Executive Committee Meeting 22 April 2011 Paper 1.5
Report of the President
(Period covering January to March 2011)
The last report covering the October to December 2010 period was presented at the 19 January 2011 meeting of the Executive Committee and 20 January 2011 Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Report of AIT President
Period Covering January 2011 – March 2011
Contents
Executive Summary 2-6
1. Highlights of Initiatives and Activities 7-39
1.1 Promotional Trips 7-11 1.2 Key Partnerships and New Initiatives 11-22 1.3 Some of the Key Events 22-33 1.4 Recognition of AIT Faculty, Staff, Students and Alumni 33-35 1.5 Other News 35-39
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Executive Summary
This report provides a synthesis of some of the activities and initiatives undertaken by the Institute during the January 2011–March 2011 period. The last report covering the October 2010–December 2010 period was presented at the 19 January 2011 meeting of the Executive Committee and 20 January 2011 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Highlights of some of the activities and initiatives taken during the current reporting period are provided below, although this is not an exhaustive list.
I have also tried through my weekly letters to keep members of the AIT community and other stakeholders abreast of what we are doing at AIT. More detailed reporting on the Institute‟s activities are also provided in the reports of the Vice Presidents, School Deans, Directors of AIT Extension, AIT Vietnam and AIT Indonesia.
. Natural Disasters and AIT’s Response: AIT was deeply saddened and shocked by the many lives lost and the widespread damage caused by Japan's most powerful earthquake in recorded history and subsequent tsunami that struck north-east Japan. AIT is playing a critical role in helping recovery efforts in Japan with the Cabinet Office of Japan having activated the International Charter and appointing Dr. Masahiko Nagai who has been seconded to AIT by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as Project Manager. The Telecoms Sans Frontières (TSF) whose regional base is housed at AIT also deployed a team to Japan to assess the needs in telecommunications and provide emergency aid to the local population and the emergency workers following the events in Japan.
The subsequent earthquake which struck Myanmar and devastating floods and landslides in the south of Thailand, all serve as a notice as to how vulnerable we are in the face of nature, and highlights the need to for institutions to join hands in sharing the expertise and resources in making communities and regions more resilient and better prepared for natural disasters. In this context AIT‟s new program on disaster preparedness, mitigation and management is a timely undertaking which has been launched in collaboration with several institutional partners. The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) which is also housed at AIT is a strategic partner in the new program.
. Proposed New Management and Administrative Model and AIT Satellite Campuses: An Executive Committee Working Group is currently overseeing the implementation of the proposed new management and administrative model which will be instrumental for transforming AIT into a sustainable, progressive and agile organization actively responding to the needs of countries and regions in Asia and also a prerequisite for the successful implementation of the new “satellite model”. Progress on the new management and administrative model and piloting of the AIT satellite campuses in Vietnam, Nepal and Sri Lanka are reported in more detail under separate agenda items.
. New AIT Charter: The Republic of Indonesia signed the new AIT Charter on 20 January 2011 and becomes the fourteenth signatory. In addition, Germany, and Bhutan have subsequently confirmed to sign the AIT new Charter with others processing but confirmed to join namely, China, Vietnam, France and Laos. There is interest and ongoing discussion with new prospects such as USA, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Israel, Russia, Ethiopia and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) among others.
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. Year 2010 Financial Results: AIT‟s net operating results for 2010 was in deficit of 33.15 million Baht compared to a net surplus of 78.69 million Baht in 2009. Nevertheless, this planned or budgeted deficit result was anticipated and better than the approved 57.79 million Baht in planned or budgeted deficit. Here, it is important to note that the above net operating result for 2010 which was in deficit of 33.15 million Baht includes the costs of strategic investments that were made over the year, and this deficit would have been about 8 million Baht less, if not accounting for the strategic investments. Full details on the year 2010 financial results and 2011 update are reported in more detail in the papers under the “Finance and Audit” agenda items.
. Partnerships and Some Key Initiatives: The University of Borås (Sweden) started their campus Bangkok at AIT and we welcomed the first batch of 18 students from the International Business Engineering Programme (IBE). The students are spending their fourth semester at AIT and the goal is to have 100 to 150 students at AIT annually within the next few years.
The UNESCO Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE) is looking into the possibilities to establish „mirror sites‟ of its institute on each continent which is quite similar to our satellite campus concept and AIT is exploring a possible strategic tie-up. AIT is also partnering with UNESCO and GIZ in a joint project proposal on “Cross- Sector Assessment of Higher Education Needs in the Public Sector of Timor-Leste”.
AIT is exploring with the Government of Aceh, Indonesia the provision of higher education opportunities for their professional staff and faculty members from the Shiah Kuala University in order to help in the development of human resources necessary for achieving their long-term sustainable development, with funding by the Government of Aceh, with a total of 100 master‟s and doctoral students expected to be trained at AIT over the next 5 years.
Capacity building opportunities were also discussed with the Bank of Bhutan who have introduced 60 master‟s scholarships over the next 10 year for their employees and also support for short term training for their senior level management.
The Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand has funded for the first time, 8 master‟s candidates to study at AIT, i.e. 3 from Lao PRD and 5 from Myanmar.
The International Executive MBA in Energy Management Program in Vietnam was able to secure funding for another two years.
Partnership agreements were signed with the Pukyong National University, Korea; the Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHIATS), Allahabad, India; Jamia Millia Islamia, Central University, India; Hydro Lab Pvt. Ltd., Nepal; Asian Aquaculture Network (AAN); Busitema University (BU), Uganda; Graduate School of Engineering of the Hokkaido University (HU); Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU); and Myanmar Egress;
The Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD)-Intersessional Conference on Building Partnerships for Moving towards Zero Waste, held in Japan, has requested AIT to host the Secretariat of the International partnership for Expanding Waste Management Services of Local Authorities (IPLA). This meeting was represented by 50 countries, and 3 | P a g e
attended by 200 participants mainly representing local and national governments, and public waste utilities.
An “Asian Water Research and Education Center (AWARE)” has been launched at AIT. The aim of AWARE is to collaborate in undertaking capacity building, research and outreach activities related to water by becoming an institutional home for spreading knowledge of sustainable water management; increasing awareness of planners and policy-makers about challenges and opportunities for sustainable water management; developing and demonstrating innovative forward-looking management and technology solutions; and collaborating and sharing knowledge, information, experience, and expertise with regional and international institutions.
. Some of the Key Events: Events which I participated in over the reporting period include the new Student Orientation in January 2011; training programme led by at AIT on “Bilan Carbone Methodology and tool for calculating GHG emissions” organized by the project “Action towards Resource-efficient and Low Carbon Cities in Asia” funded by ADEME; inauguration of the AIT Consulting Office held in conjunction with the Board of Trustees meeting; Institute-Level Advisory Board (ILAB) Meeting; opening of the “Second Regional Capacity Building Workshop-Asia on Barrier Analysis, Enabling Environment and Development of Technology Actions Plans”; Chinese New Year 2011 celebrations organized by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand; GIZ, “Sector Network on Natural Resources and Rural Development Asia” Meeting; presentation ceremony of the remaining academic collection of the late Professor Wen-Jei Yang to the AIT Library by his family; International Women‟s Day celebrations held at AIT and also the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand; School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD) Board Meeting; ASEAN Affairs organized 'Save Our Planet' Conference‟ in Bangkok; AIT Career Fair 2011; silver jubilee celebrations of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC); New Faculty Orientation; and the Student Union Organized “Plantation Event” and “Mini Olympics”.
. Official Travels: During the reporting period I travelled to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China. My visit to Bangladesh was to take part in the Convocation Ceremony of Eastern University while my mission to Sri Lanka was to follow-up on our AIT-Sri Lanka satellite campus plans. In China AIT inaugurated a new office in Shanghai, a first of its kind in the People‟s Republic of China.
. Highlights of Visits by Partners to AIT: Some of the important visits to AIT include that of the Executive Director, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); Kyushu University; National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South, Switzerland; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF); the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development, Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD), Ministry of Agriculture Indonesia; GIZ / Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Timor-Leste; Her Excellency Ms. Katja Christina Nordgaard, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar; Chief Secretary, Government of Nepal; President of the AITAA Japan Chapter; Director-General of The Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA); AIT Alumni and Vice President, Collaboration Product Development, Oracle Corporation; and the new ADB Country Director, Thailand Resident Mission;
. News on Research: AIT stood out in the Research Rating from Thailand Research Fund (TRF) and among the 12 participating clusters from AIT, 5 AIT Clusters received the top rating of 5; 6 AIT Clusters received the second highest rating of 4 and 1 AIT Cluster 4 | P a g e
received the rating 3. TRF has agreed to award 5 doctoral scholarships for the 5 clusters that received the top rating of 5, namely the prestigious Golden Jubilee Royal Scholarships that covers a 3 years study for doctoral students.
An AIT Research Forum was held to present to members of the AIT community, the draft AIT Research Strategy (2011-2015). The AIT Research Strategy intends to streamline research activities and through that further improve the quality of research, institutionalize research management practices, assist in better communication with potential research funding agencies by highlighting core strengths and research competencies, and, increase research visibility through better and informed dissemination by focusing on research results and application of research to solve real-life problems. Under the broad umbrella of Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change (SDCC), the strategy combines four strategic components, namely, Research Focus, Research Quality, Research Collaboration and Research Resource Mobilization to generate the necessary results. The overall objective of the research strategy is to significantly increase, by 2015, AIT‟s contribution towards sustainable development of Asia and beyond through research in relation to climate change.
. Academic and Student Affairs: The Center of Learning Innovation and Quality (CLIQ) is conducting a QA survey along with the statistical review, as well as new format for student course evaluation, and setting up of a comprehensive, student-faculty- administration interactive intranet system.
A newly-installed Application Tracking System, developed by Netlink will enable AIT faculty and staff members as well as applicants to track the status of individual applications at each stage of the internal review process.
Thirty five companies participated in the AIT Career Fair, and the participation from the corporate sector was boosted by the Career Center‟s networking with the different Chambers of Commerce with six companies joining through the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, three from the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce and one from the Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce.
A new AIT Student Union Team has been formed under the leadership of Mr. Lawal Umar Kankia, as the President. Much needed renovation and refurbishment work has taken place in several of the student accommodation units as well as facilities such as the gym and fitness center, tennis courts, squash courts etc. Basic and much needed renovation and refurbishment work has also started in several of the other areas and facilities on campus.
. Update of Friends-of-AIT Foundation: After the soft launching of the AIT Fundraising Campaign during the AIT Day 2010 last September which was presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the registration of the Friends-of-AIT Foundation has been in progress in full collaboration with AIT Alumni Association and key senior alumni. A Master Concept for the 7-Year Fundraising Campaign has been drafted and the full-fledged campaign will be launched after the Friends-of-AIT Foundation has been registered.
. Recognition by Faculty, Students, Staff and Alumni: AIT faculty, students, staff, and alumni continue to receive prestigious awards and recognitions.
. Emeritus Professorship: Two of our very senior and distinguished colleagues Professor 5 | P a g e
Mario T. Tabucanon and Professor Ram Manohar Shrestha were bestowed with the Emeritus Professor title. The Emeritus Professor award was made in recognition of the continuous distinguished service at AIT, as well as the outstanding international professional status and significant academic contributions to the Institute through teaching, publications and professional work by Professor Tabucanon and Professor Shrestha. The formal conferment of the Professor Emeritus award will be made during the May 2011 graduation ceremony.
The year 2011 marks the Institute‟s 52nd year and while wary of the challenges that lie ahead AIT looks ahead with great optimism as an institution that is innovative and one that is transforming and adapting itself to the times. Our gratitude and sincere appreciation to members of the AIT Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Boards of the Schools and AIT Extension, Institute-level Advisory Board, AIT community, alumni and all our partners, for their continued support and confidence in the mission of AIT.
