August 9, 2022, from 13:00 to 14:30 p.m. – Khon Kaen University by the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN under collaboration with Toyo System Co., LTD.; The Mathematics Certification Institute of Japan and the Education for Thinking Development Foundation, organized a seminar on “University-Industry Collaboration” under the topic: “Development of Environmental Consciousness in Problem-Solving based on STEAM Education”. The seminar was organized as part of the Environmental Consciousness Development Project based on STEAM Education to solve problems. Assoc. Prof. Maitree Inprasitha, Ph.D., Vice President for Education and Academic Service and Acting Director of the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN of Khon Kaen University delivered the opening address. Mr. Hideki Shoji, Chairman of the Board and President & CEO of TOYO SYSTEM Co., LTD was the Keynote Speaker on the topic: Corporate Social Responsibility”. The talk was done online from Japan. The seminar was attended by school students, university students, teachers, university lecturers and educators, who joined online and onsite at the Conference Room, 4th Floor, the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN.
The seminar was organized under the agreement for academic collaboration, “Development of Environmental Consciousness in Problem-Solving based on STEAM Education”, or integrative instruction. The emphasis is for the learners to acquire knowledge and ability to apply the knowledge to develop problem-solving skills and to create new means of problem solving. The seminar was the collaboration of 4 institutions from 2 countries: the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN, Khon Kaen University; Toyo System Co., LTD., Japan; The Mathematics Certification Institute of Japan (SUKEN Japan); and the Education for Thinking Development Foundation. The objectives were to promote life-long learning and to answer KKU’s strategy on Education and Academic Transformation. The key goal was to raise consciousness in developing advanced technology and environmental friendliness as this will enhance sustainable development and answer the SDG being deployed by KKU.
Assoc. Prof. Maitree Inprasitha, Ph.D., Vice President for Education and Academic Service and Acting Director of the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN of Khon Kaen University said in his opening address, “As many already know that TOYO SYSTEM carried out CSV with Iwaki in Fukushima, and was able to restore the situation of impact from the hydrogen explosion in 2011, within not many years. Moreover, Japan used to face the problem from industrial development that caused diseases and disasters from 1910 to 1972, including the Hiroshima nuclear explosion. Those were the bad experiences encountered by Japanese people and resulted from technological development. However, the case of Fukushima could be mitigated within a short period, as a result of the importance placed on the environment. President Shoji thus sees that in the future, when technological development in Thailand is more and more advanced, there is a need to raise consciousness about the environment. If this is missing, we may have to confront the problems just like the Japanese people. President Shoji therefore has a great intention to collaborate with organizations in Japan and Thailand to deploy the 5-year project that is aimed at raising environmental consciousness through STEAM Education.”
The keynote speaker is an expert who is successful in his mission, which can be seen from the impact that arose from the pollution from industrial factories that caused a lot of fatal diseases to people in Japan. The CSV with Iwaki in Fukushima could revive the situation of the hydrogen explosion in 2011 until it returns to normal within a short period. Other mentioned cases were also the consequences of industrial development. Fukushima restoration was successful because the implementers see the importance of the environment. In Thailand, if awareness about the environment is missing, problems and impacts may arise from technological advancement.
The seminar is aimed at making people aware of energy development by caring about the environment, controlling and utilizing energy from hydrogen. At the same time, people should realize the importance of mathematical thinking that goes hand in hand with the new Academic Service Transformation of Khon Kaen University. In so doing, Khon Kaen University will be the learning resource and the Center of Social Wisdom. Meanwhile, academic service should change from the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to Creating Shared Value (CSV) in order to build consciousness and awareness about the environment by development of learning based on STEAM Education for school and university students, teachers, lecturers, educators, and interested individuals that will ultimately lead to and support life-long learning.
Mr. Hideki Shoji, Chairman of the Board, President & CEO of TOYO SYSTEM Co., LTD. said, “At the end of the 18th Century, industry brought convenience to people’s lives. People in the regional areas moved to big cities. This caused problems. At that time, we have to admit that the industry did not nurture the environment, or did in the least extent. People were not able to integrate their thinking about technology and environmental conservation. This brought about environmental problems in 4 aspects: in the quality of water and air, wastes and life interference. People cannot live without water, but when water is contaminated from industrial businesses, lives will be with problems. For air, we know that there is the problem in Bangkok. Therefore, alternative energy should be used for our vehicles. The world is releasing CO2 in great amount. There is the attempt in the world to use electric vehicles, but don’t forget where the electricity for charging the vehicles comes from. The manufacturing still produces air pollution. Our company expects to come up with true clean energy, and this is anticipated to take about 10 years or more. Nevertheless, please do not refrain from attempts to invent innovations based on STEAM Education, which is necessary if we are to create new inventions. We should also think about others and be mostly friendly to the environment so that wastes will be reduced and industries developed with the least interference to the world.”
“I’d like Thai people to learn from the mistakes in Japan. Let our company be part of the example in your national development. I hope that Japan and Thailand will go on developing things that are good to the environment. Make the young people aware of the environment. Let them see the problems with their eyes to see that if we are not interested in the environment, what impacts are we going to get?”
Mr. Anucha Khoyatha, a first-year doctorate student in mathematics study of the Faculty of Education said that this seminar made him become aware of the environmental problems and learn from the mistakes made from technological development that saw less importance of the environment. The knowledge I obtained from the seminar is that electric vehicles may sound good to the environment, but we may forget that there is the cost in producing electricity. There is still the use of fuel that also releases carbon dioxide. That means fundamentally, EVs may not be truly environmental friendly. But I believe that in the future, which may be in the next 10 years, we will see vehicles run with hydropower, or hydrogen.”
“As a student, I can apply the knowledge obtained from this training, in our instruction. I can instill the consciousness of the environment in my students. I can create a situation with problem to let them see the real problem and become aware of it. Then the students will care and think about how to solve the problem. We will not see technological development alone, but will see beyond about its impact on the environment,” the graduate student said.
This event has been organized the 4th time to raise awareness of the environment by using STEAM Education in order to support and promote lifelong learning.
News: Jiraporn Prahonchai
Photos: the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN
