Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy (third from the left) with undergraduate and graduate students at the Sensor Lab.
From the lecture hall to the field
Driven by the concern of "how to encourage students to pursue research and apply high technology to solve practical problems in life," Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy, along with her colleagues and students, diligently sought solutions, bringing the achievements of the Automation and Internet of Things (IoT) field out of the laboratory and to the countryside, contributing to the goal of developing green and sustainable agriculture .
Although she didn't grow up in the fields, when she entered the teaching and research profession, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy quickly recognized the challenges facing Vietnamese agriculture: How to simultaneously increase productivity, boost exports, reduce labor, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and digitize farming processes? Dr. Minh Thuy shared that knowledge is only truly valuable when applied to real life and contributes to solving societal problems. From this perspective, her research group, "Girls in the Underground," and students from the Department of Automation were born.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy and her students present weekly progress reports in the laboratory at Hanoi University of Science and Technology.
Third and fourth-year students actively collaborated with experts from the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture to design a wireless sensor network that continuously monitors soil parameters in the fields, especially soil moisture at depths of several tens of centimeters, in order to make accurate irrigation decisions, saving water and energy. The system was designed based on knowledge from the course "Wireless Sensor Networks," making learning and research more engaging, attractive, and effective.
The research results earned Ms. Minh Thuy and her students the Hitachi Global Foundation's 2023 Asian Innovation Award. But more than anything, this achievement affirms that automation technology can support farmers, helping to reduce hardship, improve farming efficiency, and move towards green, clean, and sustainable agriculture.
Following that success, Ms. Le Minh Thuy and her domestic and international colleagues continued to develop the Emerald project – a multi-source green energy system for sustainable agriculture. The project integrates IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced 5G/6G communication, and renewable energy, aiming to comprehensively address the challenges of agricultural digitalization, from green farming to the use of renewable bio-fertilizers derived from burning straw after harvest. Initial research results show that the system helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%, increase productivity, and become independent of the power grid, thanks to its multi-source energy harvesting solution (waste heat, biomass, solar, RF waves, etc.).
Currently, the project is being tested in rice-growing regions in northern Vietnam, opening up prospects for widespread practical application.
Students and agricultural experts during the implementation of the EMERALD project in Gia Lam, Hanoi.
Under the sweltering summer sun, amidst the green fields, the image of lecturers and students diligently taking notes and conducting experiments with international partners is a vivid testament to their persistent and passionate scientific work ethic. For them, research only truly has meaning when it originates from and serves practical needs.
He is the one who inspires creativity in students.
In the eyes of her students, Ms. Le Minh Thuy is not only a passionate scientist but also an inspiring figure who ignites a relentless desire for innovation. According to Dinh Bao Ngan, a student from cohort 64 and currently an engineer at the Viettel Aerospace Institute, her first impression of Ms. Minh Thuy was her approachable and open demeanor. However, when it came to work, she was extremely serious, meticulous, and had very high standards. This is what inspired and taught her students so much.
According to Bao Ngan, projects like "Girls Underground" or EMERALD have new research directions, requiring students to learn and explore a great deal on their own. Ms. Thuy always encourages students to be proactive, dare to experiment, present their ideas, and not be afraid to make mistakes. She not only guides them technically but also helps them understand how to approach a scientific problem from the idea generation stage to implementation and evaluation of results.
For this female student, the most valuable lesson she received from her supervising lecturer was the spirit of perseverance and responsibility in research. “Even when faced with difficulties or failures, she always remained calm and never gave up. She taught us that doing science requires honesty, meticulousness, and genuine dedication to life,” Bao Ngan shared.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy shared that her greatest pride lies not only in international scientific publications or prestigious awards, but also in the generation of students who have grown up in her laboratory. The nights the entire team worked late into the night, the days during the pandemic when only a few people remained in the lab to meet deadlines… have become unforgettable memories. In that journey, the teacher is not only a transmitter of knowledge, but also a learner – learning from her students the spirit of creativity, enthusiasm, and a desire to contribute.
From a small laboratory, many students have grown and gone on to work at high-tech companies in Vietnam or win scholarships to study abroad in the US, France, and Japan. For them, Ms. Minh Thuy is not only a teacher but also a companion who helps nurture their passion for research and guide them towards contributing to the community.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy and students of the 65th cohort from the Sensor Protection Laboratory graduated in 2024.
For her, the lecture hall is the source of knowledge and innovation; students are partners in creating meaningful works, and science is the bridge connecting education with life—from the city to the fields, from the goal of "Net zero" to concrete actions for a green future for Vietnam.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy always hopes to inspire students to spread knowledge to the community, so that the Vietnamese fields in the digital age are green, sustainable, and full of aspirations. Because, for her, the teaching profession is a journey of illuminating innovation, from the lecture hall to the laboratory, and from the laboratory to the field.
Associate Professor Dr. Le Minh Thuy's main research areas include: antennas, RF circuits, wireless energy harvesting and transmission, smart sensors, and the Internet of Things (IoT). With over 100 international scientific publications, Dr. Le Minh Thuy currently participates in and chairs review sessions at many prestigious IEEE conferences and journals, and is an Associate Editor of Microwave and Optical Technology Letters. She holds three patents for antennas for 3G/4G/5G networks.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Minh Thuy has received numerous prestigious awards: Hitachi Scholarship (2016); Outstanding Lecturer of the Ministry of Education and Training (2024); Certificates of Merit and Emulation Soldier at the Ministry level (2017, 2020, 2023); APEC Women in Research Fellowship (Australia, 2022); Asia-Hitachi Innovation Award (2023); Women in Technology and Innovation Award (2025) from Australia and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Typical projects such as Greenes (a green energy harvesting solution) and SUPA (a self-powered soil moisture sensor for precision agriculture) demonstrate efforts to connect cutting-edge research with sustainable applications, especially in smart agriculture and environmental protection, contributing to bringing scientific results closer to production and daily life.
QUYNH NGUYEN
Source: https://nhandan.vn/nguoi-gieo-hat-giong-tri-thuc-cho-nong-nghiep-xanh-viet-nam-post922623.html
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