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1. Highlights of Initiatives and Activities
1.1 Promotional Trips
. Dhaka Bangladesh: I travelled to Bangladesh from 15-17th January 2011, and through the kind courtesy and arrangements made by AIT trustee H.E. Mr. Kazi Imtiaz Hossain, Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh to Thailand, had an audience with Her Excellency Hon. Dr. Dipu Moni Foreign Minister of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh on 15th January. I took the opportunity to inform the Foreign Minister on the progress of the new AIT Charter and was informed that once the Government of Bangladesh receives the certified copy of the AIT Charter they will speed up the ratification process from the Bangladesh Cabinet in order to ensure that Bangladesh would be among the first 5 countries to ratify the AIT new Charter.
I paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Mustafa Kamal, former Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand and former AIT Board of Trustee and AIT Executive Committee member, who is presently the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Bangladesh.
An alumni dinner-meeting-cum-presentation was arranged by Mr. S. M. H. Bokhari, the AITAA Bangladesh Chapter President, which was attended by over 50 alumni, as well as H.E. Shahed Akhtar, Former Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand and AIT Board of Trustee Member. Vice Chancellors of leading private Universities were also invited and attended the dinner. Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe, Director Fundraising, who also accompanied me, gave an updated presentation on the AIT Endowment Fund Campaign which was well received by the audience and further pledges from our Bangladesh alumni are imminent. I also took the opportunity to address the audience and informed them of AIT new initiatives and the Satellite Campus model, and there was strong support from alumni for AIT to consider a satellite campus in Bangladesh.
On 16th January I attended the 2nd Convocation Ceremony of Eastern University where I was invited by Prof Dr. A. K. M. Saiful Majid, Vice Chancellor Eastern University to deliver the convocation address. The Chief Guest at the Convocation was the Chancellor of Eastern University, His Excellency Mr. Md. Zillur Rahman, Honorable President of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, whom I had the honor to meet also. I addressed 668 graduands on that day and also informed the audience on the AIT-Bangladesh Corporation which we have enjoyed for several years. Given the high profile Convocation ceremony the ceremony including my speech was telecasted live on all major Television channels in Bangladesh, and by all leading newspapers both in English and in local newspapers. Also the day before the Convocation, on 15th January the leading English paper “The Daily Star” had a full page article on the convocation and also carried my message.
The Vice Chancellor Eastern University hosted a lunch for us which was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Eastern University, Members of the Board including Mr. K. Mesbah Uddin Ahmed member of Board of Governors and AIT Alumni.
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The Vice Chancellor of Eastern University also arranged a meeting for the AIT delegation with Prof A.A.M.S. Arefin Siddique, Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka. This university is the premier and rated the best national university in Bangladesh with a history and tradition dating back over 90 years. The Vice Chancellor is interested in having initially a general MOU with AIT and welcomed AIT suggestions of the different modalities that both institutions could partner.
I also paid a visit to BRAC University, one of the top leading private universities in Bangladesh and met with Prof. Dr. Ainun Nishat, Vice Chancellor along with senior staff and faculty members. AIT has an MOU with BRAC University and the Vice Chancellor suggested that this should be reviewed and focus on some key activities which can be jointly implemented soon.
We also paid a courtesy call on Noble Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus who is the Founder and Managing Director of Grameen Bank. I took the opportunity to brief Prof Yunus on the Yunus Center in AIT and he was keen to see this Center having more social business networking activities and training programs in the topics of interest to the region and the center.
We were invited to attend the gala graduation dinner of Eastern University during which I had an opportunity to interact with some of the graduands. On 17th January I was invited by Prof. Akbaruddin Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, Darul Ihsan University (DIU), as the Guest of Honor to give a speech on the opening of the seminar on “Alternative Energy Supply for Future Sustainability” The Chief Guest at the opening ceremony was the Honorable Mr. Muhammad Enamul Huq, MP, the State Minister, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. I was able to have a separate discussion with the Hon. State Minister and explained about AIT‟s new initiatives and proposed further activities in Bangladesh. DIU was established in 1989 under the DIU Trust and is the first private university in Bangladesh. At the opening ceremony I also signed an MOU with DIU, which was witnessed by the Hon. State Minister and covered by the local press and media.
. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Upon the invitation of the Sri Lankan Government I together with Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe, Director Fundraising and Head AIT-Sri Lanka Satellite Campus Task Force were in Colombo to have further discussions on the proposed AIT Campus which is to be located in the southern city of Hambantota.
We travelled to Hambantota and met with Hon. Namal Rajapaksa M.P. and Minister for Southern Development. (Hon. Namal is the son of H.E. President of Sri Lanka) and he briefed us on the upcoming developments in the area, and also the construction of the Athletes Village for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The proposed University establishments will also come within this same area, so that the AIT Campus could utilize the accommodation, sports facilities etc.
We also met with Hon. S.B. Dissanayake, Minister of Higher Education, who stated that this is a very timely initiative and that all assistance will be provided by his Ministry in facilitating the accreditation, university status etc. The 8 | P a g e
Minister was also open to the suggestion and encouraged that AIT should consider in the future opening an AIT City office in Colombo that can act as an intermediary during the construction of the campus by the potential investor in Hambantota. The AIT Colombo office could also offer executive short term training programs on site for the private sector, and government institutes, and by having an AIT Office in Colombo it would generate a presence and also help promote the Institute to prospective students the fully fledge residential campus coming up in Hambantota.
Also attending the meeting were Dr. Sunil Nawaratne, Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Mt. Nilrusha Pieris, Coordinating Secretary to The Hon. Deputy Minister of External Affairs and Mr. Sunimal Weerasooriya, Vice President AIT Alumni Association Sri Lanka Chapter, CEO Clear Lanka Pvt, Ltd, and member of the AIT-Sri Lanka Satellite Campus Task Force.
We also met with Ms. Pauline Matthias, Executive Director (Finance), and Head PPP unit of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. We requested Ms. Matthias to let us know of any foreign investors that might approach BOI to consider investing in an educational project. We also received from Ms. Matthias a copy of a detailed document on a market survey on the “Demand for Higher Education in Sri Lanka” which will be useful for AIT and especially when we have discussions with the potential investors. We also made a courtesy call on the Chairman of the Board of Investment.
A meeting was held with Mr. Amitha Lal Gooneratne, CEO/MD Commercial Bank, and Advisor to the AIT-Sri Lanka Satellite Campus Task force. Mr. Amitha offered to discuss with the IFC Resident Representative in Colombo, since IFC is one of the major shareholders of Commercial Bank, and let us know the possibility of IFC coming in as a potential investor.
We also met with Archt. Harshan de Silva, Chairman Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation, who gave us a detailed overview of the concept behind the development of Hambantota as a design city similar to Putra Jaya in Malaysia, and the main reasons as to why the development will take place in this region. An Athletes Village with 10,000 room accommodation, state of the art sports facilities, etc will be built in this zone for the Common Wealth Games in 2018, which Sri Lanka is contesting with Australia to secure the vote to host. Archt. Harshan informed us that the entire infrastructure will be fully in place by 2015, and hence he for sees that the first batch of AIT students could be enrolled in Hambantota by mid 2014. Accommodation and other facilities of the Athletes Village can be utilized by the AIT campus, hence only the academic buildings and perhaps faculty housing will need to be constructed by the investor/s. Archt. Harshan mentioned that in the University zone up to 100 acres of land AIT can formally request from the Government.
We had a meeting with Hon. Mr. Neomal Perera, Deputy Minister of External Affairs, and I thanked him for his initiative in discussing with the Hon. Thai Foreign Minister in Yangon recently regarding the possible interest of the Thai Government coming in as an investor to the AIT campus in Sri Lanka. Hon. Neomal instructed his coordinating secretary to follow up with his Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in ensuring sure that the AIT Charter document is sent to the legal department of the foreign ministry for their 9 | P a g e
comments after which it will be tabled in the cabinet for endorsement. We are hopeful that soon Sri Lanka will be able to ratify soon.
. China: AIT inaugurated a new office in Shanghai, a first of its kind in the People‟s Republic of China on 24 February 2011. The formal ribbon cutting ceremony to inaugurate the AIT China office was jointly performed by H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Ms. Yang Xinyu, Member, Board of Trustees, AIT and Deputy Secretary-General, China Scholarship Council (CSC), Ministry of Education, People‟s Republic of China (PRC); and myself.
The AIT China Office has been established by AIT in collaboration with YueHan (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd. The AIT China Office will increase the visibility of AIT in China and will help in student recruitment, joint ventures and offering short courses. The AIT China Office in Shanghai could be the first step in the opening of an AIT Center in China. More than 700 Chinese students have graduated from AIT since 1984 and it is our belief that successful operations in China require local presence and competence, and the AIT China Office will channel AIT‟s strengths to serve China‟s national goals of human capital development and sustainable green economic growth.
In his remarks at the event H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag said the AIT China office not only reaffirms the institute‟s long-standing relationship with China, but also signifies the beginning of a new era based on “an ardent desire for a bright future of linkages in higher education between China and Thailand, and other countries in the region.” He added that “apart from establishing a physical presence in Shanghai, AIT will expand its collaboration with its Chinese partners and intensify its human resource development and capacity building service”.
Ms. Yang Xinyu, while welcoming the opening of AIT China Office said this would strengthen AIT‟s relations with China. Prof. Zhou Nanzhao, President of UNESCO Asia-Pacific Network of International Education and Value Education (APNIEVE) and President of Chinese Council of Private Higher Education spoke on “Enhanced AIT-China cooperation as a win-win strategy in building on Asia‟s power in higher education and inclusive sustainable development.” Prof. Ren Youqun, Vice President of East China Normal University and Vice President and General Secretary of APNIEVE-China talked about the opportunities in China in the field of higher education and capacity building. Mr. Johan Wikander, AIT Representative in China, informed about the future plans of the AIT China Office. Dr. Jonathan Shaw, Director, AIT Extension said that the 20 year long partnership between AIT and the Ministry of Education, PRC has been central to the cooperation between AIT and PRC in general.
In another agreement signed to coincide with the opening of the AIT China Office, CSC announced that it will offer 40 scholarships to Chinese students to pursue Master‟s and doctoral studies at AIT. The scholarship will include tuition fee, registration fee and research fee, living stipend, visa fee and return airfare. The CSC scholarship program shall run for four years. The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed by Ms. Yang Xinyu and me.
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Dignitaries present on the occasion included Mr. Piroon Laismit, Consul General of Thailand in Shanghai; Mr. Bjørn O. Blokhus, Consul General of Norway in Shanghai; Mr. Zafar Hasan, Consul General of Pakistan in Shanghai; and Mr. Bengt Johansson, Consul General of Sweden in Shanghai.
In addition to H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag, myself, Mr. Wikander, and Dr. Shaw, the AIT delegation also comprised of Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul, Dean, School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD); Dr. Pritam Krishna Shrestha, Head, External Relations and Communications Office (ERCO); and Ms. Hui Qu Janson, Deputy AIT Representative in China.
Additional meetings were also held with the Tianjin Hi-Tech Development Co. Ltd. and the Beijing Jiaotong University in conjunction with the opening of the AIT China Office.:
1.2 Key Partnerships / New Initiatives
. Republic of Indonesia becomes 14th signatory of the new AIT Charter: The Republic of Indonesia has become the fourteenth signatory of the new AIT Charter. On 20 January 2011 AIT Trustee H.E. Mr. Mohammad Hatta, Ambassador of Indonesia to Thailand, signed the new AIT Charter, at a ceremony organized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Thai Government.Indonesia now joins 12 countries and one international organization in signing the AIT Charter. Further details on the signing ceremony is available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/republic-of-indonesia-becomes- 14th-signatory-of-new-ait-charter/view
. University of Borås (Sweden) starts campus Bangkok, AIT: AIT has now welcomed 18 students from University of Borås, Sweden from the International Business Engineering Programme (IBE). The students are spending their fourth semester at AIT. Faculty from the University of Borås will teach their own as well as AIT students. AIT faculty will also teach the Borås students. During this semester the University of Borås will have staff and faculty permanently at AIT. The goal is to have 100-150 students at AIT annually within the next few years.
