AIT Annual Report on Research 2009 PREFACE The Asian Institute of Technology celebrated its Golden Jubilee last year. Based on the achievements and experiences and the rapidly changing needs of the region and indeed the world, the institute realizes that there is an urgent need to adapt and position ourselves to meet the coming decades. While higher education demands in the region are expected to expand, there is also increased number of good educational institutions and mobility of students all over the world in pursuit of their interests and thirst for knowledge. While academic quality is important in any institute, such organizations have long term recognition based on the research and development activity that is carried out and brings benefit to society. It is with this background that AIT plans to consolidate its While the institute debates a new financial model research and build stronger inter-disciplinary to bring stability and sustainability to the institute, teams, bring greater focus to research and it has also created an AIT Strategy document develop new strong partnerships to face up to which highlights present strengths and future the emerging needs of the region and beyond. needs. The activities include developing a research strategy for the institute. The latter is The past year has been a successful year with being developed and will include four major about thirty percent increase in the number of components, namely, focus of research, sponsored projects and there being an increased research quality, partnership and collaboration number of projects which have built on and fund raising for developing capacity and partnerships with external and internal trans- infrastructure which will attract some of the best disciplinary partners. After considerable researchers to the institute. In order to do this in deliberation inside the institute a Center of a systematic manner a Results Based Excellence in “Sustainable Development in the Management (RBM) approach is being used. It context of climate change” was launched. The is hoped that this will be used in the future to six themes under this umbrella area has been hold discussions with various stake holders agreed to be Vulnerability and Risk Reduction, which will include donors, government agencies Adaptation and Livelihood Strategies, Urban and and the private sector so that AIT can serve as a Rural Sustainability, Water and Food Security, platform for innovative research and Energy Security and Low Carbon Society, development. Cleaner Production and Waste Refining. During the launch of this centre external partners and We take this opportunity to thank all faculties, AIT faculty and staff deliberated on some of the staff, students and indeed the vast variety of research needs in the near and middle term external partners who made our achievements future. This will be further elaborated further to possible. We look forward to increased include the emerging areas like climate science collaboration and partnership to expand the to determine local societies which are more knowledge base we have created and improve vulnerable while working on adaptation and the quality of life of those who those most need mitigation options which are urgently needed. it. Professor Sudip K Rakshit Vice President for Research June 2010 i TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................................ i TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................ ii Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY ..................................................................................... 3 Chapter 3: SET – COMPUTER SCIENCE and INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FIELDS OF STUDY ..............................................................7 Chapter 4: SET – CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING AND INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT FIELD OF STUDY ........................................ 13 Chapter 5: SET – GEOTECHNICAL AND GEOENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING FIELD OF STUDY ........................................................... 17 Chapter 6: SET – INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING FIELD OF STUDY ...................................................................... 23 Chapter 7: SET – MECHATRONICS and MICROELECTRONICS FIELDS OF STUDY .................................................................................. 31 Chapter 8: SET – REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS FIELD OF STUDY ..................................................... 39 Chapter 9: SET – STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FIELD OF STUDY ......................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 10: SET – TELECOMMUNICATIONS FIELD OF STUDY ............................................................................................................ 51 Chapter 11: SET – TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING FIELD OF STUDY ............................................................................................... 57 Chapter 12: SET – WATER ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT FIELD OF STUDY ................................................................................ 63 Chapter 13: SET – INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES AREA OF STUDY ............................................................ 71 Chapter 14: SET – OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ................................................................................... 73 Chapter 15: SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCE AND DEVELOPMENT .......................................................... 75 Chapter 16: SERD – AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND ENGINEERING FIELD OF STUDY ........................................................................... 77 Chapter 17: SERD – AQUACULTURE AND AQUATIC RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FIELD OF STUDY ...................................................... 81 Chapter 18: SERD – ENERGY FIELD OF STUDY ................................................................................................................................... 85 Chapter 19: SERD – ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT FIELD OF STUDY .............................................................. 89 Chapter 20: SERD – FOOD ENGINEERING AND BIOPROCESS TECHNOLOGY FIELD OF STUDY ............................................................ 101 Chapter 21: SERD – GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES FIELD OF STUDY ................................................................................... 107 Chapter 22: SERD – NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FIELD OF STUDY ................................................................................... 111 Chapter 23: SERD – PULP AND PAPER TECHNOLOGY FIELD OF STUDY ............................................................................................. 115 Chapter 24: SERD – REGIONAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING FIELD OF STUDY ................................................................. 119 Chapter 25: SERD – URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FIELD OF STUDY .............................................................................. 121 Chapter 26: SERD – AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ....................................................................................................... 127 Chapter 27: GENDER, TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT AREA OF STUDY .............................................................................. 129 Chapter 28: SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................... 131 Chapter 29: AIT EXTENSION .............................................................................................................................. 143 Chapter 30 : INTERNET EDUCATION AND RESEARCH LABORATORY (intERLab) .................................................. 149 Chapter 31: INSTITUTE-WIDE SPONSORED AND CONTRACTED PROJECTS .......................................................... 153 Chapter 32: AIT – VIETNAM .............................................................................................................................. 153 Chapter 33: OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES FOR 2009 ............................................................................. 161 Chapter 34: AIT Masters Theses Competition 2009 ........................................................................................... 163 ii Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 AIT Mission 1.2 AIT Vision The Asian Institute of Technology promotes technological To become a leading and unique regional multicultural change and sustainable development in the Asian-Pacific institution of higher learning, offering state-of-the-art region through higher education, research and outreach. education, research and training in technology, management Established in Bangkok in 1959, AIT has become a leading and societal development. regional postgraduate institution and is actively working with public and private sector partners throughout the region and With this clear, timeless vision, the multi-skilled team of with some of the top universities in the world. students, faculty and staff at AIT are set to continuously strengthen the institution by becoming Recognized for its multinational, multi- cultural ethos, the Institute operates as a self-contained international