This document provides examples of STEM projects completed by schools in the SAInS (School Action for Innovations in Science) program in Indonesia. It describes two exemplary projects: 1) At SMA 1 Kepanjen, students conducted an interdisciplinary project on the economic and environmental potential of landfill waste. They studied decomposition biology, biogas extraction, and the social impacts on waste pickers through fieldwork at the local landfill. 2) At SMA Kornita Bogor, students used 3D printers to create tactile books for blind children. Working with a local school for the blind, they designed 3D models, printed them, and assembled the books to support literacy for

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SAInS – School Action for
Innovations in Science
END OF PROJECT
REPORT

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SAInS – School Action for
Innovations in Science
FinalProject Report
(December 2012 - November 2015)
Agreement No. AID-‐497‐1‐13‐00001
CFDA Program Number 98.001
October 2012 - November 30, 2015
Prepared for:
Education office USAID
Indonesia
Prepared byColumbia
University
615 West 131 Street, Room 254
New York, NY10027‐‐7922
and
Bogor Agricultural University
Facultyof Mathematicsand Natural SciencesJl.
Meranti, KampusIPB Dramaga
Bogor 16680, Indonesia
This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International
Development. It was prepared by the Center for Environment, Economy, and Society at Columbia
University, in collaboration with the Institut Pertanian Bogor. The authors’ views expressed in
thispublication do not necessarilyreflect the views of the United States Agency for International
Development nor the United States Government.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPENDIX 6 : Exemplary STEM Activities from the SAInS program 4

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APPENDIX 6 : Exemplary STEM Activities from the SAInSprogram
Below are examplesof educationalactivitiescompleted by the SAInSpartnerschoolsthat
demonstratemastery and application of innovativeSTEMinstruction methodsand toolsin complex
projects.
SMA 1 Kepanjen
Economic and Environmental Potential of Landfill Waste
Thisprojectcombines the followingSTEMpedagogies:
 Science ExitProjects
The school developed student projects based on the NYC Urban Advantage Exit Projects that
are in placein NYC MiddleSchools. The Urban Advantage program provides a structure and
procedure for scientific projects,includingmethods for data collection,analysis,and
dissemination viascientificpapers and posters.
 Project-BasedLearning
Activities that respond to a real-world issue,useauthentic applied methods to collectdata
and explore causes,aspects,or solutions of the issue,and requirestudents to compile,
analyze,and drawconclusionsfromtheir findings.
 Inquiry- andstudent-basedlearning
Students were allowed to discussand selectfrom topics of their own interest.
 Field-basedactivities
Data collection and observations were made outsidethe classroom,onsiteat a location that
demonstrates the phenomena under research.
 Interdisciplinaryinstruction
Activities that requireconcepts and skillsfrommultiplesubjectareas,ideally combined
organically aspartof larger exploration.
 AppliedScience ProcessSkills
Students use scientific instruments and tools to collectand analyzedata.
At SMA 1 Kepanjen,teachersembarkedonaninterdisciplinaryprojectcombiningphysics,chemistry,
biology,math,andeconomics.The collaboratingteachersfromgrades10 and11 hadbeentrainedin
facilitatingstudentscienceprojects,includingusingrubricstoinformstudentworkandassessment,
and providingscaffoldingactivitiesbuildingstudentabilitytocreate atestable question,collectand
analyze data,and presentresultsandrecommendations.
The teachersprovidedstudentswithanoverview of the scienceprojectprocessandexplainedthat
theywouldbe workingasa group on a large projectunit,witheachstudentprovidingresearchand
resultsona specificaspectof the project.The teacherspresentedstudentswithareal-world
problemvery muchinevidence locally:garbage andwaste disposal.Students wouldconductafield
studyof the local municipal landfill.Studentswereaskedtobrainstormall the variousaspectsof
garbage and itsimpacts,such as the source of garbage,methodsandflow of garbage disposal,and
environmental andsocial impactsof garbage.
The teachersthenintroducedstudentstothe ideaof full-circle resource use,where the discarded
waste of one processmightbecome the productive inputforanotherprocess.Some examples
include recyclingoldtirestocreate rubberflooring;makingcompostfromorganicfoodwaste;or