I welcomed the students and staff at an informal get-together which was organized on 5 January. This is a very exciting concept and it is extra special the first year, to receive the first students. Furthermore we now know that we have succeeded and I hope all will have a good time with us. We hope all will take the opportunity to discover Thailand and the region as they are here.
According to Dr. Roy Anderson, Programme Director and Head of Industrial Engineering Department, University of Borås it is two and a half years since AIT and the University of Boras started this collaboration and he noted that “It feels great to see everyone here”. In the evening of 12 January, students, faculty members of Boras, AIT administrators participated in the welcome party at the Park Restaurant which was hosted by Borås.
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. Visit of Prof. Stefan Uhlenbrook, UNESCO-IHE: On 10 January 2011, Prof. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director for Academic Affairs of the UNESCO Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE) visited AIT in and informed us of his recent appointment as the Academic Affairs Director at UNESCO-IHE. He has been working closely with AIT in the past in his capacity as Professor of Hydrology in the Department of Water Engineering. UNESCO-IHE and the Water Engineering Management (WEM) field of study at AIT, has collaborated to establish 3 double degree master‟s programs out of which 2 of have already started and the latest one expected to start in 2011.
Further cooperation is expected with the recently launched „Asian Water Research and Education Center (AWARE)‟ at AIT. Prof. Uhlenbrook mentioned that UNESCO-IHE is looking into the possibilities to establish „mirror sites‟ of its institute on each continent which is quite similar to our satellite campus concept. A call for host countries should be shortly published, partnership in such an initiative would lead to even more synergies between both institutes.
. Meeting on AIT Cooperation with the Government of Timor-Leste: In follow- up to the meeting I had with Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos Horta in January 2009, AIT has organized several missions to Timor-Leste to conduct a needs assessment as well as to meet with senior government officials from key ministries and the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL). A concept paper for a joint project with UNESCO on “Cross-Sector Assessment of Higher Education Needs in the Public Sector of Timor-Leste” has been prepared. AIT needs to identify the core partner and focal point in Timor-Leste as well as to establish a funding framework to sustain the initiatives. AIT has so far received support from the Embassy of Timor-Leste in Bangkok and has been working with the UNESCO Jakarta Office and GTZ in relation to this effort.
. MoU with Pukyong National University, Korea: On 13 January 2011, Prof. Youg-Cheol Suh, Dean, Department of Spatial Information Engineering, Pukyong National University together with his colleagues Prof. Chul-Uong Choi, Prof. Young-Seup Kim, Prof. Kyung-Soo Han, Prof. Hon-Joo Yoon and Prof. Sang- Hoon Bae visited AIT.
An MoU was signed the Pukyong National University, and the activities under this MoU will be faculty and student exchanges, exchange of Information of research education to exchange scholarly publications, academic journals, teaching materials and other general information which may promote the academic welfare, and scientific research of the institutions and joint research project. At first, the above activities will be focusing on Information Systems (GIS), Global navigation satellite system (GNSS), Remote Sensing (RS), location- based service (LBS), and Geospatial Sciences within the RS-GIS Field of Study of the School of Engineering and Technology (SET) of AIT and Specialized Graduate School of Spatial Information Engineering of PKNU. They have also shown interested in double degree program and the transportation field of study.
. Discussions with German-ASEAN Science and Technology Network (GAST): On 24 January 2011, I met with Professor Dr.-Ing. Rolf H. Jansen, Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), German Director. Professor Hansen was interested to discuss with AIT and some other potential partner the selecting of a 12 | P a g e
new focal institute in Thailand for the German- ASEAN Science and Technology Network (GAST).We also discussed about the possibility of establishing a company for R&D as joint venture between AIT and the RWTH Aachen University, where Professor Jansen is also Professor and Chair of the EE&IT Faculty, Electromagnetics, GaN/OLED Technology Lab (ITHE).
The GAST-Network was created in November 2009 between the following academic institutions, namely TGGS in Bangkok, German Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in Singapore and the Swiss German University (SGU) in Jakarta. With the expansion of GAST, it now also includes the Vietnamese German University (VGU) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
The key goals of GAST is networking in the ASEAN region between academic and research institutions having German affiliations or German leadership, particularly in the areas of Engineering Technologies, Natural Sciences and Economics, in order to improve the visibility of the German engagement in science and research in Southeast Asia and to simultaneously provide promotion for Germany as a science location and technology hub.
AIT has offered to host GAST Network Coordination Office at AIT.
. Visit of Chairman of Human Resource, Bandah Aceh: On 25 January 2011, I received Dr. Qismullah Yusuf, Chairman of Human Resources Development Commission, Bureau for Education and Culture, Government of Aceh, Indonesia. We discussed the provision of higher education opportunities for professional staff/faculty members from Government of Aceh and Shiah Kuala University in order to help in the development of human resources necessary for achieving long-term sustainable development of Aceh. Students will be sponsored by Government of Aceh to pursue master‟s or doctoral degree programs at AIT mainly in the areas of, but not limited to, agriculture; horticulture; aquaculture and fisheries; food processing, etc. Total of 100 master‟/doctoral students are expected to be trained in 5 years at AIT. We also discussed the organization of short-term training programs for staff members from Government of Aceh.
. Visit of Dr. Masanori Homma, Executive Director, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to AIT: On Wednesday, 26 January 2011, I welcomed Dr. Masanori Homma, Executive Director, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), accompanied by Mr. Shinichi Mizumoto, Director, JAXA Bangkok Office. I provided them with a background on AIT as a key focal point for teaching, learning research and outreach that contributes to the development of Asia and beyond, as well as updated the delegation about the new AIT Charter that accorded the Institute full-pledged international / intergovernmental organization status, and which would enable AIT to take on a much stronger and proactive regional as well as global role into the future. Thus the regional/global reach of a major partner such as JAXA through AIT would be as a consequence further enhanced. An outline of the proposed funding model of AIT was presented as well as our ambition of establishing satellite campuses in several locations in Asia. I also expressed AIT‟s interest to have Dr. Keiji Tachikawa, President, JAXA as convocation speaker during the May 2011 graduation ceremony.
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Dr. Homma mentioned that JAXA considers AIT to be a very strong partner in terms of space technology related work and would continue its collaboration. He further stated that he had earlier visited AIT three years ago and was very impressed with the institute. He pointed that JAXA association with AIT is not restricted to capacity building and education alone, since AIT‟s contribution extends to substantive issues of sustainable development in the Asia region and beyond.
The delegation later visited Geo Informatics Center (GIC) at AIT where Dr. Lal Samarakoon, Director, GIC presented a summary of JAXA and AIT collaboration for capacity building in the area of remote sensing and related technologies in Asia since 1997, with details on JAXA secondment to RS-GIS since 1999 and to GIC since 2003; MoU, 2003; capacity building through mini projects since 2003; prototype implementation for Space Application for Environment (SAFE), 2009; collaboration for Sentinel Asia, 2009; and AIT representation as the Project Manager in the International Charter.
. Visit of Delegation from Bank of Bhutan: On 28 January 2011, I met with Mr. Karma Tshering, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Tshering Namgyel, Head of Human Resources from Bank of Bhutan (BoB), Bhutan. They have shown keen interest in sending their staff to AIT for various programs offered at AIT that includes training programs and professional degree program to upgrade their knowledge and technical skills in their relevant fields especially in Banking and Finance. Mr. Karma Tshering mentioned that they have introduced 60 Master scholarships Program over the next 10 year for their employees and also support for short term training for their senior level management. During the meeting, we discussed various options to collaborate between two organizations such as in- house training program for BoB staff members, internship opportunity for AIT students at BoB and to BoB staff at AIT, infrastructure development, research project, and organizing seminar at BoB by AIT faculty Members. We agreed to have general Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). I have asked our External Relations and Communication Office to liaison with BoB on this.
. Meeting with Louis Berger Group, Inc.: On 31 January, I met with Mr. Subrata Mazunder, Director South and Central Asia Section of the large environmental company, The Louis Berger Group, Inc. which was also joined by the Vice President Research, Prof. Sudip Rakshit. The Louis Berger Group, Inc. (LBG) is a US-based large multinational, multidisciplinary design, engineering and program management consulting company providing services across the world for last 55 years and have a large network of 140 offices in 80 countries in the world (www.louisberger.com) and has very strong base in Asia for last four decades. LBG belongs to the Berger Group Holdings, one of the largest consulting groups in the world. LBG offers professional services in the areas of environment management, energy including renewable, program management; planning; environmental sciences; cultural resources; civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental and landfill engineering; information services; training and skills transfer; economics; and construction management and support, institutional strengthening and organizational development; technical assistance; urban infrastructure development including solid waste, water supply and sanitation services. Since 1996 LBG has worked extensively in the region in areas like energy efficiency and conservation, climate change and greenhouse gas mitigation, renewable energy, and clean technology in Asia. 14 | P a g e
LBG has already participated jointly with AIT (Dr O Shipin, EEM) in a two major upcoming project proposals for the USAID Regional Mission (RDMA) in Bangkok for Indonesia and the region. Present task of Mr. Mazunder was to join forces with AIT (including Wetland Alliance Partnership and AIT-UNEP-RRC- AP) and partners (Full Advantage Inc. and Community Forestry International, as well as National partners from Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam and Cambodia) for the 9.9 million dollar USAID proposal in the area of climate change. Broader issues on collaboration in the Region, as well as in Afghanistan, Iraq were also discussed.
. Visit of Kyushu University: On 2 February 2011, a delegation from Kyushu University (Kyushu) visited AIT during their promotion trip to promote Kyushu‟s international graduate and undergraduate programs. The delegation included Prof. Hemanta Hazarika, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, and Mr. Santosh Poudel from Office of Promoting International Education. They met the Head of External Relations and Communications Office (Head-ERCO), Dr. Pritam K. Shreshta, and provided a brief introduction on Kyushu University to AIT.
Kyushu has been selected by the Government of Japan as one of the 13 core universities for receiving and educating international students as part of the Government‟s plan to increase the number of the international students in Japan to 300,000 by 2025. The initiative is called “Global 30 Project”. The project started in 2009 and has provided a 5-year grant to the selected universities to spearhead the globalization of higher education in Japan.
During the visit, Prof. Hazarika was invited to be a guest lecturer in Prof. Dennes T. Bergado‟s class at the Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (GTE), SET. Later in the same morning, Prof. Hazarika made a presentation to the interested students about the international graduate program and scholarship opportunities. The event was organized with the help of the Career Center.
. Visitors from Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), Kobe, Japan; ASEAN Secretariat; and Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Ministry of Interior, Thailand: On 2 February, I had visitors from ADRC including Mr. Atsushi Koresawa, Executive Director; Mr. Naoki Yamaguchi and Mr. Makoto Fujieda, Senior Researchers; from ASEAN Mr. Emir Rio Krishna, Technical Officer, Science and Technology Division; and from Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Ministry of Interior, Thailand, Mr. Adthaporn Singhawichai, AIT alumnus and Director, Research and International Cooperation Bureau who were joined by Dr. Lal Samarakoon, Director, Geo Informatics Center (GIC) at AIT. In 2009, AIT had received a project from ADRC for about 400,000 USD to conduct capacity building in ASEAN member countries and this project is expected to be concluded by end of this year. Visitors joined me after successful completion of a two days workshop at AIT participated by disaster management and space technology agencies of ASEAN member countries. Mr. Koresawa was thankful for AIT for the successful implementation of the project funded under ASEAN-Japan Integration Fund, administered by ADRC and implemented by GIC.
