AIT Newsletter July 2011
Nepal President, PM praise AIT
UNESCO delegation for partnership on sustainability issues
PACT for pact with AIT
UNISDR for AIT’s participation in Global Assessment Report
“Asian Prefab Technology for Budget Housing” seminar for Africa
APWF holds knowledge hub workshop
ADB-JSP to continue scholarships at AIT
AIT participates in Second Social Business Day
Membrane technology was pioneered at AIT: alumnus
Prof Murai speaks on Japan disasters
PEOPLE
International Bachelor-Master Degree program in engineering with RSU
Unified Bachelor-Master program launched in India
AIT and NEF-CCN Colleges to offer joint educational programs
AIT wins Bangkok Cricket League
News You Can Use
Follow AIT at
Credits

Nepal President, PM praise AIT

AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust (left) with Prime Minister of
AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust (left) with Prime Minister of Nepal, Rt. Honorable Mr. Jhala Nath Khanal (right).

President of Nepal, Rt. Honorable Dr. Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Rt. Honorable Jhala Nath Khanal praised the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and thanked the Institute for its contribution towards development of human resources in Nepal. They made these remarks in separate meetings with an AIT delegation led by the AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust on 16 June 2011.

The Nepal President referred to the positive experience of his son when he was studying at AIT, stating that AIT enjoys a prestigious place in the realm of education. The Nepal Prime Minister extended the Government of Nepal’s unequivocal support in expediting the ratification process of the new AIT Charter, which was endorsed by the Nepal Council of Ministers in its meeting held on 15 June 2011.

UNESCO delegation for partnership on sustainability issues

From left to right: Ms. Vimonmas Pam Vachatimanont, Ms Katie Vanhala,
From left to right: Ms. Vimonmas Pam Vachatimanont, Ms Katie Vanhala, Ms. Lay-Cheng Tan and Ms. Jiaming Ju.

UNESCO is working on mainstreaming the issue of climate change in curricula and is keen to develop sustainable development indicators. UNESCO Bangkok is also keen on policy initiatives, and it wishes to tap the expertise available at AIT.

This was the sentiment expressed by a delegation of UNESCO which visited AIT on 27 June 2011. The delegation included Ms. Vimonmas Pam Vachatimanont and Ms Katie Vanhala of Education for Sustainable Development Unit (ESD); Ms. Lay-Cheng Tan and Ms. Jiaming Ju of  Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID).

PACT for pact with AIT

Mr. Kurt MacLeod
Mr. Kurt MacLeod

PACT, an American-based NGO, is open to developing a strategic partnership with AIT. This message was delivered by Mr. Kurt MacLeod, Associate Vice President
for Asia/Eurasia, PACT, during an exploratory meeting with AIT officials on 21 June 2011.  Mr. Macleod led a delegation to AIT that included Mr. Siddhi Aryal, Deputy Chief of Party, GMR Program, Pact Thailand, and Ms. Jarusri Jiravisitkul, Corporate Community Engagement Coordinator, Pact Thailand.

“AIT is a leader many fields in the region,” Mr. Macleod told AIT officials, outlining his organization’s interest in exploring a partnership. He described how AIT’s name and its mission were mentioned at a forum, encouraging PACT to visit AIT and look for a long-term partnership.

UNISDR for AIT’s participation in Global Assessment Report

Mr. Jerry Velasques
Mr. Jerry Velasques

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) is keen to associate with AIT in the preparation of the Global Assessment Report (GAR). This
was stated by Mr. Jerry Velasques, Senior Regional Coordinator, UNISDR for Asia and Pacific, at a meeting held at AIT on 3 June 2011.

Interacting with the AIT President and other senior faculty and staff members, Mr. Velasquez stated that the two had collaborated during the Asia Pacific Disaster Report in 2010. “We know the strengths of AIT and we are keen to learn more about other possibilities of collaboration particularly in undertaking analytical work,” he said. Mr. Velasquez was leading a five member UNISDR team comprising of Ms. Hang Thi Thanh Pham, Mr. Sujit Mohanty, Ms. Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu, and Mr. Abhilash Panda (Regional Programme Officers).

“Asian Prefab Technology for Budget Housing” seminar for Africa

From left to right: Mr. Shuji Okumoto, Mr. Katsuyuki Kitagawa,
From left to right: Mr. Shuji Okumoto, Mr. Katsuyuki Kitagawa, Mr. Velelo G. Kwepile, and Dr. Roland Amoussou-Guenou.

