School-level science and technology competitions not only select outstanding projects to participate in the city-level competition but also provide a beneficial playground for students to unleash their passion for scientific research.

A student ( right) presenting the Smart Water Drainage System to prevent landslides at the school-level Science and Technology Competition for the 2023-2024 academic year held on November 11.

As shared by Ms Ho Thi Thao Nguyen, Vice Principal of Tran Phu Senior High School, in response to the city-level Science and Technology Competition and with the desire to create a meaningful playground and opportunities for students to develop their personal capacities, the school annually organizes the school-level Science and Technology Competition.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, at the city-level Science and Technology Competition, the school won 1 first prize, 1 second prize, and 3 third prizes among 7 participating projects. 

Thanks to competitions from the school to the city level, students can showcase their creative abilities, develop presentation and argumentation skills, and learn to build research plans for a project. These experiences lay the foundation for students to undertake larger projects in the future.

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of submitted projects increased, totalling 18 projects across 7 fields: embedded systems, earth science, environment, plant science, energy physics, system software, mechanical engineering, social science, and behaviour

To ensure accuracy, objectivity, and fairness in the competition and to select outstanding projects for the city-level competition, the school not only assigns teachers as judges but also invites experts in the specific fields of the student's projects. This approach allows students to delve deeper into their subjects and continually improve and elevate their projects.

Having met during the city-level Science and Technology Competition, this year, with renewed regulations, students from different grades can collaborate on implementing research projects. Bui Quoc Dat, 12th grade, Tran Phu Senior High School, and Phan Tien Bao Long, 9^th grade, Ly Thuong Kiet Secondary School, joined forces to work on the "IoT-Integrated Plastic Waste Recycling System" project in the field of mechanical engineering.

The 'Biomimetic Bionic Hand' project in the embedded systems field by Tran Phu senior high school students at the school-level science and technology competition.

"Although I haven't achieved high results yet, through these competitions, my love and passion for scientific research have grown. I have the opportunity to be creative and transform ideas into products, hone my skills in synthesis, analysis, and logical presentation of issues. Also, receiving opinions and suggestions from specialized teachers helps me to refine my products. At the same time, I have the opportunity to engage with and connect with like-minded friends. These experiences serve as stepping stones for me to continue pursuing my passion for scientific research in the future.", said Dat.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Ba Trung, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Da Nang, a member of the judging panel, in this competition, students were able to identify practical and urgent issues in life and propose solutions, such as projects on the Smart Water Drainage System to prevent landslides and the research and manufacture of a mini solar-powered cooling system.

In addition to bringing projects with practical applications to the competition, students also demonstrated enthusiasm and passion for scientific research in finding solutions. Not only did they apply the knowledge they had learned, but they also sought to expand their knowledge, showing a spirit of learning and progress. This is essential for students to improve and further develop in higher-level scientific research.

As shared by Dr Trung, highly-rated projects are those that demonstrate unique ideas, and practical applicability, solve urgent problems, and showcase how students have conducted their research to improve their projects.

Reporting by THU DUYEN- Translating by T.VY