Students in Thailand have gained hands-on experience of ocean conservation and had the opportunity to develop their science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills, while helping to reduce plastic waste.
The Ocean Clean-up, Robo-Ship Camp was organized by Burapha University’s Institute of Marine Science and supported by ExxonMobil in Thailand. The camp aimed to engage young people in helping to create a better future for themselves and their country.
It saw students from the Chonburi province on Thailand’s eastern coast use their innovation and creativity and develop both their technology skills and an understanding of environmental conservation.
ExxonMobil Limited P&GA Manager Dr. Taweesak Bunluesin says he was “impressed with the concept and goals of this program, which aims to develop the skills of our youth by integrating knowledge of marine science and STEM skills in the creation of robots.
“The students not only got an opportunity to create robot prototypes but could be inspired to pursue careers in science: becoming the innovators of the future,” Taweesak said.
At the camp, students designed and created robots capable of collecting and sorting plastic waste of different shapes and sizes that were floating in water.
One of the students’ robots.
It aimed to raise awareness of the issue of plastic waste in the ocean among young people, as well as the wider general public.
As part of its support for the program, ExxonMobil provided 320,000 Baht in funding.
The Ocean Clean-up, Robo-Ship Camp follows a similar program a few years ago, also held in Chonburi and supported by ExxonMobil, where students built and coded robots to skim beaches and collect garbage.
