Ms. Phitchayapha Yaklai, an Industrial Engineering student, was named second runner-up at CWIE 2026 for her cooperative education project, 'Root Cause Analysis of Reader Resistance Failure Using Machine Learning in HDD Manufacturing'. She was supervised by Assistant Professor Dr. Takron Opassuwan from the Department of Industrial Engineering.

The award presentation ceremony was held during the 16th CWIE Day at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok. Organized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation in collaboration with a network of higher education institutions and private-sector partners, the national event showcases and recognizes outstanding cooperative and work-integrated education (CWIE) projects from across the country. In her project, Ms. Phitchayapha applied machine learning to analyze and address real-world challenges in the manufacturing process. Her work has the potential to improve production efficiency and reduce losses in hard disk drive manufacturing, while also supporting Thailand’s ambition to drive development through technology and innovation.