Ninety students attended the DuPont Young Scientists Camp jointly run by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and DuPont Thailand, last month, at the Thailand Science Park and DuPont Thailand Innovation Center. These students, from grades seven to nine, learned about using science to address food and energy challenges through various classroom theory study sessions and experiments during the three-day camp.
Dr. Kanyawim Keeratikorn, director of the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, said the camp would not only provide a good opportunity for students to learn about science in food and energy from experts from both DuPont and NSTDA, but also to promote teamwork. During the three days, students were guided in performing different experiments—mainly around enzyme, DNA and solar energy.
According to Ruetai Jongsarid, director of the National Science and Technology Academy, the seventh to ninth-graders were selected because they are about to decide on which topic or concentration they would like to focus their future studies.
"We would like to encourage them to further study in science and to show them that science is useful and can be applied in their daily lives," said Ruetai.
DuPont Thailand Managing Director Somchai Laohverapanich said, "DuPont is pleased to collaborate with NSTDA. This program underlines the vision of DuPont to be the most dynamic science company and promotes science learning among youth talents. We can yield agricultural products to feed the growing populations while we can find renewable energy such as solar energy. But equally important, we have to educate our next generation about science so they can help us find the solutions."