Luis Venriko Mumu, a Nuclear Engineering student at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), was selected to take part in two prestigious international programs in Japan. The first was the Hamadohri Environmental Radiation Measurements International School 2025, organized by Osaka University in Fukushima from Jul. 27 to 31, 2025. The second was as a speaker at the International Symposium “Designing a Future Society for Our Life”, held on Aug. 4 to 5, 2025, at World Expo 2025 in Osaka.
The Hamadohri International School focused on studying the impacts of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on Mar. 11, 2011, particularly the radiation hazards resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.
Participants learned about evacuation and reconstruction processes, as well as the current conditions from both scientific and social perspectives.
Luis explained that during the program, participants were trained in soil and vegetation sampling techniques, radiation measurements in long-abandoned residential areas, the use of radiation detectors, and safety procedures.
“Through this program, I not only learned technical aspects such as radiation monitoring but also gained an understanding of the human dimension of the Fukushima disaster. The lessons I took away are highly valuable for the future of nuclear safety and disaster management,” Luis said in an interview at UGM on Thursday (Sep. 18).
Luis also visited the Interim Storage Facility managed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to observe the decommissioning process of millions of cubic meters of contaminated soil.
A visit organized by TEPCO Decommissioning to Fukushima Daiichi offered another invaluable experience. The measured radiation dose rate reached 70–80 microsieverts per hour at approximately 150 meters from reactor units 1 and 2, a level significantly higher than normal conditions.
One of the most striking moments for Luis was visiting an elementary school that had been abandoned since 2011, where students’ bags, books, and shoes remained untouched, as if time had stopped since the disaster.
Participants also engaged with local residents and workers, listened to their post-disaster stories, and even joined in community activities.
In addition to the Hamadohri International School, Luis had the rare opportunity to become the youngest speaker at the International Symposium “Designing a Future Society for Our Life”, which featured the theme Natural and Climate-Change Induced Disasters’ Effect on Women and Under-Represented Groups.
From Indonesia, the event also featured Duta Cahya Alam, who presented on malaria in West Papua, as well as Professor Dwikorita Karnawati, Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), who engaged in direct discussions with Luis.
In the international forum, Luis represented Indonesia with a presentation titled “Vulnerable Voices from the 2010 Merapi Eruption: Impacts on Women, Children, the Elderly, and People with Disabilities”, which highlighted the eruption’s effects on vulnerable groups.
“I felt confident taking up this topic because I was one of those directly affected. In addition, I conducted interviews with survivors and volunteers, allowing me to bring their real stories into the presentation,” he explained.
During the discussion session, Luis proposed the potential use of alpha particle detectors to monitor radon gas emissions from underground as an indicator of seismic activity. The idea was well received.
“Professor Cinzia Da Via from the University of Manchester regarded my idea as an applicable innovation. She noted that as a Nuclear Engineering student, my proposal for radon gas detectors could indeed be applied to mitigate natural disasters, particularly earthquakes,” Luis said.
On the same occasion, Luis shared that Professor Megumi Sugimoto of Osaka University emphasized how Japan could learn from Indonesia’s experience in mitigating volcanic eruptions.
“As we are both located in the Ring of Fire, Indonesia actually has more active volcanoes and greater potential risks. Therefore, we should be learning more from you,” the professor told Luis at the time.
For Luis, representing Indonesia at an international forum was both an invaluable experience and a significant step in his personal development on the global stage. He hopes this achievement will inspire Indonesia’s younger generation to continue excelling, innovating, and actively participating in international platforms.
Author: Lintang Andwyna
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: Luis Venriko Mumu