Award-winning young scientists show the way.

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EDUCATION

Award-winning young scientists show the way
By Wannapa Khaopa
The Nation 2011-05-23

Students from the provinces show they can also win top prizes

Students in the Central part of the country are said to have better learning facilities, that lead to better academic performances. Yes, this has happened in Thailand for a long time, but it is not fully true.

Students from upcountry provinces have proved that their ability is not inferior to those living in the Central region, as they have also won international science competitions.

Neither students in Bangkok nor in its neighbouring provinces,
the award winners were from Surat Thani, Si Sa Ket and Phetchaburi provinces. They were among students chosen to represent Thailand who won international awards from the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) and the fourth International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering and Environment) Project Olympiad (I-SWEEEP), held early this month in the US.

Bio-based packaging plastics invented from fish scales helped a team of students from Surat Thani's Suratpittaya School (SS), including Pornwasu Pongtheerawan, 16, Tanpitcha Phongchaipaiboon, 17 and Arada Sungkanit, 17, win the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award and some US$50,000 (just over Bt1.5 million). They became the first in Southeast Asia to win this prestigious prize given to three winners by Intel ISEF annually.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE

Their packaging plastic science project also received the Best of Category award in environmental management with a US$5,000 prize and the First Place Grand Award in the same category for a further US$3,000.

Meanwhile, students from Princess Chulabhorn's College Phetchaburi got Fourth Place Grand Award in engineering, materials and bioengineering with a US$500 prize. Their project involves utilisation of mucilage derived from lemon basil seeds as coating substance for fruit preservation.

About 1,500 young innovators from 65 countries and territories participated in Intel ISEF, which is the world's largest pre-college science fair competition.

The Suratpittaya School project also bagged a gold medal in the environment category and a special prize called NAC Environmental-Friendly Technology Award from I-SWEEEP, while another team from Kanthararom School in Si Sa Ket got a silver medal of the environment category for an invention that uses Arduino automation to design a controlling system for greenhouse planting.

These inventions were among 440 highly qualified projects from 70 different countries displayed at I-SWEEEP.

Thanasup Gonmanee, 18, one of three students from the college who won the Fourth Place Grand Award, said: "Students in the Central region have more learning facilities. But, science projects involve things that surround us. We have the edge over them, as we have more natural resources, which helps inspire us to do the project."

Tanpitcha encouraged other students to start doing useful activities. "Don't think we don't have time. We have to put a useful activity in our schedule, like what I have done with the project. I managed my free time after class and during weekends to work on it. It took us a year to finish this project before we got success."

Tanpitcha, Pornwasu and Arada said it was more than the awards for their big effort that made them happy. They were also impressed and surprised by the applause they won from foreigners along their way to a restaurant.

Pornwasu said: "After the end of the awards announcement, we packed up. Each of us carried objects we used for our presenta-tion and walked away from the hotel, which was the competition site. Along the road to the restaurant, we passed restaurants, shops and bus stops. We heard the applause and saw people there clapping their hands and smiling to us. Some said congratulations, and some gave the thumbs up. We were really surprised and impressed. We didn't expect anyone to do this for us."

Suratpittaya School director Suchat Hongtong said information technology had opened the world of knowledge. And, with more access to the Internet, students upcountry were able to seek and use knowledge themselves the same as others in the Central region. "But, to only support them academically, to equip them with academic knowledge is not enough. We need to open an opportunity for them to practise [using such information]. So, they will learn to make use of their knowledge and invent creative things."

STUDYING NATURAL RESOURCES

He said he got students at his school do activities with nearby communities to learn about natural resources. So, they were aware of valuable natural resources and wanted to protect them. Many projects, including the award-winning eco-friendly packaging plastics project, had been initiated by the students themselves.

The winners from Suratpittaya School said they all wanted to be researchers who could also educate students in science. And, before following this dream, the young researchers were not planning to stop developing bio-based plastics. They said they planned to make them heat resistant, so they could carry hot water and food.

Relevant agencies hope these young scientist award winners will be an inspiration for other Thai students to become researchers and scientists of the future.