Empower a Billion Lives (EBL) Competition by IEEE and PELS challenges teams from around the world to develop innovative solutions that can bring cost-effective energy, and its life transforming impact, to billions of unserved and underserved people. The competition encourages a holistic approach to help develop new energy access solutions, and to prove out new business models that show impact and scale that can be achieved with solutions that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
Empower a Billion Lives Competition can include individuals from academic institutions, start-ups, research labs, NGOs, and large corporations. There are 2 categories (decentralized and centralized model) and 2 tracks (commercially available solution and emerging solution) for each category which makes the total of 4 tracks.
Team Apollo - Best Track Award 1B Asia Pacific Region
Background and problems
Most of the people with lack of electricity access live in rural areas of developing countries. Moreover, most of the rural poor depend on agricultural activity for providing the main source of their income and employment. The lack of electricity access for farmers in rural area is very concerning because farming area is generally located far away from the household. So, even if the farmers have the electricity access of any kind for their house, their farming area is still lacking the electricity access. Thus, farmers are more likely to wait longer for the reliable electricity access in rural farming area.
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Our journey to the finals
Team Apollo won the track 1B (decentralized model and emerging solution) for Asia Pacific region. After winning in the regional round, we must conduct a field testing to be eligible to participate in the Global Final Round in Baltimore.
We did our field testing since December 2018 to August 2019. Our field testing site is Perengdawe Village and Wonogiri, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. We implemented our solution in the fish farming community in the village.
We are incredibly honored to be invited as one of 23 global finalists. The 23 global finalists are screened from 483 teams from all around the world.
Our solution, results, and impact
We proposed an overall system solution for rural off grid aquaculture farmers. Our solution includes aeration system, solar power system, monitoring and controlling system, and communication system. With this solution, farmers can have a reliable electricity access, increase the dissolved oxygen in the water, and stabilize water pH and temperature.
Farmers could use the electricity access for their household use, community use, and productive use. With the aeration system, farmers could increase the fish production in quantity and quality. With the cleansing mechanism of the aeration system, the harmful effect of the wastewater could be lessened. Farmers also could save money from buying fuels and increase their income earning potential.
Result and Impact
We proposed a cross-subsidy model. We found that the essential technology that the fish farmers need is the same regardless of their size. They will use the same technology to address different problems. For instance, small-scale farmers need the aeration system to grow bigger and higher quality fish and the big fish exporter company need the aeration system to keep the fish alive. This finding inspires us with a cross-subsidy scheme. So, we can provide our technology to serve small-scale farmers with lower price and big companies who can afford our solution at higher price.
Team Apollo at EBL Global Final Round
Final takeaways: EBL Competition
We learned a lot from this EBL competition. After finishing our field testing, we closed a business deal with our first client. So, this competition definitely pushed our team to make our solution a reality.
Even though we did not win in the finals, we did not come home empty handed. We are so inspired by all the winners and motivated to continue our journey.
I'm incredibly honored to be selected as the NTUST Valedictorian 2019. As a valedictorian, I was given an opportunity to commence a speech on behalf of the graduating class. Growing up watching American TV series and movies, I watched so many instances about students giving a speech on a stage or podium. It became an unattainable goal for me because that's not how we do it in Indonesia. If you are a valedictorian, you will be called to the stage to get your diploma and that's about it. Besides, a valedictorian title in Indonesia is given to the student with the highest GPA. So, you don't need to apply or do anything to be a valedictorian.
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I'm lucky because at NTUST, everyone can apply to join the valedictorian selection process. It was a rigorous process. An applicant must submit some documents, a rehearsal video, and join the face-to-face rehearsal training and interview as a part of the selection process. So, all the candidates are screened based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and other experiences such as competitions.
William Chandra - NTUST Valedictorian 2019
When I heard the news that I was selected as the valedictorian, I was ecstatic. Finally, I can experience my childhood fantasy. I only had a couple of days to finalize my speech and it was challenging. As a non-English speaking foreigner and an international master's student, it was quite challenging to give a speech to a majority Chinese speaking audience and local bachelor's degree students that I don't share many common activities with. So, I came up with something personal that I think everyone can relate to, it is "keep learning, keep upskilling, and be bold to try".
