Hanoi National University of Education is encouraging students to dedicate themselves to further studying chemistry in response to the International Year of Chemistry 2011.
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| Ms. Katherine Muller Marin |
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| Chemistry is one part of an overall solution expected to help turn a damaged environment into a “green” one. |
With the theme “Chemistry – Our life, our future”, this year’s celebration is aimed at generating a greater understanding of chemistry and its contribution to human welfare.
UNESCO and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry have co-ordinated to promote the event on the centennial anniversary of Marie Curie’s acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, Representative and Head of UNESCO Office in Hanoi, Ms. Katherine Muller Marin said, at the launch ceremony in Hanoi on May 24.
According to Ms. Marin, the programme would laud women’s contribution to chemistry, along with encouraging the young to participate in scientific studies.
In order to raise people’s awareness on the importance of chemistry, two global education projects have been launched, Ms. Marin said.
The first, “Water – A Chemical Solution”, involves primary and secondary school students worldwide, tasking them with analysing and assessing local water quality. This promises to be the largest chemistry experiment ever conducted, and intends to highlight the importance of safeguarding the world’s water resources.
The second project targets secondary and college students and provides them online activities for visualising and understanding the science of climate change to help prepare for future challenges.
Vietnam is due to host the 46th International Chemistry Olympiad, providing the country with an opportunity to showcase its interest and capacity in chemistry, beyond this year’s celebrations.
Chemistry is not boring
According to Ms. Marin, chemistry is far from boring.
“Chemistry has the reputation of being a complicated and boring science; many of us dreaded chemistry classes in school, but for the most part, that reputation is undeserved. Fireworks and explosions are based on chemistry, so it is definitely not a boring science.”
“What makes one chemical a nutrient and a pollutant? What processes can produce the things you need, without harming the environment? How can we better use solar panels and fuel cells to take advantage of alternative energy sources? To respond to these and many other questions, we need to ask chemistry,” she added.
According to Dr. Nguyen Van Hai, a lecturer at the Hanoi National University of Education, chemistry can help process waste into recycled materials, protecting the environment and utilising available resources.
Hai said that with the help of chemistry, biomass has been developed to generate environmentally friendly energy to meet increasing power demands.
Due to human activities, the environment is becoming increasingly polluted and forests have been being destroyed, fostering climate change. However, chemistry is one part of an overall solution expected to help turn a damaged environment into a “green” one, he noted.
He added that scientific research at his university focuses on developing solutions to environmental and socio-economic issues, including research on new materials, natural compounds, pharmaceutical chemistry, and the environment.
Are Vietnamese students only good at theory?
Ms. Marin challenged the view that Vietnamese students are just good at theory but lacking in practice.
“When you do chemistry research, you need to test it in practice to see what the results are. It’s impossible for you to study chemistry without any practice,” she emphasised.
In order to improve practical experience among students, the Government should draw up policies to improve school curricula so as to provide more funding and time for practical study, she added.