“Selama ini, ITS sudah dikenal sebagai jagonya robot di Indonesia, karena itu kami berpikir untuk bisa mendirikan Pusat Ilmu Robotika Nasional. Jadi, nanti bisa untuk wisata ilmu teknologi,” kata Rektor ITS Prof Ir Priyo Suprobo MS PhD di Surabaya, Kamis.

Sebelumnya, ITS telah memiliki Pusat Desain dan Rekayasa Kapal Nasional (NASDEC). “Untuk Pusat Robotika itu, kami akan membicarakan dulu dengan Dirjen Dikti untuk persetujuan realisasinya,” katanya.
Saat ini, ITS telah melakukan penyusunan proposalnya. Ia berharap pusat ilmu robotika itu bisa membantu pengembangan ilmu robotika di Indonesia.

“Nantinya, Pusat Robotika itu diproyeksikan memiliki beberapa laboratorium, diantaranya laboratorium mekanika, elektronika, fotonika, instrumentasi, desain, dan sebagainya, karena laboratorium yang ada sekarang masih kurang memadai untuk mengembangkan ilmu robotika bagi mahasiswa dan dosen di ITS,” katanya.
Menurut dia, peserta Kontes Robot Indonesia (KRI) dan Kontes Robot Cerdas Indonesia (KRCI) yang digelar rutin setiap tahun akan memanfaatkan Pusat Robotika itu untuk berlatih, sehingga tidak lagi menghabiskan biaya cukup tinggi seperti saat ini untuk membuat lapangan percobaan.

“Jadi, tempat itu tidak hanya untuk tim dari ITS, tapi juga untuk Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya (PENS) dan Politeknik Perkapalan Negeri Surabaya (PPNS) serta universitas lain yang ingin berlatih,” katanya.

Sementara itu, KRI-KRCI 2008 untuk Regional IV (Jatim-Indonesia Timur) digelar di Graha ITS Surabaya pada 17-18 Mei dengan tema ‘Panjat Pinang’ yang merujuk tema kontes robot internasional 2008 di India yakni Govinda. (Ant/OL-06)

http://www.suarasurabaya.net/v05/inf…8793a200852106

Source: Bernama
By Mohd Nasir Yusoff

JOGJAKARTA, Aug 7 (Bernama)– The Education Ministry wants to learn from Indonesian schools on the agriculture vocational education, and arts and culture curriculum, said its minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

With the global food crisis, he said Malaysian schools should adopt a more dynamic agriculture vocational syllabus while instilling cultural awareness in schools in the face of globalisation.

“I find that Indonesia has succeeded in the agriculture vocational education as well as in imparting the arts and cultural values in schools. Both aspects must be given emphasis,” he told Bernama at the end of his three-day visit here.

Hishammuddin, who is Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (Seameo) president, visited Seameo training centres in Jakarta and here.

He was accompanied by his Indonesian counterpart, Prof Dr Bambang Sudipyo.

Hishammuddin said with the cooperation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and Asean, Seameo would enhance the national character of all 10 Asean countries through the two fields.

Meanwhile, Bambang said agriculture was gaining importance not only due to the world food shortage but also as raw material for fuel.

He hoped under Hishammuddin leadership, Seameo would continue to strengthen the Asean synergy.

Bambang said Indonesia was impressed with the accomplishments of Institut Aminudin Baki (IAB) and would open a similar institution in Bambang near here to train headmasters.

– BERNAMA

“It is an outstanding achievement because almost all elementary school students representing Indonesia in the international contest were able to do their best,” the director for kindergarten and elementary school management at the National Education Ministry, Mudjito Ak, said here on Thursday.

Mudjit said the Indonesian team at a similar contest in 2007 won only one gold medal but taking a good lesson from that failure, the participating students this year were trained and prepared intensively and were able to perform much better in the event in Hong Kong.

Indonesia was this year allowed to send two of its 43 teams because the country`s participation in such a contest was relatively new, while other countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, China, and the United States sent more than two teams.

“The Philippines sent six teams and Indonesia only two teams but they succeeded in grabbing five gold medals and a silver medal,” Mudjito said.

The five Indonesian students who won the gold medals were Richard Akira Heru of Bernadus elementary school in Semarang, Peter Young of Santa Maria elementary school in Surabaya, Stefano Chiesa of Theresia elementary school in Jakarta, Chrrista L Susanto of Tirta Marta Penabur elementary school in Jakarta, Fransisca Susan of Santa Ursula elementary school in Jakarta, and the silver medal was won by Reynaldi of Kemang Pratama Al Azhar elementary school in Bekasi, West Java.