Why did I pick this topic? Well, I've experienced a lot these past 2 years, and most of those started with "whatever, I'm gonna try and If I fail, that's okay". Just by starting and trying, I ended up winning some national and international competitions. I still have so many things to try this year and I'm going to keep trying. You should too.
The CEO for One Month is the Adecco Group's program that gives young people a work-based learning and leadership experience. I was honored to be invited to Adecco Taiwan CEO for One Month boot camp as one of the 15 finalists.
How do I know about this program?
I knew about this program through Instagram Ad. I quickly looked up this program’s previous year and realized that this program is the one that I’ve been looking for. I’ve always wanted to join a program that allows me to learn directly from senior leaders. What also excites me is the challenges that incorporate not only business aptitude but also soft skills. I would love to challenge my ability, to learn new skills throughout this program, and to meet new friends with the same dream and ambition.
Why do I want to join?
I want to be part of this program because I believe in the messages that Adecco has been saying about lifelong learning and upskilling. As a student with technology background, I first-hand experience how there is a gap between the job requirements and the skills. There needs a proactive action to learn and to reflect on our own ability that needs to be improved. So, I choose this program to be my learning experience, to improve myself, and to share my ideas with others.
Jewel Art Store William Chandra, Kyle Liu, Jason Tseng, Philipp Dess
Boot-camp day: CEO of The Month
The Bootcamp was very exciting, challenging, intense, and fun. We got the privilege to have a great conversation with the judges who are managers and CEOs from top companies. Thank you, Cindy Chen (Regional Head of Adecco Taiwan and South Korea), for your time and your feedback at the end of the event. Thank you, Kyle Liu (Hybrid Account Executive LinkedIn North Asia), for the tips about clever ways to be seen and reach more people on LinkedIn. My heartfelt thank you to all the judges and Adecco Taiwan Marketing team who have worked hard for this program.
Adecco Taiwan CEO for One Month Boot Camp 2019
I also had the chance to meet 14 other incredibly talented candidates and their team who have a different style of leadership, background, and nationality.
Final takeaways: CEO of The Month
This program has taught me so many lessons from the challenges, self-reflection, and observation (and tips from Eulon Chou (CEO for One Month Taiwan 2018) that I don't think I'll get anywhere else). I'm going to implement the lessons I've learned during the Bootcamp.
Whoever thought that a one-day Bootcamp can help me to know who I am and figure out what kind of leader I want to become in the future. I would encourage anyone to experience this program themselves.
The answer to that questions must be known by the young people in this industry 4.0 era. Because technology is developing rapidly and influencing so many aspects of our life. Not rarely we hear about the layoffs and jobs replaced by robots. So, we must understand and prepare ourselves to face the industry 4.0 era.
I think there are some important things that need to be known, they are: 1. About the industrial revolution 4.0 itself 2. What industrial revolution trends are 3. How can we, as young people, learn from the previous industrial revolution so we can be ready to face the industry 4.0
Before we discuss the industrial revolution 4.0, let's see the application of industrial technology in the industry 4.0.
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Application of technologies in the industry 4.0
Source: Amazon
Do you know that Amazon has used robots to move inventories in their warehouse?
Source: Amazon
Besides that, Amazon also has Amazon Go, a supermarket without a cashier, where we can take out products and go without queuing and paying in the cashier. All products will be automatically detected and paid online.
Source: Marques Brownlee
There are also many vehicles without driver. For example, taxis without driver that are currently tested.
After seeing those 3 examples above, such as an automated ground vehicle, supermarket without a cashier, a vehicle without a driver, it's undeniable that technology can replace some of the human work. These are just a few examples. There are many other examples where jobs such as bank employees (CNBC), retail (CNN), and even article writers (Forbes) can be replaced by technology. This is just the beginning of technology development in the era of industrial revolution 4.0. So, we can imagine how work will be so different in the future. Automation, working side by side with robots, and real-time communication between machines will be very common.
That means the industry 4.0 will reduce a lot of work?
The answer is yes because some jobs will be replaced with technology. But the answer is also no because with new technology new jobs will emerge. To face this issue, we need to find out and understand the industrial revolution 4.0 so we can be proactive and take advantage of opportunities before us.
One example of industrial 4.0 technology development that had invited controversy was the shared-economy. The shared-economy that my Indonesian friends would know very well is Go-Jek and GRAB platforms. Although previously it had caused chaos when Go-Jek and GRAB disturbed the livelihoods of conventional motorbikes, Go-Jek and GRAB provided new ways of working and even added the income of drivers. For example, Go-Jek has Go-Send and Go-Food which was previously not common or even not available for conventional motorbikes taxi.
