Duc Minh Vuengineering for people
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Engineering for people.

“Build what matters.Help others build, too.”

I build technology to solve real-world problems—and create opportunities for others to understand, use, and build technology themselves.

From low-cost environmental sensors to hands-on STEM learning, my work is guided by one belief: innovation matters most when its impact extends beyond the person who creates it.

My approach

Minh at the Conrad Challenge backdrop at Space Center Houston
Duc Minh VuResume
02

The Why

When technology becomes accessible

What if the people affected by a problem could also build part of its solution?

Air pollution is often discussed through numbers: concentrations, thresholds, and forecasts. But data becomes more meaningful when people can understand what it measures, see how their surroundings change, and take part in the process of collecting it.

This question shaped EnviroTrack, an affordable IoT air-quality monitoring system I helped lead.

make the data something people can hold

The EnviroTrack sensor unit wired to a scrolling LED display showing air-quality readings
EnviroTrack · sensor unit & LED display
A long queue of students winding along a school corridor at a STEMBridge fair
STEMBridge · the queue wrapped the corridor
Rows of blue tables filled with students building kits at a STEMBridge workshop in Lào Cai
Lào Cai · a room full of builders

I wanted to do more than build a device that measures pollution. Through STEMBridge outreach trips, I guided local residents, teachers, and students in interpreting air-quality data, using the monitoring app, and independently assembling complete monitoring devices.

The experience connected two questions that continue to guide my work:

  1. 01

    How can engineering make solutions more accessible?

  2. 02

    And how can education help more people become creators of those solutions?

03

The Builder

Engineering to solve problems

I learn by making systems work in the real world.

For me, engineering is a process of turning an abstract problem into something tangible: a circuit to test, a mechanism to refine, a model to simulate, or a system whose limitations can be measured and improved.

01

Making air quality visible

The EnviroTrack sensor unit wired to a scrolling LED display showing an air-quality reading
The sensor unit & LED display
Detail of the EnviroTrack project board at WICO, with the system overview and air-quality diagrams
The project board · WICO

EnviroTrack

Environmental sensing · IoT · Embedded systems

I led the development of an affordable air-quality monitoring system integrating environmental sensors, public LED displays, a mobile app, and AI-based pollution forecasting. Through iterative hardware and manufacturing design, the team produced 25 devices for deployment in crowded communities, markets, and traffic zones in Nam Dinh.

What came of it. A working environmental monitoring system, a WICO 2025 Gold Medal, and a technology platform that also became a teaching tool for community outreach.

Read the article
02

Exploring microplastic monitoring

The IDEON autonomous underwater vehicle prototype on a workbench
The AUV prototype
The IDEON project display with CAD views and a brochure at the Conrad Challenge
The project display

IDEON

Autonomous systems · Robotics · Environmental engineering

I designed and iterated an autonomous underwater vehicle intended to improve the accessibility of microplastic monitoring. Across four major prototype iterations, I worked on the hull, enclosure, propulsion, and buoyancy systems while integrating motors, electronic speed controllers, a Pixhawk controller, and sensing components.

What came of it. A developing environmental robotics prototype and selection as a Top 5 finalist in the Conrad Challenge Energy & Environment division, with grant funding to attend the Innovation Summit at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Visit the project site
03

Learning through building

Two people at a home-built Airbus A320 cockpit, with a main display, two instrument screens and a glowing panel stack
The full cockpit · three screens
Over-the-shoulder view of the home-built cockpit displays and the illuminated instrument panels in use
The instrument stack in use

Minh's FlightSim

Hardware integration · CAD · Interactive systems

I built a 1:1-scale DIY Airbus A320 cockpit by integrating 3D-printed components, physical switches, potentiometers, Arduino-based controls, and flight-simulation software. I refined the cockpit's interactive panels and created introductory tutorials for aspiring aviation enthusiasts.

I also operated paid simulator sessions, generating VND 13 million in profit for reinvestment in other projects.

