STOU Master’s Student Wins Gold at Thailand Research Expo 2025;
University Showcases Innovative Research
The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), along with nationwide research networks, hosted the “Thailand Research Expo 2025: Research for All – Connecting Thailand’s Future with Research and Innovation” from 16-20 June 2025, at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre, CentralWorld. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the opening ceremony on 20 June 2025.
On 16 June, the first day of the event, Ms. Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister of MHESI, officiated the opening. She was joined by Prof. Dr. Supachai Pathumnakul, Permanent Secretary of MHESI, Dr. Wiparat De-ong, Executive Director of NRCT, executives from national research networks, experts, researchers, innovators, faculty members, students, private sector representatives, and members of the press.
The Thailand Research Expo 2025 is an annual national research exhibition that serves as a platform to showcase advancements in research, innovation, and technology. This year, with collaboration from research organizations nationwide, the expo presented outcomes capable of driving national development across all dimensions, categorized under six research themes:
- Research and Innovation for Thai Economic Development with the BCG Economic Model
- Research and Innovation for Creating National Soft Power
- Research and Innovation for Industrial Utilization and New Economic Development
- Research and Innovation for Sustainable Societal Advancement
- Research and Innovation for Sustainable Environmental Balance
- Research and Innovation for Empowering Community Enterprises
A notable highlight of this year’s expo was the gold medal awarded to Mr. Siriwat Luno, a Master’s student from the Educational Measurement and Evaluation program, School of Educational Studies, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU). His innovative research, titled “The Development of a Scale to Measure Growth Mindsets for Lower Secondary School Students with the Application of Anchoring Vignettes,” received the gold award in Group 5 (Quality of Life and Soft Power) of the 2025 Higher Education Innovation Competition. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sungworn Ngudgratoke, Faculty Member of the School of Educational Studies, served as his advisor.
Mr. Siriwat’s work is a significant innovation focused on developing an assessment tool to promote Growth Mindset – the belief that one’s abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning. This is crucial for preparing youth in a rapidly changing era. The application of Anchoring Vignettes in his measurement scale is a key feature that enhances the accuracy and validity of assessing Growth Mindset beliefs by reducing personal bias in survey responses, thereby yielding truly beneficial data for developing teaching methods and fostering student potential. Mr. Siriwat’s achievement marks another important step in leveraging research for the benefit of Thai education and youth quality of life, aligning with the nation’s Soft Power development goals.
In addition, STOU’s Institute for Research and Development showcased two significant research projects at the expo:
- “Sweetness and antioxidant indices of Mango (Mangifera indica cv. ‘Nam Dok Mai Sithong‘) using RGB and NIR images”: Presented as an exhibition, this research focuses on non-destructive evaluation of mango quality, which is of great interest to the agricultural industry. The use of images from various wavelengths, such as RGB and Near-Infrared (NIR), provides in-depth information about the internal properties of the fruit. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supawadee Theerathammakorn, a Faculty Member of the School of Science and Technology, was the lead researcher.
- “Assessment of Cheating Behavior During Online Exams Using Artificial Intelligence on an Automatic Student Facial Expression Recognition System”: This research was presented in a lecture format by a team of faculty members from the School of Science and Technology.
During the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supawadee Theerathammakorn represented STOU to receive a plaque of appreciation for the university’s partnership in research networks. Furthermore, Asst. Prof. Dr. Parichat Dittakit, Director of Rajamangalaphisek Education Park and Faculty Member from the School of Agriculture and Cooperatives at STOU received a plaque of appreciation on behalf of the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Community Research Center in Nonthaburi Province, under the Central Community Research Network. Dr. Wiparat De-ong, Director of NRCT, presented both plaques.