A natural and expected thing to happen in every industrial revolution phase.
Not all jobs will be replaced with technology. For example, work that still requires human skills, certainly not very easy to be replaced by technology. However, technology can change the work and how the work is done. There will be the same job but the way it works can be different such as Go-Jek and GRAB riders who are now working using smartphones. There are also new jobs that require even higher level skills in accordance with the technology. For example for a driverless car or train requires a technician who understands the technology. This kind of thing always happens in every industrial revolution. So, let's see what the previous industrial revolution was like.
There isn't a single person inside Foxconn factory (PWC)
So, what's the difference between industrial revolution 1, 2, 3, and 4?
Some of you may ask, why are there 1, 2, 3, and 4? to make it easier to understand, I will explain it briefly with the table below.
Industrial revolution
The industrial revolution marked with...
Description
Industrial revolution 1.0
Steam, water and mechanical equipment are used for production
Work is no longer done manually (using muscle), but mechanically with the help of steam and water. Example: ships used to use wind and human power. With the existence of a steam engine, the ship can work 24 hours, as a result, faster to the destination.
Industrial revolution 2.0
Electric power and assembly/division of labor systems, and mass production
Previously one person worked for 1 car from start to finish. With a system of division of labor, one person only works 1 part of the car then each part is assembled into 1 car by another worker. So that overall process is faster and cheaper. This allows mass production.
Industrial revolution 3.0
Computers and telecommunications are used to automate the production process
The process of making and assembling can be automated and controlled by humans with computers. Emerging software such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), and so on, help to make calculations more accurate and the flow of product manufacturing smoother.
Industrial revolution 4.0
The Internet of Things (cyber-physical) brings together physical, digital and biological aspects, machines communicate with each other
We can see based on the table above that the uncertainty of work also occurs since the industrial revolution 1. Let us explore it together. Before the industrial revolution 1, there was a boat rowing job. The work was eventually replaced with a steam engine. When the boat rowing job was reduced, workers with the expertise to understand about steam engines were increasingly needed. Then we take the example of industrial revolution 3 where machines can assemble cars and human work replaced by engines. Despite the work to assembling cars reduced, the work to control the engine during the assembly, which had never existed before, was popping up
What young people should know about industry 4.0
Why do young people have to know about the industrial revolution 4? What is the effect on young people?
At present, we can no longer close our eyes to the changes that occur around us. For example, tablets to order food, and then there will be waiters who deliver food to our table. Sometime in the future, maybe the robot will deliver the food (Business Insider). The industrial revolution 4.0 will change the work and the way we work. In addition, along with the development of industrial technology, there will be a lot of uncertainty in certain jobs. It could be with new technology, our work can be done better and replaced by robots.
In the future (some already felt right now), there will be many large companies that are bothered by the disruptive business model. For example in 2017, the Bluebird company was disrupted by the existence of a Go-Car and GRAB car (Tempo). Not only the company but the work of taxi drivers can also be interrupted such as layoffs on the Express taxi driver.
In addition to this uncertainty, this industrial revolution 4.0 creates a gap between the ability of young people who are ready to work and the conditions needed for the job. So, if young people do not follow and learn new skills according to the technology, it will be left behind and difficult to compete.
What young people should know about industrial revolution 4.0
Then, what can young people do? - Industry 4.0
There are two basic things that must be done by young people, both those who have not worked and those who have worked, namely lifelong learning and reskilling. In this era of industry 4.0, everyone must implement lifelong learning or the ability and willingness to continue to learn and adapt to new technologies. In addition, we must be willing to reskill or be able to hone and adjust expertise with what the job requires.
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For others who haven't worked, there are 4 skills according to theirworld.rog that young people need to succeed in the industrial revolution 4.0:
1.Readiness to face the world of work Basic skills ranging from making CV or resume, presentation skills, time management, professional, and work ethics, etc. 2. Soft Skills The ability to communicate, interact, and collaborate with other people such as coworkers, clients, and managers. Although in the future we will work side by side with robots, human skills such as creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptation, leadership, and emotional intelligence will not be replaced by machines. 3. Technical Skills Specific abilities that match the job you want. In the future, even from now on, there are many jobs that require expertise that may not be taught in schools. 4. Entrepreneurial Spirit The ability to make new ideas, have initiative, innovative, curiosity, optimism, courage. This is very important to compete in the industrial era 4.0.