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. Meeting with the Coordinator of the NCCR North South, Switzerland: On 3 February, I was introduced to Dr. Thomas Breu, Coordinator of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South and also Deputy Director of the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern in Switzerland.
The NCCR North-South is an innovative research program in the fields of global change and sustainable development with a network of 400 researchers active in more than 40 countries worldwide. It is one of twenty NCCRs established by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The research activities are organized in the following three thematic nodes: Institutions, Livelihoods, Conflicts; Health, Services, Planning; and Natural Resources, Economy, Governance.
Through Dr. Thammarat, AIT has been collaborating with the NCCR North-South Program since 2002. The phase 3 of the project activities is due to be completed in 2013 and has already led to the establishment of the International Graduate School (IGS) North-South, currently training 40 students at the doctoral level. The IGS North-South is dedicated to establishing a Swiss and international research network that advances sustainable development worldwide and mitigates negative impacts of global change and thus has a lot to share with AIT‟s Research strategy toward Sustainable Development in the context of Climate Change. It is based on an inter-university agreement between the universities of Bern (CDE), Basel (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute & Swisspeace), and Zurich (Development Study Group). The core of the Graduate School is a doctoral program (ProDoc) on "Global Change, Innovation and Sustainable Development", carried out by the three universities in the above thematic nodes and where other stakeholders in the South such as AIT could also play a role in the future. In particular we discussed the possibility of student exchanges and sabbatical of Faculty.
I also advised Dr. Breu to get closer to Wetlands Alliance and their Poverty Reduction and Agriculture Management (PRAM) program, which is very relevant to their livelihood research area among others.
. MoU with SHIATS: On 7 Feb 2011, I met with Prof. Rajendra Bihari Lal, Vice Chancellor of Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHIATS), Allahabad, India, and Prof. Mohammad Imtiyaz, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology. We signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)under which various activities will be carried out between two institutes such as short and long term faculty exchange, collaborative academic and research program, exchange of scientific information and organizing joint academic events such as seminars / workshops and conferences.
Further details are available at the below link:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/shiats-pens-agreement-with- ait/view
. AIT-Norwegian Cooperation Program in Vietnam: On Friday, 11 February, I met with Mr. Ragnar Soegaard and Mr. Baard Mikkelsen (former CEO of Statkraft). Mr. Mikkelsen is currently the Executive Chairman of the Board of Clean Energy Invest and Mr. Soegaard the Chief Executive Officer. Mr. 16 | P a g e
Soegaard informed me of the good news that they have secured Norwegian funding for another two years of the IEMBA in Energy Management, and will be having meetings next week in Hanoi with their Vietnamese counterparts EVN, Vinacomin and possibly Petro Vietnam Power.
Mr. Soegaard, former seconded faculty at our School of Management has been instrumental in creating linkages and getting support from the Norwegian hydropower sector for executive education and competence transfer activities in Vietnam with the longer term objectives being cooperation in long term investments in hydroelectric power projects in South East Asia.
. Visit of Delegates from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF): On 11 February 2011, I welcomed delegation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which included Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Director, Water Sanitation and Hygiene and Dr. Doulaye Kone, Senior Program Officer. The purpose of visit was to attend and review the presentation of the proposal by Dr. Thammarat Koottatep from EEM titled “Sustainable Monitoring and Enforcement of Decentralized Sanitation Systems” during 10-11 February 2011. The proposal is in line with the interest of the foundation in increasing accessibility to the working sanitation systems in the developing countries. The foundation is specifically keen to learn about how the research can be implemented in the communities in the region.
Mr. Rijsberman highlighted the foundation‟s main goal to help developing countries to overcome hunger and poverty. The foundation gives priority to the research work which responds to the need of the community and can prove to be of practical benefit to the people. The foundation believes in the use of high technology what can be applicable and beneficial to the poor countries.
I briefed the delegation about the recent developments of AIT and provided example of AIT‟s projects whereby they have been working with the people in the community, namely the AIT Habitech Center and the PRAM (Poverty Reduction and Agricultural Management) initiative. I also mentioned about the new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship which aims to promote the commercialization and patenting of research work at AIT. I further discussed with the delegation about the possibility for AIT to work with the foundation under the concept of Public-Private Partnership (PPP), which Mr. Rijsberman will discuss internally with the foundation upon his return.
The delegation also visited the Nanotechnology lab. Further details of this delegation‟s visit are available at:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/gates-foundation-would-love-to- work-with-ait-director/view
. Visit of IAARD, Ministry of Agriculture Indonesia: On 11 February 2011, Dr. Astu Unadi (AIT alumnus of AFE‟90), Director of Indonesian Center for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development, Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD), Ministry of Agriculture Indonesia visited AIT. Dr. Astu was visiting AIT on behalf of Dr. Haryono (AIT alumnus of CSIM‟95), Director General of IAARD to explore possible collaboration in capacity building of IAARD researchers and staff members starting from 2011 starting from 1 week short term training programs to master‟s 17 | P a g e
degree programs. Currently there are 2 IAARD staff members studying at AIT‟s Nano/SET. For IAARD capacity building project, initial focus areas are IT for agriculture, database management, nanotechnology, climate change, post-harvest technologies, agricultural engineering and environment, Bio-Energy and Agricultural by product management, and related matters. Once the areas and program needs are finalized we will work on a MoU and MoA.
. MOU Signed with Jamia Millia Islamia, a Central University, India: We have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), a Central University, New Delhi, India. Under this MoU, both the institutes will carried out various activities such as organizing joint international Workshops, Seminars and Symposia focusing on Science and Technology Development in India and in the region; Faculty/Student Exchange Programs between JMI and AIT; Conduct joint-training programs; Jointly apply for funds to Indian Government and International organizations and conduct sponsored research projects and Joint Supervision of Doctoral and Master‟s Research projects.
. Partnership Agreement with Hydro Lab Pvt. Ltd., Nepal: On 16th February, I signed a MoU with Dr. Meg Bahadur Bishwakarma; General Manager of Hydro Lab. Pvt. Ltd. Hydro Lab is keen on mutual sharing of technical expertise and research facilities with AIT and also to create a partnership for consultancy work related to hydraulic studies and river works. Dr. Bishwakarma stated that they are keen to offer student internships and exchange of staff, apart from other academic and educational exchanges. Dr. Bishwakarma provided a detailed presentation of the activities of Hydro Lab, which is a specialized company working in the field of hydraulics, sediment research, field measurements and power-plant evaluation in Nepal and neighboring countries. During his visit to AIT, he was accompanied by Mr. Yogesh Khadka, laboratory manager, Hydro Lab.
Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/ait-signs-mou-with-nepal-based- hydro-labs/view
. AIT to host Global Secretariat of IPLA: The Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) - Intersessional Conference on Building Partnerships for Moving towards Zero Waste, held on 16-18 February, 2011, Tokyo, Japan, has requested AIT to host the Secretariat of the International partnership for Expanding Waste Management Services of Local Authorities (IPLA). This meeting was represented by 50 countries, and attended by 200 participants mainly representing local and national governments, and public waste utilities. Professor C. Visvanathan, faculty colleague in the Environmental Engineering and Management field of study, SERD, is the lead person from AIT in this initiative.
. GIZ/ Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Timor-Leste visit to AIT: During 28 February to 2 March, a delegation from GIZ and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Timor-Leste visited AIT to explore areas for potential cooperation in upgrading agricultural education in Timor-Leste. During a breakfast meeting held in Bangkok, the GIZ team leader, Mr. Heinz- Josef Heile outlined GIZ/ Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries‟ (MAFF) focus on strengthening and upgrading both the country‟s agricultural
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extension services as well as elevating the status of agricultural education through the agricultural schools that are operated by the Ministry.
The GIZ/MAFF team was specifically interested in the “Poverty Reduction and Agricultural” (PRAM) approach to achieve rural development and poverty alleviation goals through innovative, professional education, which AIT supported through the Wetlands Alliance in Laos. The principles and approaches of the PRAM as an appropriate framework for agricultural education in Timor-Leste was further discussed during a follow-up visit of the team to the AIT campus.
The GIZ/MAFF team also showed interest in the training and capacity building opportunities available through AIT Extension as well as in the possibilities of linking AIT‟s programs with those of educational institutions in Timor-Leste through two-stage and unified programs.
Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/giz-seeks-to-tap-ait2019s- expertise-in-timor-leste/view
. AIT stands out in Research Rating from Thailand Research Fund (TRF): We have now received the remaining results of the research output rating from the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) for the 2007-2008 period. Among the 12 participating clusters from AIT, 5 AIT Clusters received the top rating of 5; 6 AIT Clusters received the second highest rating of 4 and 1 AIT Cluster received the rating 3.
Aside from the four program clusters, namely, (1) Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, (2) Industrial Engineering, (3) Information and Communication Technology and (4) Environment Engineering and Management Group, which received the top rating of 5, I am pleased to learn that the Regional and Rural Development Planning Program has also received TRF Rating of 5, ranking top among 6 participating institutes in Thailand.
The TRF Rating is based on the weighted average varied from 5 to 1 of the following four factors: (1) Equivalent international journal papers per faculty member (30%), (2) Journal impact factor per faculty member (20%), (3) Total equivalent international journal papers for the entire subject cluster (30%), and (4) Total journal impact factors for the entire subject cluster (20%). AIT stands out in all "per-head" categories, i.e., Factors (1) and (2), and this implies the highest order of research efficiency and quality of individual faculty members of AIT. Despite the disadvantage of Factors (3) and (4) compared with other more comprehensive universities, many of AIT‟s program clusters still received very high overall ratings.
I was also glad to learn that TRF has agreed to award 5 doctoral scholarships for the 5 clusters that received the top rating of 5. This is the prestigious Golden Jubilee Royal Scholarship that covers a 3 years study for doctoral students.
. MoU Signing Ceremony with the Asian Aquaculture Network (AAN): On 11th March, AIT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asian Aquaculture Network (AAN) at the BITEC-Bangna, Bangkok. The purpose of the 19 | P a g e
MoU is to enable collaboration between AIT and AAN for the development and implementation of the training courses on aquaculture development.
AAN is a regional professional network in aquaculture established in 2009 with its primary focus on promoting sustainable development and practices of aquaculture in Asia. With the network of AAN and AIT‟s training capacity and expertise, it is expected that the collaboration will effectively respond to the demand of the industry and address the need in building strong capacity for aquaculture development in the Asian region.
AIT Extension will take the lead in developing training courses to address the need of the aquatic industry in the region. However, the AARM field of study as well as AIT‟s aquaculture network will also play important role in sharing knowledge and expertise for the program.
Many distinguished guests attended the ceremony, including AIT trustee H.E. Mrs. You Ay, Ambassador of Cambodia to Thailand, Mr. Erminio da Silva Pinto, First Secretary of Embassy of Timor-Leste, as well as AIT‟s partners such as Dr. Kriengkrai Satapornvanit, Project Leader – Sustaining Ethical Aquaculture Trade (SEAT) Global Kasetsart University and former AIT faculty member.
Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/asian-aquaculture-network-to- offer-joint-programs-with-ait/view
. Visit of the Busitema University (BU) Uganda: On Tuesday, 15th March January 2011, we welcomed an official high-level delegation from Busitema University (BU), Uganda led by BU Vice Chancellor, Professor Mary Jossy Nakandha Okwakol. Other members of the delegation comprise, Professor Richard Wilfred Odogola, Head, Agricultural Mechanization and Irrigation Engineering Department; Dr. Samuel Baker Kucel, Dean, Faculty of Engineering; Mr. Johnnie Stephen Wilson Wandera Wafula, Head, Ginning and Textile Engineering Department; and Mr. Elisha Obella, Academic Registrar.
The BU delegation was at AIT to seek collaboration between AIT and BU in areas of academic and research partnerships. Professor Okwakwol noted that she considers AIT as a right partner for BU given AIT‟s substantive contributions to issues of sustainable development in the Asia region and beyond and expressed her support and willingness in conveying to the government, AIT‟s invitation to become a signatory.
