Enviro News Asia, Columbus — Indonesia’s Ambassador to the United States, Indroyono Soesilo, visited Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, November 7, 2026, meeting approximately 30 Indonesian students who are members of the Indonesian Students Association in the United States (PERMIAS) Columbus, Ohio.
The association is chaired by Jason Laksamana, an OSU business student.
The Indonesian students at OSU pursue a wide range of academic disciplines. Many are focused on education, including educational technology and teaching English to speakers of other languages. Others are studying political science, health sciences, and STEM fields, including chemical engineering and artificial intelligence (AI).
With approximately 68,000 students, OSU is one of the largest universities in the Midwestern United States. Its connections with Indonesia extend beyond the classroom, reflecting decades of academic collaboration and intellectual exchange.
In political science, R. William “Bill” Liddle has played a particularly influential role. He conducted research in Pematang Siantar, Indonesia, in 1962, joined OSU in 1965, and retired in 2011. Among the Indonesian scholars he mentored were Mohtar Mas’oed, Makarim Wibisono, Salim Said, Afan Gaffar, Bahtiar Effendy, Rizal Mallarangeng, Denny JA, Saiful Mujani, Dinna Wisnu, Kuskridho Ambardi, Yohanes Sulaiman, and Jayadi Hanan.
OSU’s academic links with Indonesia also extend to earth sciences. Donaldi Sukma Permana earned his PhD in 2015 with a dissertation reconstructing tropical Pacific climate variability using ice cores from Papua.
Working with Lonnie Thompson and other researchers, Permana studied the glaciers of Papua. A 2019 publication documented that ice loss had accelerated to approximately 5.4 times its previous rate, with the process intensified by the 2015–2016 El Niño event. This figure represents a historical research finding rather than a description of current conditions.
In teacher education, the United States–Indonesia Teacher Education Consortium (USINTEC), established in 2006, has connected American and Indonesian universities through educational development, research, and academic exchanges. Adrian Rodgers was among its key driving forces, while Semarang State University (UNNES) became one of its partner institutions.
During the visit, Ambassador Indroyono also met Tommy Firmada, an Indonesian student whose remaining vision is approximately one percent. Despite this significant visual impairment, Firmada is pursuing a PhD in learning technology at OSU through an Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship.
He relies on assistive technologies, including screen readers and screen magnifiers, as well as websites designed in accordance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and accessibility standards that enable digital content to be interpreted by screen-reading software.
Ambassador Indroyono praised Firmada’s determination and expressed hope that LPDP would provide opportunities for more students with disabilities to study science and technology, particularly fields that could improve the lives of people with disabilities in Indonesia.
He also encouraged Indonesian students across all academic disciplines to expand their knowledge of artificial intelligence, either through dedicated courses or by learning to apply AI tools in their respective fields. He emphasized that university students should make the most of the AI resources and facilities available on campus to prepare themselves for professional life after graduation.
From election research to Papua’s ice cores and, more recently, accessibility technology, Columbus continues to serve as a meeting point for Indonesian ideas, academic achievement, and international scientific collaboration. (*)
