Statement of Purpose

Leadership is about knowing yourself that you can identify your strength, weakness, opportunity, and
threat. It requires critical thinking and fact-checking skills. Also, a leader needs a global mindset
without neglecting local engagement. The good leader is the one having a willingness to listen, talk,
and change.

There is a couple of significant issues that this generation will face; both of them come from fossil
energy. At some point, the conventional energy source that has supported hundreds years of human
life will become extinct soon. On the other side, fossil fuel becomes a time bomb that will soon
explode. The environmental problems show up as a result of the unwise use of petroleum, and the
recurrence of the issues will be (again) coming by utilizing unsustainable sources.

Having lived in Indonesia for over two decades, I am eyewitness both to life without access to
electricity and to life in the capital city where plentiful energy resources come at the cost of heavy
pollution. Ironically, we face those issues in Indonesia, which is located in the tropical area with
enormous solar intensity and in the ring of fire area, which is potential for geothermal power. Indonesia
also has several indigenous minerals that can be utilized as advanced materials for energy
applications. I believe that our crucial limitation is the scarcity of professional expertise in engineering,
including materials science, who can develop our natural resources to be utilized for our energy
development. I aim to address these issues by developing renewable energy resources. Addressing
environmental concerns is the key to sustainability, which I firmly believe to be a critical issue for our
generation. As a materials engineer, I have the main goal to develop materials from Indonesia to be
advanced materials for energy sector and urges me to improve my capacity by becoming a
professional energy specialist. By having an academic background in materials engineering and
experience as an engineer, I hold a valuable foundation in terms of theoretical as well as practical
aspects.

To keep engaged with societal development in Indonesia, I took a lead on voluntary program in
energy-related projects. Recently, I joined a community-based project in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The
project‘s goal was to provide electricity through renewable energy-based sources, in collaboration with
the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and an industrial manufacturer of solar-powered lamps.
I will always remember how their reactions were after getting the lights, and they keep letting us know
how happy they are using the lamps every night to stay productive. It makes me improve myself and
does better for energy development in Indonesia.

Experiences also taught me how to deal with threats, and a grand vision needs to be supported by
skills to manage risk and turn it become a new opportunity. As I learn and face during these five years
as a professional in the energy sector, convincing people with a diverse background is one of the
challenges that will be encountered that to realize my concern as a national and global awareness.
The sustainable energy is not only limited to the engineering field but also for everyone with various
backgrounds and nationalities, especially for the next leader in public policy and the economic sector.

By realizing this, I possess a strong desire to continue my study in the Ph.D. program in Energy,
Environmental, and Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. I believe that the
program offers a pathway for integrating my interest in materials innovation to reach sustainability for
worldwide energy demand.

Moreover, I believe that my goal will be an integral part of the McDonnell International Scholar
Academy program vision. Become one of your scholars will provide me a great chance to fulfill the
entire goal as a Renewable Energy Specialist. Since, by having this networking, I have valuable
access to global scale research entity which has prolific development and also supported by leaders in
academic, corporation, and policymaker in diverse disciplines across the world. As one of a future
leader, I have a responsibility for connecting the dots, open the threshold, and create a new
opportunity with a domino effect from my project in the future.

Nur Aziz Octoviawan for

The McDonnell International Scholars Academy