WEEK #21: 23 – 29 May 2016

In this issue:

 

Announcements

Campus Updates

Events

Faculty and Staff Travel

Classifieds (Jobs)

 

Announcements

 

Promotion of Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapong to the Rank of Associate Professor

 

Dear Members of the AIT Community,

I am pleased to announce the promotion of Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapong to the rank of Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and Technology (SET). I have approved the promotion of Dr. Mongkol taking into account the positive recommendations of the Faculty Evaluation Panel (FEP) and the SET Promotions Committee.

Dr. Mongkol was appointed at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) as an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering and Technology in July 2009. Prior to this, he held the Senior Computer Architect position at the Mobility Microprocessor Group, Intel Corporation, California, USA (2006–June 2009).

Dr. Mongkol obtained both his Ph.D. and Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA in 2006 and 2003, respectively.  He earned his first Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Asian Institute of Technology in 2000 and his Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand in 1997.

Dr. Mongkol’s research encompasses the areas of Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, VLSI design (Low power design), Physical VLSI design, and High Performance Computing, GPGPU, DSP.

Dr. Mongkol’s curriculum vitae, the Institute Criteria for Promotion (PA-1-2-5) and the Procedure for Evaluation of Faculty for Promotion (PA-1-2-2) can be accessed through the link provided below:

https://goo.gl/GXt8bz

We warmly congratulate Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapong on this promotion in recognition of his valuable contributions to his field.

 

Sincerely,

 

Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai

President

Asian Institute of Technology

 

Passing Away of Prof. Hisayoshi Morisugi

20 May 2016

Dear Members of AIT Community

We have learned today with deep sorrow the passing away of Professor Hisayoshi Morisugi on 19 May 2016.

Professor Hisayoshi Morisugi, originally from Tohuku University Sendai, was seconded to AIT by the Japanese Government in August 1995 for two years. He was a specialist in transportation planning, project evaluation, and economic evaluation of environmental issues. After his retirement before he passed away, he became Professor Emeritus of Tohoku University and also Professor of Nihon University.

On behalf of the Institute, we wish to express our condolences and sympathies to the family members of Professor Hisayoshi Morisugi during this time of bereavement.

With regards,

Prof Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai

AIT President

 

Ochanomizu University Summer Program 2016 Selection Result Announcement

The Career Center has announced the Scholarship Awardees for the Ochanomizu University Summer Program 2016, as follows:

1.      Mr. Shahab E Saqip (st116032)

2.     Mr. Md Fazlul Haque (st117686)

3.     Mr. Vu Trung Dung (st117911)

4.     Mr. Milan Regmi (st117500)

5.     Mr. Saroj Kumar (st117719)

6.     Ms. Ta Thi Hoa (st117626)

 

Congratulations to the students selected for this competitive summer program!

 

Farewell Message - Student Union President January 2016

 

Dear All,

 

It was a great privilege to have held the office of Student Union President of this great institute. Having served the community to the best of my ability, I am writing last email to thank a lot of people in the AIT administration whose support have been the backbone of my tenure.

Firstly, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Prof. Worsak for his leadership and the support for SU and the student community.  I would like to thank Prof. Kumar who have been giving me positive feedback and guidance throughout this semester. I am extremely thankful to Khun Laarni, who I consult regularly for any SU related issues and I have been advised wisely. She has been very much supportive to me and the SU team guiding us in the right direction and has always been there when we needed her. I would like to Khun Carla for her support in organizing the career talks, research exhibition and career fair and guidance to resolve student issues. I am grateful to all the deans of schools and the UG coordinator for supporting us financially and by providing class rooms and necessary instruments. I would like to thank all the faculty members and staff for being supportive and proving assistance to us at all times. My special thanks goes to my adviser Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapong for believing in me and granting me permission to contest for SU presidency. I am grateful to Mr. Karma Rana for organizing the SRC meeting which came out productive and inviting me for BoT meeting. I extend my gratitude to Khun Somnuk who has been giving me motherly advise and has been constantly trying to solve student problems. I would like to thank Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe for his support and his willingness to find financial support to SU sport teams. I would like to show my gratitude to AIT Alumni Association for supporting us financially and giving us their valuable suggestions and feedbacks. I would also like to thank the finance department for quick processing of PNs and payments. I am very much thankful to all the secretaries, who arranged our meetings and made our work fast and easy.

