Students of Thursina International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) achieved impressive results in the 2025 Indonesia Inventors Day, held in Jakarta. The male contingent secured two gold medals and five silver medals, while the female team won The Best Award: Impactful Social Innovation Award, Turkiye Special Award, as well as three gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze medal. The achievement underscores Thursina IIBS's consistency in fostering applied research and social innovation on student level.
Indonesia Inventors Day is known as a showcase for innovation and research competitions for students from various regions and countries. This year, the Thursina IIBS team exhibited projects intersecting issues of applied science, environment, and public health. These projects stood out for their combination of scientific approaches, social benefits, and sustainability goals (SDGs).
In male team, several highlighted works include "ChewPure", Innovative Chewable Mouthwash Strip, an oral care product based on miswak and orange peel extract; "DRIQS" Drum Water Filtration Clean & Quick, utilising pressure and solar panels for water filtration while strengthening emergency communications; "Waveguard" applying wavelet transform to detect soil movement in retaining structures; "HyAIpals" a VR-based weight training system for people with spastic cerebral palsy; and an IoT + AI smart farming system to optimize cayenne pepper cultivation. The variety of topics has shown the students' range of interests in health technology, disaster mitigation, and precision agriculture.
"We wanted a truly practical solution for teen oral hygiene. With chewable strips containing natural ingredients like miswak and orange peel, dental care is effortless, halal, and portable, without mouthwash," said Rayyan Billal Abdillah, a member of the ChewPure team. The support from mentors and the research culture in the dormitory have enabled his team to move from idea to functional prototype in a short time.
Rayyan also stated the competition has offered valuable experience in validating the product's benefits before judges and the public. He explained the participants have learned from each other across teams, from strengthening experimental methodology and data collection to presentation strategies. He, additionally, cited the female team achievements, including the Impactful Social Innovation Award and the Turkiye Special Award, as a catalyst for expanding the social impact of each innovation.
The female team gained three gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze medal, along with a special award recognizing their success in connecting science with tangible benefits in society. The committee cited their work as excelling in problem-solving, clarity of user needs, and planning of sustainability programs. All accomplishments of both teams placed Thursina IIBS as one of the most productive teams of the year.
Following the competition, Thursina IIBS teams are planning follow-up steps, comprising further field testing, product design refinements, and exploring partnerships with industry, campuses, and communities. The school aims at developing products further, from students' laboratories and research studios, piloted, and socially incubated, ensuring that the innovations, brought from Jakarta, do not remain a mere victory, but instead grow into solutions that make life easier for many. (lil)
