges. It is the only national university in the country. It consists of 13 faculties including the School of Foundation Studies and the Environment Development Center.

MALAYSIA
1. Universiti Malaya- Is the oldest university in Malaysia and is widely recognised as one of the top university in the country. Many prominent Malaysians are alumni of UM. Among its successful alumni are Tun Abdul Razak (2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia), Mahathir bin Mohamad (4th Prime Minister of Malaysia) and Lee Kuan Yew (former Singapore Prime Minister).

2. Universiti Sains Malaysia- A public university in Penang, Malaysia and is the largest university in terms of population. It was formerly known as Universiti Pulau Pinang in 1969. The university consists of 24 schools.

3. Islamic International University of Malaysia- The private publicly-funded school in Malaysia. Although the school was founded with islamic principles, it also admits non-Muslim students. There are presently 14 faculties or Kulliyyahs.

MYANMAR
1. University of Yangon- It is established in 1878 as an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta (India). It is first known as the Rangoon College which was opened by Education Syndicate. It was renamed Government College in 1904, and University College in 1920. Throughout the 1940s to 1950s, it was the most prestigious university in Southeast Asia and one of the top performing schools in the continent, attracting students from across the region.

2. Yangon Institute of Economics- The first institution in Burma to offer degrees in Economics and Business Studies. An MBA course was conducted in 1995.

PHILIPPINES
1. University of the Philippines- Founded in 1908 through an act of Philippine Legislature, UP is now the top university in the Philippines and considered one of the leading universities in Asia and the world by international academic standards. The foremost symbol of UP is the Oblation, a figure of a naked man with arms outstretched and face pointed outwards. Its flagship campus is the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

2. De La Salle University- Is a catholic private university located in Taft, Manila. During World War 1, the school was turned into a Japanese headquarters and massacred 16 Christian Brothers and families who had taken refuge in the university chapel. It is composed of 6 colleges.

SINGAPORE
1. National University of Singapore- The largest and oldest university in Singapore. NUS has semester-based modular systems for conducting courses and adopts features of British system such as tutorials and the American system (credits).

2. Nanyang Technological University- A Major research university in Singapore. It has 6 colleges, schools and institutes including the College of Engineering, with 6 schools focusing on technology innovation.

THAILAND
1. Chulalongkorn University- One of Thailand's most prestigious universities which includes 18 faculties and a number of schools and institutes. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the first Thai royal blood to graduate in this unversity. The AUN Secretariat holds office at Chulalongkorn University.

2. Burapha University- A major public university in Chonburi province. The university contains service centers such as the Institute of Marine Science, whose aquarium is a major tourist attraction. The school hosts approximately 12,000 students aided by 500 teaching staff and 300 general employees.

VIETNAM
1. Vietnam National University, Hanoi- One of the two national universities of Vietnam consisting of 10 colleges and faculties. It began as the University of Indochina in 1906, Vietnam National University (1945) and the University of Hanoi (1956).

2. Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh- Founded in 1995 and reorganized in 2001, the university now provides graduate and post graduate education with 35,391 students. It includes the High Schools for Gifted Secondary School Students and the Ho Chi Minh International University.

With these outstanding performing member schools of the ASEAN University Network, education in the region may well be developed more to compete with other large universities especially in Europe and America.

These schools work hand-in-hand to provide quality education for young southeast asians and together build a stronger, progressive and peaceful Southeast Asia.

University of Malaya











Universiti Sains Malaysia










University of the Philippines








Universitas Indonesia






Universiti Brunei Darussalam




National University of Laos




Islamic International University of Malaysia






Chulalongkorn University









Universitas Gadjah Mada









Institut Teknologi Bandung









Nanyang Technological University



National University of Singapore









De La Salle University






Royal University of Phnom Penh









Burapha University




We were not able to find pictures of the following:
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City National University
University of Yangon
Yangon Institute of Economics
Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember

Photos courtesy of Google and Yahoo.

Special thanks to Maricar of http://www.filipinasoul.com/, Dave Lucas' Around the Blogosphere and Katiek of Ode Magazine Online for featuring and linking my previous article "How to Ride the Jeepney" to their sites. ^_^

Batam Island

Batam is one of the largest islands in the Riau archipelago, and not long ago it was just another poor island with coastal villages and unspoiled nature. The declaration of the Batam free trade zone in 1989 has turned the island upside down, after just a few years of rapid construction it now has a modern airport, tourist and business centers and a still growing infrastructure that has changed the island completely.

