Science Switch 2025: Nurturing the Passion for Science

On the morning of November 3, the third stop of the Science Switch 2025 project with the theme 'One Health' took place at Tan Son Secondary School (An Hoi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), attracting more than 1,170 students to participate.

Students participate in the game "Full of Danger", they will take turns drawing blocks and answering multiple choice questions to better understand the mechanism of disease transmission from animals to humans - Photo: HO NHUONG

The program brings science closer to students, helping them learn about science proactively, creatively, and in a way that is appropriate for their age. The event was jointly organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU), and Bayer Vietnam.

Science is very interesting to me and through participating in activities, I have learned more about bacteria, health and the environment. These contents help me understand better how to protect myself and the community.

Kim Anh (6th grade student)

Forming a healthy lifestyle

At the program, students were equipped with the knowledge that "One Health" means that human, animal and environmental health are closely related to each other. If just one of the three factors is affected, the remaining factors will be affected. Therefore, it is necessary to work together to protect and maintain the balance of all three to build a healthy ecosystem.

Mr. Vu Duy Thanh - Deputy Head of the Department of Science and Public Relations, School and Youth Science Program Manager at OUCRU - believes that raising awareness of "One Health" for students is very necessary. Helping students form a healthy lifestyle, love animals and care about the surrounding environment.

"We believe that with the spirit of "One Health", you will confidently take the right, scientific actions that are good for your health, your family's and the community's," he said.

In addition, students also had the opportunity to interact with two scientists, Dr. Le Thanh Quang (Southern Forestry Science Institute) and MSc. Duong Van Anh (Clinical Research Unit, Oxford University) on many areas close to life such as health, environment, nutrition or surrounding natural phenomena.

In particular, in the school yard, students can participate in nine experiential activities with specially designed games such as: killing Aedes mosquitoes, decoding the immune system, the journey of medicine, the green doctor, bacterial invasion... Through each game, students can access scientific knowledge in an intuitive and vivid way, instead of just absorbing dry theory in class.

Quynh Thu, a 9th grader, believes that the program brings many useful values, is both fun and interesting. She said that the activities help students apply their thinking to find answers and accumulate points, thereby practicing their observation and reasoning skills.

Through the experience, I learned a lot about viruses, the reproduction process of mosquitoes, as well as the causes of some natural phenomena. In addition, I also learned more about plants and the surrounding living environment, helping to expand my scientific understanding in a close and practical way.

Acquire knowledge naturally

Kim Anh - a 6th grade student - shared that she felt the program was very fun, creating opportunities for her to meet and communicate with scientists, thereby understanding more about research work as well as the importance of science in life.

"Science is very interesting to me and thanks to participating in activities, I have learned more about bacteria, health and the surrounding environment. This content helps me better understand how to protect myself and the community," Kim Anh said.

According to Kim Anh, the games in the program are designed vividly, combining learning and practice to help students absorb knowledge more easily.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu - Principal of Tan Son Secondary School - believes that the content of the program brings practical meaning to students. Instead of just receiving theoretical knowledge, students directly participate in games and close-to-life experiential activities, thereby absorbing knowledge naturally and effectively, increasing their ability to remember and apply it in practice. This is also an opportunity for students to practice thinking, observation skills and handling situations.

Continue to spread scientific knowledge

This year, the program was held at four secondary schools, including Hoang Hoa Tham, Tan Tao, Tan Son (HCMC) and Long Tho ( Dong Nai ), with a total of 5,200 students participating and responding.

Journalist Nguyen Khac Cuong - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper - said that many specialized knowledge that were thought to be only for medical students were expressed very easily through game models. Mr. Nguyen Khac Cuong highly appreciated the enthusiasm of young scientists at OUCRU and Bayer who participated in the creation of this project.

"This is the third year we have joined hands to bring "One Health" closer to students. Hopefully, through the program, students will continue to spread scientific knowledge widely in the community," he shared.

HO NHUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cong-tac-khoa-hoc-2025-nang-niu-niem-dam-me-khoa-hoc-20251104101117825.htm