Brainy students win computer medals

Academic olympians outwit international field

Thai students show their medals from the Academic Olympics computer competition upon their arrival home at Don Muang International Airport on September 19. From left are Wasant Jearmaneethaveesin, Prachaya Paisalvipatch, Chanin Laohapun and Anat Yodpinyanee. � Bangkok Post

Thai students returned home on September 19 after bagging four medals, including one gold, at the Academic Olympics computer competition in Athens.

The gold medal went to Wasant Jearmaneethaveesin of Assumption Bang Rak school.

Fellow schoolmate Prachaya Paisalvipatch took a silver. Two other students from Triam Udom Suksa school, Chanin Laohapun and Anat Yodpinyanee, were awarded bronze medals.

Thailand has now won three gold medals at the Academic Olympics this year, topping the physics competition in South Korea and chemistry in Australia in July.

�The competition was an eye opener for me,� Wasant said. �I gained lots of experience, new friends and new knowledge.�

The gold medallist said that after leaving school he planned to either set up a software firm with his friends to develop computer programs or go into research.

�One thing that is for sure is I will work in Thailand,� he said.

Wasant�s game program, Xavarien �The Crisis of Gaia, won the top prize at NSC2004, a national competition organised by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre, better known as NECTEC.

Prachaya, the runner-up, said computer games inspired him to start writing his own programs, with support from his parents, who wanted what was best for him. He offered a tip for other aspiring students in computing: try to get experience outside the classroom.

Bronze medallist Chanin said his ambition was to see a software program designed by Thais for Thai users. The secret of his success was to pay attention in class and review what he had learned every day, he said.

This year Thai students won 23 medals in all international contests.

A Manhattan for Bangkok

Port area has high potential for financial centre

The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has floated the idea of turning the area around Klong Toey Port into Bangkok�s version of Manhattan, a future financial centre for the capital and Indochina.

Chakramon Phasukhavanich, NESDB secretary-general, said the waterfront area could be transformed into Bangkok�s economic downtown similar to Manhattan in New York. The 1,000-rai area of Klong Toey Port and a nearby slum is appropriate for the new centre because it has excellent transport connections with the expressway and public transport systems.

Obesity endangers Thai kids

Unhealthy eating habits can lead to hospitalisation

The level of obesity among Thai children is so high that each month a child weighing more than 140 kilogrammes is admitted to a hospital intensive care unit (ICU), says a child health care expert.

Dr Chanika Tuchinda said on September 15 that Thai children face health problems because they are fed sweetened milk and high-calorie meals.

The poor eating habits among children result in obesity and other chronic health problems, she said at a press conference on the medical risks to children.

Dr Suriyadet Thripati, of the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, said if children aged under three years are fed sweetened milk, they could become addicted to sweets and greasy food, which could lead to obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease.

During the past year, more than 10 obese children have been put on respiratory support to help them breathe, he said.

Vocabulary

float (v): to suggest an idea or a plan for other people to consider
transform (v): to completely change the appearance or character of something, especially so that it is better
appropriate (adj): suitable, acceptable or correct for the particular circumstances
outwit (v): to defeat somebody or something or gain an advantage over them by doing something clever
research (n): a careful study of a subject, especially in order to discover new facts or information about it
inspire (v): to give somebody the desire, confidence or enthusiasm to do something well
aspire (v): to have a strong desire to achieve or to become something
review (v): to look again at something you have read or studied
obese (adj): very fat, in a way that is not healthy
chronic (adj): (especially of a disease) lasting for a long time; difficult to cure or get rid of
press conference (n): a meeting at which somebody talks to a group of journalists in order to answer their questions or to make an official statement
addicted (adj): unable to stop taking harmful drugs or using or doing something as a habit