TWIN TOP HONORS FOR AIT IN INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS
AIT ranked No.1 international university once again, bags 12 perfect scores in U-Multirank

Seven subjects at AIT recognized in 2017 QS Ranking by Subject

31 companies participate in AIT Career Fair

Giant Prawn returns to Thailand, courtesy AIT

Agreements signed with Cambodian Universities

Top quality research by AIT students, now in a new magazine

AIT alum Thamarak La-Ongnual appointed Rector of UBRU

New book on Creating Low Carbon Cities

When different nationalities fly the AIT flag at the Erasmus mobility program

Blast from the Past

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TWIN TOP HONORS FOR AIT IN INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS

While AIT was ranked the world’s top university (along with seven others) in “International Orientation” by U-Multirank, “2017 QS Rankings by Subject” ranked AIT among the top global universities in seven subjects.

AIT ranked No.1 international university once again, bags 12 perfect scores in U-Multirank

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) continues to maintain its premier position among world’s top international universities scoring a perfect No. 1 rank in all six indicators in the category of “International Orientation” as announced by U-Multirank in the latest “Institutional Rankings 2017” released on 30 March 2017. Only eight universities in the world, including AIT, have a perfect score in “international orientation,” and AIT is the lone entrant in this august list from Asia.

AIT scored a 100 per cent in foreign language master and bachelor programs securing the No. 1 rank. It was ranked No. 1 in student mobility, international academic staff, international joint publications, and international doctorate degrees, reinforcing its position at the top among world’s best international universities.

“AIT was international when no one was even using this word,” AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai remarked. The founding fathers envisaged AIT as an international university when they conceived AIT’s precursor, the SEATO Graduate School of Engineering way back in 1959, Prof. Worsak said. This is the third consecutive year of AIT’s stellar performance in U-Multirank rankings. In 2015, U-Multirank had ranked

AIT as the top university in “international orientation” — an honor it shared with other global leaders. In 2017, AIT has excelled again, obtaining 12 top scores — six in the category of ‘international orientation,” three in “knowledge transfer,” two in “research,” and one in “teaching and learning.”

Seven subjects at AIT recognized in 2017 QS Ranking by Subject

As a postgraduate institute, AIT is not eligible to participate in the World Ranking of Universities. However, during the previous two years, AIT has been ranked globally according to individual subjects. In the “QS World Universities 2017 Rankings by Subject” released on 8 March 2017, AIT has been ranked among the top universities in

the world in seven subjects.

AIT is ranked 101-150 in Architecture and Built Environment, and it is among the top 151-200 universities in both Civil and Structural Engineering, as well as Environmental Studies. For the first time, AIT is also ranked in Business and Management Studies figuring in the top 251-300 in the world. During the QS Ranking in 2016, AIT made it to the global list in three subjects, while in 2017, it is featured in seven subjects.

“The rankings confirm that despite its small size, AIT continues to be well recognized at the world stage,” AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai said. Despite having less than 2,000 students and around 100 faculty members, AIT manages to fare well against full-fledged universities having 10 times its size, he added. Equally significant is that AIT’s multidisciplinary approach enables it to mark a significant presence even in its non-core subjects. QS analyzes four aspects - academic reputation, citations per paper, employer reputation, and H-index Citations for tabulating the rankings.

31 companies participate in AIT Career Fair

Thirty-one companies participated in the AIT Career Fair organized at AIT on 29 March 2017, with 10 companies attending the bi-annual event for the first time. A Research Exhibition showcasing the work of students was also organized by the AIT Students’ Union in conjunction with the event.

Welcoming the participants, AIT’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Sivanappan Kumar encouraged the participants to engage with students and faculty members at AIT. He also asked students to discuss career opportunities with the participants to benefit from the event. Ms. Joan Carla C. Gonzales of AIT’s Career Center informed the audience that four companies were also conducting campus interviews to recruit AIT students.

Giant Prawn returns to Thailand, courtesy AIT

Nearly four decades after the inaugural Giant Prawn Conference was first organized in Bangkok in 1980, the event returned to Thailand at the lush green campus of AIT.

“Thailand is a natural home for this conference,” AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai remarked as he welcomed 150 delegates from nearly two dozen countries. The key organizer of Giant Prawn in 1980 was Michael New, Chairman of Aquaculture without Frontiers and former President of the World Aquaculture Society.

