Banyumas Students Assemble Go-Kart And Bioplastic At Science And Business Fair

JAKARTA - A total of five grade 11 students from the Putera Harapan 3 Language School (Puhua School), Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, managed to assemble a racing car type "Go-Kart."

This innovative work will be exhibited at the Science and Business Fair 2025 organized by the school.

"The Science and Business Fair 2025 activity was held at the SMP-SMA Puhua Building on Friday, January 24, 2025, as a space to showcase various student innovations," said Puhua Secondary Principal, Arinta Dewi, in Purwokerto, Sunday, as quoted by ANTARA.

One of the works that attracted attention was the "Go-Kart" race car assembled by five 11th grade students, namely Cleo, Nicolleta, Tiffany, Iris, and Heidi. According to Arinta, they managed to raise funds of Rp. 6 million from the proceeds from selling food online to buy the materials and equipment needed.

"They utilize materials that are efficient and combine them with basic principles of physics and simple techniques. This project provides valuable experience, ranging from solving vehicle mechanics problems to applying design skills, management, and teamwork," he explained.

Arinta emphasized that this stage of innovation is important as a tangible manifestation of students' understanding of relevant learning. "They not only learn abstract theories, but also directly apply knowledge to provide solutions to challenges in the fields of environmental, renewable energy, food and economy," he added.

In addition to racing cars, other works on display are a solar-powered mini house designed by four-class 10 students, namely Pasha, Joseph Evander, Arya, and Devano. They prove that renewable energy from solar panels is able to reduce dependence on conventional resources while increasing environmental awareness.

"These students show the potential for small-scale environmentally friendly energy that can be applied in everyday life," said Arinta.

Not only that, other groups of students from grade 10, such as Grace, promise, Natalia, Christian Radja, Oliver Caren, and Aldent, feature bioplastic innovations made of fruit skin waste.

"They use banana peels and orange peels rich in cellulose to be processed into bioplastics using natural ingredients such as sodium alginate, calcium chloride, glycerin, and coconut oil. The results are more flexible environmentally friendly plastics," he explained.

This effort proves that organic waste can be a solution to plastic pollution that is difficult to decompose. Arinta emphasized that this activity encourages students to continue to innovate and practice learning that is relevant to the needs of the times.

Meanwhile, Slamet, a junior high school supervisor from the Banyumas Regency Education Office, appreciated the implementation of the Science and Business Fair 2025. "This event is a clear example of the implementation of the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project (P5) in education," he said.