Over their three-day stay, the delegation held talks with senior AIT officials at some selected Fields of Study and with AIT Extension and also visited different AIT facilities. The visit culminated with the signing of an MOU between AIT and BU on 17th March 2011. The MoU calls for human resource capacity development, where BU shall send their academic staff to AIT to undertake graduate programs as part of their faculty capacity building; faculty and student exchange between the two institutions; joint undertaking of research and publications; joint proposal development for project funding; joint organization of workshops, conferences, seminars, symposia and other academic /professional meetings 20 | P a g e
Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/busitema-university-signs-mou- with-ait/view
. MoA Signing with Hokkaido University: The School of Engineering and Technology (SET) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Graduate School of Engineering of the Hokkaido University (HU) to start a dual master‟s degree program. The Transportation Engineering (TRE) field of study will be the first field of study from SET to enter into this program. The program is expected to start from the August 2011 intake. This is the first dual degree program AIT‟s had with Hokkaido University.
Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/ait-launches-double-degree- program-with-hokkaido-university/view
. Creation of a Common Platform for Agricultural Research and Development in Asia: Professor S. K. Rakshit, Vice President for Research hosted and facilitated a meeting supported by the European Initiative for Agriculture Research and Development (EIARD) and GIZ. The objective of the meeting was to provide inputs to EIRARD about the possibility of creation of a common platform for agricultural research and development in Asia. A similar exercise is being done in Latin America. A number of representatives form a number organizations representing different stake holders took part in the meeting. Need for good partnership and collaboration to provide necessary support to the farmers and rural poor were emphasized in the meeting.
. Meeting with Ms. AnnaMaria Oltorp, Director, Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency): On 22nd March, I had a meeting with Ms. AnnaMaria Oltorp, Director from Sida on the progress regarding development of the AIT Research Strategy (2011-2015), along with Prof. Sudip K. Rakshit, Vice President Research. Dr. Pritam K. Shrestha, Head, ERCO, Mr. Ashish Sitoula, Project Coordinator- AIT Research Strategy Development and Mr. Punit Arora, Consultant from AIMS also attended the meeting.
This meeting was preceded by two days of discussions between AIT‟s Research Strategy team, including the steering committee, and Mr. Arora, to revise the Results Based Management (RBM) logframe developed for the AIT Research Strategy. Ms. Oltorp was informed that based on the discussions it was decided that the four principles of the AIT Research Strategy, namely, Research Focus, Research Quality, Research Collaboration and Research Resource Mobilization would be built into the five thematic areas identified by AIT as the key thematic areas for research for the next 5 years. The thematic areas are: Vulnerability and Disaster Risk Reduction; Water and Land Resources Management for Sustainable Production and Consumption; Urban and Rural Quality of Life and Sustainability; Low Carbon and Cleaner Production Technologies and Management; and, Business and Innovation Models for a Green Economy. The revised research strategy logframe will incorporate 5 new specific objectives, one for each thematic area, and outline how AIT will manage research and research projects based on 21 | P a g e
donor, industry and beneficiary interests, with increased contribution to the sustainable development of Asia as the overall objective.
Considering the changes occurring in the strategy vis-à-vis realignment of the specific objectives and specification of targets in the intermediary outcomes, it was mutually agreed that the project period for development of strategy would be extended from end-April to end-July 2011. The issue of Sida‟s contribution to AIT scholarship was also discussed at the meeting, and Ms. AnnaMaria Oltorp mentioned that all Sida support will be under one umbrella agreement. While the Masters level scholarship funding would be separate, the Ph.D. level scholarships could be tied in with the Research programmes mentioned in the AIT Research Strategy. Ms. Oltorp stressed on Sida‟s continued commitment to support AIT through student scholarship and research. Ms. Oltorp also mentioned that Sida wanted to see AIT engaged in more capacity building initiatives in relation to research in the future and that Sida is committed to support these initiatives.
. MoU Signing with Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU): On 23rd March, we welcomed a delegation from the Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) led by Prof. Ning Bin, President of BJTU for the MoU signing ceremony between the two institutes. The purpose of the MoU is to establish a strong collaboration in academic and research programs. AIT and BJTU also plan to launch a two stage Master‟s program in high speed railways. Prof. Bin also expressed his interest in the Doctoral of Business Administration (DBA) program.
The delegation included Prof. Liu Jun, Dean of School of Traffic and Transportation; Prof. Wei Qingchao, Dean of School of Civil Engineering; Prof. Lu Wei, Dean of School of Software; Prof. Liu Ying, Vice Dean of School of Electronic and Information Engineering; and Ms. Liu Yang from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, BJTU.
1.3 Some of the Key Events
. New Student Orientation: On 10 January 2011, we had the Student Orientation Program which was attended by 73 new students from 12 countries across four continents. The first batch of 18 visiting undergraduate exchange students from the University of Boråsalong with exchange students from France and the Michigan State University have also joined AIT this semester. Further details on the Orientation Day is available at the below link:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/forge-meaningful-networks-at- ait-president-to-new-students/view
. Training on “Bilan Carbone® and Tool for Calculating GHGs”: I was invited to open a training programme on 5th January 2010 at AIT on “Bilan Carbone Methodology and tool for calculating GHG emissions” organized by the project “Action towards Resource-efficient and Low Carbon Cities in Asia” funded by ADEME. In my welcome address to all participants, I highlighted the importance of Bilan Carbone training for city authorities and private sector to mitigate the GHG emissions at the city level and thanked ADEME for providing support and the cities for participating in the project. Dr B. Mohanty, Regional Adviser for
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ADEME and Visiting faculty, Energy Field of Study, AIT welcomed participants on behalf of ADEME and highlighted ADEME‟s interest to promote Bilan Carbone tool in the Asian cities to mitigate GHG emissions at the city level. The cities attending the training programme include Luang Prabang (Lao PDR), Nonthaburi (Thailand), Rayong (Thailand), Kurunegala (Sri Lanka), Matale (Sri Lanka) and Kandy (Sri Lanka) as well as a participant from China During the next training, cities from Thailand and Vietnam are expected to attend. The project is carried out by Prof. S. Kumar, Prof. C. Visvanathan, Dr A. Salam, Dr C. Marpaung, Dr K. Kusakabe and Dr R. Perera. Mr. Olivier Drean also participated in some of the sessions. The project has also received funds from the "SDCC / AIT - France Network" program supported by the Regional Cooperation Office in South-East Asia of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. The training was conducted during 5 - 10 January 2010 by Mr. Olivier Papin and Mr. Nicolas Nath from France.
. First official visit of the new Norwegian Ambassador to AIT: On Tuesday, 11th January 2011, we welcomed Her Excellency Ms. Katja Christina Nordgaard, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar accompanied by Mr. Erik Svedahl, Minister Counsellor and Mr. Moonstan Chatri, Senior Programme Officer of the Royal Norwegian Embassy Bangkok.
Under the current 2006-2009 phase of cooperation extended until March 2011, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported Master and Doctoral Scholarships (65 masters and 8 doctoral), the Gender and Development Studies (GDS) Field of Study, Networking with Norwegian and Regional Institutions on Environment, Natural Resources Management and Clean Energy and Hazardous Chemical Management. The next 2011 - 2013 phase is expected to start shortly.
Ambassador Nordgaard conveyed Norway's strong support for AIT and stated that her visit was intended to acquire more information about AIT, in particular regarding our priorities in education and research, and AIT's current funding model. Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/norway-assures-continuous- support-to-ait/view
. Inauguration of the AIT Consulting Office: In conjunction with the Board of Trustees meeting a formal opening ceremony was organized for the AIT Consulting Office. H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag and I cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the new facility which was witnessed by a large number of the AIT Board of Trustees and other distinguished guests. AIT Consulting is AIT‟s approach for professionalizing consultancy services in an integrative way and will draw on the tremendous resources existing at AIT, including its faculty, researchers, alumni and partners and facilities for the benefit of all projects and the Institute. AIT Consulting now offers integrated expertise and services across a broad spectrum of areas covering technology, engineering, environment, development and management. Further details on the event is available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/ait-consulting-opens-for- business/view
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. Institute-Level Advisory Board (ILAB) Meeting: On Wednesday, 19 January, we had the meeting of the AIT Institute-Level Advisory Board (members are drawn from the School and AIT Extension Boards and also includes other external persons), which was Chaired by Dr. Tongchat Hongladaromp, Chairman of the University Council King, Mongkut‟s University of Technology Thonburi. The members who attended the meeting were Mr. Nico Barito, CEO of Urban Solutions Institute, Indonesia; Dr. Bindu Lohani, Vice President, Finance and Administration, Asian Development Bank (ADB); and Mr. S. Srinivasan, former President of Thai Carbon Black Public Co., Ltd. and currently AIT International Marketing Consultant for the AIT Satellite Model Study. The invitees present were Mr. Niclas Lindgren, AIT‟s Consultant for Development of New Management and Administrative Model, and AIT alumnus Mr. Jan Dharmabhandu, currently working as General Manager for an Australian Mining Company, Mawson West Limited, and serving as my Advisor for Africa.
The members were briefed on the various activities during the year 2010 through my Report and also my weekly newsletter that they receive regularly, and presentations were made on the Report on New Financial/Funding Satellite Model and Report on the New Administrative Model for AIT; all of which were well received by them. They concurred with the outcomes of the two studies and expressed both initiatives are extremely important and urgent. They were very supportive towards the idea of interest free loans from governments, especially those who have signed the new Charter of AIT; and in addition they felt that we should also look into the long-term loans with some interest, AIT would be in a position to pay back the interest over a period of time, especially once these initiatives are implemented. I am grateful to all the ILAB members for their valuable advice and feedback.
Mr. Jan Dharmabhandu also presented a paper on „AIT can play a key role in the new Asia Pacific for Africa‟. He mentioned that AIT is well placed to facilitate optimum deployment of development aid and to provide technical consulting services to these newly emerging, very large flows of investment and aid; and has the resources, history, trust and the linkages that makes AIT able to engage in this reality.
. Opening of “Second Regional Capacity Building Workshop - Asia on Barrier Analysis, Enabling Environment and Development of Technology Actions Plans”: I was invited to open the “Second Regional Capacity Building Workshop - Asia on Barrier Analysis, Enabling Environment and Development of Technology Actions Plans” on 18th January 2011 at Bangkok. This was organized by the Technology Needs Assessment Project (A GEF funded UNEP project) in which AIT is the Regional Center providing technical support to Bangladesh, Cambodia, Georgia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam (six Round one countries). Dr Jyoti Painuly, Dr Subhash Dhar and Dr Xianli Zhu from UNEP Riso Center, Denmark as well as national experts and consultants are participating in this workshop. The workshop was organized and attended by faculty of the mitigation team (Prof. S. Kumar, Dr A. Salam, Dr C. Marpaung and Dr R. Shrestha) and adaptation team (Prof. S. K. Rakshit, Dr Mokbul M Ahmad and Dr Babette Ressurreccion), and researchers, staff and students from AIT. The workshop was conducted during 18-21 January 2011. Similar capacity building workshops will be conducted for Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Moldova (eight Round two countries) in the coming 24 | P a g e
months.
. Participation in Chinese New Year 2011 Celebration Organized by Chinese Embassy in Thailand: I along with Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul, Dean SERD participated in the celebration of the Chinese New Year in Bangkok on Saturday 22 January 2011, which was organized by the Chinese Student Association in Thailand (CSAT) in collaboration with the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy, and attended by H.E. Mr. Guan Mu, Ambassador of the People‟s Republic China to Thailand, high level officials from the Ministry of Education of Thailand and the Chinese Embassy, Presidents and Faculty from 11 universities / higher education institutes, and more than 500 Chinese students from above 20 universities/higher education institutes, of which 8 students were from AIT.