For the 2017 edition, Dr. Krishna R Salin of AIT teamed with Micheal New. Through his address to the participants, which was read on his behalf by Dr. Salin, Michael trace  the contours of freshwater prawn farming. Providing an update on global farmed freshwater prawn production, he enumerated the causes behind the decline in interest in this sector.

The four-day event was preceded by a three-day training on “Advances in Hatchery Production of Freshwater Prawns” held between 17-19 March 2017.

Giant Prawn delegates at AIT.

Agreements signed with Cambodian Universities

AIT has signed two separate agreements with universities in Cambodia — one with Phnom Penh International University, and another with Asia Euro University. Rector of Phnom Penh International University, Mrs. Tep Kolap, and Rector of Asia Euro University, Dr. Chea Sopheap signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of their respective universities on 29 March 2017.

AIT President, Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai described the agreements as a step towards closer cooperation with Cambodia. Prof. Worsak mentioned that though AIT is hosted by Thailand, it caters to the entire region. Also attending the event was Ms. Choup Vannak, First Secretary, Embassy of Cambodia to Thailand.

Cambodian delegation at AIT.

Top quality research by AIT students, now in a new magazine

If you are fascinated by research conducted by students from all over the world, look no further. The inaugural issue of the AIT Students’ Union (AITSU) Research Magazine is a 48-page compendium of some of best work of AIT students.

The maiden publication titled “SU Research Magazine” provides a panoramic view of the research work at the institute and presents it in a simple format making it available to readers of all hues. The premier issue chronicles 33 research issues covering a vast array of topics from water to climate change, radars to solar power, seismic analysis to osmosis, and haptic sensory to customer experience. It also exhibits AIT’s geographical expanse ranging from hydropower in Afghanistan to Songkran in Thailand, and from knowledge sharing in a multicultural environment to energy audits in Pakistan.

As the SU President Piraya Lueprasitsakul writes in her message in the inaugural issue: “Let’s show the world, who we are, where we are, and how awesome we are.”

AIT alum Thamarak La-Ongnual appointed Rector of UBRU

AIT alumnus Thamarak La-Ongnual has been appointed Rector of Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University. He received the Royal Command of his appointment on 18 March

2017.

Associate Professor Mr. Thamarak graduated with a Master’s in Agriculture and Food Engineering in 1994 from AIT’s School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD). He was a recipient of the Royal Thai Government (RTG) scholarship at AIT. A native of Lampang Province, Thailand, he received his Bachelor’s Degree from Maejo University in 1987.

Mr. Thamarak La-Ongnual

New book on Creating Low Carbon Cities

Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal, Head of Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD), has published a new book titled “Creating Low Carbon Cities.”

Published by Springer, the book is edited by Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal and Prof. Matthias Ruth, Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. The book addresses key issues related to low carbon cities with experts focussing on appropriate infrastructure, ensuring co-benefits of climate actions, making the best use of knowledge and information, proper accounting of emissions, and social factors such as behavioral change.

Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal with his new book.

When different nationalities fly the AIT flag at the Erasmus mobility program

When Sabeethan Kanagasingham and Saw Htet Shein were delivering a presentation as Erasmus exchange students in Lithuania, they were doing something very unique. Two students, one from Sri Lanka and another from Myanmar, were addressing representatives from over a dozen countries from both Europe and Asia; and they were informing them about the culture and traditions of a third country — Thailand. For a passive bystander, this was an interesting moment. But for Sabeethan and Saw, this was just another event in the life of an AIT student.

They were not alone. Far away in Spain, Mazlina Zaira Mohammad from Malaysia, and Nupur Chaturvedi from India, were at Universidad de Granada, where they too were representing AIT. Sabeethan, Saw, Mazlina and Nupur were the four participants of the Erasmus mobility program from AIT. At the same time, Erasmus scholar Dr. Ramunė Albrektienė, Lecturer at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University was hosted by AIT.

Sabeethan Kanagasingham

Saw Htet Shein

Nupur Chaturvedi

Mazlina Zaira Mohammad

Dr. Ramunė Albrektienė

Blast from the Past

From AIT Newsletter: March 1976

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Editor: Bajinder Pal Singh: bajinder@ait.asia

Photos: Paitoon Tinnapong

Contact: Office of Media and Communications omco@ait.asia