BANGKOK - 17 January 2020 - Dow Thailand Group has joined hands with the Chemical Society of Thailand under the Patronage of Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulaborn Krom Phra Srisavangkawadhana (CST), the National Science Museum (NSM) and the Faculty of Science of Chulalongkorn University to organize the 2019 DOW-CST Award, a small-scale chemistry laboratory contest under Dow Chemistry Classroom. The project has operated for seven consecutive years with teachers and students across the country joining the competition for waste management ideas at G-floor of Chamchuri square to get more than THB 200,000 of awards and trophies.
The DOW-CST AWARD contest is one of the activities under the “Dow Chemistry Classroom” project, which was set up for teachers and students across the country to creatively share ideas about how to use small-scale chemistry laboratory techniques to tackle problems with waste. 20 teams qualified for the final round. Of the total, 6 teams were from junior high school level and the other 14 teams were from high school level. The award-winners will be given a trophy by Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulaborn Krom Phra Srisavangkawadhana at the Pure and Applied Chemistry International Conference (PACCON 2020) at Impact Forum, Muangthong Thani, Chang Wattana, on February 13 and 14, 2020.
Supot Katetopragran, Commercial Director of Dow Thailand Group said, “Dow has realized the necessity of tacking the problem with waste by adopting the circular economy principle as well as by raising public awareness about consuming natural resources effectively. As a result, we have set the theme of “Waste Management” for this year’s contest for teachers and students to share their ideas, inspiration and innovations which can be further developed to deal with problems with waste sustainably.”
Professor Dr. Supa Hannongbua, President of the Chemical Society of Thailand said, “The project aims to increase the use of small-scale chemistry laboratory techniques which help to make learning science accessible and comprehensible inside and outside the classroom. We are glad to lend support to educational programmes, particularly those for youth, and supply knowledge, equipment and materials which can be easily sourced in local communities and developed as scientific equipment that may help to solve environmental problems and at the same time help to upgrade Thai education standards. The project also stimulates instructors and students to develop the capacity to think scientifically, which is essential for the creation of new innovations to match the needs of Thailand 4.0.”
Dr. Ganigar Chen, Vice President of the National Science Museum said, “We believe that science can help us find the solutions to several problems and challenges as well as to help enhance quality of life. That’s why we’ve tried to encourage teachers and students to apply their scientific knowledge to the challenge of findings new ways of tackling problems with waste. This also leverages the increasing awareness among the Thai people of the importance of working together to deal with environmental problems so that we can create more sustainable ecosystems.”
Dow Chemistry Classroom has continued since 2013 to promote small-scale chemistry laboratory techniques in classrooms. The techniques are much safer as they use fewer chemicals, cost less and generate less waste. They also provide opportunities for each student to practice their own experiment when learning science. In addition, several activities have been arranged throughout the year, such as workshops for science teachers, train-the-trainer workshops for the project’s role-model teachers who will further hand on expertise and experiences to teachers across the country, and follow up an assessment of safe school chemistry experiments with the ultimate aim of creating passion for studying science among Thai youth, who will eventually be responsible for taking Thailand toward a brighter future.
Over the past 7 years, Dow Chemistry Classroom has trained more than 2,000 science teachers from 762 schools nationwide. Over 100,000 students have benefited from this innovative educational initiative. In addition, the project has been expanded to other counties to further share knowledge with teachers in the ASEAN community, so that we can together create new scientists for the future.”
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, automotive and consumer care. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2019. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter and www.facebook.com/DowThailandGroup/.
For further information, please contact:
Apiradee Poopirom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel: 02-3657296 / 081-8026933
papiradee@dow.com
Suttipong Krotintakom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel: 038-673315 / 081-7919626
skrotintakom@dow.com
Lalida, Tisadondilok
Dow Thailand Group
Tel: 02-365-7228 / 089-6687079
lalida@dow.com