Fulbright University Vietnam is deeply grateful for the support of our generous benefactors, including TPBank, Vietnam’s first comprehensive digital banking ecosystem, and Temasek, an international investment company headquartered in Singapore. Their commitment helps us guide and nurture future generations via valuable scholarships.
Since 2021, TPBank has been awarding the TPBank STEM Scholarship to students majoring in STEM fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, and Integrated Science. This scholarship aims to encourage outstanding students to undertake scientific research projects that serve the community.
Temasek, on the other hand, was the inaugural donor of the Community Change-Maker Scholarship. This funding is awarded to both undergraduate and master’s students at the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM) to support projects that have a significant positive impact on the community.
This year, the TPBank STEM Scholarship has recognized five exceptional recipients who have proposed meaningful, feasible, and practical scientific research projects. Additionally, six Fulbright students and two master’s students from FSPPM have been awarded the Community Change-Maker Scholarships for their impactful and community-focused initiatives.
TPBank STEM Scholarship
Trương Lê Quỳnh Hoa (Class of 2025)
Quỳnh Hoa, along with two fellow students from the Human-Centered Engineering major at Fulbright, has embarked on an innovative journey in technology and robotics with their project, “Robot Air Hockey.”
The “Robot Air Hockey” project aims to create robots capable of competing against humans in tabletop sports. This groundbreaking endeavor challenges the traditional boundaries between robotics and sports, offering players the excitement of facing off against machines. By integrating advanced technologies such as Computer Vision, Mechanical Design, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning, the project seeks to replicate the strategic and fast-paced nature of air hockey in a robotic form.
Đỗ Đức Quân (Class of 2024)
Đức Quân received the scholarship for his project, “An Application of Generative AI in Creating User Interface Prototypes.”
This project explores the potential of advanced machine learning models to develop an AI assistant that can automatically generate Graphical User Interface (GUI) prototypes from mobile application screenshots. Additionally, the AI can refine and redesign these prototypes based on user requirements or reference images, thereby streamlining the prototype development process.
Hồ Bảo Trân (Class of 2025)
Bảo Trân impressed the scholarship committee with her idea “D-limonene extracts in Limnophila aromatica, and its possible effect on relieving kidney stone formation in oriental medicine.”
Kidney stones are becoming increasingly common, significantly impacting the working-age population. Bảo Trân’s research delves into the mechanisms and effectiveness of Limnophila aromatica, a plant traditionally used in medicine to prevent kidney stone formation. Her focus is on understanding how this plant impacts crystal-binding proteins to alleviate and prevent kidney stones.
Nguyễn Đức Phú (Class of 2024)
Đức Phú is utilizing this scholarship to develop the “RoboServe: A Fleet Management System based on SLAM” project. He is creating an advanced robotic fleet management system designed for public areas such as airports and train stations.
By leveraging the potential of SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology, RoboServe excels in efficient obstacle avoidance, guest guidance, and the transportation of luggage and other items.
Nguyễn Vân Trang (Class of 2024)
Vân Trang was awarded the scholarship for her project titled “Utilizing Machine Learning for Predicting Phytoplankton Community Structure via Physico-Chemical Parameters: Advancing Environmental Health in River Ecosystems.”
The project aims to develop a machine learning model that accurately predicts the structure of the phytoplankton community in the Dau Tieng River, upstream of the Saigon River. By analyzing 300 samples of physico-chemical parameters, Vân Trang intends to differentiate the biomass and composition of phytoplankton communities. This research addresses the ecological and human health risks posed by cyanobacterial blooms and harmful cyanotoxins in freshwater ecosystems.
Social Change-Maker Scholarship
Đào Hải Nhật Tân (Class of 2024)
Nhật Tân, a Fulbright Psychology student and co-founder of Seesaw, which successfully raised 2 billion VND on Shark Tank, was profoundly impacted by her interactions with autistic children in Quang Nam. These experiences inspired her to initiate the project “Unveiling the Unseen Struggles: Exploring the Challenges Encountered by Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Gaining Access to Mental Health Care and Support in Vietnam.”