I'll see you in my next blog post :)
I hope this blog post can be helpful and informative to you. If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to reach out to me. I'll see you in my next one :) Find me on Instagram @willowchand
Young people should be ready to face the industrial revolution 4.0
William Chandra is a IT Assurance and Cyber Security Consultant. He graduated with a master's degree in information management from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He received his bachelor's degree in computer science majoring in information systems from University of Indonesia.
He has work experiences in web development (back-end and front-end engineering), customer support, customer experience, business & product development, and system analysis. Through these experiences, working with and for different stakeholders, he approaches different problems from the perspective of the customer, developer, company, and business client.
William Chandra is the 2019 NTUST valedictorian and the Top 15 finalist (out of 1000 applicants) of Adecco Taiwan CEO for One Month 2019 Program. William and his team are the Asia Pacific Track 1B winner of the Empower a Billion Lives Competition by IEEE and PELS. They are also invited as a global finalist (23 finalists out of 483 teams from all around the world) to Baltimore, Maryland to present their solutions for combating energy poverty in developing countries, especially for aquaculture farmers.
Outside of work, he enjoys learning new skills and brain-stimulating activity. He learns how to paint from Youtube videos and he regularly reflects on his experiences and writes them down on his blog to share the information with his readers. He was a dance coach for Saman Dance and his dance team was invited to perform in front of President of Taiwan Tsai Ing Wen.
I started this blog because I had a hard time searching for the information that I need. It was about career and recruitment experience at that time. After experiencing that process myself, I decided to write my experience online and try my best to be informative and helpful in each blog post. Aside from that, I want to live by my motto "be the person that you need" and this is the least thing that I can do to help others.
Here's me in less than 500 characters.
Indonesian born-and-raised, I lived in Indonesia for 20 years and currently living and working in Taiwan. I speak Bahasa Indonesia, English, and Chinese (and still learning). The next language that I want to learn would be Spanish and Korean. I love to write, capture moments, create beautiful things (designing, editing photos & videos), and travel (exploring nature). Technology blows my mind and I want to be part of the most important time of technology advancement in history.
This is me in a couple of points (or more) :)
I would describe myself as a generalist with strong interests in product management, business analysis, and data-driven analysis related role.
I enjoy multimedia editing such as photo and video and I had the opportunity to use these skills to doubled my role in various job and competitions that I've had so far.
I love to challenge myself in solving business problems with technology.
I was born in 1997.
I was born in a small city in Riau Province, Indonesia, called Tembilahan City. It was a city where everybody knows everybody and people still swim and shower in the river.
I'm writing this blog to tell my progress, my journey, my stories to the internet. I'm happy and shock (to be honest) that some of my posts hit #1 in the google search result. I hope through my stories, I can inspire you to go out and write your own.
Hello everybody! I would love to share with you what I'm currently doing at the moment. There are of course some projects that I don't share due to NDA and my (too) personal projects. Hopefully, you can know a little bit more about me through my projects :D
Thesis
I'm currently working on my master's thesis. I haven't written much so far, currently still in collecting and analyzing phase. Fortunately, I just got my data on April 7, 2019, which means I can start analyzing the data and hopefully writing effectively soon.
Me with books about thesis writing XD
My thesis is exploratory research. I am developing some constructs that haven't been explored before (that I know so far). It's about digitalized artefacts and smart card. I can't wait to share the result with you when It's done!
TOCFL
I'm planning on taking TOCFL listening and reading test in May. I still have a month left to study for the B2 level. I'll try my best! If you're interested on taking the test, I put the brochure below. Good luck!
TOCFL Brochure
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Apollo Modularized PV & TECO Green Tech
I believe you would know this already from my previous blog post. I'm currently involved in a startup team working in green technology. Our team won the EBL competition held by IEEE, PELS, and DELTA. The grand final will be held in September 2019 in Baltimore, USA.
I'm handling the business and design area. So, I'm working on the business strategies, about customers, marketing, billing, after services, etc. and posters, presentation, and pitch or documentation video.
We also want to compete in the TECO Green Tech competition. So, I'm also currently preparing for the application.