Our events and newsletter would not have achieved publicity without the help of Mr. Shawn Kelly and Mr. Bajinder Singh. I would also like to thank MCU for their support in making the batch book. It was my pleasure that I had opportunity to work with ERCO during AIT open house preparations. I am very thankful for that. AIT solutions have been working very closely with SU in the past few semesters. I am extremely thankful to Dr. Naveed for the donation towards SU magazine. I would also like to thank Mr. Abhishek for coordinating the work between SU and AIT solutions. I am happy to have worked with GRU and AIT extension and I thank them for the opportunity given to me. I am extremely thankful to Dr. Tenzin, Khun Patcharee and her team for their help during the intake of new students. I would like to thank help desk and inter lab without whose support we would not have been able to project video clips.

Having experienced tough times at AIT, I must thank the support that OFAM has given to us and their ability to react and resolve the problems very fast is commendable. I was able to closely work with OFAM and were able to find solutions to many problems as soon as possible. I am grateful to Khun Wanchai, Khun Sireesha, Khun Beth, Khun Lorie for their service rendered to student community. I would like to thank Khun Saphon and Khun Chatur for giving us their service at anytime required. My special thanks go to SNSS, Promaid, GTA, AITCC and securitas for helping us throughout and making sure that students stay safe and happy. Last but not least, I would like to thank Waranluck Jib, SU office secretary for her support and assistance given to us.

I along with my team members have tried our best to address the student concerns and organize various activities based upon student interests. Our main objective was to prioritize student interests and document them, thereby stabilizing the functionality of student union. We have introduced an event evaluation to evaluate student union activities through an online survey. This was implemented to minimize errors and improve the standards of SU activities. We have tried our best to show the beauty of AIT to the outer world. We introduced, online streaming, SU channel and SU magazine through which beautiful colors of AIT is shown to the outsiders.  I am extremely happy to have served as the SU president and this is time for me to step down and give way to the new SU team lead by Mr. Raunak Thapa. The lessons learnt during this period is immense. I am grateful to all you for giving life time memories that I can cherish. Please apologize if I forgot to mention anybody's name in my mail. I will continue to support SU and AIT as a student and as an alumnus after graduation.

Thank you,

Best Regards,

 

Jayasingam Adhuran,

SU President,

Asian Institute of Technology.

 

Campus Updates

 

Chinese Courses

 

The AIT Language Center is now offering the following Chinese courses:

 

1) Reading and Writing Chinese for Beginners

Duration: June 6 – July 13, 12 sessions

Monday and Wednesday, from 16.30 – 18.00 hrs.

 

2) Reading and Writing Chinese (continue from lesson 7)

Duration: June 7 – July 14, 12 sessions

Tuesday and Thursday, from 12.00 – 13.00 hrs.

 

3) Survival Chinese for Beginners

Duration: June 7 – July 14, 12 sessions

Tuesday and Thursday, from 16.30 – 18.00 hrs.

The course fee is 1,000THB due to the kind support of the Chinese Government through the Confucius Institute.  (Refunds are not available.)

For those interested can register and make a payment at Room 216, Language Center.

 

HRO English Training Course for Junior Secretaries / Administratives

Twenty – eight secretaries have signed up for the ‘English Training for Junior Secretary / Administratives’ course offered by the Human Resource Office (HRO). The training program will be held on May 24 at the TV Room, second Fl., AITCC, starting at 9:00 a.m., lasting until noon.

 

Blood Donation

The Thai Red Cross Society has been working with volunteer students and AIT staff to collect units of blood from the AIT community. The bloodmobile visits AIT every three months, four times a year, hoping to collect enough units to supply the constant demand for blood.