The activities included official remarks delivered by the Ambassador, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commission of Higher Education of Thailand, Chairman of the Thai Alumni Association of Chinese Universities, President of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and President of CSAT. In his address Ambassador Guan Mu noted that Thailand is a good choice for higher studies and reaffirmed his wish to see more cooperation between China and higher education institutes of Thailand into future.
During the celebrations, the Ambassador presented testimonials for the winners of essay writing competitions and outstanding student cadre of CSAT. For the essay writing competition, Ms. Huang Zhirong, an AIT student from the Gender and Development field of study, SERD won under the top entry category and Mr. Qi Xinjian, Regional and Rural Development Planning field of study, SERD won under the outstanding student cadre of CSAT.
. AIT Research Forum: On Thursday 27th January, I presented the draft AIT Research Strategy (2011-2015) at an Institute Forum to share the highlights of the strategy document with the AIT community for input and feedback. Over 60 faculty, staff and students participated in the forum and there was significant discussion on the necessity for AIT to streamline its research activities better, demonstrate competence in focus areas, further improve the quality of research and collaboration initiatives and to better promote research applications.
The AIT Research Strategy (2011-2015) intends to streamline research activities and through that further improve the quality of research, institutionalize research management practices, assist in better communication with potential research funding agencies by highlighting core strengths and research competencies, and, increase research visibility through better and informed dissemination by focusing on research results and application of research to solve real-life problems. Under the broad umbrella of Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change (SDCC), the strategy combines four strategic components, namely, Research Focus, Research Quality, Research Collaboration and Research Resource Mobilization to generate the necessary results. The overall objective of the research strategy is to significantly increase, by 2015, AIT‟s contribution towards sustainable development of Asia and beyond through research in relation to climate change.
It is important that AIT institutionalizes research best practices and strives to conduct high-quality research that can assist stakeholders in addressing real-life 25 | P a g e
challenges in Asia and beyond. It is expected that the strategy document guide all management decisions related to research in the next 5 years and hence it is important that actions plans are developed for implementation of the research strategy. The administration and the schools will be engaged in development of action plans to implement the research strategy and I expect that the strategy will be ready for implementation along with Year 1 action plan by end-April 2011. The schools have already begun the process of providing feedback on the strategy and in developing action plans for implementation of the strategy. This is the first time that AIT is developing an AIT Research Strategy which will contribute to the overall AIT Strategy 2013.
. Meeting with Chief Secretary, Government of Nepal: On Friday, 28 January 2011, I met distinguished AIT alumnus Mr. Madhav Ghimire, Chief Secretary, Government of Nepal, who was on his way back to Nepal after a visit to New York where he had a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon regarding a project to further develop Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Nepal.
I briefed Mr. Ghimire about the recent developments at AIT and thanked the Government of Nepal for its strong support to AIT including signing the new charter as well as ratifying it. Mr. Ghimire congratulated us for having come out of the financial difficulties and for the new initiatives AIT has been undertaking. He also cautioned us to tread our path ahead carefully in keeping up the name and brand of AIT high. With respect to the new charter, he suggested that AIT keeps informed the Government of Nepal through its Embassy in Bangkok the recent developments about AIT, including the institute‟s ongoing exercise regarding establishing an AIT Satellite Campus in Nepal. He pointed out that the Government of Nepal, as a signatory of the new charter, could assist in the Institute‟s plan to set up the satellite campus in Nepal. He also volunteered to follow up personally regarding the institute‟s request to the Government of Nepal for the replenishment of the Nepal Local Currency fund. He stressed the need of regular communication between AIT and its member countries.
. Visit of President of AITAA Japan Chapter: On 10th February 2011, I met with Mr. Yoshiaki Shimura, General Manager of Contract, Administration, Overseas Business Development & Administration Department, JFE Engineering Corporation and President of AIT Alumni Association Japan Chapter. I updated Mr. Shimura on the current activities and initiatives by AIT and the important role of alumni in redefining AIT as a regional network institute. I was very pleased to know the planned activities of the Chapter.
Mr. Shimura also met with Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Vice President for Resource Development along with Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe, Director Fundraising and discussed in details the fundraising plan and in what ways AITAA Japan Chapter could support their alma mater. I am very glad to know that Mr. Shimura will be sending out letters to all the alumni and former faculty members of AIT from Japan to solicit their support towards the AIT endowment fund fundraising campaign. He is also planning to setup a target by the chapter for each year of the campaign and later transfer to the Friends of AIT Foundation. He met some current Japanese faculty and students in AIT to share with them the latest situations of Japanese alumni, and to discuss how to establish a stronger network among AIT Japanese alumni and faculty.
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Mr. Shimura also had a separate meeting with Dr. Tien, Head of Alumni Affairs to discuss in length on different issues regarding the Alumni Affairs Office activities, especially on alumni database and alumni networking.
. Visit of TICA: On 10 February, we welcomed Mr. Apinan Phatarathiyanon, Director, General of The International Cooperation Agency (TICA), who expressed great interest in collaboration with AIT, as a strategic partner. He proposed 3 modalities of cooperation in working with AIT , namely through
- -bilateral cooperation, that has actually already started by TICA as focal point for human development for GMS countries, and students being sent from Myanmar to study at AIT in the master‟s degree program, under a demand- driven modality. Other aspects can be through training in research methodology, project management, under which TICA as the focal point can send officials from neighboring countries to a training course at AIT. - -Tri-lateral cooperation, where AIT and TICA will work together and attract donor countries/organizations such as JICA, GTZ, or ADB. Possible thematic areas, such as climate change, capacity building for universities in neighboring countries etc. were some of the other interesting areas proposed by Mr. Apinan. In addition, there could tri-lateral cooperation between AIT, TICA, and partner governments. - -Sub-regional or regional cooperation framework, since TICA is the focal point for the HRD program for this region and sub-region (comprised of 5 countries: Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and China) where TICA can work out with AIT on common issues of GMS countries, and use the program- approach strategy. TICA and AIT can think of 1 or 2 programs, where TICA can set annual budget as counterpart fund.
During the meeting Vice President for Resource Development Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Dean SERD Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul, Dr. Roland Amoussou, Mr. Hans Guttman gave presentations on possible areas of cooperation, which were of great interest to TICA. Ms. Wannapa Pliansri, Coordinator, RTG Relations also joined the discussions.
. Visit of AIT Alumni and Vice President, Collaboration Product Development, Oracle Corporation: On 14th February 2011, on behalf of me, AIT Vice President for Resource Development Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai welcomed one of our prominent alumni Dr. Rafiul Ahad (M.Sc., CA‟80) Vice President at Oracle Corporation. Prof. Worsak updated Dr. Ahad on the current activities and initiatives by AIT and also discussed in detail the fundraising plan. I am very glad to know that Dr. Ahad and his wife Ms. Frances Kasala who is also an AIT alumni, will be communicating with our alumni residing in US to solicit their support towards their alma mater. After the meeting Dr. Ahad delivered a talk at the Milton E. Bender Jr. Auditorium on “Cloud Computing: What, Why and How“. More details on the talk and visit of Dr. Ahad can be viewed at the below links:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/cloud-computing-is-the- emerging-paradigm-in-it-ait-alumnus/view http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/2018ait-gave-me-the-break-i- needed2019-oracle-corp-vp/view
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. Visit of Mr. Craig Steffensen, ADB Country Director, Thailand Resident Mission: On 24 February 2011, Mr. Craig Steffensen, the new Country Director of ADB Thailand Resident Mission visited AIT to learn about AIT‟s latest initiatives and possible collaboration between ADB and the future “Asian Water Research and Education” (AWARE) Center.
Through his former responsibilities, Mr. Steffensen already had the chance to visit AIT several times to testify of the dynamic joint activities between our two institutions in research projects, capacity building and scholarships programs (ADB Japan Scholarship Program ADB-JSP). Mr. Steffensen‟s predecessor, Mr. Jean-Pierre Verbiest, Former Country Director of ADB, has been very actively involved in AIT‟s governance as the Chairman of the AIT Executive Committee and Vice Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees. The possibility for ADB to extend its membership under the new Charter was also discussed and will be followed up. Mr. Steffensen ensured AIT of his support and his willingness to continue on the same constructive path.
Dr. Mukand Singh Babel, Associate Professor from WEM, presented the outline of the AWARE Center expected to be launched this year. The new Center will gather all the Fields of Study working in the water area at AIT in order to provide a comprehensive academic and research offer. Several partners including ADB have shown a keen interest in this new initiative. Mr. Steffensen is very much willing to assist AIT in meeting ADB‟s Director General and senior Managers when they next visit Thailand, to study how ADB could be involved in the AWARE Center. Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/adb-country-director-pays- maiden-visit-to-ait/view
. Participation in GIZ, “Sector Network on Natural Resources and Rural Development Asia” Meeting: On Thursday 3rd March I attended a GIZ meeting of their internal “Sector Network on Natural Resources and Rural Development Asia” on “Innovative Partnerships - Success through Diversity” (GIZ is the new German international cooperation agency, into which the former GTZ merged with two other German development cooperation agencies since January 2011).
As partnerships with the private sector are one of the key focus areas for GIZ, I was joined by CSR Asia Center at AIT Director Leena Wokeck. I was invited as one of three external key-note speakers from think tanks (including higher education institutes like AIT), the private sector (represented through a key note speaker from Swift Co Ltd presenting on a PPP with GIZ in Laos), and regional organizations (represented through a key note speaker from ASEAN) with which GIZ will be seeking intensified partnerships.
I gave a presentation on “AIT, an Innovative Platform fostering Regional Cooperation and Sustainable Development” and introduced a variety of relevant AIT programs, including AIT‟s Research Focus on SDCC , the Yunus Center at AIT, the CSR Asia Center at AIT, the ARC.MDG, the PRAM program, the Wetland Alliance, the 3R-Knowledge Hub, the Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management program, the AIT-UNEP Joint RRC.AP, GMSARN, Capacity Building for Afghanistan, new Professional Programs at AIT, AIT Consulting, and the new Intergovernmental International AIT Charter. 28 | P a g e
I also contributed to a panel discussion including the three external speakers as well as a number of GIZ and BMZ representatives (German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of which GIZ is the implementing arm).I emphasized AIT‟s technical expertise, local and regional knowledge, extensive reach through partners and alumni, established networks, as well as our potential as a platform for multi-stakeholder engagement to facilitate the implementation of innovative partnerships for sustainable development in Asia (and beyond).
Further topics of interest to GIZ were opportunities to collaborate on meeting research needs with practical relevance for sustainable development, and training and capacity building programs on a variety of sustainable development issues - not only for development experts and policy makers, but also for business and especially SMEs as their role for sustainable development and bridging market access gaps for local producers is high on the GIZ agenda for rural development. The sum of AIT expertise in sustainable development, research, outreach, teaching, training and capacity development, CSR, social business, and experience with partnership approaches, as well as our extensive networks in the region potentially make AIT an interesting regional partner for GIZ.
AIT has been invited to visit GIZ headquarters in Germany in June with a team of experts to further explore collaboration opportunities.
. Partnership Agreement between AIT and Myanmar Egress: On 4th March, AIT received a delegation from Myanmar Egress comprised of Mr. Sonny Nyunt Thein, Vice President-Myanmar Egress; Dr. Nay Win Maung, Secretary General- Myanmar Egress; Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Director-Myanmar Egress; Ms. Khin Moe Samm, Assistant Program Director-Myanmar Egress Institute; and Ms. Phyu Yamin Myat, Faculty of Public Policy-Myanmar Egress Institute.
