Walailak University: the Free Platform for Creating the World of Learning for Young Scientists and General Public

30Oct 2023 by Krittayot Ritthijak

Outreach and Engagement

Walailak University, in its role as the regional coordinating center in the southern region, enthusiastically supports young Thai talents in the 14 provinces of the southern region through the Young Scientist Competition (YSC). This competition aims at knowledge and ability enhancement of the youth in the field of science and technology in various ways. For instance, it fosters innovative work and selects Thai student representatives from the local to participate in international scientific project competitions. This initiative elevates the level of education and promotes the achievements of Thai youths.

The promotion of science and technology learning and enhancement of skills give the youth access to free educational resources at Walailak University. In turn, the participants will develop their critical thinking skills through organized activities as well as acquire a researcher’s skills, which are crucial for 21st-century human resources. A strong foundation for scientific and technological learning laid among these young scientists means culturing ones to be independent researchers. The youths learn to find answers through well-informed plans and knowledge that is systematically imparted through activities and the university’s support, as shown below.

1. The science project competition is organized by a judging committee, which assesses and evaluates the projects based on competition criteria. Feedback and recommendations are provided for further project development and improvement. Developers of projects with potential, as selected according to the competition criteria, receive a supporting fund for project development along with certificates of honor. They also have the opportunity to represent and compete on both national and international stages in the future.

Students Participating in the Competition were Given Award by Walailak University

2. Training and skill enhancement activities provide scientific and technological knowledge and offer guidance and advice by experts, professors, scientists, and researchers from universities. These online sessions cover all competition fields and aim to help project developers apply the knowledge gained to spark innovative ideas, inspire project development, and utilize recommendations from university experts to enhance and plan future project work. As the online sessions, all knowledge within the training and skill enhancement activities is made available as online resources (https://www.youtube.com/@user-ze9tq6oq3s,) and it is freely accessible to anyone interested in learning.

Free access to library services: The Center for Library Resources and Educational Media (CLM) offers complimentary access to its library services to individuals outside of Walailak University. This initiative is aimed at supporting lifelong learning by providing access to library facilities, research resources, in-house information resources, and computer or other devices. For those who are underprivileged or have disabilities, CLM goes the extra mile to facilitate access, ensuring wheelchair-friendly aisles and offering a Braille book service to make information accessible. Furthermore, a dedicated website has been established to provide free access to online resources, supporting the educational needs of students, teachers, and the general public. This platform enables everyone to access online services from anywhere and at any time, accessible through the website https://library.wu.ac.th. This service is open to the public sector, allowing them to search for and access information. Simultaneously, CLM extends an opportunity to both students and the public to explore and connect with various information sources, facilitating and promoting lifelong learning, such as searching the Union Catalog to borrow materials from different libraries.

An Online Resource for Disseminating Science Knowledge, Engineering and Others in the Competition.

3. The knowledge base from faculty members serving as judging committee members comes from various academic units within the university, including the School of Science, School of Pharmacy, School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry, School of Languages and General Education, School of Public Health, School of Allied Health Sciences, and School of Engineering and Technology. Walailak University is equipped to support project developers by providing free access to campus facilities and equipment such as the analysis and testing services through the Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment. Project developers can request these services with the assistance of the coordination center, making it convenient to access analytical and testing services for their projects.

Free Access to Walailak Facilities and Equipment (Microscope and other Scientific Equipment)

4. There are activities that support and promote the exhibition of project work to create a platform for knowledge exchange and learning between project developers and spectators.

In addition, as equal access to educational opportunities for all schools is a top priority, all schools regardless of whether or not they belong to the science-based group can benefit from comprehensive development initiatives. These initiatives aim to expand outreach by designing effective public relations strategies to create awareness and provide opportunities for an increasing number of schools to participate in the competition. This approach fosters equality and ensures that more schools have the chance to engage in these educational programs. This has led to an increase in the number of schools participating in the competition each year. It allows them to receive support and promotion of knowledge, and skill development in science and technology for both students and teachers. Furthermore, it provides opportunities to train in the development of scientific, technological, and innovative projects based on interests and talents. All of this contributes to developing human resources that are valuable for economic knowledge-based development and enhancing competitiveness.

Free Course with Certificate

The Coordination Center of Plant Genetic Conservation Project Under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (RSPG), Walailak University, respectfully invited the chief and personnel of the Local Administrative Organization, the Care of Resource Base Stage, and interested individuals to attend the Resource Base Stage Training: Course for 4 Local Resources Integration for Operations. The course was held in the Zoom Cloud Meeting online platform at Walailak University from March 17-18, 2022. This free online course provided the certificate for participants after they had finished the class.

The course aimed to illustrate the objectives of the RSPG, which is to maintain the plant varieties and genetics resources. There are 144 participants in this course that cooperate in the workshops such as design exotic products and integration plan for 4 Local Resources. The terms “4 Local Resources” included physical resources, biological resources, cultural resources, and intellectual resources.