2008-10-15

Technologists bag awards for greenhouse, genetic breakthroughs

WANNAPA PHETDEE
THE NATION

A group of 12 technologists from the National Metal and Materials Technology Centre (MTEC) have been chosen for Outstanding Technologist Awards for their greenhouse innovation that helps lift agricultural productivity.

A technologist from Mahidol University and another from the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) received Young Technologist awards for innovations that help diagnose genetic diseases in foetuses safely, and for a software that facilitates dental implant surgery.

The Greenhouse Technology Group for Crop Productivity Enhancement, headed by Jittiporn Kruenate, has succeeded in creating greenhouses that are able to control ultraviolet and infrared radiation and optical wave lengths radiating to vegetables.

Growing plants in their specially designed greenhouses with varying degrees of radiation and wave lengths were found to suit different kinds of vegetables, Jittiporn said. And the quality of the vegetables is better without needing any chemical substance.

“We’ve mixed metal oxides with adjusted molecular structures into a plastic film covering the greenhouses to control the radiation and wave lengths spreading to the vegetables. We have more than 10 styles of greenhouses. Each has been designed according to the geography of each place, including temperature, humidity and winds as we want the greenhouses to be able to ventilate heat effectively,” said Jittiporn.

“Six kinds of plants can be grown in our greenhouses, including strawberry, melon and tomato. We’ll continue adjusting the designs of the greenhouses to be able to grow other kinds of plants,” she added.

Young Technologist award winner asst prof Tuangsit Wataganara, from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, has found a safer method of prenatal genetic diagnosis by testing a mothers’ blood instead of processes that pose abortion risk - chorionic villous sampling, genetic amniocentesis and percutaneous umbilical blood sampling.

“With the new technology, we can find genetic diseases, for instance thalassemia and foetuses’ blood groups and genders,” Tuangsit said. He used only O.4 ml of a mother’s plasma to test by real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction.

Saowapak Sotthivirat got the Young Technologist award for a software called ‘DentiPlan’, which can provide three-dimensional figures of teeth for dentists, making it easier to plan dental implant surgery.

The group of outstanding technologists will be given Bt600,000, while the young technologists will receive Bt100,000 each from the Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Technology under the Patronage of HM the King.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will give them sculptures of HM the King’s sailboat on October 31.

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