RMUTT students implementing their innovative knowledge to give back to the community

RMUTT students implementing their innovative knowledge to give back to the community

Rajamagala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT) students who enrolled in “Innovative for Community” course, presented their innovations with their intention of giving innovative knowledge back to Ban Bueng Somboon Community, Village No. 2, Bueng Kan Sam Sub-district, Pathum Thani Province.

Mr. Wirach Hottravisaya, Vice President of Rajamangala University of Technology Thayaburi (RMUTT), revealed that the course was initially designed with the purpose of helping the community with innovative knowledge and thus, with many student interests, enrollment period of the course was extended. Communities as a source and a place for exploration, learning, knowledge provision, students were able to see and understand the true nature of real classroom.  By implementing their ‘Innovative notion” students would be able to understand, access, and develop themselves to create innovation for the community in accordance to their needs. However, to achieve their goals, students needed to show their appreciation to the university instructors who volunteered to advise their students and accompany them during the community excursion. Besides creating innovation for the community, students’ way of thinking had been changed making them able to implement their various discipline knowledge altogether and provoking them to be a good team player who was ready to be generous and honest to themselves and their society.

Mr. Thongsuk Silit, Sub-district Headman of Bueng Ka Sam Sub-district, Nong Suea District, Pathum Thani Province said that having a chance to learn and exchange innovative knowledge with the community would be great benefits for both university students and the locals. Interestingly, a group of university students, for example, had implemented their classroom knowledge with local left-overs to create useful fertilizers that was made from egg shells. However, for the locals in the community, it would be quite difficult for them to conduct their own research and acquire knowledge to resolve the existing problems and thus, educating and handing them with innovation would be one of the ways to help them. Hopefully, the locals would be aware of the importance of the given knowledge that could be used for improving themselves to become successful private entrepreneurs providing the community with a livable income.

A 4th year student in the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Administration Mr. Pakhawat Masungnern revealed, “Our innovative ideas had been transformed into “Chairs made from millet rice” by using left-over materials in the community. We intended to help the locals raise their incomes by adding value to the community’s waste. “Besides having good grade from the course, this program had been changing my perspectives of living. From just enjoying myself traveling around and drinking with friends, I was able to contribute myself to society helping the unfortunate locals who were either poor or very sick. Giving other helping hands is something that I have never done before. I became a person who could work well to say the least..  Fortunately, since I joined the program, I have been supporting my grandfather who is the head of the community by managing the community waste and organizing Thai traditional events.

Miss Chanapa Tai Tonphai, a 4th year student in the Department of Television and Radio Technology, Faculty of Mass Communication said “Because Ban Bueng Somboon community earns their living rice farming, we decided to help them design modern packaging for value added rice products and therefore, this could raise its OTOP product level. I could say that being as part of this program really developed my leadership skills and opened up difference between people in the community and how they live. I feel honor to enroll the program and help the local community.

Miss Jiraporn Chomchin, a 4^th year student in the Department of Television and Radio Technology, Faculty of Mass Media, described that she had been able to recycle a natural source of calcium or eggshell into fertilizer that could effectively repel pests and accelerate plant growth. Therefore, a comparative experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the success of plant growth using fertilizer and without fertilizer. From the findings, with fertilizers, minimal amounts of pest were found, while the rate of plant growth was far superior with one without fertilizer approximately half centimeter taller. Moreover, students also help design packaging and logos could really capture buyer’s attention. It had to be said that the having enrolled in the program students would be able to implement their knowledge from different disciplines into their project to help the locals.

Last but least, Miss Pantita Somtang, 2^nd year student in Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Industrial Education explained that egg shells being thrown away by the local food business owners in community were developed into orange-scented sanitary solution. To develop the solution, crushed egg shell (using the method of pounding) was added with orange-scented glycerin. The properties of pounded egg shells could help remove stains and thus would be very beneficial in house-hold use particularly for the locals and could eventually be sold in the community. Interestingly, the shelf life of the product could last more than 1 week. Concerning the benefit of the course, Pantita believed that this course could really help solve the community waste problems resulting from real observation and effective teamwork of students.