Students Study Alternative Energy, Flood Problems: Thailand

[webfact]

Camp helps kids solve problems creatively

Jiraporn Phetdee,

Natdanai Charasjirawat

The Nation

Students study alternative energy, flood problems

The giant flood in Bangkok and the Central region brought many problems, including garbage, wastewater and fungi. Solving these problems need not be left entirely to adults, however; youngsters can also lend a hand.

Recently, a group of students from 11 high schools attended a camp to study energy sources and how to deal with floodrelated problems.

The students learned how to make biogas from garbage, and tried to create a basic water filter from equipment used in daily life - empty bottles, white cloth, absorbent cotton, pebbles, sand and activated charcoal.

In one interesting activity, the students learned to mix chemical substances with a special formula created by students and lecturers of King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT). The resulting substance can kill fungi.

The fungicide, called "Ra Away" (which means "getting rid off fungi" in Thai), was created by KMUTT especially to help flood victims.

Another activity was to create EM (Effective Microorganisms) water from garbage, vegetables and fruit. The EM water is used to treat wastewater, to make it clean.

The students will distribute "Ra Away" and the EM water to flood victims.

The exercise was designed to teach students to turn household items into useful things in critical situations.

One participant, 17yearold Navapan Thorod, was inspired by the activities and said he would pass on the knowledge by getting fellow students to repeat them at his school.

"I'll establish a club about natural resources and agriculture. I will organise activities like the ones I have done at the camp for my friends at school to try, so they can have a good experience like I did. The experience will be very useful when the floods return. They will learn how to create EM water, Ra Away, basic filters, biogas from garbage, as well as other activities," said Navapan, a student at Saohai Wimolwitthayanukul School in Saraburi.

"I will host an 'Energy Day' exhibition at my school. There will be a mobile energy unit set up by the Energy Ministry in cooperation with Saraburi's environmental and natural resources office to educate the students about energy," he said.

The camp also staged an Emergency Innovation competition. Navapan and his team made a "Many Sizes Toilet", which can adjust to fit different sizes of bottoms, to help flood victims. It took third prize, winning his school Bt8,000 in cash.

Navapan said he would spend the money to organise the exhibition. The knowledge obtained from the camp would be printed out in brochures and given to students who join the exhibition, he said.

Arraya Noireang, 18, a student at Khon Kaen Pattana Suksa School, said she had gained more knowledge about alternative energy and how to make economic use of it. She also learned how to turn household items into useful tools in times of crisis.

"Personally, I love designing and inventing. I get a lot of different ideas from all sorts of activities. I can make new friends here, too," she said.

Sudarat Pengta, 18, a student from Sadetwanachayangkulwittaya School in Lampang, said she learned a lot about engineering and could apply this knowledge directly in her class.

"I hope that they will continue this programme for many years. It's such a great thing for youths," Sudarat said.

Pongsatorn Hualtonom, 18, of Boraiwittayakom School in Trat, said the camp was fun, and that participants could help flood victims by making EM water and fungicide. She also learnt how to work as part of a team.

Participants would be able to bring these experiences back and adapt them for use in their homes, she said.

Asst Prof Suchada Chaisawadi, manager of the Energy Environment Safety and Health office at KMUTT, said this year's theme was about emergency innovations that kids could create to help floodaffected communities.

"Emergency innovation means progress that changes a crisis into an opportunity. This method helps them to think outside of the box, to take household items and turn them into useful items in a flood situation. Their creativity is developed," she said.

Sittichai Kaewjinda, PTT's social improvement officer, said: "We have held the 'Petro Camp to Petro Champ' [youth camp] for four years. The theme of the fourth camp this year is different from last year. It is about the environment, resolving the flood situation and, for the first time, teacher training."

The teacher training emphasises alternative energy sources and how to produce related instructional media.

Piyawan Unasri, 40, a chemistry teacher at Khon Kaen Pattana Suksa School, told The Nation she had been unclear about alternative energy - but the camp helped her get a better grasp of it.

"I'll run an energyconservation classroom in cooperation with my students," she said.

The camp, held from December 79, was attended by 88 students and 22 teachers from 11 schools in areas where PTT organisations are located.

The students took an exam to compete for eight scholarships to study for a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and environmental engineering at KMUTT.

-- The Nation 2011-12-19

[anterian]

" 88 students and 22 teachers " Fantastic staffing ratio