Professor Phan Dzung and the dream to popularise TRIZ
10:19' 19/02/2007 (GMT+7) VietNamNet Bridge - As the first Vietnamese to receive a PhD in experimental physics in 1973, Phan Dung might still be walking on the physical road if he hadn’t studied TRIZ with professor Altshuller.
Genrich Altshuller (photo: wikipedia)
During his college years in Russia, Dung was one of the 6 Vietnamese students chosen to study TRIZ with Genrich Altshuller, the father of the subject itself.
TRIZ is a Russian acronym for "Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadatch" ,Theory of Solving Inventive Problems, developed by professor Altshuller and his colleagues since 1946. TRIZ is a methodology for generating innovative ideas and problem-solving solutions. In contrast to techniques such as brainstorming, TRIZ aims to create an algorithmic approach to the invention of new systems.
Dung was attracted by the creative and scientific problem solving and reasoning approaches of this strange subject. The PhD graduate returned home, determined to develop this subject in Vietnam.
In 1977, he started his TRIZ popularising career by delivering lectures to employees of some companies and factories besides keeping in touch with international professors and colleagues.
In the early 90s, in addition to classes on foreign languages and computer, there appeared courses with the title “Creative Thinking”. Students were taught creative techniques which could be flexibly applied to solve real-life problems.
To date, there have been hundreds of “Creative Thinking” sessions with tens of thousands of students, many of whom have shown interest in the discipline’s reasoning and problem solving aspects.
Fervently wanting to popularise this subject, teacher Phan Dung has many times proposed to education ministers to add it to school curricula, but he hasn’t received any answer. At present, Creative Thinking is only delivered at two non-traditional training centres. There have been many students who have become their teacher’ teaching assistants after graduation.
Phan Dung isn’t alone in his mission. In Hanoi, another student of professor Altshuller named Duong Xuan Bao, an electronic physics engineer, has also been busily popularising this subject.
Hoang Le
http://www.bangkaew.com/wai/