Myanmar Egress (ME) is a non-profit organization founded by Myanmar scholars and social workers who have been actively involved in various civil society activities in Myanmar in the last fifteen years. Mr. Tin Maung Thann, President of Myanmar Egress is an AIT alumnus (AFE‟92) who received the AITAA Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005 for Rural and Community Development. Since 2006, several AIT delegations have visited ME and received assistance for AIT promotions activities. After Cyclone Nargis in 2008, there were more collaborative activities between AIT and ME such as intERLab‟s post-Nargis assistance / support activities wherein several ME staff members attended trainings / workshops organized by intERLab; AIT visits to Nargis affected areas arranged by ME; ME‟s Network Action Group assisted to AIT‟s WAP initiatives in Myanmar etc.
During this visit, Myanmar Egress Secretary General Dr. Nay Win Maung signed an AIT-Myanmar Egress General MoU.
Development plans for the Professional Master‟s in Public Policy (MPP) Program for Myanmar; collaborative activities with Wetland Alliance Program and the CSR Asia Center in AIT were among the possible partnerships discussed. As a follow up to the MPP program development, Dean SERD and delegation were
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invited to visit Myanmar Egress, Yangon for a curriculum development and technical workshop in May 2011.
. More academic collection of the late Prof. Wen-Jei Yang for AIT Library: On 7th March, I had the pleasure of welcoming Mrs. Wen-Jei Yang, wife of the late Professor Wen-Jei Yang and their daughter, Ms. Ling Hsiang Yang, along with two family members, who were invited by Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Vice President Resource Development, to officially present the remaining academic collection of Professor Yang to the AIT Library.
Professor Yang was the guest speaker at AIT‟s ninety-fourth graduation ceremony in 2002. He was renowned in the fields of thermal fluid sciences, heat transfer and biomedical engineering and has been the recipient of the Max Jacob Award in 2007 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
In a simple ceremony, Mrs. Yang mentioned the wish of Professor Yang before he passed away to have his collection of books and monographs benefiting Asian students. The Wen-Jei Yang collection is housed on the second floor of the AIT Library. The first installment of the Yang collection was received on 18th April 2002. His collection at the AIT Library now has 736 books and 12 journal titles. “Professor Yang wanted to visit AIT again and spend some time here for teaching but he passed away on 15th April 2010,” Mrs. Yang said. In receiving the new installment of Wen-Jei Yang Collection, I described the gesture of the Yang family as “wonderful and valuable.” Professor Yang was not only a great scientist, but also a great friend of AIT. Further details on the event are available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/yang-academic-collection- adorns-ait-library/
. International Women’s Day Celebrations: On 8th March I took part in the International Women‟s Day celebrations held at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand and organized by the UN system in the Asian and Pacific region. This year‟s International Women‟s Day theme is titled “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women”.
During the event I met with AIT trustee Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary- General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Ms. Moni Pizani, UN-Women East and Southeast Asia Regional Programme Director among others. About 200 people, including members of the diplomatic corps, senior Thai government officials, representatives of UN agencies, non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and students from schools and universities in Thailand attended the event.
AIT is very proud that one of the signatories of the new AIT Charter is UNIFEM, which is now called UN Women. The activities being organized at AIT to commemorate International Women‟s Day – began with the signature campaign at Korea House (8 March); artwork competition and also includes a theatre performance on 17 March. I would like to commend the Culture and Gender Committee of the AIT Student Union as well as the Gender and Development 30 | P a g e
Field of Study at School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD) for organizing these events.
Seven hundred signatories participated in the International Women‟s Day signature campaign organized at AIT on 8th March 2011. Participants included students, faculty members, members of AIT administration, as well as young children from the AIT International School. Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/700-signatories-participate-in- women2019s-day-signature-campaign/view
. Training Program on "Bilan CarboneR Methodology and Tool for Calculating GHG Emissions": I was invited to open a training programme on 9th March at AIT on “Bilan Carbone Methodology and tool for calculating GHG emissions” organized by the project “Action towards Resource-efficient and Low Carbon Cities in Asia” funded by ADEME.
In my welcome address to all participants, I highlighted the importance of Bilan Carbone training for city authorities and private sector to mitigate the GHG emissions at the city level and thanked ADEME for providing support and the cities for participating in the project. I also informed the participants on the number of recent developments and initiatives at AIT. The cities attending the training programme include Chiang Mai (Thailand), Danang, Hue and Chua Doc (Vietnam).
The project is carried out by SERD faculty Prof. S. Kumar, Prof. C. Visvanathan, Dr A. Salam, Dr C. Marpaung, Dr K. Kusakabe and Dr R. Perera. The training was conducted during 9 – 12 March 2011 by AIT faculty who were trained in an earlier training conducted during 5-10 January 2011 at AIT by French experts. The project is also planning for a seminar / training on the territorial climate and energy plan for all the ten cities participating in the project from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Lao PDR in May 2011. Additional details about the project is available at www.lcc.ait.asia
. SERD Board Meeting: On 15th March 2011, I took part in the School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD) Board Meeting, which was chaired by Dr. Subin Pinkayan, Chair of SERD Board. Ms. Thelma Kay, Prof. Dr. Chira Hongladarom, Dr. Niwes Hemavajiravarakorn, Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul, Dr. Nitin Afzulpurkar, Dr. Jonathan Shaw, Dr. Amrit Bart, Dr. Mousa M. Nazhad, Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmad, Dr. Anil Kumar Anal and Dr. Amararatne Yakupitiyage attended the meeting.
Dr. Subin welcomed all and shared the sad news of the Japanese earthquake while stressing the importance of contributions that SERD/AIT can lend to Japan during this difficult hour. On my part, I briefed members on the progress of the new AIT Charter. As far as financial model was concerned few suggestions on funding models and possibilities of renting a campus within Bangkok were discussed. It was agreed that revisiting the financial issue was important and a financial advisor may be needed to find a solution to raise 40 million US$ for the main AIT campus renovation.
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The importance of administration regularly communicating with faculty, recruitment of new faculty, TRF research evaluation results (excellent rating 5 in EEM and RRDP FoS and very good rating 4 in 6 FoS/SERD), golden jubilee scholarships availability for excellent TRF ratings 5, alumni tracking systems and what the employers want, identification of new stakeholders, evolving into a “learning organization”, developing several AIT signature courses, practical strategies of long term development and institutional planning to go with it were discussed during the meeting. It is suggested that the thematic grouping of FoS should be made in order to achieve a higher TRF rating evaluation.
Student recruitment in China, new MoU with Chinese Scholarship council on 40 scholarships, rising student markets in Myanmar, Swiss interest in Joint PhD degree programs, AIT developments in Vietnam and capacity developments in Sri Lanka were some of the SERD/AIT‟s education and outreach activities were also discussed during meeting.
The Undergraduate programs developed within the school were introduced by Dean and a new professional Undergraduate/Master‟s program on Rural Entrepreneurship, Agricultural Development was elaborated by Dr. Amararatne Yakupitiyage.
The proceedings were brought to a close with Dr. Subin stressing the importance of China to be recommended for signing the new AIT Charter. He highlighted that Food, Energy and Environment are recommended to be key programs within SERD.
. Participation in ASEAN Affairs organized 'Save Our Planet' Conference: The same afternoon, I participated, together with Dr. Abdul Salam (SERD), Hans Guttman (Wetlands Alliance) and Leena Wokeck (CSR-Asia Center at AIT) in the ASEAN Affairs organized 'Save Our Planet' First Conference for 2011, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok.
The Save Our Planet (SOP) Fora were started by ASEAN Affairs in 2010 and aims to develop practical solutions to combat climate deterioration by engaging the private sector. AIT is partnering with the SOP by being a knowledge partner and is working with SOP partners to introduce the use of SOP Carbon Score Card (CSC). Dr. Salam made a presentation on the scope and use of the SOP CSC which is based on internationally recognized but locally adapted carbon footprint software.
Mr. Guttman then participated in a panel discussion on the topic of "How will conventional and alternative energy companies bring about drastic change in the energy mix in the future starting with this decade?” The session moderated by Steve Maccoy, of Counterpoint, focused on discussions about risks of nuclear power and centralized power generation in general.
The SOP events will continue during 2011 where the SOP will encourage companies to use the SOP CSC and set their own targets. It is anticipated that during 2012 a set of awards will be given to companies who manage to drastically reduce their carbon footprint.
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. AIT Career Fair 2011: The AIT Career Fair kicked off on 22 March with corporate presentations from CUEL, Exterran, Skydoor, Accenture, Thomson Reuters, Vervata, UNEP RRCAP, and Fabrinet. Thirty five companies participated in the main Fair, which took place on 23 March 2011. Opened by me and Professor Joydeep Dutta, Vice President for Academic Affairs, the event was attended by more about 1000 visitors consisting of students, faculty, alumni and undergraduate students from neighboring universities.
Participation from the corporate sector was boosted by the Career Center‟s networking with the different Chambers of Commerce; six companies joined thru the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, three via the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce and 1 thru the Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce. Eleven new companies graced the Fair. These are Rieckermann (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Dorsch Consult Asia Co., Ltd., and Krasstec Co., Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Yanmar SP, Taise Plas, Nitto Denko, OTC Daihen;Vervata Co., Ltd., Smartrac Technology Ltd., Comin Thai Co. Ltd., AIT Consulting, the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC), Advance Energy Development Co., Ltd and Hosiwell Technology Co., Ltd.
An Open House, where 86 students from Thai Universities, took place simultaneously. With the intention to showcase AIT‟s program offerings, the undergraduate students appreciated the day‟s program which included career talks on „Further Education through RTG Funding‟ by Prof. Athapol Noomhom, “Drawing Your Career Path” by Dr. Somkiert Kojchavivong, Head of the Human Resources Office and “Successful Job Interview Techniques” by Dr. Nicholas Dimmit from the School of Management.
1.4 Recognition of AIT Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni and Partners
. Mr. Chaovalit Ekabut, President, AIT Alumni Association (AITAA)-Mother Chapter took up a new assignment as Vice President, Finance and Investment & CFO of the Siam Cement Public Co. Ltd. and President, Cementhai Holding Co. Ltd. effective from 1 January 2011.
. Professor Oanh Thi Kim Nguyen from AIT‟s School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD) was awarded the plaque “Air Quality Hero” at the Better Air Quality (BAQ) Conference held at Singapore recently. Professor Oanh was felicitated by the organizers for “consistent best presentation, most presentations and most number of abstracts submitted for BAQ over the years.” Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/ait-professor-honored-as-air- quality-hero/
. A student of AIT Mr. Junaid Alam Memon, will have the rare distinction of his research paper having been featured on the cover page of the journal “Environmental Management.” The February 2011 issue of Environmental Management, which is a reputed journal published by Springer for decision makers, scientists and environmental assessors, will feature the article “Irrigation, Natural Resources and Community Occupational Quality in Pakistan” on its cover. Mr. Memon‟s photograph of the Indus river basin has also been selected as
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the cover page picture showcasing the Indus river basin in Pakistan has been clicked by Mr. Memon. The article jointly authored by Mr. Memon and his supervisor Prof. Gopal Bahadur Thapa from SERD, examines the impact of the irrigation system on both the natural resources as well as society in the deltaic part of the Indus river in Pakistan. The paper analyzes the ecological and natural resource dynamics and its impact on the structure and quality of occupations of people. Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/ait-student-stars-in-prestigious- journal/
. Distinguished AIT alumnus Dr. Nguyen Quan who received his Master of Engineering from AIT in Energy Technology in 1989 has been elected to the Party Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 11th tenure (2011-2015), at the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam held in Hanoi recently. The Central Committee consists of 175 members. At present, Dr. Quan is the first/standing Deputy Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Vietnam.