It is no secret that nearby Singapore is the role model, and the goal is eventually to become one of the biggest ports of Southeast Asia and a major center of international trade, industry and commerce. The strategic location close to the Malacca Strait and Singapore will certainly help reaching this goal, but like the rest of Indonesia the economy and development here was dealt a major blow during and after the Asia economic crisis in the late 1990's.

Batam is actually one of fastest growing tourist destinations in Indonesia in terms of visitor arrivals. There are several tourist resorts here with luxurious hotels and golf courses. Many visitors however choose to use Batam only as an entry point, it is only 40 minutes from Singapore with boat, and then leave with the first available transport to other destinations in Indonesia.

History

The history of Batam is tightly interwoven with nearby Bintan island and the rest of the Riau archipelago. According to Chinese chronicles Batam was already inhabited as early as 231 A.D. when Singapore island was still called Pulau Ujung (Ujung Island). It came under control of the Malacca kingdom from the 13th century, and later taken over by the Sultan of Johor who ruled until the 18th century. The coastal villages that face Singapore is said to have been a hideout for pirates who hijacked ships in the strait.

In 1824 the name of the island again appear in the Treaty of London which led to the division of the region between the Dutch and the British. Batam and the surrounding islands later became part of the Riau Lingga Kingdom, a situation that lasted until 1911, when the Dutch East Indies colonial administration took over.
The People

Close to Sekupang, a large part of the population still make their living from fishing and sea transport.The native people of Batam are of Malay origin, but with the rapid growth and development of the area various ethnic groups from all over Indonesia has come here in search for jobs and a better life. Traditionally most of the people live in coastal villages, while the "Orang Laut" (sea people) continue to live on boathouses and boats and generally fish for a living. Some of their catch are sold to Singapore. Bahasa Indonesia is the language used to communicate among the multi-ethnic population here, while many now also understand English, which is commonly used in business communication.

Culture

Even if Batam is multi-ethnic it is still the Malayan culture and Islam which forms the root of the local culture. Both daily life and the ceremonies have religious and mythical elements, expressed in dance, music and other forms of art. Some of the most popular traditional dances are Jogi Dance, unique for Batam, Zapin Dance, which reflects strong Arabic influence, Persembahan Dance, to welcome honored guests and Ronggeng Dance, where the guests can be invited to come up and join the dance and song.

The Mak Yong drama is a dance and song performance which tell the story about a country named "Riuh", commonly believed to be the origin of the name of the Riau province. This country is governed by a wise and popular king, who one day to his surprise and embarrassment is told that his princess have given birth to an animal called "Siput Gondang" (the gondang snail). Upset by this he orders the newborn to be expelled to the jungle. A couple of years later he is told that the snail has begun to grow, and he asks for the snail to be brought to the Royal Palace where the shell is broken. To his surprise and joy he can see a beautiful princess appear from the broken shell, and he names her Putri Siput Gondang (Princess Siput Gondang), celebrations are then held for seven days and seven nights.

But also other cultures contribute to the Batam community, and in the "Padepokan Seni" art center in Sekupang you can see arts and crafts from all over Indonesia, as well as various kinds of performances which are staged every day for visitors and tourists. Another art center in Sekupang is "Desa Seni", Indonesian art village, which main objective is to "maintain, conserve and develop Indonesian culture", and also to manage the Cultural Institute where qualified instructors conduct various shows and courses.

Accommodation and food

You may easily find hotels of all standards here, from five star hotels with all facilities to budget losmen. The most expensive rooms can be found in Nagoya or at the tourist resorts at Nongsa on the northeast part of the island. The tourism here has seen a steep decline lately, so you may get a good bargain. More reasonable priced rooms can be found in Nagoya or elsewhere, but the budget rooms are said to be of less quality and overpriced compared to most other areas in Indonesia.

Riau is well known for its fresh and delicious seafood. Prawns, live fish, lobsters, clams and shellfish are cooked in a variety of styles, a local specialty is the "gong-gong" conch shell dipped in a spicy sauce. To find a seafood restaurant is no problem, especially in Nagoya, Batu Besar, Batu Merah and Telaga Punggur. At Nongsa you can eat in a "kelong", a restaurant built over the sea on stilts. Singaporeans even come here for a late night meal at a Batam restaurant and return the same evening to Singapore. You can of course also find other traditional Indonesian food here, like Padang food. In Nagoya you can try the night markets or the Pujasera Nagoya food center.

