AIT holds landmark 125th Graduation

Our relationship with AIT is very precious: Ambassador of France

AIT expands its China partnership focusing on high speed railways, faculty exchange and scholarships

AIT Joins 35 Organizations to Drive Food Innopolis

AIT President at UN DPI Conference

AIT unveils four innovative environment friendly sanitation products that Reinvent the Toilet

AIT takes the lead in organizing Collaboration for Innovation event

Photo Gallery from AIT’s 125th Graduation: 19 May 2016

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2015 AIT Teaching Awards announced

Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapong promoted

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AIT holds landmark 125th Graduation

As four-hundred and eighty-one students from 27 countries graduated to join the 22,000-strong alumni body, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) crossed a significant milestone by holding its 125th Graduation Ceremony on 19 May 2016. AIT’s Quasquicentennial Graduation also crossed another landmark that day, with Benin becoming  the 101st country from where AIT graduates hail.

The day’s graduates came from Asia, Africa and Europe, with Sri Lanka graduating the largest number of students (100), followed by Thailand (77), Myanmar and Vietnam (58 each), and India and Nepal (47 each).

The Graduation Address was delivered by Dr. Doulaye Koné, Deputy Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and H.E. Mr. Jesús Miguel Sanz, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union in Thailand. The Prominent Alumni message was delivered by Dr. Tong Ki Woo, Governor of Education, Daegu Metropolitan City, Korea, and Dr. Suleeporn Choopavang, Director of Foreign Affairs Department, Office of the Chaipattana Foundation.

Our relationship with AIT is very precious, says Ambassador of France

From left: H.E. Mr. Gilles Garachon, Mr. Stéphane Roy, Mr. Pierre Colliot and Ms. Alexandra Barnoux.

Our relationship with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) is very precious, and I wish to express my willingness to develop it further.” Stating that AIT was doing an “amazing job, the Ambassador of France to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Gilles Garachon said that he wished to assure AIT of cooperation from the French Government. Welcoming the Ambassador, AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Institute. The Ambassador was accompanied by Mr. Stéphane Roy, Attaché for Scientific and Higher Education Cooperation, Mr. Pierre Colliot, Counsellor (Cultural Cooperation), and Ms. Alexandra Barnoux. The Ambassador also presented a copy of a publication titled “La Résidence de France à Bangkok” to the AIT President.

AIT expands its China partnership focusing on high speed railways, faculty exchange and scholarships

AIT signs agreements with Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), China Scholarship Council (CSC); and Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU).

AIT has expanded its relationship with universities and research institutes with China with the signing of three agreements aimed at doctoral scholarships for Chinese students, faculty secondment from top universities in China, and offering professional programs for high speed railways.

Led by AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukuchai, AIT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) each with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and the China Scholarship Council (CSC); and renewed its agreement with Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU). The agreement with BIT, which was signed on 6 May 2016 by Prof. Worsak and Prof. Zhang Wei, BIT’s Chairman of the University Council, seeks to facilitate student exchange, secondment of young faculty members from BIT to

AIT, and a combined International Summer Camp for undergraduate students. The MoU with the China Scholarship Council, signed on 7 May 2016 between Prof. Worsak and Dr. Liu Jinghui, Secretary- General of CSC provides for 10 annual doctoral scholarships for Chinese students to study at AIT; while the agreement with BJIT could lead to the development of partnership on transportation and high speed railways/

AIT Joins 35 Organizations to Drive Food Innopolis

FoodInnoPolis MoU signing ceremony at the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Bangkok.

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Thailand, accelerated its ‘Food Innopolis’ by inviting nine public organizations, 13 companies, 12 leading universities and one association to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand Food Innopolis to regional locations.

On 27 May 2016, MOST signed the MoU with 13 leading Thai food companies, nine public organizations, and 12 research universities together with Thailand Management Association (TMA) at the Food Innopolis Program Management Office located within the Ministry in Bangkok. The MoU signing was chaired by and witnessed by Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak. AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai signed the MoU for the Asian Institute of Technology.

The nine public organizations are National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Department of Science Services, Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, National Innovation Agency, National Institute of Metrology (Thailand), Geo-Informatics an  Space Technology Development Agency (Public Organization), Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology by the Science Park Promotion Agency, and the National Food Institute of the Ministry of Industry. The other 11 signatory universities include Kasetsart University, Chulalongkorn University,

Mahidol University, King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi, Chiang Mai University, Khon Kaen University, Prince of Songkla University, King Mongkut University Institute of Technology Lad Krabang, Thammasat University, Bangkok University and Maejo University, which represent all regions of Thailand.

