AIT | Annual Report 2009 Cover photo: Ekkapong Cheevitsopon Grand Prize Winner, 50th Anniversary Photo Competition CONTENTS AIT LeaDerSHIP 2 KEY ACHieVEMENTS IN 2009 40 AIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2 ACADEMICS 42 SENIOR MANagEMENt 3 RESEARCH 56 CHaiRMAN’S MESSagE 4 EXTENSION, OUTREACH AND CENTERS 62 PRESIDENT’S MESSagE 5 FacUlty MEMBERS 72 PARTNERS 77 AIT OVerVieW 6 INSTITUTIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 8 awaRDS AND RECOGNitiON 24 FINANciaL StateMENtS AND 82 AUDitor’S rePORT AT A GLANce RESEARCH, TRAINING COURSES, PUBLICATIONS 30 STUDENTS, ALUMNI 31 AIT’S REACH 32 STRATEGY 2013 38 This report was compiled and produced by the Media and Communications Unit (MCU), External Relations and Communications Office (ERCO), with the involvement of all employees. AIT wishes to thank the many people who rendered assistance in preparing this report. Editorial team: Research and Design team: Primary Photo Credits: Shawn Kelly Chittrawinee Wichianson Paitoon Tinnapong Dr. Pritam Krishna Shreshta Bernardo Gadlan Ekkapong Cheevitsopon Bajinder Pal Singh Natnipha Vimuktanon AIT Student Union Kim Escobin Apichart Ngarmniyom This report was printed on wood-free paper and used soy ink without any special techniques to ensure that this publication is recyclable. Copyright © 2009 Asian Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. www.ait.asia 2 AIT | Annual Report 2009 AIT ALE DERSHIP AIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN EMERITUS H.E. Mr. Gildas Le Lidec H.E. Dr. Thanat Khoman Ambassador of France to Thailand Former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and Former H.E. Mr. Lennart Linnér Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador of Sweden to Thailand H.E. Mr. David Lipman CHAIRMAN Ambassador-Head of Delegation, European Commission H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag to Thailand Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand and H.E. Ms. Sirpa Mäenpää Assistant Secretary General for Administration Ambassador of Finland to Thailand The Thai Red Cross Society H.E. Mr. Sohail Mahmood Ambassador of Pakistan to Thailand VICE CHAIRPERSONS H.E. Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung H.E. Mrs. Merete Fjeld Brattested Ambassador of Vietnam to Thailand Ambassador of Norway to Thailand Professor Dr. Surapon Nitikraipot Professor Shinichiro Ohgaki Rector, Thammasat University Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo, H.E. Mr. Ouan Phommachack President, National Institute for Environmental Studies Ambassador of Lao People’s Democratic Republic to Thai- (NIES), Japan land Mr. Jean-Pierre Verbiest Dr. Chitriya Pinthong Country Director, Thailand Resident Mission, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Asian Development Bank Ministry of Foreign Affairs H.E. Ms. Vijaya Latha Reddy BOARD MEMBERS Ambassador of India to Thailand H.E. Mrs. You Ay H.E. Mr. Antonio Rodriguez Ambassador of Cambodia to Thailand Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Thailand Mr. Liu Baoli Mr. Deepak Seth Deputy Director-General, Chairman, House of Pearl Fashion Ltd., India Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, H.E. Mr. Naveen Prakash Jung Shah Ministry of Education, China Ambassador of Nepal to Thailand H.E. Mr. Chung Hae-moon H.E. Mr. Tjaco Theo van den Hout Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Thailand Ambassador of the Netherlands to Thailand H.E. Professor J.B. Disanayaka Khunying Jada Wattanasiritham Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Thailand Director and Executive Director, Professor Hubert Gijzen The Siam Commercial Bank Public Co.,Ltd. Director of UNESCO in Jarkata Dr. Sumate Yamnoon H.E. Mr. Mohammad Hatta Secretary-General, Commission on Higher Education, Ambassador of Indonesia to Thailand Ministry of Education, Thailand Dr. Noeleen Heyzer Professor Yongyuth Yuthavong Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Ex- Former Minister of Science and Technology, ecutive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Thailand and Senior Researcher, National Center for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Thailand GeneticEngineering and Biotechnology, National Science Dr. Tongchat Hongladaromp and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) Chairman of the University Council, Professor Said Irandoust King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Thonburi AIT President H.E. Mr. Mustafa Kamal Mr. Chaovalit Ekabut Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to President, AIT Alumni Association Thailand H.E. Mr. Kyoji Komachi Ambassador of Japan to Thailand As of December, 2009 SeNior MaNAGEMENT 2009 PRESIDENT • Professor Said Irandoust VICE PRESIDENTS • Professor Peter F. Haddawy, Academic Affairs • Professor Sudip K. Rakshit, Research • Professor Vilas Wuwongse, External Relations (until 30 June 2009) • Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein, Development and Resources (until 30 June 