Team Apollo - Asia Pacific EBL track 1B winner
Blog
This one is my never-ending personal project. I started this blog since early 2017 and turned it into a website in January 2018. I love writing and sharing ideas, experience, information that I think would be useful for my readers. So, I don't think this blog would ever get off my list :)
I have some drafts about interesting topics, so new blog posts coming soon!
Job Application
Since I will graduate on June 1, 2019, I'm currently looking for an intern or preferably a full-time job while really searching what industry I want to work in.
Reading ^^
Say yes to reading!!! I love to read books. My go-to books are self-improvement, business, leadership, psychology, and sometimes a specific book such as data analytics/data visualization, etc.
My Insta Story XD - Books I want to read this spring
If you have any book recommendation, please tell me :)
What I like about what I do
What I like in what I do is that I love them all. I'm the type of person that will put my love in what I do. Even when I don't have a strong feeling at the start, I will grow and learn to love it.
More to do :)
I love to learn and improve myself. I want to try new experiences, involved in big projects, and impact other people's lives. Because I'm open to new experiences and learning, those opportunities are always coming to me. I can't wait to see what other projects I can do in the future :) In the meantime, I will put all my hearts and focus to be the best in what I do now.
If you have any questions, recommendations, or any kind of comments, please reach out to me ^^ I've made a blog post about where to find me, you can read it there.
I want to say I use them all, but I actually only use some social media. I think social media should be your expressive platform. So, I'm going to tell you what social media that I use to express myself and what you can expect from each social media. Let's get started!
Instagram - @williamwchandra
Of course, Instagram. I love taking pictures and capturing moments. I also use Instagram for catching up with my families and friends because virtually everyone uses Instagram in my circle.
Instagram - @williamwchandra
What you can expect from my Instagram page: - What I'm currently reading and what I've read - More personal activities, such as holidays, exercise, and personal projects.
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Linkedin
Linkedin is one of the few platforms that is very clear on what it is about. It's about making a connection and strictly professional. If I'm not close enough to someone in real life to have their personal contact, I would reach out to them through Linkedin.
What you can expect from my Linkedin: - You can reach out to me about anything work-related and career-related - Some articles by me
Blog - williamwchandra.com
Sometimes I feel that my contents are scattered all over the place. So, I try to put them all together in one place like this blog.
Blog - William Chandra
What you can expect from my blog: - I would probably post new updates or major changes in my life on my blog - I write posts that I think are worthy to read.
You can reach out to me on any platforms. If you have any questions about content-specific, I think it's better to comment on the content directly to help other readers. If you have personal questions, you can reach out to me through my Contact Page and Linkedin. Instagram would hide your message if we aren't following each other.
On April 4, 2018, NTUST Saman Dance Club was invited to perform in the show opening of Taoyuan Agricultural Expo 2018. This expo is an international event that will be held in rotation by Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan. (News: http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201804040028.aspx)
NTUST Saman Dance at Taoyuan Agricultural Expo 2018
Photo Session with Madam President Tsai Ing-Wen and Countries Representatives
Photo with Dancers from Thailand and Vietnam
NTUST Saman Dance at Taoyuan Agricultural Expo 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIcgYfFssQM
April 4, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q39_PBGI6bE
Video of April 7, 2018
About Saman Dance
Cited from Unesco.org "The Saman dance is part of the cultural heritage of the Gayo people of Aceh province in Sumatra. Boys and young men perform the Saman sitting on their heels or kneeling in tight rows."
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Cited from genpi.co, "Ratoh Jaroe Dance is similar and the movement is identical. However, there are fundamental differences from these two dances from Aceh. Generally, it is performed by men in odd numbers. This dance combines hand claps and chest claps. In addition, Saman dancers were led by several dancers who sat in the middle. Saman is a pure dance accompanied by poetry sung by the dancers.
While Ratoh Jaroe Dance is generally performed by women in even numbers. Ratoh Jaroe Dance Movement did not involve much clapping. In addition, Ratoh Jaroe Dance is controlled by two people sitting outside the dancer's formation. While Ratoh Jaroe Dance is being accompanied by external music background or outside the dancers themselves."
Closing
This performance has a special place in my heart because I've always wanted to meet and perform in front of a president. I haven't met my own president yet, but meeting and performing in front of President Tsai Ing-Wen was a big honored for us.
