{"id":4002,"date":"2022-11-21T11:30:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T04:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/10.228.26.34:31384\/fablab\/?page_id=4002"},"modified":"2022-11-21T11:33:27","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T04:33:27","slug":"project-overview","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nstda.or.th\/fablab\/en\/project-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Project Overview<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Fabrication Lab: A Project to develop innovation skills for Thai youth<\/strong><\/p>

The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) is supported by the Thai Government to set up Fabrication Labs with an aim to develop innovative skills for Thai youth. Participation in this program was extended to secondary schools and technical colleges that have previously joined\/organized activities for youth development or have been awarded in relevant competitions at regional, national or international levels. A total of\u00a0238\u00a0applicants were enrolled and\u00a0150\u00a0schools\/colleges were selected to participate in this program to establish FabLabs at their schools\/colleges. Ten partner universities in Thailand provided advice and mentorship to participating schools\/colleges as well as recruited the engineers for each FabLab. Some relevant activities for developing skills and enhancing the capabilities of both teachers and students are organized with assistance from partner universities. This approach will maximize the use of the FabLabs to their full potential.<\/p>

Project Overview<\/strong><\/p>

The Thai cabinet approved a considering amount of budget, on February 20, 2018, to support a large-scale project which has large impact on the general society. This project is known as \u201cBig Rock Project\u201d The Big Rock Project supports the set-up of FabLab, an educational and maker space, in schools across the country. Important motives for setting up the FabLab are to; inspire innovations, educate both educators and students on engineering skills, enable design and fabrication through knowledge and technical tools provided, and thereby create future opportunities for budding engineers and innovators in the next Thai generation.<\/p>

FabLab project provides essential equipment and tools for engineering skills development, including laser cutting machines,\u00a03D printers, hand tools, digital tools and scientific instruments. One hundred and fifty schools\/colleges, located in 68 provinces, were selected to participate in this project, they are organized into\u00a03\u00a0groups as follows:<\/p>

1) Public schools that provide secondary level education and have continuing programs\/activities to promote student participation in science, technology and innovation. The average ONET grade in mathematics and science (taken in\u00a02016)\u00a0for Matthayom\u00a03\u00a0students in these schools is higher than the national average. And\/or these schools have, in the past\u00a03\u00a0years, participated in science\/technology\/innovation projects or invention by the students were awarded at the regional, national or international contests. This group of schools (total of 77) falls into \u201cSchool showing interest\u201d category.<\/p>

2) Schools with all the above-mentioned qualifications and have taken part in the project for establishing science classrooms in schools (with supervision from universities, supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology), Princess Chulabhorn Science High Schools, and network schools under mentoring universities. These schools show high potential and have support from the schools\u2019 administrators and teachers for students to participate and benefit from the Fabrication Labs. This group of schools (total of 23) falls into \u201cSchool with readiness\u201d category.<\/p>

3) “Technical\/vocational college based on science” category (total of 50) are technical and vocational colleges that offer technology-based courses. These colleges are under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (VEC), Ministry of Education.<\/p>

Seventy-seven schools in Category 1 are provided with small set of equipment (excluding laser cutting machine). Schools\/Colleges in Category\u00a02\u00a0and\u00a03, with a total of 73 schools, received a larger set of equipment, including laser cutting machines.<\/p>

A list of basic and necessary tools\/equipment for establishing FabLabs was recommended by the Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (formerly, the National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office). Equipment includes the laser cutting machine, 3-D printer, digital scale, voltage stabilizer. Some measuring tools are digital camera, digital anemometer, noise meter, digital multi-meter, handheld infrared meter, handheld computer-mounted oscilloscope, non-contact thermometer, light intensity meter, DC power supply and digital display microscope. Technical tools include soldering tools and consumables. Some of the learning tools provided are scientific sensor sets, embedded system training kits, basic electrical circuit kits, DOF robot arm training kits. Safety equipment such as fire extinguisher, CCTV and first aid bag are also provided. Embedded boards \u201cKidBright\u201d developed by National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), NSTDA researchers are also provided in the FabLabs.<\/p>

Through the selection process for participating schools nationwide, schools\/colleges are grouped into different categories as follows.<\/p>

Figure 1 Proportion of provinces with FabLab (set-up in local schools\/colleges through the project) by regions in Thailand<\/p>

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It is apparent, from Figure 1, that FabLabs set-up by the project have made the opportunities widely accessible to youth communities in all regions of Thailand. There are FabLabs in every province situated in the eastern and northern regions of the country (7 and 9 provinces, respectively). The number of FabLabs in other parts of the country are; 19 provinces (out of 22 provinces) in the central region, 4 provinces (out of 5) in the west, 16 provinces (out of 20) in the north-east, and 13 provinces (out of 14) in the southern region of Thailand.<\/p>

Figure 2 Percentage of FabLabs in each region (total of 150 FabLabs)<\/p>

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Figure 2 shows the distribution of\u00a0150\u00a0FabLabs in each region, distributed in the central region\u00a048\u00a0places (32\u00a0percent), distributed in the western region\u00a06 (4\u00a0percent) distributed in the region. East\u00a015\u00a0locations (10\u00a0percent) spread in the northeast region\u00a028\u00a0places (18.67\u00a0percent) spread in the southern region\u00a028\u00a0places (18.67)\u00a0and spread to the north\u00a025\u00a0locations (16.67\u00a0percent). Mentors to the participating schools are provided by 10 universities, in collaboration with NSTDA, as in the following list.<\/p>

1) Rajamangala University of Technology Bangkok, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

2) Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, mentoring\u00a014 schools\/colleges<\/p>

3) Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

4) King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, mentoring\u00a016 schools\/colleges<\/p>

5) King Mongkut’s University of Technology Ladkrabang, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

6) King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

7) Burapha University, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

8) Chiang Mai University, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

9) Thammasat University, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

10) Prince of Songkla University, mentoring\u00a015\u00a0schools\/colleges<\/p>

The roles and responsibilities of these universities are to plan activities for their assigned schools (for the period of 12 months), to recruit and train FabLabs engineers who will be stationed at each facility for the whole duration of the project, and to give advice on equipment installation and use. Other activities such as organize training for teachers\/students, act as advisors for fabrication work\/project, provide assistance to create \u201cMaker Club\u201d at local schools, and evaluate schools\u2019 performance are also part of the partner universities\u2019 responsibilities.<\/p>

Figure\u00a03\u00a0Orientation for engineers, school administrators and teachers organized on August\u00a010, 2018 by Prince of Songkla University<\/p>

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Figure\u00a04\u00a0Creative Innovation Contest organized on September 28, 2019<\/p>

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Project Output<\/strong><\/p>

Outputs from the implementation of the Fabrication Labs projects are:<\/p>