2009) • Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Resource Development (from 1 July 2009) DEANS • Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, School of Engineering and Technology (until 31 August 2009) • Professor Sivanappan Kumar, School of Environment, Resources and Development (until 31 August 2009) • Dr. Barbara Igel, School of Management • Dr. Nitin V. Afzulpurkar, School of Engineering and Technology (from 1 September 2009) • Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul, School of Environment, Resources and Development (from 1 September 2009) DIRECTORS • Dr. Amrit Bart, AIT Vietnam • Dr. Sugimin Pranoto, AIT Indonesia • Dr. Jonathan L. Shaw, AIT Extension • Professor Kanchana Kanchanasut, Internet Education and Research Laboratory (intERLab) • Professor Jayant K Routray, ASEAN Regional Center of Excellence on Millennium Development Goals at AIT • Professor Vilas M. Salokhe, Unified Programs at AIT • Dr. Nitin V. Afzulpurkar, Undergraduate Programs at AIT (until 31 August 2009) • Professor Ajit P. Annachhatre, AIT-United Nations Office at AIT • Dr. Nitin Kumar Tripathi, Academic Quality Assurance and Accreditation at AIT • Dr. Mark Neal, Co-Director for Professional Programs at AIT (until 30 June 2009) • Mr. Nicholas Innes-Taylor, Co-Director for Professional Programs at AIT • Professor Richard J. Welford, Co-Director for Professional Programs at AIT (from 1 August 2009) • Dr. Evangelos Angelos Afendras, Center for Learning Innovation & Quality (from August 2009) • Mr. Borje Wallberg, Yunus Center at AIT (from 6 November 2009) AIT | Annual Report 2009 | 4 AIT | Annual Report 2009 CHAIRMAN’S S MES AGE he establishment of the Asian Institute of Techno- logy was a historic event in the history of education T in Asia. The significance of the decision to establish an institute of higher learning in Asia can only be understood in its historical context. At a critical moment of history, the founding fathers established a graduate school for engineers, that would bloom into the Asian Institute of Technology. The institute they started was small, but the dream was big. The vision was to create future leaders. Lead- ers who would guide the destiny of the region. Since that day in 1959, the institute has never looked back. The SEATO Graduate School of Engineering began with a few select students and courses. It grew into a full-blown institute with its own campus and a new name – AIT. It now has more students and greater educational offerings than ever. True to its vision, AIT continues to be a leader. The educational offerings at AIT are new, innovative, and path breaking. The institute is not confined to one region and has always had a global orientation. Students graduated from the institute and rose to high posi- tions in their respective countries. As its alumni achieved high levels of success, AIT’s influence grew as well. Students and teachers alike are proud to be associated with AIT. It is with this background that the year 2009 and its importance in AIT’s history needs to be viewed. AIT has come a long way since 1959, and 2009 will be remembered as the year when AIT moved ahead with new dreams and aspirations, while maintain- ing the vision and mission for which it was founded. H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Asian Institute of TechnoLOGY PRESIDENT’S S MES AGE ifty years is a long time in the history of an in- stitute. It is a time when an institute can firmly F stake its claim to fame. But for us at AIT, while we hold our head high and are proud of our achieve- ments, we are eagerly looking forward towards playing a greater role in the future. In the annals of AIT, 2009 will be a landmark year. This was the year when AIT decided that rather than rest- ing on laurels; it would embark on an ambitious course aimed at increasing its profile, enriching its academic offerings and broadening its reach. While the vision and mission remains the same, AIT embraced a new strategy and direction. 2009 will also remembered as a golden year in many ways. It was the year when AIT forged a relationship with visionaries like Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to launch a Yunus Center at AIT. It was also the year when AIT launched a “Center of Excellence on Sustainable De- velopment in the context of Climate Change”. AIT also decided to establish an Asian Center for Corporate So- cial Responsibility as a joint venture with CSR Asia. The Center for Excellence in Nanotechnology moved into a brand new campus. While broadening our academic offerings, AIT began its undergraduate programs this year offering courses in three different streams. In the graduate stream, a Profes- sional Master’s in Software Engineering was launched, along with a double degree Masters program on Urban Water Engineering and Management in collaboration with UNESCO-IHE (Institute for Water Education). These moves reaffirm our commitment to venture into new programs, while further strengthening our core areas by forming new partnerships and forging