A municipal-level scientific research contest exclusively for students, organised by the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the city’s Youth Union over the past 5 years, has honoured many innovative and creative ideas and projects, thereby promoting the spirit of doing scientific research and finding new solutions among students city-wide.

Two groups of students are awarded the first prize at a recently-held municipal-level scientific research contest for Da Nang students in 2022. Photo: LE VUONG

Awarded with a second prize at the Da Nang Science Research Student Contest 2022 at the beginning of December with the topic “Building a smart waste management system for subjects infected with COVID-19 (F0) under at-home treatment”, student Phan Tuan Nhat from Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, the Da Nang University of Education and Technology, a representative of the research team, said that the waste collection system has two main parts: smart recycle bin and waste management application software.

With this system, users can manage the status of trash cans and guide employees to the garbage collection point. Each trash can has a GPS positioning function, using (Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that only allows staff or F0 patients to open the lid to help protect people around from hazards, chance of infection. The smart trash can boasts a capacity of accommodating about 15kg of garbage and its cost is expected to be only VND 2 million - 2.5 million.

“That our product grasped a second prize at the city-level competition is a great encouragement for the whole group. The contest helps us accumulate more knowledge to be able to build better products. In the coming time, the group eyes to develop smart trash cans into products that serve the needs of garbage collection at factories, households, restaurants, hotels, resorts as well as public areas.”, said Phan Tuan Nhat

This is just one of the hundreds of topics that have been honoured by the Da Nang Science Research Student Competition over the past 5 years. Specifically, in 2017, there were 42 participating research projects, and this figure rose to 72 in 2018, 116 in 2019, 150 in 2021 and then more than 500 in 2022.

The number of entries has been on an upward trend over the years, showing interest as well as the increasing quality of the competition. Most of the scientific research topics boast high applicability and practicability. Typically, from these ideas, there have been many products put into use in daily life in the past time such as a remote body temperature meter, robot for transporting necessities for isolation area, automatic hand washing machine, and disinfecting robot and an automatic disinfection chamber.

Besides, the products and research topics developed by students are also displayed at exhibitions and tech fairs, many of which are much interested by many businesses. Notable among them were an automatic car washing machine, food picking robot using soft grippers and a plastic injection molding patching machine.

Not only competing at the city-level scientific research contest for students, in 2020, the topic ‘Impact of social media advertising on brand image and purchase intention’, ‘a joint brainchild’ by Nguyen Ho Phuong Quynh, Truong Thi Thu Huong, both from the Faculty of Marketing, Da Nang University of Economics, also excellently won the first prize of the National Science Research Student Award. The event was jointly launched by the Ministry of Education and Training in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's Central Committee and other national agencies.

According to Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology Duong Hoang Van, the student scientific research contest significantly contributes to promoting the spirit of scientific research and the creative movement of students, step by step effectively applying research products into life, serving the city’s socio-economic development.

In order to continue promoting the spirit of passion for scientific research at school and promoting innovative start-ups, in the coming time, the Department will continue to implement the contents of the project ‘Supporting the eco-system national innovation startup by 2025’ in Da Nang in 2021 as well as developing exhibitions and contests on innovative startups and beefing up startup network connections.

Reporting by MAI QUE - Translating by A.THU