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IEEE NPSS Newsletter

Transnational Committee

Innovation-Edu 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Martin Grossmann, Chair, Transnational Committee, NuVirLab developer
Trang Hoang, NuVirLab

NuVirLab is an initiative brought forward by NPSS Transnational Committee (TNC). Its main goal is the development of educational software for university students which will first be used in Vietnam but can be easily adapted to other languages. The project lead is with the University of Science, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM-US).

October Workshop in Vitenam

One important component of NuVirLab is the propagation of innovative tools and techniques to teach science at various levels. For this purpose, a workshop was held October 28th, 2023, at VNUHCM-US. It aimed to explore the potential and share experiences in applying technology and scientific research in training, to create and enhance active learning abilities. It included experience reports, hands-on simulations, and collaborative discussions among university professors, high-school teachers, scientists, administrators and curriculum developers. Seventy participants both from Vietnam and from international institutions attended the workshop.

Participants of the Innovation-EDU workshop in Ho Chi Minh City
Cinzia da Via and Van Trang exchange ideas after the presentation on “Women and Climate Change”
Martin Grossmann introduces experiments used in the NPSS International Schools
Modern technologies support visually impaired students in learning and in pursuing scientific careers
Demonstration of software developed for the NuVirLab project
A pyramid of reflective material attached to a cellphone video display creates the illusion of a 3D object (search the Internet for “hologram video”)
Scientific toys are fun for both young and old students
Handing out certificates

The topics covered in the plenary presentations covered the implementation of innovative research results in university student training programs, the usage of modern technologies in physics experiments at high school, high-quality practical activities for high-school STEM curricula and service learning projects in higher education. Contributions from NPSS speakers were on Women and Climate Change by Cinzia da Via (University of Manchester), Nuclear Technology in Medical Applications by Manasavee Lohvitee (Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok) and the IEEE NPSS International Schools by Martin Grossmann (PSI Switzerland).

Especially impressive was a talk on how technology can help visually impaired students (VIS), given by two teachers who were themselves visually impaired. Normal texts have been accessible for a long time using the Braille writing system – but this is not foreseen to write e.g. mathematical formulas. One of the presenters has developed software that allows VIS to read and write formulas on a computer, enabling students to do their math homework. Modern smartphones provide text-to-speech functionality that enables those visually impaired to use them in everyday life: the two teachers had arrived by themselves at the workshop using the normal taxi app on their smartphone.

The workshop also included an exhibition with teaching tools such as the SESTRA kit with the TimePix chip from CTU Prague, a demonstration of software developed for NuVirLab, and a collection of science toys.

Martin Grossmann can be reached by E-mail at [email protected].