AIT joins hands with NPU to establish International Community of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

AIT President calls for new BRI universities platform

SEAGS celebrates its golden jubilee at AIT

AIT students receive certificates at 60th anniversary celebrations of DAAD

AIT to play lead role in curriculum modernization of industrial engineering

Recent alum receives Honorable Mention

Alumna honored with Nepal Bidya Bhusan Award

Dr Lai Thi Phuoc Nguyen joins AIT

Dr Chutiporn Anutariya joins as Associate Professor in ICT

Seminars and Workshops

AIT faculty member co edits book on Disaster Risk Governance

Blood Donation Camp

Blast from the Past

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AIT joins hands with NPU to establish International Community of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Prof. Zhang Wei gifts an artisitc representation of the Old Sikh Road to Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai.

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has signed a formal agreement with the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) to establish an “International Community of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.” The agreement was signed by Prof. Zhang Wei, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, NPU, People's Republic of China, and Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, President, AIT, on 16 September 2017.

Prof. Zhang Wei, who is an AIT alumnus, described his AIT days as phenomenal, adding that the Institute is both exhilirating and challenging. This is a place where academic

study is fascinating, and student life is terrific, he remarked after returning to AIT after 17 years. “NPU is similar in some ways,” Prof. Zhang Wei said. NPU is known for engineering, particularly in the realm of strategic state requirements. Elaborating on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chairman Zhang remarked that NPU is located in the city of Xi’an, which was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. Similarly, Thailand lies on the maritime Silk Road.

“We believe that the age of cooperation between AIT and NPU has just begun,” Chairman Zhang said . Describing Prof. Worsak as “a man of vision and fresh ideas” and as an inspiring leader and President, Prof. Zhang invited the AIT President to deliver the concluding speech at the closing ceremony NPU’s international conference later in September.

Visiting AIT after a long gap, Prof. Zhang was also delighted to meet his advisor Prof. Barbara Igel, who guided him through his PhD.

AIT President calls for new BRI universities platform

Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai delivering his keynote address.

AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai has called for the creation of a new platform of universities in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to prepare a new breed of intellectuals, who can emerge as globally responsible citizens for the sustainable future of mankind.

The AIT President was delivering the keynote address at the Opening Session of the “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): President’s Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Education” hosted by Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government. Prof. Worsak spoke on the topic “Global Competence for the Sustainable Future of Humankind.” The

forum was organized by Xidian University, and it was attended by Presidents of 105 Chinese universities and 77 universities from 41 other countries and territories. The event concluded with the proclamation of the “Xi’an Declaration for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education” with reference to BRI.

The AIT President also delivered the concluding speech at the international conference on “China’s ties with the Outside World through the Belt and Road Initiative,” which was organized by the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) on 23-24 September 2017. The first stop of the AIT delegation to China was Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), where the University President Prof. Wang Shuguo hoped that both AIT and Xi’an Jiaotong University can mutually benefit under the Belt and Road Initiative.

SEAGS celebrates its golden jubilee at AIT

From left: Prof. Roger Frank, Dr. Noppadol Phien-wej, and Dr. Za-Chieh Moh

Fifty years after it was founded by Dr. Za-Chieh Moh in 1967 at AIT, the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS) returned to AIT on 14-15 September 2017 to celebrate its golden jubilee. Established to promote cooperation among engineers, geologists and other scientists in Southeast Asia, and to advance knowledge in the field of geotechnical engineering, SEAGS has played a pioneering role in expansion and recognition of geotechnical sciences in the region. Founder President Dr. Za-Chieh Moh  narrated the story of the vision, mission and accomplishments during the five decades of SEAGS.

The two-day symposium was jointly organized by the Thai Geotechnical Society, Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society, Association of Geotechnical Societies in Southeast Asia (AGSSEA) and AIT. Chairing the Advisory Committee was Prof. Roger Frank, President of International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), who delivered the Presidential address. Delivering the welcome address were Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, AIT President, Dr. Noppadol Phien-wej, President SEAGS, and Dr. Suttisak Soralump, President Thai Geotechnical Society. Inaugural addresses were delivered by Prof. Ikuo Towhata, VP for Asia ISSMGE, and Prof. San Shyan Lin, Chairman AGSSEA.

AIT students receive certificates at 60th anniversary celebrations of DAAD

AIT scholarship recipients at DAAD celebrations.

Fourteen AIT students received certificates at the sixtieth-anniversary celebrations of the German Academic Exchange Service-Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) held on 10 September 2017. The students were honored by Dr. Dorothea Rüland, Secretary-General, DAAD, in the presence of the Ambassador of Germany to Thailand H.E. Mr. Peter Prügel.

AIT has 16 DAAD scholars, namely Ms. Su Kyaw, Ms. Aye Hlaing, Ms. Yu Kyaw, Ms. Khin Htay, Ms. Han Soe, Ms. Hnin Win, Mr. Phyo Oo, Ms. Kay Kyaw and Ms. Thet Yee (from Myanmar); Mr. Tong Menghour, Mr. Thaileng Thol, Mr. Sean Chanmony, and Mr. Seng Theara (from Cambodia) and Ms. Truong Huyen from Vietnam. Ms. Kry Sokna and Mr. Hok Panha from Cambodia are currently on an exchange program in Germany, and they could not attend the event.