AIT Medical Clinic again would like to ask for your help. The next visit for blood donation is scheduled on Thursday 9 June 2016, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. at the parking lot in front of the AIT Conference Center.

Give blood! You'll experience a fulfilling sense of contribution. And the donation process isn't time-consuming. It only takes about half an hour. For more information about blood donation please see the attached.

On behalf of needy patients whose lives you may save, we would like to thank you very much for your time and support.

 

SU January 2016 Semester Newsletter

The SU Media Team presents the final Newsletter of the January 2016 Semester, produced with the great support of the photographers and volunteers of SU Media team.

Please find the newsletter from the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0nLSB7YYSeEVFktQk82YjZrUzQ/view?usp=sharing

 

Renovation of Tennis Court from 20 May 2016

Please be informed that the Tennis Court - 2 opposite Dorm L will be closed from 20 May 2016 for the renovation and will  take at least 45 days to complete.

After the completion of the renovation of the Tennis Court - 2, OFAM plans to renovate Tennis Court - 1 near the library.

Office of Facilities and Asset Management (OFAM) is also planning on the renovation of the badminton court and volleyball court opposite Dorms L & Q and if possible also few other courts near standard dorms.

 

Events

 

A training course on "Managing Project Preparation for Climate Change Adaptation"

Climate Change Asia (CCA), AIT and USAID (through their Adapt Asia-Pacific Project) will be conducting a training course on "Managing Project Preparation for Climate Change Adaptation" for participants from South and Southeast Asia. This is a "Train-the-Trainer" course, developed by USAID Adapt Asia-Pacific in collaboration with the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii.

The course aims to improve the capacity on preparing fundable project proposals for climate change adaptation. The course will 1) help in understanding climate change realities and risks; how to manage risks, screen for sensitivities, and address key vulnerable groups and areas; how climate change adaptation can be grounded in national development plans and broader national adaptation policy and strategic frameworks. 2) aid in identifying sources of international funding options and develop capacities for accessing those sources; 3) build capacity in project preparation for climate change adaptation by illustrating ‘how-to’ methods, tools and processes for use in rigorous adaptation project/program design in line with policies and plans; and 4) provide an introduction to Implementation and monitoring of projects.

There are up to FIVE participant slots available for AIT delegates to attend this training course. Details of the course are:

Dates:  06-10 June, 2016

Time:   Full day (08:30 - 17:00h)

Venue: B- 202 AIT Conference Center

Cost:    Free (lunch and coffee will be provided)

Those interested to participate in this course please send your CVs (maximum 2 pages) to Dr. Puja Sawhney (puja.sawhney@rrcap.ait.asia), with a copy to Ms. Warawan Chalermot (Warawan.Chalermot@rrcap.ait.asia) along with a short motivation statement (maximum 1 page) latest by 30 May 2016. Because this is a course on enhancing skills for preparing climate change adaptation projects proposals for donor agencies as a part of CCA activities, Climate Change Asia is looking for participants who can contribute to the future CCA activities and are willing to be involved in preparing adaptation relatedproject proposals; and haveexperience in providing support to governments for preparation of their NAP, NAPA or adaptation component of the NDC.

Also, to ensure that participants receive the full benefit of the course, only those who are available for the entire duration of the training will be considered.

 

Special Talk & Thailand Science Park Site Visit

Thailand Science Park Tenant Club together with Food and Feed Innovation Center,  BIOTEC invite interested persons to attend the “Special Talk & Thailand Science Park Site Visit” to be held on 31 May 2016 from 10 a.m. – 12 noon., at Room 127 BIOTEC, Thailand Science Park.

The participants will have the opportunity to attend a special talk on “Meat Quality Issues in Modern Chicken Broilers” by Dr. Massimiliano Petracci, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Bologna, Italy. Later, there will be the visit of Betagro Science Center Col., Ltd. and Air Products Asia (Technology Center) Co., Ltd. which are located at Thailand Science Park.