Tân’s project focuses on understanding the mental health challenges that parents face while raising and supporting children with autism. By shedding light on these struggles, she aims to identify and propose feasible improvements to enhance parents’ access to essential mental health support services.
Phạm Minh Hiếu (Class of 2025)
For the past six years, Hiếu has been actively involved with PISE – Project Incubator for Young Social Entrepreneurs, and it is now entering its seventh term.
As the President of PISE during its sixth term, Hiếu has been dedicated to bridging opportunity gaps and inspiring disadvantaged young people. Under Hiếu’s leadership, PISE has supported young individuals in implementing projects that bring sustainable solutions to social issues within their communities.
Since it was founded in 2018, PISE has consistently focused on providing young people with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources through comprehensive training and mentoring programs.
Trần Nguyễn Hoàn Nhi (Class of 2025) & Trần Việt Hoàng (Class of 2024)
Inspired by the experiences of Việt Hoàng, a visually impaired student at Fulbright who faced significant challenges in using household devices, Hoàn Nhi and Việt Hoàng founded HNVision. This AI-based mobile application aims to empower the visually impaired community by making it easier to operate household appliances.
HNVision provides a range of features tailored to the needs of visually impaired users, including photo and video capture, voice commands, touch input, and a fingerprint recognition tool. These functionalities enable users to interact with household devices effortlessly and independently.
Trần Thị Thu Thảo (Class of 2024)
Thu Thảo secured the scholarship with the ROAD project, which aims to provide students with accessible resources and comprehensive information for making informed career choices.
By 2025, Thu Thảo’s goal for ROAD is to implement and organize Career Consulting Programs across Vietnam, in collaboration with 30 schools, educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations. These programs aim to reach at least 10,000 students, offering essential guidance and support for informed career decision-making.
Lâm Vũ An (Class of 2025) & Trần Vũ Chiến (Class of 2026)
The course “Digital Humanities in the Context of Vietnam Studies” at Fulbright is designed to equip students with digital tools to empower communities and foster social reform.
As part of this course, Vũ An and the team have undertaken a project with two main components aimed at harnessing the power of collective experiences and improving music accessibility for the visually impaired.
The first component, “Remembering COVID-19: Digital Archive for COVID-19,” is a handbook that aims to document and preserve the experiences of Vietnamese people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second component, “The Great Musica: Braille Music Access,” is dedicated to improving music accessibility for the visually impaired by developing a comprehensive Braille music library in Vietnam.
Nguyễn Khánh Thùy Dương (Class of 2026)
Thùy Dương’s research project investigates eating behaviors before and after mindfulness practice through surveys conducted within the Vietnamese community.
The project has three main objectives:
- Develop a survey to collect daily eating behaviors in two conditions: normal/stressful states and mindful eating practice.
- Analyze the collected data to understand the eating patterns in these two states and develop a machine learning model to detect stress through eating behaviors.
- Provide participants with analysis and feedback based on the findings.
Võ Thị Xuân Quyên (Master’s Student, Class of 2024)
With the support of the scholarship, Xuân Quyên will advance the “Towards a Blue Phu Quy” project, tackling the growing issue of plastic waste pollution on Phu Quy Island.
The project’s primary goal is to create a sustainable community in Phu Quy by actively involving local residents in environmental protection efforts. This includes focusing on waste segregation and promoting the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) within schools and communities.
Additionally, the project will implement the Green Schools Program, which aims to provide educational institutions with the necessary resources and support to establish effective waste management processes.
Nguyễn Thanh Hải (Master’s Student, Class of 2024)
Thanh Hải’s project, “Public Policy for All,” aims to raise awareness and provide a foundational understanding of public policy among young people aged 18-24.
To achieve this, Hải plans to organize an essay writing contest focused on public policy issues in Vietnam. In addition, Hải will conduct two workshops to support students: one on how to write a policy analysis essay and another discussing various policies of public concern.