AIT to play lead role in curriculum modernization of industrial engineering

AIT will take the lead in the modernization of education of industrial engineering in Thailand by developing the curriculum of a Master’s degree program in Industrial Engineering

for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE4.0). AIT will be the project coordinator of a consortium of nine universities, which has been selected for cofunding from the European Union for the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education.

Led by Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) at AIT, MSIE4.0 is a three-year project totaling nearly € 980,000. According to project leader Dr. Pisut Koomsap of Industrial Systems Engineering at AIT, the project will be implemented by six Thai universities and three EU universities. It seeks to enhance the capacity of Thai universities in the delivery of a high-quality competency-based curriculum which will support sustainable smart industry (Industry 4.0), while conforming to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).

Recent alum receives Honorable Mention

Dr. Saeed Ul Hassan, who graduated from AIT with a PhD. in 2012, is one of the two early career scientists to receive an honorable mention in the Eugene Garfield Award for Innovation in Citation Analysis. His work on Measuring Scientific Knowledge Flows by Deploying Citation Context Analysis is an extension of his doctoral work at AIT. Saeed currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Information Technology University (ITU), Punjab, Pakistan.

Alumna honored with Nepal Bidya Bhusan Award

Sadichha Shrestha receving the award from the Nepal President.

AIT alumna and former Miss Nepal, Sadichha Shrestha (MBA, 2017) was conferred with the Nepal Bidhya Bhusan ‘B’ medal by the President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, on Nepal’s 38th National Education Day, and International Literacy Day on 8 September 2017. Nepal Bidhya Bhusan Class ´B´ medals are conferred upon students

who complete their Master’s degrees with an outstanding performance.

Dr Lai Thi Phuoc Nguyen joins AIT

Dr. Lai Thi Phuoc Nguyen has joined AIT as Assistant Professor in Regional and Rural Development Planning (RRDP) Program of the Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS), School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD).

Prior to joining AIT, Dr. Nguyen worked as a researcher at the University of Sassari (Italy), working in the Desertification Research Centre for six years. She has also served as lecturer in the School of Geography of the Nottingham University, Malaysia Campus. Dr. Lai holds a PhD in Governance and Complex systems from University of Sassari (Italy) and a Master’s in Development, Innovation and Change from University of Bologna (Italy).

Her teaching specialization includes rural and environmental sociology, agricultural development planning, sustainable development, social data analysis, and project planning and management.

Her research areas include adaptation to climate change, environmental and natural resources institutions and governance, action research, social learning and multi-stakeholder processes for regional and rural development planning.

Dr Chutiporn Anutariya joins as Associate Professor in ICT

Dr. Chutiporn Anutariya has joined AIT as Associate Professor in the Department of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in AIT’s School of Engineering and Technology (SET).

Dr. Chutiporn received her Bachelor’s of Science in Statistics with first class honors and gold medal award from Chulalongkorn University. She obtained her Master of Science and Doctor of Technical Science in Computer Science from AIT. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Telematics, Norwegian University.

Her research areas include learning technologies and Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs), database and information systems, knowledge representation and knowledge management, open data and open government data, semantic and linked data technologies, ontologies, web and mobile technologies.

Alumnus Dr Somkiat Prajamwong appointed Director General of Royal Irrigation Department

AIT alumnus Dr. Somkiat Prajamwong, has been appointed the new Director General of the Royal Irrigation Department of Thailand. His appointment was announced at the meeting of the Thai Cabinet on 12 September 2017.

Dr. Somkiat graduated with a Master’s in Water Resource Engineering in 1987 from AIT, following which he proceeded to the University of Utah for a Ph.D. in Agricultural

and Irrigation Engineering. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Somkiat has served as Director of Project Administration, and as Deputy Director General for Engineering.

Seminars and Workshops

REGIONAL WORKSHOP: Adaptation to Groundwater Vulnerability of Asian Cities to Climate Change

8 September 2017

SEMINAR: Digital Education Platforms - The Swayam Initiative

Dr. M.S Manna

8 September 2017

SEMINAR: Aquaculture Ecosystems and Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture

Prof. C. Kwei Lin

12 September 2017

SEMINAR: From Traditional to Modern Aquaculture: Systems, Issues, and Prospects

Prof. Peter Edwards

13 September 2017

SEMINAR: Practical Petrophysics and Quick Look Analysis of Logging Data

Greg Heath

21 September 2017

SEMINAR: Research for impact: Experience of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – CSIRO (Australia)

Dr. Shahriar M Wahid

27 September 2017

SPECIAL FORUM: Startup Start Now

Mr. Ayub Ghauri

28 September 2017

AIT faculty member co edits book on Disaster Risk Governance

AIT’s Dr. Indrajit Pal has co-edited a book titled “Disaster Risk Governance in India and Cross Cutting Issues.” The 19-chapter book, published by Springer, provides an analytical discussion of the status of disaster risk reduction and governance in an Indian context.

While Dr. Indrajit Pal serves in Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management, in AIT’s Department of Development and Sustainability, co-editor Dr. Rajib Shaw is a

professor of Keio University at its Shonan Fujisawa Campus in Japan.

Blood Donation Camp

Blast from the Past

Thirty years ago, AIT celebrated its 50th graduation.

Source: AIT Review: October 1987.

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Editor: Bajinder Pal Singh bajinder@ait.asia

Photos:

Paitoon Tinnapong

Samphat Semathong

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