What came of it. A hands-on engineering project that grew into a small operating venture—and an opportunity to learn how technical systems serve real users.

Launch the simulator
04

Making energy systems more robust

Minh presenting research at the 8th GSTD Conference, with the Introduction: Research Motivation slide behind him
Presenting at the 8th GSTD Conference, 2026
Minh holding the conference certificate in front of the 8th Green Technology and Sustainable Development Conference backdrop
Conference certificate · Ho Chi Minh City, 2026

Research

Control systems · Energy storage · Mathematical modeling

My research explores how control strategies can improve the behavior of hybrid battery–supercapacitor energy storage systems in electric vehicles under uncertainty. I modeled system dynamics, implemented constrained control algorithms, and evaluated performance through simulation.

One of my co-authored studies on tube-based robust model predictive control was published in the International Journal of Robotics and Control Systems in 2026, which I presented at the 8th GSTD Conference. A second research project examined disturbance-observer-based sliding-mode control under uncertain loads.

What came of it. A deeper understanding of how mathematical models, control theory, and simulation can help engineers design systems that remain reliable under changing conditions.

RC-MPC MethodNDO-SMC Method
04

The Multiplier

Engineering to empower others

A solution becomes more powerful when knowledge travels with it.

Building technology taught me how to solve technical problems. STEMBridge taught me to think about who gets the opportunity to solve them.

I founded STEMBridge to expand access to hands-on STEM education, particularly for students in underserved communities. Leading a 23-member team, I helped organize STEM fairs, develop learning experiences, and establish educational resources in schools.

01 — Outreach

From demonstrations to participation

STEMBridge on Facebook
Students gathered at a Stembridge STEM fair
A STEMBridge fair · the whole school, one yard
Students and volunteers working side by side at blue tables in a Lào Cai classroom
Lào Cai · building kits around blue tables
Students gathered around a giant robot arena in a school courtyard at Xã Đàn
Xã Đàn · the courtyard turned into an arena
  1. 600

    Quan Son Ethnic Boarding School · Lạng Sơn

    Organized a 16-booth STEM fair for 600 students, established a makerspace with two desktop computers, and donated eight educational experiments.

  2. 500

    Ta Phin Ethnic Boarding School

    Organized a 14-booth STEM fair for 500 students and equipped the STEM room and library with computers, Wi-Fi systems, and STEM tools.

  3. 340

    Xa Dan Secondary School · Hanoi

    Developed specialized STEM experiences and a robotics competition for 340 students with disabilities.

02 — Agency

From access to agency

Through EnviroTrack outreach, I brought the engineering process into this educational work. Residents, teachers, and students did not simply observe a finished device: they learned to interpret its data, navigate its app, and assemble complete monitoring devices themselves.

I want STEM education to move students closer to that second possibility: from watching technology work to understanding how it works, and eventually building solutions of their own.

Access means being able to use a tool. Agency means understanding enough to participate in creating it.
A student assembling a kit at a STEMBridge workshop in Lào Cai
Lào Cai · a student building a kit, one piece at a time

every student left with something they had made

Students working together at a robotics workshop
Students collaborating during GART Camp
Students working on a robot at GART Expo
Students building a robot at a worktable

03 — Mentoring

Transferring skills

The same multiplier idea runs through robotics. As Head of Mechanics, I led 40 members, built a training curriculum on CAD, 3D printing, and manufacturing; the team I mentored later won Mock GART.

I also ran GART Camp, teaching VEX IQ to children at the American Embassy community center, and helped organize GART Expo, an annual STEM outreach event.

05

Honors & Recognition

Milestones behind the work

Recognition is a milestone. Building something meaningful is the work behind it.

My experiences in robotics, research, and academic competitions have challenged me to approach problems with rigor, iterate through uncertainty, and work alongside people who think differently.

FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship

FTC Worlds · the trophies, 2025

Photo 1 of 10: FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship. FTC Worlds · the trophies, 2025

01Robotics & Innovation

  • 2025

    FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship

    Winning Alliance, Edison Division · Finalist Alliance, Finals Division (Top 2)

    Robotics & Innovation2025

    FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship

    Winning Alliance, Edison Division · Finalist Alliance, Finals Division (Top 2)

    Competed at the global championship, among 256 selected teams from 8,800 teams worldwide across 81 countries.

    The whole Greenams Robotics team with the trophy, Vietnamese flags and team banners on the arena floor at the FIRST Championship, 2025
    The team with the trophy on the arena floor · FIRST Championship, 2025
    The Greenams Robotics team with the 24751 banner beneath a FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship sign
    The team at the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship, 2025
    The Edison Division arena screen showing team 24751 winning a qualification match at the FIRST Championship
    Edison Division · qualification result on the arena screen, 2025
    Teams from many countries gathered with their robots at the FIRST Championship
    Teams from around the world at the FIRST Championship, 2025
  • 2025

    FIRST Tech Challenge Vietnam Regional

    Winning Alliance Captain · Design Award

    Robotics & Innovation2025

    FIRST Tech Challenge Vietnam Regional

    Winning Alliance Captain · Design Award

    Led the winning alliance through a 16–0 season streak and helped the team qualify for the World Championship for the first time in nine years. Recognized for balancing engineering function, design, and aesthetics.

    1st Place Alliance Captain award at the FTC Vietnam Regional
    1st Place Alliance Captain · FTC Vietnam Regional, 2025
    Design Award at the FTC Vietnam Regional
    Design Award · FTC Vietnam Regional, 2025
    The team celebrating with the Design Award banner on stage at the FTC Vietnam Regional
    The Design Award on stage · FTC Vietnam Regional, 2025
    Hands lifting the Design Award trophy at the FTC Vietnam Regional
    The Design Award trophy · FTC Vietnam Regional, 2025
  • 2025

    Conrad Challenge

    Innovation Summit Finalist · Top 25

    Robotics & Innovation2025

    Conrad Challenge

    Innovation Summit Finalist · Top 25

    Selected among 25 teams from more than 1,500 innovations worldwide to present at the Innovation Summit at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

    Four students at the EnviroTrack booth beneath the banner Turning Invisible Pollution Into Actionable Data
    EnviroTrack at the Innovation Summit · Space Center Houston
    Attendees gathered beneath the Conrad Challenge screen in the Space Center Houston hall
    The Innovation Summit at Space Center Houston
    Four students in maroon shirts in front of the Space Center Houston Conrad Challenge backdrop
    The team at the Conrad Challenge backdrop
  • 2025

    14th World Invention and Creation Olympiad (WICO)

    Gold Award

    Robotics & Innovation2025

    14th World Invention and Creation Olympiad (WICO)

    Gold Award

    Recognized for engineering innovation through the EnviroTrack air-quality monitoring project.

    The WICO exhibition hall with the EnviroTrack poster A19 on display
    The EnviroTrack poster at the WICO exhibition
    An EnviroTrack team member pointing to a diagram on the poster at WICO 2025
    Presenting the system to the judging panel
    The EnviroTrack team with a judge and staff member beside the WICO poster
    With the judging panel beside the poster
    The EnviroTrack team on stage with certificates at the WICO 2025 award ceremony
    WICO 2025 · Gold Award on stage

02Academic Distinction

  • 2026

    International Youth Math Challenge

    Gold Medal · National Top 3 Highest Scorer

  • 2025

    International Astronomy & Astrophysics Competition

    Silver Medal · Top 7%

  • 2023

    High School for Gifted Students Olympiad in Natural Sciences

    Bronze Medal · Physics Category

    Academic Distinction2023

    High School for Gifted Students Olympiad in Natural Sciences

    Bronze Medal · Physics Category

    The certificate records the Bronze Medal in Physics at the Junior HSGS Olympiad, organised by the HUS High School for Gifted Students, on 23 July 2023. I competed in the physics category while in grade 8 at Archimedes Academy.