For registration, please contact: ffic@biotec.or.th by 23 May 2016.

 

green-Y SUMMIT

 

For students and professionals

Date : Saturday, June 11, 2016

Time : 12pm - 4pm

Venue : Conrad Hotel, Bangkok

Convening Green Minds: A Conversation about Climate

On June 11, 2016, the first green-Y summit, Convening Green Minds on Climate, will inspire, motivate, connect and energize professionals and students interested in climate change in Southeast Asia. Each talk will be a carefully curated and rehearsed presentation by a thinker, an expert, a professional or an artist passionate about climate change mitigation and adaptation in the southeast Asian context. Brought to you by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission for Asia and its partners, this unique opportunity will look at how climate change is already impacting communities in Southeast Asia and how youth and civil society can get involved to mitigate or adapt to these changes. Over 300 university students and professionals will be treated to this half-day program of short talks interspersed with short videos, interviews and other entertainment, and all under the overall theme of climate change.

For registration, please go to the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14xUqogIIwzjbUUFVC0inLr5AhuGfJ03XrRlfVib1XUs/viewform?c=0&w=1 

 

Zumba at AIT: Master Class

A Master Class of "Zumba at AIT" will be held on 23 May 2016 at the AIT Conference Center Auditorium from 18:00-19:30 hours.

See more details: http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2016/events/zumba-at-ait-master-class/#.V0JvHcv-IdU

 

 

Faculty and Staff Travel

 

Dr. Naveed Anwar / Colombo, Sri Lanka / 24 April – 5 May 2016*

Mr. Syed Muntasir Husain Bokhari / Denpasar Bali, Surabaya, Indonesia / 14 – 28 May 2016*

Dr. Lal Samarakoon / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 18 – 19 May 2016*

Dr. Naveed Anwar / Manila, Philippines / 18 – 21 May 2016*

Dr. Joyee S. Chaterjee / Mumbai, India / 18 – 27 May 2016

Prof. Nazrul Islam / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam / 20 – 28 May 2016

Dr. Yuosre Badir / Hanoi, Vietnam / 20 – 28 May 2016

Prof. Ajit P. Annachatre / Delft, The Netherlands / 22 May – 5 June 2016

Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai / Hanoi, Vietnam / 23 – 26 May 2016

Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto / Hanoi, Vietnam / 23 – 26 May 2016

Dr. Teerapat Sa-nguankotchakorn / Yangon and Heho, Myanmar / 23 – 26 May 2016

Mr. Karma Rana, Dr. Bindu N. Lohani, Mr. Kraiwood Kiattikomol / Hanoi, Vietnam / 23 – 26 May 2016

Mr. Fazle Karim / Denpasar Bali, Indonesia / 23 – 28 May 2016

Dr. Loc Thai Nguyen / Ho Chi Minh City and Cantho, Vietnam / 25 – 29 May 2016

Prof. Rajendra P. Shrestha / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 26 – 29 May 2016

Dr. Nophea Sasaki / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 26 – 29 May 2016

Ms. Rowena Alcoba / Hong Kong / 28 May – 5 June 2016

Prof. Nazrul Islam / Singapore / 29 May – 1 June 2016

*(Staff or faculty member travelled and returned to AIT prior to documentation received for publication)

 

Classifieds (Jobs)

 

Position: Program Officer, Australian AID research project, GDS (short term)

Ref. No. 15/16

Deadline: 25 May 2016

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/371

 

Position: IT Officer (AIT Library)

Ref. No. 16/16

Deadline: 30 May 2016

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/372

 

Position: Library Assistant (AIT Library )

Ref. No. 17/16

Deadline: 30 May 2016

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/373

 

Position: Senior Programme Officer (CoE for Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change (SDCC))

Ref. No. 18/16

Deadline: 03 June 2016

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/374

 

Position: Head, Human Resources Office (Human Resources Office)

Ref. No. 7/16

Deadline: 30 June 2016

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/363