On January 17, the Department of Education and Training (GDDT) of Dien Bien province organized a summary and award ceremony for the Provincial Science and Technology (KHKT) Competition for high school students in the 2025-2026 school year.
The contest took place from January 15-17 at Dien Bien Provincial Ethnic Minority Boarding High School and attracted 75/82 units to register for the contest with a total of 77 projects.
Mr. Cu Huy Hoan - Deputy Director of Dien Bien Department of Education and Training said that the quality of this year's projects has changed in depth of research, and students' presentation skills are also more confident and coherent.
The highlights of the contest are topics that utilize locally available raw materials to solve health and life problems.
Typically, the first prize-winning project "Research on the process of receiving and enriching ursolic acid, creating preparations with antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects, from perilla plants grown in Muong Ang, Dien Bien" by Dang Khanh Ly and Tran Hoai Nam (Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted).
Regarding the project, Khanh Ly said that the project aims to create a health support product from persimmon - a plant that is easy to grow and popular in Muong Ang commune.
The method implemented in the solvent is reasonable, easy to find, and less toxic; the operations are easy to perform but highly effective, so they are meaningful and easy to replicate in practice', the female student said.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang - project instructor further analyzed: "Ursolic acid in perilla is a potential compound that helps support blood sugar control and prevent diabetes. Exploiting local medicinal herbs is not only of medical significance but also opens up directions for economic development for the locality.
In the field of mechanical engineering, Ha Hoang Anh (9th grade, Him Lam Secondary School, Dien Bien Phu ward) brought the project "Completely automatic smart agricultural equipment for plowing and milling soil, tilling soil according to available area".
Hoang Anh said: "The most difficult part is the mechanical part, especially the wheel and chain system for the robot to move on all terrains. Thanks to the support of teachers for more than 2 months, the group has completed the model to operate stably.
Assessing the quality of the contest, Mr. Cu Huy Hoan affirmed that this is an important playground to promote STEM education and arouse passion for scientific research.
This year's research fields are more diverse, originating from real life. The role of teaching teachers is also affirmed when proactively updating modern research methods" - Mr. Hoan assessed.
Leaders of the Department of Education and Training also said that there is still a large gap in research skills between students from schools. Facility and funding conditions in some areas are still difficult.
To improve quality in the coming time, schools need to develop long-term plans, strengthen capacity development for instructors. At the same time, orient students to choose topics with high applicability, directly solving problems in the area" - Mr. Cu Huy Hoan added.
At the provincial-level science and technology competition for high school students in the 2025-2026 school year, the Dien Bien Department of Education and Training awarded 46 prizes, including: 6 first prizes, 12 second prizes, 18 third prizes and 10 fourth prizes.
Potential projects will continue to be fostered and completed for provincial representatives to participate in the upcoming National Science and Technology Competition.
