Penn Abroad Ambassador Supriadi

Program:

• GRIP: Social Sciences and Humanities Research

Ask me about...

• Anything about environmental justice communities, especially Indigenous peoples, and how their way of life is respected and protected under government policies.  Beyond my research project, this internship in New Zealand allowed me to learn about their "Indigenous protection model." This was a valuable experience as I came from Indonesia where laws recognizing Indigenous peoples are not yet in place.

• Experiencing and appreciating cultures that are new to you but on the other hand supporting efforts to maintain these cultures. For example, my trip to Waiheke Island in the North Island of New Zealand not only introduced me to the traditional food system and beliefs of the Maori people, but also the community litigation they have been running against the Marina Bay development that threatens their habitat and significant native animals.

• How to make your Penn Abroad experience an independent study that counts as course units.

• Considerations on choosing the type of program and country for your internship that supports your study interests and future career plans.

My Experience Abroad:

During my time at Penn, I reflected on the climate crisis’s unequal risk exposure to low-income communities of color. I then became interested in investigating the dynamics of community-led initiatives in responding to the disproportionate consequences of the climate crisis while improving energy access, which also led me to study multi-level actors’ efforts toward decarbonization. Participating in a research placement through “GRIP: Social Sciences and Humanities Research in Auckland” has brought me in contact with the military sector, which is still under the radar in the global effort to go green. Having the intention to do postgraduate research in the broad spectrum of human geography, I also applied for this program to gain experience doing independent research with academics in the field. But it turned out that this research placement exceeded my expectations!

Working on a research project titled “Framing War in a Time of Climate Crisis” during my placement, I found that military companies are often excluded from global greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting on national security grounds. Ironically, they contribute substantially to global GHG and on-going war especially in low-income countries. In this regard, advancing transparency and accountability is one of the key domains in environmental policymaking that aligns with my academic concentration. As I move forward in my career in environmental and energy management and policy, I will reflect on my learnings about this intricate relationship between conflict and the environment as I seek to contribute to the research and policy side of global supply chain decarbonization.

Importantly, I will continue to advocate for gender and environmental justice in my future studies and career. Thanks to my supervisor that allowed me to audit the “Engendering Global Conflict” class that she taught—therefore making me convinced of this goal and more cognizant of the need for a socially inclusive lens not only in the environmental-conflict linkage but everyday life.

Other Highlights:

• Learning the culture of Maori people starting with Karanga (the welcoming call) as a sign that we are welcomed by the locals as well as learning Haka (Maori dance about war cry and challenge) in less than 1 hour and then performed in front of the locals.

• Viewing the magnificent glow worms in the Waitomo caves and the Fiordland crested penguins (the third rarest penguin in the world) in their local habitat in Milford Sound.

• Solo trip to Queenstown using very affordable and accessible public transport.