. The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (Bhutan), an organization headed by AIT alumnus Dr. Lam Dorji, has won the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Dr. Dorji is the executive director of The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN). Dr. Dorji completed his doctorate in 2003 from AIT‟s School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD). While announcing the award, the MacArthur Foundation stated that RSPN is “Bhutan's only national non-profit focused primarily on the conservation of the country's famed environment and biodiversity,” and is actively engaged in conservation, education, outreach, and sustainable development. Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/macarthur-foundation-honor-for- ait-alumnus/
. An article entitled 'Fabrication and Analysis of Tapered Tip Silicon Microneedles for MEMS based Drug Delivery System', Vol. 122, Issue 11, November 2010, co- authored by Mr. Muhammad Waseem Ashraf, a Higher Education Commission of Pakistan Scholar who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at AIT in the Microelectronics field of study, has been selected among the 10 Best Articles published in the Sensors & Transducers Journal (ISSN 1726-5479) Journal, which is published by the International Frequency Sensor Association (IFSA) for 2010. Mr. Ashraf co-athoured the article with his Advisor Dr. Nitin Afzulpurkar, Dean, School of Engineering and Technology (SET), and some other colleagues.
http://www.sensorsportal.com/HTML/DIGEST/Best_articles_2010.htm
. A paper entitled "The Study of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) in the Retail Industry in Indonesia" written by AIT faculty colleague Dr. Sununta Siengthai together with her former advisee Ms. Wannee Sae Pung and current doctoral student Mr. D.S. Sukirno which was submitted to the Asia-Pacific Business Research Conference held in Malaysia in February 2011 has been awarded the best paper in Management track by the World Business Institute, Australia. 34 | P a g e
. Dr. Alvin Culaba, who received his Master in Energy Technology degree in 1990, and Dr. Arnulfo Azcarraga, who received Master in Computer Science and Information Management degree in 1990, both from AIT have recently been appointed as the Executive Vice President and the Vice Chancellor for Research, respectively at De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
. Another AIT alumni and President of the AITAA-Philippines Chapter, Mr. Allen Surla, who received his Masters degree in Computer Science in 1994 from AIT, was appointed as the Director of Information Technology Services Office of the same De La Salle University, Philippines.
. A review article coauthored by an AIT doctoral student, Mr. Sunandan Baruah, and AIT‟s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Joydeep Dutta, has been featured in leading technology news portals including Research SEA and TMCNet, apart from popular news portals like Yahoo News and PRWeb.
Further details available at the below link:
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/nano-student2019s-article- generates-numerous-news-items/view
1.5 Other News
. AIT Application Tracking System: The newly-installed Application Tracking System, developed by Netlink will enable AIT faculty and staff members as well as applicants to track the status of individual applications at each stage of the internal review process. The project was launched in September 2010, and is one of several initiatives of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, to enhance and improve the overall efficiency of administrative processes, in this case processing of student applications for admission to AIT.
Portable bar code scanners have been installed in the Schools and Admissions Office that can read electronic code numbers, representing the 12-digit application code numbers. Trial implementation was done in processing applications for the January 2011 intake. Full implementation is envisaged in processing all applications for the August 2011 intake which will start shortly.
. Forum for non-School Units: Instead of the regular year-end Institute Forum, a forum for non-School units, including the Administration, AIT Extension and Centers, was held last 12 January 2011 in the Milton E Bender Jr Auditorium. Separate meetings with the three Schools were already arranged last 13 December 2010.
The forum, which was very well attended, discussed the new management and administrative model proposed by the external consultants, as well as the financial operating results for 2009-2013.
. New Student Union Introductory Meeting: On 31 January, I had an introductory meeting with the new Student Union Team comprised of Mr. Lawal Umar Kankia, Student Union President; Mr. VarunKumra, Sport Committee
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Chairperson; Mr. Zelealam Tesfay Gebretaasadik, Academic Affairs Chairperson; Ms. Sarina Pradhan Thapa, Culture and Gender Committee Chairperson; Mr. Babrak Ali Panezai, External Affairs Committee Chairperson; Ms. Zu Min, Film and Entertainment Committee Chairperson; Mr. Mamunul Islam, Campus and Environment Committee Chairperson; Ms. Jutarat Dangtummachat, Accommodation and Reservation Committee Chairperson; Mr. Carlos Castro, Head of Student Union Café Team; Mr. Kittawat Sukosi, Leisure Committee Chairperson; Ms. Sherin Shrestha, Media affairs Chairperson; Mr. Mongkol Moungpun, Student Union Secretary. The SU President briefed us with highlights of Student Union programs during January 2011 semester. Major concerns of AIT students both academic and social issues were raised, among which were Library related issues, Internet access, Sport Facilities, Accommodation, Environment, Student Food Canteen, etc.
. Student Union – AIT Administration Sport Event: On 31 January, I opened the newly renovated / refurbished AIT Gym and Fitness Center, which was followed by commencement of the AIT-Mini-Marathon race, Slow Bicycle, Relay Race, and Football. Further details of the event are available at:
http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2011/news/president2019s-eleven-triumphs- in-ait-sports-day-football-match/view
. SOM Students Team Finalist in Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC), South East Asia Region: A team of SOM students were part of 10 finalists in the GSVC-SEA business plan competition.. Their project Indhan has been selected among the top 10 finalists in the SEA region. The project is a Bio-Gas generation project that benefits the rural people of developing nations. The GSVC is a business plan competition for projects that are sustainable and benefit the society. This project was also awarded the first prize in the in SOM business plan competition, which was awarded in SOM day 2010. Further information is available at
http://www.gsvc-sea.org/entrants/2011finalists.html
. Interview by Swedish Magazine: I was interviewed by Ms. Linda Karlsson Eldh, who is writing an article on international campuses around the world for a Swedish academc magazine. AIT is among the 5 universities selected, and only 1 from Asia, which includes the Technical University of Munich, University of Geneva, University of Melbourne and University of Minnesota. The feature will be on unique international learning environments and Ms. Linda was very mush impressed by AIT and its internationality, and will likely also write a separate article on AIT into the future.
I was also interviewed by Mr. Jan Kallman, a Swedish journalist, who is writing a four-part article for the Borås Tidning newspaper, and also producing a short video, which will be featured on You-Tube, about the experiences of the Swedish exchange students at AIT, and also on AIT
. AIT-UNEP RRC.AP work Highlighted in the “The Economist”: An article on the topic “Climate change in black and white” which appeared in the 17 February 2011 issue of The Economist cites work which was initiated by the AIT-UNEP
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Regional Resource Center for Asia and Pacific (RRC.AP). In particular it pertains to studies conducted on the Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABC).
http://www.economist.com/node/18175423
. News from AIT Mathivation Center: The AIT Mathivation Center led by Mr. Farid Nolen, Visiting AIT Fellow, has been very active, and the below are some statistics on their outreach work.
- 15,725 students and educators have attended talks and workshops since September 2009 - 1,297 teachers have completed teacher training in "Inspirational Methodologies of Mathivation" with certificates from AIT - 256 talks and workshops in 7 countries, 26 cities, 53 institutions - Countries include: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, India, China and Japan. - 726 copies of the book Says Who have been sold in 9 countries worldwide.
. Study on Bangkok as a Regional Hub for International Development- Oriented Organizations: On 22nd February I met with Dr. Apichai Sunchindah, Policy Advisor, GTZ, Thailand, and Chairman of ASEAN Regional Center of Excellence on Millennium Development Goals (ARCMDG) Board and also member of the Institute-level Advisory Board, who was accompanied by Mr. J.K. Robert England, who is working as an International Development Consultant and is the former UN Resident Coordinator, in successively Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Thailand, where he was charged with providing leadership to the entire UN System in the country as well as to UNDP.
In the framework of further supporting South-South and trilateral cooperation in the region, the GIZ (German International Cooperation) is undertaking an assessment of the prospect for further enhancement of Bangkok as a regional hub for international development-oriented organizations. One possible model being reviewed is Geneva, Switzerland where a whole host of international organizations (inter-governmental as well as non-governmental) have set up their operational bases in that city.
To gain a better understanding of the current situation faced by international centers, institutes, foundations, associations and NGOs with offices already located in Thailand, particularly on operational issues, they also invited AIT to participate in a survey which they recently conducted on the operational issues in connection with the establishment and maintenance of operational base in Thailand for International Centers, Institutes, Foundations, Associations& NGOs. The purpose of our meeting was to discuss the study, during which I also took the opportunity to provide a brief on some of AIT‟s activities and initiatives, and sought their advice and feedback as well.
Dr. Apichai and Mr. England also had a separate meeting to discuss the study with H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag, Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees.
. Field of Study Visits: On 1st March, I, along with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, SERD Dean, Head-Student Office, and Head-Administration, visited the Environmental Engineering & Management (EEM), Aquaculture & 37 | P a g e
Aquatic Resources Management (AARM), and the Agricultural Systems & Engineering (ASE) fields of study, as part of our regular review of the activities and initiatives of fields of study. Each fields of study were requested to prepare documents which provided details of the past and the present activities of the field, highlights of their programs, initiatives, uniqueness and what was being planned for the future. Similar visits to all the fields of study are planned.
. Faculty Meeting: On 2nd March, upon the invitation of the Faculty Representative, Dr. Manukid Parnichkun, I attended the Faculty Meeting organized by the Faculty Relations Committee members. The meeting was well participated and various issues of faculty concern were discussed in a very open and collegial manner.
. AIT joins the London School of Economics Enterprise and AETS Europe in a consortium led by Human Dynamics: AIT, the ASEAN Regional Center of Excellence on MDGs at AIT and AIT Consulting joined the London School of Economics Enterprise and the AETS Europe in a consortium led by the Human Dynamics in submitting a proposal to execute the EU funded ASEAN READI programme. The consortium has passed the preliminary qualification screening and has been successfully shortlisted.
The U.S. State Department invited ARCMDG to attend as observer at the 2011 APEC ACT senior officials meeting held during 2-4 March 2011 in Washington DC. The consultation included the future APEC plan of action to enhance member economies collaboration to reduce forms of crime and corruption which affect the attainment of MDGs as well as innovative collaboration between APEC's human security policies and MDGs policies.
The President of the U. S. Government Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has invited ARCMDG to be the convener of the panel on "Conserving and Protecting the Resources of Southeast Asia" at the International Investment Conference "Access to Opportunity in Southeast Asia" which will be held during 3-5 May 2011 in Jakarta.
ARCMDG is finalizing the plan to publish its magazine "Freedom from Want". The first issue of the magazine will be published in April 2011 in print and online with articles from global VIPs from the sustainable development sector.
ARCMDG has also joined the Transportation Engineering field of study at AIT in collaborating with them in a coastal disaster management project titled “Reduction of Vulnerability to Coastal Natural Hazards in Asia” which is sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
. New Faculty Orientation: On 8th March I attended the orientation program organized for new faculty members by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Human Resources Office.
. Student Union Organized “Plantation Event” and “Mini Olympics”: On 14th March, I took part in the tree plantation event organized by the Student Union (SU), which was followed by the inauguration of the Mini Olympics Sport Competition.
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. International Women’s Day Celebratory Events: On 17th March, I joined members of the AIT Community, in the celebratory events, which were organized by the Student Union (SU) Culture and Gender Committee and the Gender and Development Studies (GDS), commemorating 100 years of International Women‟s Day, which included the launch of the “Zero Harassment Sticker” and musical theatrical performance by the Moradokmai Theater Tropue from Pathumthani, as well as announcement of winners of the artwork competition.
http://www.ait.asia/news-and-events/2011/news/700-signatories-participate-in- women2019s-day-signature-campaign/
. Silver Jubilee Celebrations of ADPC: On 23rd March I attended the reception marking the silver jubilee celebrations of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) at the invitation of Professor Dr. Krasae Chanawongse, Chairman of the ADPC Board of Trustees.
On 24th March, I also attended the Brian Ward Memorial Lecture Series in honour of Colonel Brian Ward, who was ADPC‟s founding director. I also had an opportunity to meet with Ms. Margareta Walstöm, Assistant Secretary-General and UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, who the guest speaker at the Inaugural Brian Ward Memorial Lecture.
I was asked to deliver the vote thanks to Ms. Walstöm following her lecture and also pay a tribute to the late Colonel Ward.
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