This summer, I traveled to Indonesia for six weeks to engage in fieldwork for the first time and facilitate the next phase of the children’s book project I’ve been working on since February 2024. Our core research team was comprised of my mentors Drs. Wendy Erb and Walker DePuy, myself, my fellow Laidlaw Scholar Kate Rodger, and two student assistants from Universitas Mulawarman (UNMUL). It was nothing short of a transformative experience, where I learned so much about engaged research, curriculum design, and how to strengthen connections between academics and community partners. 

First, none of our work would have been possible without the support of the Laidlaw Foundation, Cornell Southeast Asia Program, Cornell CALS Alumni Association, GoFundMe donors, and colleagues from UNMUL, who were crucial to making our experience so wonderful! These partnerships allowed us to gain a broader contextual understanding of our research, which analyzes the social-ecological impacts of Indonesia’s new capital, through a diverse range of learning experiences across Jakarta and East Kalimantan.

In the beginning of our trip, we learned about the ways in which Jakarta’s history and governance has, and continues to shape, its challenges as the world’s fastest-sinking megacity—even walking along the North Jakarta seawall with artist-activists (to the right is a photo of us taking a boat along the seawall).

Then, after heading to Samarinda, we began to assemble the moving parts of our educational program together. 

In the villages of Pemaluan and Mentawir, we were slated to not only distribute copies of a children’s book, titled Apakah Masih Akan Mendengarnya (English translation: Will You Still Be Listening?), that I co-created with community partners from there, but also lead classes for students at the local elementary schools that would enhance their understanding of bioculturally important species included in the book.

As a result, our program at the villages included activities such as an interactive children’s book reading andexploration of a Raven Exhibit, a multimedia platform that allowed students to learn about the ecology and sounds of the book’s animals. I am proud to report that the program was a great success overall, thanks to the efforts of our research team, teachers, and community partners! The book was a hit, the kids were engaged, and the knowledge of these species and their ecological, as well as cultural, significance was shared effectively. What’s more, we donated one tablet computer, containing the Raven Exhibit software, to each school for them to use as a tool and resource for their students in future lessons.

It was such a rewarding feeling to see the smiles upon the kids’ faces when they received the book and to hear their laughter when they listened to the unique call of a proboscis monkey. In addition, the generosity and gratitude that we received from community members only demonstrated to us further that the work we’ve been doing together is deeply purposeful and meaningful to them.

Besides collaborating in the classroom, we also had the amazing opportunity to visit Nusantara (Indonesia's new capital), set up bioacoustic recording units, travel to key sites of biocultural importance, listen to Indigenous Balik and Paser stories about many animals, and begin working on new informational books centered around the biocultural heritage of the human and non-human inhabitants of Pemaluan and Mentawir, a project that Kate and Dr. DePuy are leading. Furthermore, we are developing a teacher’s guide to our educational curriculum and planning further children’s book distribution to ensure the longevity of our efforts this summer. 

Needless to say, Kate and I had an incredibly enriching summer in Indonesia—marked by boundless joy, inspiration, and resilience—that has made us so hopeful, and even more excited for the future. Semangat!