The Sky-Watcher

PREMANA PREMADI LEADS THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST OBSERVATORY WHILE SHARING HER PASSION FOR ASTRONOMY WITH CHILDREN IN INDONESIA.

- Ester Christine Natalia

INDONESIA’S founding father and first president Ir. Soekarno famously said: “Put your dreams in the sky. So even if you fall, you’ll fall between the stars.” The quotation resonates with the efforts of Premana Wardayanti Premadi (56) in sharing her passion for and knowledge of astronomy with Indonesian children and young people, helping them to build a solid foundation for their dreams while learning about the stars and space.

Nana, as she is known, has been the director of Bosscha Observatory since 2018. Bosscha is the largest observatory in Indonesia and under the auspices of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where Nana also teaches its Astronomy Program. ITB is the only university in Southeast Asia that offers the program. Amid her busy schedule teaching students and leading research into celestial objects, Nana still makes time to run Universe Awareness for Children (UNAWE) Indonesia. Founded in 2006 in the Netherlands, UNAWE is an international organization that aims to introduce basic knowledge about astronomy to children ranging from 4 to 10 years old. Nana founded UNAWE Indonesia in 2007, joining the organization network of 400 experts in 40 countries. She was also the chairperson of the organization from the beginning until 2013.

UNAWE’s vision is to use the wonders of the cosmos and children’s imagination as stepping stones to introduce the young to science and technology. However, Nana adds that the activities held by the organization serve a more fundamental objective beyond introducing science, namely shaping critical and rational thinking – the two things that she believes to be lacking in the country’s education system.