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Spending a fall semester on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s campus is a delight in many ways, especially the first time you experience it, and even more so, if it offers your first visit to the United States.

Russasmita Sri Padmi, of Indonesia, arrived on campus in September through the Fulbright US-ASEAN Visiting Scholar initiative program. While in southern Illinois, she’s had the pleasure of viewing beautiful fall colors, a few snow flurries and even her first deer sighting.

But what she truly came to consume as an academic scholar is the SIUE Center for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Research, Education and Outreach’s innovative strategies and nationally recognized best practices for education programming, professional development and community engagement.

When she returns to Indonesia in mid-December, Sri Padmi plans to use this newly expanded knowledge and applied experience to assist in designing and establishing a mathematics teacher training program at her home institution of South East Asia Minister of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Quality Improvement for Teachers and Education Personnel (QITEP) in Mathematics.

“The work of the SIUE STEM Center’s educational researchers is impressive,” Sri Padmi said. “The operation is research-centered and delivers effective programming. I am conducting a case study that highlights how this STEM Center works. In my home country, STEM is a hot topic in education, but it needs to be developed. I’m specifically interested in how this Center conducts its professional development for teachers.”

The Fulbright US-ASEAN Visiting Scholar initiative program is a scholarship granted to ASEAN nationals to pursue professional or scholarly research in the U.S.

“I see myself as a world citizen,” Sri Padmi explained. “I enjoy working with people from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. I consider myself very lucky to have this opportunity with the SIUE STEM Center.”

“Hosting an international Fulbright scholar helps solidify SIUE's position as a recognized leader in STEM education,” said SIUE STEM Center Director Sharon Locke, PhD. “Russasmita will bring ideas from our program back to her country for the benefit of teachers in the ten ASEAN member nations. In turn, SIUE benefits from the information she shares about math education trends in her country.”

While at SIUE, Sri Padmi spoke with three different groups of SIUE education students to describe her culture and educational strategies for supporting teachers in her diverse country.

“By interacting with her, SIUE students gained a better understanding of the challenges that are common to both countries, such as supporting schools in isolated rural areas,” Locke explained. “Russasmita also described opportunities to connect classrooms and students in the U.S. with those in Indonesia. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from her.”

Sri Padmi is passionate about delivering mathematics in an engaging way that ignites young learners’ interest in the core subject. Through her work in teacher professional development, she seeks to expand the inclusivity of the Indonesian education system.

“Everything has some kind of mathematical principle that makes it work,” she explained. “I want people to realize and appreciate that.”

“I hope to play a role in creating or developing a more inclusive education system that embraces everyone without judgement or discrimination,” she added. “That’s huge work as our country is incredibly diverse both culturally and physically, but I want to be involved in the change.”

Photo: Russasmita Sri Padmi, of Indonesia, is a Fulbright US-ASEAN Visiting Scholar in the SIUE STEM Center.