This year's Bosscha Medal - a tribute by Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities to an Indonesian scientist - has been awarded to conservationist Professor Jatna Supriatna, Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Indonesia.
Supriatna is the chairman of the Research Centre for Climate Change at the University of Indonesia, among others, and is receiving the medal for his great commitment to nature conservation and biodiversity protection in recent decades. The medal is also awarded for his outstanding contribution to scientific research and education and his working methods characterised by collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Professor Supriatna is a very important example of how scientific excellence and teaching can be combined with social commitment.'
Professor Wim van den Doel, Dean of Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities, on the award: 'The selection committee sees Professor Supriatna as a very important example of how scientific excellence and education can be combined with social commitment. Thanks to his decades-long dedication, nature conservation and the effects of climate change and land-use change are on Indonesia's political agenda and important results have been achieved with regard to nature conservation.'
Professor Supriatna's knowledge of monkeys has directly contributed to the protection of biodiversity'
Professor Peter van Bodegom, Professor of Environmental Biology at Leiden University, added: 'Professor Supriatna's knowledge of monkeys has directly contributed to the protection of biodiversity in general and monkeys in particular, both nationally and internationally. Supriatna also likes to transfer that knowledge to students. He is a very committed teacher, which was also evident during the joint biology and sustainability courses we taught with Universitas Indonesia.'
This award will motivate me to continue, with great dedication to science.'
Professor Jatna Supriatna: 'I thank you for awarding the Bosscha Medal and for honouring my work with this award. I would also like to convey my appreciation to colleagues at the universities of Leiden, Delft and Erasmus. This award will motivate me to continue, with great dedication to science and to further encourage cooperation between Universitas Indonesia and Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities.'
LDE-BRIN Academy
The medal was presented by Van den Doel during the LDE-BRIN Academy where scientists from Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities and various Indonesian knowledge institutions meet around current social issues such as climate change. The BRIN Academy is organised annually by Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities and BRIN, the Indonesian research organisation Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasiona.
About the Bosscha Medal
The Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities alliance honours scientists and scholars who have made an outstanding contribution to the international cooperation in research and education between The Netherlands and the Global South, by awarding them the Bosscha medal.
The medal was originally established to commemorate Karel Bosscha (1865-1928), a Dutch engineer with a degree from TU Delft who made an outstanding contribution to the development of science and education in Indonesia. During his life on Java, he developed the Malabar Tea Plantation south of Bandung, not only economically but also socially. Many of the initiatives of Bosscha had an impact in West Java and even beyond. Most important were his contributions to the founding of Institut Teknologi Bandung, the Bandung’s Cancer Center, the Gedung Merdeka and the Lembang Observatory (now Bosscha Observatory), to better understand the wider environment we are all living in.