    Certificate for the Bronze Medal in Physics at the HUS High School for Gifted Students Olympiad, 2023
    Bronze Medal in Physics · Junior HSGS Olympiad, 23 July 2023
  • 2024

    Entrance Examination, High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi University of Science

    Salutatorian

03Technical Development

  • 2026

    Samsung Science & Technology Membership

    Selected Member · Samsung Research Vietnam

    Technical Development2026

    Samsung Science & Technology Membership

    Selected Member · Samsung Research Vietnam

    Selected for a competitive STEM talent-development program admitting 10 high school students annually from specialized science and technology schools. The program included a welcome ceremony at Samsung R&D Center Vietnam and a visit to Samsung Digital City in Suwon.

    The 2026 SST Membership group on stage at the kick-off ceremony
    SST Membership 2026 · kick-off ceremony
    SST members following a Samsung guide through the R&D Center Vietnam corridor during the 2026 membership tour
    Samsung R&D Center Vietnam · membership tour, 2026
    SST Membership students in front of the welcome screen at Samsung Digital City, Suwon
    Samsung Digital City · Suwon, July 2026
    SST Membership students in front of the Samsung Innovation Museum sign in Suwon
    Samsung Innovation Museum · Suwon

Awards mark milestones, but the process of building, testing, and learning is what keeps me moving.

06

Beyond Engineering

Observation, patience, and craft

The same curiosity that draws me to engineering also finds its way into a sketchbook, a coffee cup, and materials waiting to be transformed.

Not everything I build starts with a circuit board.

Some things begin with a pencil, a cup of coffee, or a handful of materials waiting to become something new.

Outside engineering, I find the same satisfaction in activities that reward observation, patience, experimentation, and attention to detail.

A practice since childhood

Painting

Long before I began building technical projects, I was drawing and painting. Art has remained a personal way to observe the world, experiment with form and color, and turn an idea into something tangible.

From childhood sketchbooks to work made years later — the same habit of drawing.

Craft, precision & people

Coffee

Barista · Trang Coffee, Văn Miếu | 2023–present

At a long-standing local café near Hanoi's Temple of Literature, I mastered a menu of 32 drinks and developed signature beverages for returning customers and seasonal offerings.

Coffee has taught me to appreciate the details that shape an experience—from consistency and technique to the small interactions that make someone feel welcome.

Latte art · Signature drinks · Behind the counter

Finding creativity in everyday materials

Coffee Bean Mosaic

I also create artwork using coffee beans, exploring texture, patterns, and composition through unconventional material. It is a reminder that creativity does not always require specialized tools; sometimes it begins with seeing familiar things differently.

A small gallery of coffee-bean artwork.

Open a sketchbookOpen in Google Drive
07

The Connection

Building beyond myself

I don't see engineering and education as separate pursuits.

Minh holding the framed coffee-bean lotus artwork
Minh, with a lotus made from coffee beans

Engineering helps me turn ideas into working systems. Education helps make the knowledge behind those systems more accessible to others.

My work in environmental monitoring, robotics, energy systems, and STEM outreach may take different forms, but it returns to the same question: how can we build solutions that more people can understand, improve, and carry forward?

I want to keep exploring the intersection of electrical systems, embedded technology, control, and environmental applications—while learning in communities where people approach problems from different disciplines and perspectives.

Ultimately, I hope to build not only better technology, but also more opportunities for people to participate in building it.

Selected work & contact

Let's build something meaningful.

Curiosity becomes meaningful when you put it to work.

My projects span hardware prototyping, robotics, control systems, environmental technology, and hands-on STEM education. Each represents a different way of learning through experimentation, collaboration, and iteration.

write to me

Resume

open to research, collaboration, and STEM conversations

Selected areas

  • Environmental technology and IoT
  • Robotics and autonomous systems
  • Energy storage and control systems
  • Embedded hardware and interactive systems
  • STEM education and community outreach

Explore further

Keep exploring. Keep learning. Keep creating.