Sekupang

The port of Sekupang, the most common port of arrival if you go by boat from Singapore.Most travelers from Singapore to Batam will enter via Sekupang, where ferries shuttle constantly between the two ports. The ferries depart from World Trade Center in Singapore and arrive at Sekupang about 45 minutes later, the first ferry will leave at 7.30 am, and the last about 8 pm. At Sekupang you will easily find a taxi that can take you to other locations of the island, the airport or other ferry terminals, you will also find hotel and ferry counters here. The domestic terminal with boats to the Sumatra mainland is right next door.

Waterfront City Batam

The Waterfront City is a resort area on the west coast of Batam, south of Sekupang, that mostly attracts Singaporean visitors. Some of the activities here are water sports, bungee-jumping, indoor skiing or simply checking out the nightclubs.

Batam Center

This area facing Tering Bay is planned to be the pride of Batam with a business district, hotels, shops and a marina. Construction started on 29th of November 1987 when President Soharto and Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, each planted a banyan tree here as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. Prime Minister Mahathir of Malaysia planted his tree later. The center is still not completed.

Nagoya

View from one of the many hotels in Nagoya.Nagoya (also known as Lubuk Baja) is the original center of Batam, and not a very attractive town with a mix of old and new characterless buildings. But if you are looking for local entertainment this must be the place, with plenty of shops, food stalls, nightlife, discos, music lounges, karaoke, restaurants and many small hotels. It is also at the present Batams center of business, trade and finance. Batu Ampar is the port of Nagoya, and from here you can catch a ferry to Singapore, although not as frequently as from Sekupang. Several boats leave daily to Johor Baru in Malaysia as well.

Nongsa

The north-east peninsula of Nongsa is the main tourist area on Batam, an hour's drive from Sekupang. The lovely resorts were built with Singaporeans in mind, here they can escape from the bustling town to the north and visit one of the golf clubs, eat seafood, bake in the sun on the beach or swim in the sea. Don't expect to find any cheap hotels here.

Kabil

This is the site for a large deep-water port under construction, called the Asia Port. When completed it will be able to accommodate very large ships. From nearby Telaga Punggur you can go by boat to neighboring Pulau Bintan, in Kabil fishing village you can also find several seafood restaurants, and watch the passing sampans and fishing craft while you eat.

Transport

The best way to get around on the island is by taxi, but you can also go by public transport if comfort is not your main concern, like share taxis. Travel agents can also provide air-conditioned minibuses. Hang Nadim, the modern regional airport, can serve the largest passenger planes, and from here you can reach other destinations in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Pekanbaru, Bandung and Medan. Both Garuda and Singapore Airlines have regular flights here.

View from the Singapore - Sekupang ferry, close to Sekupang.As mentioned above there are several boat services to Singapore, as well as Malaysia and to the Sumatran mainland. The ferries depart daily from World Trade Center in Singapore and arrive at Sekupang about 45 minutes later, the first ferry will leave at 7.30 am, and the last about 8 pm. Less frequent services to Singapore leave from Batu Ampar and Nongsa. The service to Malaysia leave from Batu Ampar and to the Sumatran mainland from Sekupang. Telaga Punggur, 30 km southeast of Nagoya, is the main port for speedboats to Tanjung Pinang on Nearby Pulau Bintan, the trip will take about 45 minutes, there are also three boats a day to Tanjung Pinang from Sekupang.

Other travel facts

Batam is a duty free zone, and in Nagoya or at the ferry terminal you can shop for items like cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, perfumes, chocolate as well as local handicrafts from all over the Indonesian archipelago. There are many banks in Nagoya, and you can easily find a money exchange counter or a cash machine which accept Visa or MasterCard. Singapore dollars are as welcome as Indonesian rupiah. The main post office is in Batam center south of Nagoya.

Batam may not make a good first impression on a western tourist with it's ugly architecture, expensive hotels and unfinished construction sites, but if you like you can easily spend some days here. You can enjoy activities like golf, tennis, water sports, scuba diving, fishing or just relaxing after a good meal of seafood. In the evenings you can experience the local nightlife, probably different from what you are used to back home.