A seminar “Asian Prefab Technology for Budget Housing” hosted by AIT on 16-17 June 2011 brought together African diplomats, academics, engineers, and businessmen to network on how Asian construction technology and expertise can address Africa’s large need for affordable housing.

Organized by the Asiafrica Foundation with the support of AIT Extension, and sponsored by Thai Design Consortium (TDC), the seminar attracted the participation of senior
executives of International Dome House (IDH), Japan, as well as representatives of Thai firms Thai Design Consortium, Thai Center of Standard Engineering, Shera, and the Habitech Center of AIT. According to Asiafrica Foundation President and AIT adjunct faculty member, Dr. Roland AmoussouGuenou, prominent participants included Mr. Vichit Chinalai, President of TDC; Mr. Velelo G. Kwepile, Political Counselor, Embassy of South Africa; Mr. Geoffrey Chima, Counselor, Embassy of Nigeria; and Mr. Katsuyuki Kitagawa, IDH CEO and President.

APWF holds knowledge hub workshop

Ms. Yatsuka Kataoka
Ms. Yatsuka Kataoka

Asia Pacific Water Forum (APWF) held its pre-launch workshop of the launch of the “Regional Water Knowledge Hub for Groundwater Management” at AIT on 1 June 2011. Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Yatsuka Kataoka of the Institute for Global Environment Strategies (IGES), stated that the APWF knowledge hub is a major initiative of knowledge sharing and capacity development.

Ms. Kataoka, who is the Coordinator of Knowledge Hub for Groundwater Management, IGES, said they had chosen AIT as its venue for the pre-launch workshop since the Institute is known for its research and education in Asia and beyond. In his welcome remarks Prof. Said Irandoust, President, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) thanked AIT’s partners for selecting AIT as a venue for its pre-launch workshop. Prominent participants included Mr. Héctor Garduno, formerly of Groundwater Management Advisory Team (GWMATE); Dr. Neno Kukuric, Director, International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC); and Dr. Sangam Shrestha of the Water Engineering and Management (WEM) field of study at AIT.

ADB-JSP to continue scholarships at AIT

Mr. Kazuo Kojima
Mr. Kazuo Kojima

Asia Development BankJapan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP) is keen to continue scholarships for Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) students. It also wishes to strengthen its interaction with its alumni. This was stated by Mr. Kazuo Kojima, Senior Financing Partnerships Specialist, Office of Cofinancing Operations, ADB, at a meeting at AIT on 27 June 2011. He also met recipients of the ADB-JSP scholarships.

AIT participates in Second Social Business Day

Prof. Muhammad Yunus (second from right) along with the
Prof. Muhammad Yunus (second from right) along with the AIT delegation.

AIT participated in the second annual Social Business Day events held on 28 June 2011 at Dhaka, Bangladesh. The theme for this year was “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals through Social Business”. Dr. Riaz Khan, Director, Yunus Center at AIT, was a panelist during the morning session where he spoke of using social business to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Apart from Dr. Riaz Khan, the AIT delegation comprised of Dr. Jonathan Shaw, Director AIT Extension; and Dr. Faiz Shah, Head, Development Management, AIT Extension.

Membrane technology was pioneered at AIT: alumnus

Prof. K. Baskaran
Prof. K. Baskaran

The Membrane Bio Reactor technology was pioneered at AIT in the nineteen eighties when the idea of submerged membranes was experimented. AIT alumnus and Associate Dean (International) of Deakin University, Australia, Prof. K. Baskaran, stated this at a special lecture on “Application of a hybrid Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) system to
treat priority pollutants from agricultural runoffs.”

Prof Murai speaks on Japan disasters

Prof. Shuji Murai
Prof. Shuji Murai

Prof. Shunji Murai, Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo, Japan shared his first-hand insights of the disaster with an AIT audience at a multimedia seminar titled “Lessons from the Recent Catastrophic Earthquake and Tsunami in East Japan” on 1 June 2011.

PEOPLE

Recognition

Ms. Binda Pandey
Ms. Binda Pandey

AIT alumna Ms. Binda Pandey has been elected as Deputy Member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations specialized agency. Her election took place at the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference held from 1-17 June 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. She graduated from AIT's Gender and Development Studies (GDS) in 2002.

