Fulbright Specialist Dr Aaron Kingsbury, an associate professor of Arts and Sciences at Maine Maritime Academy, and the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences and the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta successfully collaborated in carrying out interdisciplinary curriculum and research development projects in experiential learning and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) mapping during August 2024.

The collaboration extended a rapidly developing professional relationship between the Specialist and the Indonesian host.

“The experience of serving as a Fulbright Specialist in Indonesia revealed similarities and differences between US and Indonesian educational practices and several future opportunities for collaboration,” Dr. Kingsbury said.

The partnership was based on two primary objectives. Namely, it sought to develop innovative pedagogies for transdisciplinary education and research skills development. Workshops during the collaboration included UAVs and Open-Source Photogrammetry for Engineering, Designing an Experiential Educational-Based Curriculum, UAVs in the Social Sciences (Theory and Practice for Research), Innovative and Ecological Approaches to Social Change in Japanese Farming (with Implications for Indonesia), and Fulbright Opportunities for Indonesian Students and Faculty.

Dr Kingsbury also joined the Atma Jaya faculty on several trips outside the city, including visiting several successful female farming cooperatives. Local students were involved across the program.

One highlight was a multiple-day series of hands-on exercises in drone mapping using open-source photogrammetry software on an active construction site. Future collaboration is planned in tourism research using UAVs and in working to support female farming cooperatives.