press release Chevron Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest Returns for the Third Year

press conference young makers contest year 3

Chevron invites student makers, from both general and vocational education, to create inventions under the “Green Innovation” concept.
Prizes include an exclusive trip to the world-class Maker Faire in the United States
The contest is open for ideas from today until 31 July 2018. More details can be found on the Facebook Page: “Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest”

Bangkok – 6 June 2018 – Chevron’s Enjoy Science, led by Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production Company Limited, in partnership with Ministry of Science and Technology through National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and National Science Museum (NSM), Ministry of Education through Office of the Vocational Education Commission, and Kenan Institute Asia, is proud to present “Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest Year 3.” The contest invites all ‘Makers’ or young innovators and inventors, who are students of both general and vocational education to submit their inventions under the “Green Innovation” theme. These inventions should aim to improve the quality of life for the public in both short and long run and should focus on environmental friendliness, pollution reduction, energy saving, and the conservation of natural resources and environment. Winners will be awarded with prizes worth more than 1.2 million baht, including a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Maker Faire Bay Area, in San Francisco, United States, where makers from across the globe will gather to showcase their best inventions.

Artit Krichphiphat, business support general manager, Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, Ltd., said, “As our country is moving towards Thailand 4.0, the innovation-driven era, it is important to encourage our youths to become more interested in pursuing STEM education and promote positive attitude towards STEM subjects. Through “Enjoy Science: Young makers Contest”, as part of Chevron Enjoy Science, Chevron aims to help Thailand build a highly skilled future workforce. Through the years, Chevron has been committed to support the cause, as we believe that through these activities we can instill youths with the love for STEM. This is part of our efforts to build the capacity of our young people and empower them to grow into a generation of capable workers, the main driving force in developing our nation for the better in the coming future.”

Artit continued, “It is undeniable that environmental problems represent part of the biggest challenges that Thailand is facing. According to the latest Environmental Quality Situation Report in 2016, our country’s rapid economic and social changes have been major factors that contribute towards growing environmental issues, including pollution and natural resource depletion. Such factors are largely diverse ranging from an increase in tourists to expanding population, migration, change in weather patterns, and natural disasters. By placing a greater emphasis on studying the environment and developing environmentally friendly technologies, we can hope to alleviate and mitigate rising environmental concerns in the kingdom. This year’s contest topic, ‘Green Innovation,’ was created to address these pressing issues. The contest aims to promote the development of green technologies among young innovators, by providing them room to interpret the theme and create inventions that nurture the environment and other organisms in the ecosystem. We believe that this approach can spur extensive knowledge sharing and exchange, while preserving the environment and growing our economy in tandem.”

Kullprapa Navanugraha, vice president, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) said, “The NSTDA aims to be a good partner in propelling our country into a science and technology- driven society. Therefore, we decided to partner with Chevron in organizing “Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest” for the third year. The project has received great feedback from young makers. More than 340 ideas were submitted to the contest last year. The figure certainly reflects the students’ ability to be creative and to develop new inventions both in the general education and vocational education category. This year, the focus is to create inventions that solve today’s environmental issues, in alignment with the government’s 20-year national strategic plan. We, therefore, believe that not only can the “Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest” foster a culture of creativity and inventiveness in the country, the contest can also motivate youths to become part of the solution – the key to the country’s goal of sustainability.”

Ganigar Chen, director Office of the Public Awareness of Science, National Science Museum (NSM) said, “At NSM, our mission is to promote awareness and inspire young people and the public to develop an interest in learning about science and technology. NSM has partnered with Enjoy Science: Young Maker Contest, in providing a creative space for STEM activities and exhibition. We also play a key role in coordinating between organizations, both private and public, and procuring staff for the project. We hope that this year’s contest will encourage youths and the public to become increasingly aware of the benefits of STEM education and careers as well as encourage local makers to craft new innovations, while promoting environmental conservation.

Dr. Saroj Kojuantiaw, advisor for Vocational Education Standard (Industry), Office of Vocational Education Commission said, “Thailand is entering the era of technology and innovation. This certainly renders a significant impact to our economy and the industrial sector, which is also reflected in the Thailand 4.0 Strategy. Moreover, today’s employers seek for more and more skilled workforce equipped with advanced technology literacy. For these reasons, Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest has become one of important platforms for the future workforce to show off their skills and creativity, especially for vocational students. The contest also encourages a friendly competition that will bring about personal and professional development, knowledge exchange, and acceleration of technical knowledge and STEM skills among contest participants. The participants are also encouraged to tackle new ideas and innovate with new ideas to produce cutting-edge environmental technologies that will benefit communities and the country.”

The “Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest Year 3” consisted of two categories: vocational students (up to high vocational certificate or equivalent) and students in general education (up to bachelor degree or equivalent). Winners will be granted scholarships and the opportunity to join Maker Faire Bay Area in San Francisco, USA between March and May 2019. The contest is open for Green Innovation ideas from today till 31 July 2018. Interested teams can download the applications and find out more about the contest and rules at http://www.bangkokmakerfaire.com/ymc3/ or Facebook page: “Enjoy Science: Young Makers Contest.”