Farewell

Dr. Paul Janecek
Dr. Paul Janecek

Dr. Paul Janecek, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Information Management (CSIM) Field of Study at AIT’s School of Engineering and Technology (SET) has left AIT effective from 30 June 2011. Dr. Janecek joined AIT in January 2005.

Ms. Ann V. LopezFontanilla
Ms. Ann V. LopezFontanilla

Ms. Ann V. Lopez-Fontanilla, Head Students, has left AIT effective from 30 June 2011. She joined AIT in May 1994.

International Bachelor-Master Degree program in engineering with RSU

From left to right: Prof. Said Irandoust, H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag and
From left to right: Prof. Said Irandoust, H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag and Prof. Arthit Urairat, President, RSU.

AIT and Rangsit University (RSU) have joined forces to offer a new Unified International BachelorMaster Degree program in engineering that enables students in Thailand to earn both an undergraduate and graduate degree in five years.

The English-only Unified Program allows students to earn a Bachelor’s in engineering from RSU, and then further their graduate-level engineering studies at AIT. RSU will initially offer a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computing Engineering. The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA)
between AIT and RSU was signed on 2 June 2011.

Unified Bachelor-Master program launched in India

AIT delegation at the SHIATS Campus.
AIT delegation at the SHIATS Campus.

A Unified Bachelor-Master-Program (UBMP) in the Agribusiness Management (ABM) was formally launched on 13 June 2011 at the Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHIATS), Allahabad, India. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Prof. S. B. Lal, Pro Vice Chancellor, SHIATS, and Dr.
Weerakorn Ongsakul, Dean, AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD).

Students spend their first four years at SHIATS, and they move to AIT in the fifth year to complete the Master’s program. The Bachelor’s degree will be awarded by SHIATS and the Master’s degree will be awarded by AIT.

AIT and NEF-CCN Colleges to offer joint educational programs

AIT delegation with the President of Nepal,
AIT delegation with the President of Nepal, Rt. Honorable Dr. Ram Baran Yadav.

AIT and Nepal Education Foundation – Consortium of Colleges, Nepal (NEF-CCN) will jointly offer a two-stage Master’s Programs in Business Administration, Energy Business Management, and in Energy and Environment, as well as two-stage Bachelor Programs in ICT, and Civil and Infrastructure Engineering.

This follows the signing of three Memorandums of Agreement (MoAs) by Prof Said Irandoust, President, AIT and Prof. Sriram Bhagut Mathe, Chairperson of NEF-CCN on 15 June 2011 at a function organized in Kathmandu, Nepal. The first year of the two-year Master’s programs and the first two years of the undergraduate programs will be offered in Nepal; while the second year of the Master’s programs and the third and fourth years of the undergraduate programs will be offered at AIT, Thailand.

AIT wins Bangkok Cricket League

The victorious
The victorious AIT cricket team and Prof. Joydeep Dutta.

The AIT cricket team won the Bangkok Cricket League season 2010-11 (A1 division) after a gap of four years.  The AIT team defeated the Bangkok 11 Cricket Club with a margin of 21 runs. Mr. Syed Faisal Bukhari, a doctoral student at Computer Science and Information Management (CSIM) was declared Man of the Match. According
to Mr. Hadi Hassan Khan, captain of the AIT Cricket Team, the team is unique as it has players from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh forget their subcontinental rivalries and
play as a cohesive AIT team.

News You Can Use

The death of email?

A recent article in the Economic Times termed it the midlife crisis of email. Email is 40 years old and as email usage starts declining, many are predicting the death of email.

“In its 40-year-tenure as a form of communication, email has run its course from the domain of nerdy geeks to one of the most common ways to keep in touch,” says the Economic Times- http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-06-21/news/29683562_1_email-service-yahoo-mail-tim-berners-lee

Other reports on email however do not talk about a midlife crisis, but about the death of email. Slate wrote about it in 2007
(http://www.slate.com/id/2177969), while Wired debated in 2009 where email was dying or here to stay
(http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/wired-o-nomics-is-e-mail-dead-dying-or-here-tostay/).

For more reading you can also check the Wall Street Journal article on “Why email does not rule.”(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html) or the 2009 prediction of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg at
this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm8NdNy4wOM

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Credits

Editor: Bajinder Pal Singh  bajinder@ait.asia
Photos: Paitoon Tinnapong
Feedback: Contact Media and Communications Unit at AIT mcu@ait.asia