Tu Ky High School STEM - Robotics Club: A Technology Launchpad from a National Initiative
In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), education goes beyond the pages of books; it is about creation and solving practical problems. Grasping this trend, the STEM - Robotics Club of Tu Ky High School was officially established and has grown to become one of the brightest spots in school innovation.
In particular, the Club is proud to be part of the ecosystem of 100 modern STEM education practice labs nationwide, sponsored by the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam). This is a strategic project named STEM Innovation Petrovietnam, implemented under the direct guidance of General Secretary To Lam, aiming to create a breakthrough solution tied to digital transformation and the development of high-quality human resources for the country.
1. Limitless Creative Space (Makerspace)
The heart of the Club is the international-standard STEM Lab. Stepping in here, Tu Ky students feel like they are entering a true "technology workshop." Thanks to the sponsorship package from Petrovietnam, the Lab is equipped with a "massive" system of equipment, including:
• Manufacturing System: Arrays of Anycubic S1 3D printers, and Snapmaker 3-in-1 Laser/CNC engravers help students turn any design drawing into a physical object.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & IoT System: UNIHIKER K10 and Raspberry Pi embedded microcomputers, along with a series of smart sensors, enable students to program smart homes, facial recognition, or voice control.
• Robotics Ecosystem: Dozens of world-leading educational robot kits such as VEX IQ, VEX AIM, and KC-Bot, along with international-standard competition arenas.
• Scientific System: Measurement sensors (temperature, pressure, sound, O2 concentration) connected to computers make Physics, Chemistry, and Biology experiments absolutely precise.
2. Learning Methodology: Real Work - Real Mistakes - Real Fixes
At Tu Ky High School's STEM - Robotics Club, students do not just receive pre-built knowledge. They participate in activities under the guidance of teachers from the Physics - IT - Technology and Biology - Chemistry - Technology departments.
The club's operational process strictly follows the Engineering Design Process (EDP). The proudest achievement of the club members is not creating a smoothly running product right from the start, but rather their "Engineer's Notebook" (Troubleshooting log). When a line of code is wrong, or a gear mechanism gets stuck, they have to analyze the data themselves and hold team meetings to find the root cause and fix it. That is the most beautiful spirit of science: Daring to think, daring to act, and being brave enough to correct mistakes!
3. Proud Achievements
Despite being recently formed and developed, the Club has ignited a booming movement of Scientific and Technological Research across the school. The pinnacle was the successful organization of the school-level STEM - Robotics Festival with the aspirational theme: “Tu Ky High School Youth Reaching the Open Ocean”.
Here, the Club showcased a series of highly practical projects such as:
• Solving environmental and daily life problems: Smart anti-flood floating house model, Smart trash bin, Automatic plant watering system, Electrostatic precipitator.
• Biomedical & AI Breakthroughs: Special mention goes to the Mind Arm - Mind-controlled robotic arm project. This project combines 3D printing technology, brainwave acquisition via the Emotive Insight headset, and processing using a Raspberry Pi embedded microcomputer to support people with motor disabilities.
• Fierce Robotics Tournament: Fleets named Pacific Rim, Light Team, Seagull (Chim Mòng Biển), Desert Warriors (Dũng Sĩ Sa Mạc)... autonomously programmed (Auto) and manually controlled (Manual) their robots to compete fiercely on the "Conquering the Oil Rig" arena.
Furthermore, to meet the trend of global integration, all club projects were required to be presented and defended bilingually (Vietnamese - English), contributing to making English a solid second language at the school.
Conclusion
Tu Ky High School's STEM - Robotics Club is not merely an extracurricular playground. Under the macro vision of the Party and State Leaders, along with the immense resource support from Petrovietnam, the Club is truly becoming a perfect "launchpad." This place is daily nurturing engineers, programmers, and global citizens who carry bravery, knowledge, and aspiration, ready to steer the "ship" of Tu Ky High School to ride the waves and reach the open ocean of the digital era.