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usingthe heatgivenoff inindustrial processesasenergyforanotherprocess. Studentslearnedhow
methane isa natural byproductof decomposition inlandfillsandcanbe usedas biogasfuel.
Havingexploredthe general topic,studentswere giventime todevelopquestionsandideasthey
wouldlike toexplore andresearchduringthe project.Studentscame toanoverall consensusto
studythe economicoutputof landfills(fromrecyclingandbiogas) andnew economicopportunities
that mightbe possible usingdifferentformsof waste management.Studentsoutlinedthe type of
knowledge anddatatheywouldneedtocollect,aboutthe biologyof decomposition,the chemistry
of biogasextraction,the physicsandengineeringinvolvedinbuildinglandfills,andthe social and
economicbenefitsanddisadvantagesof garbage managementmethods.The studentsadded
anotherelementtheyfeltwasimportant:understandingthe communityof scavengersthatgain
theirlivinginthe landfill.
Dependingontheirchosenfocus,studentsdevelopeddatacollectionformsandsurveyquestionsto
use duringtheirfieldtriptothe local landfill.Theybroughtanyrequiredsamplingandmeasurement
equipmentanddividedthemselvesintogroupsbytaskandfocus.
At the fieldsite the studentscollectedtheirsamplesandinterviewedthe landfill managementaswell
as several of the scavengersworkingonthe site.Managementwasquestionedaboutthe detailsof
garbage collectionandflowfromhouseholdtolandfill;the mechanicsandeconomicsof biogas
collectionandsale;andstatisticsaboutthe numberof employees,amountof garbage processed,
amountof biogascollectedandthe revenues,etc.Theyalsoaskedaboutthe relationshipof the
scavengerstothe formal employeesandformal workof the landfill. Studentsalsoaskedselected
scavengersquestionsaboutthe typesof itemstheycollectandsell,theirrelationswiththe landfill
management,andthe revenuestheygetfromtheirwork.
Armedwithdataand samples,eachof the studentsdevelopedthe resultsandanalysisneededto
answertheirpersonal topic/questionof research.Theywrote ascientificoverview of theirresults,
createda poster,and competedinaclass-wide projectcompetition.Teachersassessedthe projects
usingthe Urban Advantage rubrics(adaptedtothe Indonesiancontext).

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Figure 1: Landfill manager
Figure 2a: Students interviewing Landfill scavenger
Figure 2b: Students interviewing Landfill scavenger

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Figure 3: students interviewing Landfill employee
Figure 4: Landfill scavengers at work

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SMA Kornita Bogor
“Picture This”:Using3D Printers to Create Tactile Books for Blind Children
Note:this projectinvolved SAInSprogramcollaborationwith theUniversity of Colorado Tactile Book
Projectand with theSekolah Luar Biasa (Tuna Netra) in Jakarta.
SAInSteammembersco-authored a conferencepaperdescribing thisprojectthatwill be presented at
the Fablearn Europe|Digital Fabrication in Education Conferencethe19th – 20th June2016 in
Preston,UK
Thisprojectcombinesthe followingSTEMpedagogies:
 Inquiry- andstudent-basedlearning
The project was derived from the personal interests of school community members.
 Project-BasedLearning
Activities that respond to a real-world issue,useauthentic applied methods to collectdata
and explore causes,aspects,or solutions of the issue,and requires students to compile
analyzeand draw conclusionsfromtheir findings.In this casethe outcome was a product
designed to solvea problem for a specific audience.
 DesignandEngineeringprocesses
Students had to develop a product to solvea problem, takinginto accountthe needs of the
audience, the limitationsand advantages of the design materials and tools,and financial,
time and knowledge constraints.
 3D computermodelingandprinting
Students used Tinkercad computer software and the 3D printer availablein their FabLab to
create tactileimages in 2.5 and 3D.
 Communitybasedlearningandcharacterinstruction
Students worked with students from a local school for the blind,on a project that will help
blind children directly and will also help the school to build capacity to create its own books.
Kornita students learned about the education system for VI students and worked together
with the VI students themselves on product design.
 Metacognitive Activities
Metacognitivieactivities requirestudents to understand the process of thinki ngand
learning.Students gained understandingof the differences between the ways visually
impaired students interactwith information,learn and explore, and interpret non-visual
input.
A primary goal for the installation of FabLabs in our SAInS partner schools was to provide a
venue to support project-based applied learning, and practice with design and engineering
processes. The SMA Kornita School devoted significant time and effort ensuring that all
teachers and students in the school were trained to use the FabLab equipment, and gained
practice developing instructional aids and creative products. The “Picture This!” project
represents the organic outcome of training, mastery, and changes in school culture that
encouraged the entire school community—parents as well as students and faculty—to
envision not only educational but practical and socially beneficial uses of the technology.
A parent connected to the Kornita School, with experience in elementary school teaching,