AIT President at UN DPI Conference

AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai participated in the 66th United Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI) /NGO Conference at Gyeongju, Korea where he delivered a keynote address on “Education for Global Citizenship: A Sustainable Solution for Mankind.”

The Conference, which was inaugurated by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 30 May 2016 is focused on the theme “Education for Global Citizenship:  Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Together”. This is the fifth time that the DPI/NGO Conference is taking place outside United Nations Headquarters in New York. 

AIT unveils four innovative environment friendly sanitation products that Reinvent the Toilet

Dr. Thammarat Koottatep and Dr. Doulay Koné  at the Press Conference.

A sanitation truck that cleans all sludge, a cyclone toilet that uses gravity for cleaning, a pit that treats sludge before discharging it to the environment, and a solar toilet were the four innovative products unveiled by AIT IN Bangkok on 26 May 2016. These four technology products are the result of a five-year project titled “Reinventing the Toilet” that was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Announcing their official launch, AIT experts said these sanitation products would help Thailand take the lead in improving the quality of life in both Asia and Africa, where they will be implemented. Dr. Thammarat Koottatep, the Principal Investigator of the project said: “The idea is to have an on-site treatment that is decentralized so that we can avoid transportation of fecal matter over long distances.” Dr. Thammarat said that these products will help establish Thailand as a leader in water and sanitation technologies in the entire ASEAN region and beyond.

Dr. Doulay Koné, Deputy Director, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation remarked: “AIT has done an excellent job, and now that the technology is ready, we are eagerly looking forward towards its implementation in both Asia and Africa.”

AIT takes the lead in organizing Collaboration for Innovation event

Delegates of the Collaboration for Innovation event at AIT.

Innovation and collaboration was the central theme of the two-day event titled “Collaboration for Innovation” organized at AIT on 12-13 May 2016. Organized by AIT Solutions, the event was an AIT endeavor to create a bridge between industry, private sector and business with the academia.

Delivering the inaugural keynote address, Mr. Martin Hart-Hansen, Deputy Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recalled the AIT training course on project management, monitoring and evaluation that he had attended 14 years ago. Martin stated that partnerships with academic institutions like AIT are an opportunity that UNDP would like to explore.

Prominent speakers on the occasion included Ms. Ubonwan Suebyubol, Acting Governor, National Housing Authority, Thailand (NHA); Ms. Jintana Khumprakob of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank), Ms. Sopitta Chotechauang, Assistant Vice President, BETAGRO; Dr. Verapong Chaiperm,  Governor, Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (I-EA-T); Dr. Somchet Tinnapong, Chairman of Executive Board of the National Innovation Authority, and Chairman, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency; Dr. Songphon Munkongsujarit, Senior Consultant, Innovation and Technology Assistance Program (ITAP); Mr. Madhu Avalur, Founder and CEO, Angaros; Dr. Paul Janecek; CEO, Think Blue Data, and Dr. Siddarth Jabade , Dean, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, India.

Photogallery from 125th Graduation

Dr. Suleeporn Choopavang

Dr. Tong Ki Woo

H.E. Mr. Jesús Miguel Sanz

Dr. Doulaye Koné

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2015 AIT Teaching Awards announced

Dr. Avishek Datta

Dr. Masahiko Nagai

Dr. Avishek Datta and Dr. Masahiko Nagai have been selected for the 2015 AIT Teaching Award. While Dr. Datta belongs to Agricultural Systems Engineering of School of Environment, Resources and Development, Dr. Masahiko Nagai belongs to Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems of School of Engineering and Technology (SET). Dr. Datta has been selected in the category of 15 or less students, while Dr. Nagai has been selected in the category of over 15 students. The announcement of the award was made by AIT’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Sivanappan Kumar.

Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapong promoted

Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapon

Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapon has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and Technology (SET). This follows the recommendations of the Faculty Evaluation Panel (FEP) and the SET Promotions Committee.

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Student  magazine celebrates diversity and harmony

The newly launched magazine of the AIT Students’ Union titled “In Harmony” celebrates the diversity of the institute and touches issues related to life in campus which at the same time positioning AIT as a global microcosm. Released prior to AIT’s 125th Graduation, the magazine explores life in AIT as well as the countries of origin of many AIT students.

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Credits

Editor: Bajinder Pal Singh bajinder@ait.asia

Photos: Paitoon Tinnapong

Contact: Media and Communications Unit at AIT mcu@ait.asia