The University of Indonesia team, represented by 3 students from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, namely Mahesa Oktareza (Mathematics 2017), Ginanjar Ariyasuta (Mathematics 2017), and Aisha Nurtabina (Physics 2017), won Second Place in the National Debate Competition.

The debate competition, which was held for university students throughout Indonesia, was organized by the Aceh Dream Chaser Community, on Monday (May 18, 2020) online.

Mahesa said the essay he and his team wrote was titled “Covid-19 Data Transparency: Initial Efforts to Save Indonesia Through Mathematical and Spatial Modeling.”

“Our essay is titled COVID-19 Data Transparency: Initial Efforts to Save Indonesia Through Mathematical and Spatial Modeling. Mathematical modeling is used to predict the rise and fall of COVID-19 cases and determine the peak of the pandemic. Meanwhile, spatial modeling is used to determine a region’s zone based on the number of positive COVID-19 patients,” said Mahesa.

Mahes told the UI Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Public Relations team that this was his and his team’s first debate competition. Therefore, participating in the debate competition presented its own challenges, even though it was held online. Mahes said he and his team also experienced feelings of nervousness and a lack of confidence.

“The challenge was nervousness and a lack of confidence, because this was my first time participating in a debate competition. So, to overcome that fear, my team and I practiced and watched debate videos on YouTube,” said Mahes.

Meanwhile, Aisha expressed pride in their achievement. She said that through this debate competition, she and her team gained broader insights, particularly regarding solutions to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, while also improving their critical thinking skills.

“We’ve become better able to see problems from a broader perspective, practice public speaking, and definitely hone our critical thinking skills,” Aihsa added.