Press Releases | Batam Report Vol. 10 Technical & Practical Education Support

The vast development of Batam Island as an industrial 'one and tourist resort, is indicated by the growth of investment to a total of US$ 8.8 billion by the end of 2001. This will require stronger support from human resourees for the operation of industrial zone and tourist resorts. Higher quality and more skilled work three is in demand. Higher edueation is also growing to Batam, with ten colleges and universities already available.
However, there is only one source of technical and practical education provided through Batam Pofyteehnic. The two-year old Batam Pofytechnic was founded by the Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA), the Batam Municipality, and supported by the Bandung Institute of Technology and the State University of Riau, Pekanbaru. It was founded with the mission to contribute to Batam's development and provide readily-applied and skilled workers.
Batam Pofytechnic, in its second year of operation, offers three study programs in the fields of Industrial Electronics. Information Technology, and Accounting. The Batam Polytechnic graduates are expected to fill the needs of indstries and multi national companies in Batam.
As their efforts to continually improve the education and training system. the Batam Polytechnic contacted the Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB) for assistance in developing its staff through the provision of opportunities for training and attachment. The EDB. therefore, requested Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) to develop and conduct training and attachment programs for the staff of Batam Pofytechnic, so that both Singapore and Batam can benefit from the quafified mid-level skilled workers, graduates of Batam Pofytechnic.
Thus, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Batam Polytechnie and Nanyang Polytechnic on March 26, 2002 at the Campus of NYP Singapore. The initial agreement of twelve-month period between these two educational institutions was officially signed by Mr. Lin Cheng Ton, the Principal & CEO Nanyang Polytechnic and Dr. Priyono Eko Sanyoto, the Director of Batam Polytechnic. This signing was also witnessed by His Excellency, Dr. Johan Syahperi, Ambassador of the Republie of Indonesia to Singapore, the Economic Development Board, and Mr. Ismeth Abdullah, the Chairman of the Batam Industrial Development Authority.
The training program and attachment to be provided by Nanyang Polytechnic will comprise of a workshop on Curriculum Development and Speeialist Teacher training courses in the specialization areas of Electronics, Information Technology, Mechatronics, and Manufacturing Technology.
The presence of Batam Polytechnic, especially with the assistanee from Nanyang Polytechnic, will continue to improve the investment climate in Batam Island as more quafified mid-level skilled technical manpower become more widely available. Batam Polytechnic is confident that this cooperation will improve the skills of its teaching Staff, who in turn, will provide an appropriate curriculum to meet current industrial needs, and produee graduates who can easily adapt to any working environment with their acquired skills.

Batam Polytechnic Indonesian Robot Contest Winner

State Polytechnic Batam, Riau Islands Province champion in three categories Indonesian robot contest in the gym area Suamatra Tumenggung Abdul Jamal, Batam, on Sunday.

Three robots work of student-student robot contest namely Sumatra Barelang 5.1 Robot robot won first category of Indonesia (KRI), 2.1 Barelang robot won first intelligent robot competition category of Indonesia (KRCI) and category-legged firefighters, KRCI humanoid robot soccer players become champions.

Chairman of the Batam Polytechnic team, Rifki Amalifateka said the success of his team thanks to the hard work of preparation in 10 months.

"We did about 10 months of preparation to deal with this contest," said

With that result, Batam Polytechnic will represent the region of Sumatra in Indonesia national robot contest at the University of Gajah Mada in Yogyakarta, 21 to 22 June 2011.

Facing a national competition, said Rifki, robots will be enhanced. Batam Polytechnic team consists of six people, including a supervisor.

"All members have their respective roles in the manufacture of robots," he said.

In the same place, the Director of Batam Polytechnic, Priyono Eko Sanyoto said that while the win, the robot from Batam Polytechnic State still has shortcomings.

In fact, the champions winning robot at the controls had jammed. "We will be perfected to deal with national kejuraan," he said.

In 2010, the Batam Polytechnic team also won the same contest in the city of Bangka, Bangka Belitung province.

In addition, State University of Batam, a few other universities that advanced to the national level, among others STIMIK Main Potential Field as the second winner KRI, and the third winner of the Manufacturing Polytechnic NegeriBangka Belitung.

