When students study the application of science to disaster prevention

Honoring technology for life

Sharing the reason for participating in this year's contest, journalist Luc Huong Thu said: "This is an ideal playground for those who are interested in technology for humanity because the award honors the values that technology brings to life. Participating in the contest, myself and the team, as well as other contestants, are able to tell stories about the country's technological achievements, with different perspectives in different contexts through photos and videos that are recorded realistically and emotionally.

Photo caption — Journalist Luc Huong Thu, VNA correspondent in Lao Cai , author of the work "Lao Cai students research and develop emergency warning system" shared at the ceremony. Photo: Le Dong/VNA

Regarding the contest topic, according to journalist Luc Huong Thu, Lao Cai is a locality that is heavily affected by natural disasters, especially flash floods and landslides. The natural disaster emergency warning system was created by research groups of teachers and students of Lao Cai High School for the Gifted in the context of the Yagi storm in 2024 that left serious consequences, especially the horrific landslide in Lang Nu. The project won second prize at the National Science and Technology Competition for Junior High and High School students in the 2024-2025 school year, and was highly appreciated by the professional council for its creativity and practical application.

“Through this topic, our team not only wants to convey the spirit of passion for creativity in scientific and technological research of young people right at school, but also wants to spread the sense of responsibility towards the community and practical issues of the locality and the country from the future owners of the country. At the same time, through that, we hope to have more solutions applying science and technology to solve urgent problems related to responding to and minimizing the impact of natural disasters on localities across the country in particular and social issues in general,” said journalist Luc Huong Thu.

Practical application

As soon as they learned that the project of Lao Cai High School for the Gifted won Second Prize at the National Science and Technology Competition for Junior High and High School students in the 2024-2025 school year, the group of authors from the VNA's Lao Cai resident office met with teacher Dinh Thi Quynh Lien, a Math teacher at Lao Cai Provincial High School for the Gifted, in charge of the research group, and two students Do Duc Binh An (grade 11 Math), Nguyen Minh Hieu (grade 11 IT) as soon as the three teachers and students had just returned from the competition from Ho Chi Minh City.

The interview, video recording and photography took place when teachers and students shared about the birth of the project, the research and experimentation process, as well as explained the operating mechanism of technological machinery and equipment with complex technical terms.

The research team shared that hydrometeorological forecasting and warning are considered the first line of defense in disaster prevention and control. Lao Cai is a locality that is often heavily affected by natural disasters such as floods, flash floods, and landslides. The project actively conducts scientific research to help minimize damage caused by flash floods and landslides.

The project was launched in July 2024, when Lao Cai began to enter the flood season. Ms. Dinh Thi Quynh Lien, a Math teacher at Lao Cai Provincial High School for the Gifted (before the merger) was assigned to lead the research team. Under the guidance of Ms. Lien, An and Hieu started to analyze scientific reports assessing some typical flash floods that caused a lot of tragic damage in Lao Cai.

The group commented: The common characteristics of serious flash floods in mountainous areas occur according to the structure: Rain - landslides on both sides of the stream - blockage of the stream creating water pockets - water pockets bursting to create flash floods. Therefore, if the formation of "water pockets" can be assessed, the risk of flash floods can be assessed.

Researching on landslides, the teacher and student said: Cracks on the ground, especially on hillside areas, are urgent warning signs that the ground is shifting and there is a high risk of landslides. Thus, the problem is to find a solution to detect the risk of flash floods through early recognition of the formation of "water pockets", the risk of landslides through detecting the beginning of shifting soil masses, then notify the residential area through loudspeakers or phone signals.

The project is highly appreciated for its effective application of advanced and modern equipment and technology. According to the research team, currently hydrometeorological monitoring and forecasting systems are nationwide and have shown an important role in forecasting and warning of natural disasters such as flash floods and landslides. However, this system often only provides warning information over a wide area, so it is not very effective for specific locations.

The system developed by the research and development team can issue emergency warnings as soon as it detects a high risk of flash floods and landslides. Although it cannot calculate the exact time of occurrence, the system can issue warnings a certain amount of time in advance, from a few minutes to a few hours, thus contributing significantly to minimizing damage, especially human damage, teacher Dinh Thi Quynh Lien shared.

According to Do Duc Binh An, the estimated cost to install and complete the device ranges from 30 to 50 million VND and the cost may be lower if it is manufactured in large quantities. Sharing about the development direction of the project, Nguyen Minh Hieu said that it is possible to test and install it at many locations according to the flash flood and landslide warning map; build a map to monitor the status of locations at risk of flash floods and landslides; consider setting up an online system for people, tourists, and drivers to access to know the level of safety against the risk of natural disasters, especially landslides on the roads when participating in traffic.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/khi-hoc-sinh-nghien-cuu-ung-dung-khoa-hoc-phong-chong-thien-tai-20251023142957323.htm