I joined “SIF Academy” in March. The purpose is to acquire the ability to face business and social issues with new ideas. Especially, participants tackled to garbage issue. 

My idea was to conduct a garbage collection campaign. I thought like a sport in which teams compete to see how much trash they collect. I wanted to make it fun. However, it was raining, unfortunately. So, I conducted a participatory workshop for thinking about environmental issues. Through discussions between Japanese and Fijian people, we learned ideas and ways of thinking from each other. Also, to tackle global environmental issues, it is important to know about various solutions for other countries. 

On the last day, I went to Bekana Island for fun. Since it was the rainy season, there were few tourists, so the sea was very quiet and beautiful. I felt the warmth of the people more than in Japan. I want to go again someday.

I recently had the honor of being selected as one of the participants in the prestigious Imperial-Tokyo Tech Global Fellows Programme 2023. This innovative initiative unites doctoral students from Tokyo Tech and Imperial College London. This program is designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing global challenges. This year, under the theme ‘Sustainable Water & Energy,’ 30 participants – 15 from each institution – embarked on a six-day journey in Tokyo to devise solutions contributing to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, specifically focusing on ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ and ‘Life Below Water.’ The program's structure, encompassing group discussions, poster presentations, and a field trip, was meticulously crafted to enhance leadership abilities, interdisciplinary and intercultural awareness, and communication skills and to build a network for future collaborations.

Our team, Uni, inspired by my fond memories of uni (sea urchin) ice cream in Hokkaido, symbolizes unity and collaboration. Despite our varied chemical engineering, ecology, energy system modeling, and epidemiology expertise, we successfully integrated our knowledge to develop the FertiGas project. FertiGas is an innovative initiative to produce clean fuel and fertilizer from agricultural waste and human excrement, designed explicitly for regions in sub-Saharan East and West Africa. While it may not have been the most creative idea or presentation, its practicality and potential impact towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals are undeniable.

This experience transcended a mere academic exercise; it evolved into a journey of building lasting friendships and gaining invaluable insights. The Uni Team, united by a shared passion and purpose, not only contributed to shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future but also profoundly impacted each of us personally. This journey has been a testament to the power of collaboration and the extraordinary outcomes that can arise from bringing together diverse minds with a common goal.

I had the privilege of participating in the 3rd ASEAN International Conference on Energy and Environment (AICEE), held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia last August. This esteemed annual event, organized by the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), serves as a critical forum for experts from academia, policy circles, and the business sector to engage in meaningful dialogue about energy and climate change challenges within the ASEAN region. This year's conference theme, “Accelerating a Just, Secure and Resilient Energy Transition in ASEAN through Innovation and Interconnectivity,” resonated deeply with my research focus on Indonesia's Net Zero Emission Policy.

In collaboration with my supervisor, Dr. Koji Tokimatsu, and my colleague, Mr. Joko Santosa from BRIN, Indonesia, I had the opportunity to present our work titled "Comparative Analysis of Indonesia’s Energy System Scenarios: Assessing Emissions Reduction Strategies and Cost-Effectiveness." Our research, which was featured in the Carbon Pricing and Green Investment section, is one of six pivotal topics addressed at the conference.

The AICEE was not only an academic endeavor but also a melting pot of ideas and innovations, bringing together a diverse group of experts and stakeholders in the energy sector. This experience significantly broadened my understanding, offering insights into various aspects of energy transition, including policy implications, cost considerations, and broader environmental impacts.

Overall, the conference was an enriching and enlightening experience, greatly enhancing my knowledge and perspective in the field of energy and environmental studies.

I recently attended the 3rd ASEAN International Conference on Energy and Environment (AICEE) in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. The conference coincided with the ASEAN Energy Business Forum 2023 and the 41st ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting.

The theme for this year's conference was "Accelerating a Just, Secure, and Resilient Energy Transition through Innovation and Interconnectivity." This aligns perfectly with my passion for sustainability, and I'm grateful to the organizing team for providing a platform that enables individuals like us to contribute to the global energy transition.

During the conference, I had the opportunity to present our work titled "Geospatial Assessment of Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Potential in Thailand." The paper was co-authored by Associate Professor Alvin Christopher Varquez and Associate Professor Koji Tokimatsu. This was part of the "Energy Transition and New Emerging Technologies" session, which focused on renewable energy. I was inspired by the brilliant ideas presented by other authors, all working towards achieving net-zero emissions.

Overall, it was an excellent opportunity for me to give a presentation and get to know more about the related research contents. I'm also able to obtain useful information and get to know relevant people working on renewable energy in ASEAN countries. I'm optimistic that by working together, we can achieve a more sustainable future.

I was accepted as a delegate for the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Japan 2023 which was held in Tokyo between September 23rd to October 1st, 2023. It was organized by Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) Tokyo and Climate Youth Japan (CYJ).The UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY) is an event under the banner of YOUNGO – The Official Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This conference precedes and contributes to the annual UN Climate Change Conference, also known as Conference of the Parties (COP), which will be held between 30 November and 12 December in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) in 2023. COY serves as a space for capacity building and policy training, in order to prepare young people for their participation at COP.

This program gave us the opportunity to engage in many workshops and lectures related to Climate Action and other related topics. We had several experiences that built our capacity as youth such as:

● Unique activities to learn about global social issues including hunger and inequalities, by

personalizing them;

● Speakers from NPO, national and local governments, business, academia to deepen

understandings of what each sectors do on tackling climate change;

● Panel discussions that provide better understanding of actions taken on climate change by

national governments and member states. Particularly, how local actions are spread

globally;

● A platform for youth voices on critical action areas and deliverables in policy-making;

● A youth workshop for pre-registered delegates to engage in knowledge-sharing,

networking, and scenario-based challenges, which will inform COY18 and COP28 and

provide future avenues of opportunity for youth stakeholders.

The most important part was being part of the team drafting the youth statement which officially goes to YOUNGO and is considered for the main youth statement for COY18 and COP28. We were split into teams based on our interests and I was part of the team drafting the youth statement and policy recommendation regarding “Energy.” We proposed different policies such as empowering youth to be leaders and involving them in decision making, strengthening gender-balance practices in Japan, and encouraging university prospect students to choose majors or research related to green fields and clean energy. This conference gave me immense knowledge, and I was able to network with so many like-minded students from different top Japanese universities where we learned a lot from each other. 

I was selected to be one of the students representing Tokyo Tech in Asia Oceania Top University League on Engineering (AOTULE) Students Conference which was held on November 9 and 10, 2023 at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka. The theme of this year was: “Quality Engineering Education and Practices for Sustainable Development.” The program introduced several lectures and workshops for the students that enhanced our knowledge on Sustainable Development. As I am personally passionate about the SDGs, I felt blessed to have been able to join this conference. During the program, there was challenge for students to discuss engineering solutions for a specific problem that impacts the SDGs, and we had to think of possible engineering solutions for these problems. We worked in group of three or four students from different universities. I am proud to share that our group has won the best presentation award in this conference. I have proposed the idea of trying to solve the issue of wastewater discharge into the sea while having high temperature that is affecting marine life. We came up with a number of possible engineering solution to cool down the wastewater before discharging it to avoid these environmental impacts. 

I believe that this experience taught me a lot, especially that we were able to exchange knowledge with students from different parts of the world, with different perspectives, different research aims but with one similar goal which is helping to contribute for a better world.