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recognized a critical need in the blind community: the lack of picture books to support
literacy in young children. For sighted children, reading often is introduced by way of
colorful and inviting picture books that help kids link concepts to visual images and words
on the page. This type of book is almost absent in the VI community; children learn to read
Braille without connection to objects or tactile images. The parent knew that the Kornita
School had a FabLab with a 3D printer and wondered if the tool could be used to create
storybooks with raised images that VI children could feel while reading the Braille text.
She contacted the Kornita School and the SAInS team and they agreed that such an
initiative would be an excellent basis for project-based learning using the FabLab.
A visit to the largest public school for the visually impaired in Indonesia—the Sekolah Luar
Biasa (Tuna Netra)1 or SLB,--confirmed that the only tactile books in the school library
were painstakingly created by hand by teachers, expensive to make, and not readily
reproducible.. The Principal of SLB was intrigued about the possible uses of a 3D printer
for education, and enthusiastically supported creation of a tactile book as a proof of
concept that might allow the school to get district funding to buy their own 3D printer.
In researching the design of Tactile Books, the Picture This! team (PTT—including the
parent, SAInS staff, and Kornita faculty lead) discovered a Tactile Book project at the
University of Colorado Boulder. Students there, and the center director, were eager to
participate in an international collaboration and generously provided guidance on 3D
modeling software options, how to structure and deliver the Tactile Book Workshop, and
the specific design considerations of working with a VI audience.
In November 2015, 8 students from the Kornita School, and 10 students and faculty from
SLB, as well as members of the SAInS program, met at the IPB STIR Center for a workshop
to design a tactile book for young children. Introductory activities allowed sighted and
blind participants to understand the design challenge, goals, and parameters, and to get
accustomed to working with each other. The group first outlined the text of the story—a
traditional Indonesian folktale entitled the Mousedeer and the Alligator—and laid out the
text on 7 pages. The text on each page was parsed for the visual elements that ought to be
represented using 3D images, and intensive discussions ensued regarding the point of view
and orientation of the images (i.e. aerial vs. side view); how to represent landscape and
horizon, and how to represent animals that VI students might never have encountered in
real life or as models. Once the group had itemized the specific elements necessary—i.e. a
profile view of the mousedeer, a palm tree, an aerial view of the alligator, etc—the rest of
the workshop was devoted to creating physical models with clay. Throughout this process
the VI students were full participants, providing input and making all final decisions in their
1 School for Exceptional Children (Visually Impaired) in Jakarta.

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role as clients. Thus they selected the point of view for all pages and evaluated all the clay
models in terms of whether they were clear and recognizable to VI readers. VI students
requested changes to the models, and a second round of modelling concluded the
workshop with a final set of agreed -upon 3D models that would be recreated on
computers and printed using the 3D printer.
In the interest of time, students at the University of Colorado agreed to create 3D images
based on our clay models, and sent them to the Kornita School. The Kornita students
adapted and refined the computer models, and created the full set of elements for each
page, using Tinkercad software. Pak Ade, the faculty leader and FabLab manager at
Kornita, oversaw the printing of the 3D models on the school’s 3D printer. The SLB
participants printed out Braille pages of the text on transparent plastic, which would be
overlaid upon regular ink-printed text so that sighted and VI readers can both share the
book.
The physical design and layout of the book presented its own challenges, which students
solved ingeniously. For example, because of the thickness of the 3D printed images, flat
pages would not lie easily together in book format. Therefore, the students independently
came up with the solution of creating inset frames for each page with the images and
pages set inside. The frames would thus lie flat on top of each other. The pages were laid
out carefully, with 3D printed images glued to the pages and set inside the frames.
This project was a source of great satisfaction for all involved, bringing together multiple
stakeholders to work together applying technology and design skills to produce a product
that would support education and joyful learning for children in their community. The
book will be formally presented to the SLB in May 2016.

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Figure 1. Students plan out the pages and visual elements for the storybook
Figure 2. Students create clay models for evaluation

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Figure 3. Visually impaired participants evaluate and give input for models
Figure 4. Kornitastudentsfinalize the 3DcomputermodelsusingTinkercad

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Figure 5. Kornitastudents designthe bookframesandstructure
Figure 6a. Kornitastudentslayoutand buildthe bookprototype

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Figure 6b. Kornitastudentslayoutandbuildthe bookprototype

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Figure 7a: the Braille pagesandprintedtext
Figure 7b: the Braille pagesandprintedtext