A Campus Champion for Women in Computer Science

The percentage of female comp sci majors at Harvey Mudd College has tripled since the 2006 arrival of President Maria Klawe

Klawe says riding a skateboard gets students to open up to her Jason Wang/New York Times/Redux

By Ari Levy

As Harvey Mudd College President Maria Klawe strolled her Southern California campus recently, she stopped to talk with Lillian de Greef, a senior eager to discuss her plans to pursue a graduate degree in computer science. De Greef entered Mudd as a technology novice and, like a growing number of women at the school, she’s now fluent in multiple programming languages. “I just really enjoy learning about all this stuff, writing the code,” she says.
De Greef’s enthusiasm is a testament to the quiet revolution waged by Klawe, 60, since she arrived in 2006 from Princeton University, where she was dean of the engineering school. On her watch, the percentage of female computer science majors at Mudd, one of California’s prestigious Claremont colleges, has more than tripled, to 42 percent. Nationally, women account for 14 percent of college graduates in the field, according to the Computing Research Assn.
Klawe’s transformation of this small liberal arts college 35 miles east of Los Angeles has sent ripples from Seattle to Silicon Valley, where startups and technology giants are desperate to find talented developers, even as the unemployment rate hovers above 9 percent. In the U.S., women hold less than 25 percent of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, according to the Commerce Dept. Klawe has “actually moved the numbers,” says Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook. “In the midst of what is a very serious employment issue in the country, there’s a field here that’s dying for more very well qualified people.”
Harvey Mudd was already revamping its computer science curriculum when Klawe arrived, and she sped up the plans. Until 2005 the mandatory introductory computer science course taught the Java programming language, which has fallen out of favor with many modern developers. Novices were thrown in with experienced programmers, and in some years those who went on to pursue a computer science degree were 95 percent male.
The introductory course is now broken into three sections—one for those with some background in programming, another for beginners, and a third with a slant toward biology. “CS for Scientists,” as the introductory course is nicknamed, focuses on teaching problem-solving skills that can be applied to engineering, math, and other subjects. Instead of Java, the class uses the Python language, which has simpler rules and is easier to deploy in Web applications. One of the overarching goals is to “demystify the inner workings of a computer,” according to the course website.
Within two years the number of females majoring in computer science rose noticeably, says Zachary Dodds, a professor in the department since 1999. This year enrollment in what Klawe calls the “most hard-core CS class”—Data Structures and Program Development—is at an all-time high of 57 students, 40 percent of them female. Duke University, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Berkeley have borrowed strategies pioneered by Mudd to broaden the appeal of computer science and engineering.
Silicon Valley has noticed. Broadcom (BRCM), the mobile-phone chip company, asked Klawe to join its board in May. Microsoft named her to its board in 2009. She became both companies’ second female board member. “We need to keep more women interested longer in their lives in STEM subjects,” says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, acknowledging his own company’s struggle to find women for technical roles and executive positions. Klawe’s work at Harvey Mudd “gives us something good to emulate.”
Klawe, the second-oldest of four sisters, considered herself the boy of the family growing up in Toronto and Scotland. “I spent the first 30 years of my life trying to be more male than any male,” she says. She climbed trees, did woodwork with her dad, and played the trumpet, an instrument she says other girls shunned. After earning her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in math at the University of Alberta, she began a career in academia and helped build the computer science program at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She left for Princeton in 2003.
At Mudd, Klawe spends about half her time on campus, where she often rides around on a skateboard. “I look really funny” with the protective gear, she says, which helps persuade shy students to open up. She spends the rest of her time traveling to other schools, companies, and industry events. She has spoken to women engineers at companies, including a recent talk at Facebook, and earlier this year formed a group of prominent women in technology that includes Sandberg, Google (GOOG) Vice-President Marissa Mayer, and Cisco Systems (CSCO) Senior Vice-President Kathy Hill.
Klawe’s next step is to expand her STEM outreach. As the first day of classes wound down in late August, she met with the vice-president of admissions and the dean of faculty to plan recruiting events for underrepresented groups, including blacks and Latinos, with an aptitude for STEM subjects. Robert Cave, dean of faculty and a professor at Mudd since 1988, says the change in focus is long overdue. “In the last four years, we have done things that I didn’t think were possible,” Cave says.
The bottom line: Harvey Mudd has more than tripled the representation of women majoring in computer science. Silicon Valley is taking note.