WEEK# 3, 14 – 20 January 2019

 In this issue:

 A. Announcements

B. Events

C. Visitors

D. Campus Updates

E. Faculty and Staff Travel

F. Classifieds (Jobs)

 

 A. Announcements

(i) Prof Pennung Warnitchai appointed Interim Dean, School of Engineering and Technology (SET)

Prof. Pennung Warnitchai, Head, Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering has been appointed Interim Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology. This follows the superannuation of Prof. Voratas Kachitvichyanukul, who served as Dean for over three years and as a faculty member for over 20 years.

The appointment is effective from 1 January 2019.

 

(ii) Just Released: Photo Folio and Slide Show
Email from OMCO (11 Jan. 2019)

Dear AIT Community,

We are happy to announce the release of two products:

1. Photo Folio 2018: This is a pictorial publication that highlights the range of AIT activities in 2018.
Download Link: https://bit.ly/2FtJxRh

2. Animated SlideShow: A three-minute animated slideshow titled "AIT in 2018" is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k08LbEOep3E

It has also been posted on our Facebook page at this link: https://www.facebook.com/AITasia/videos/1974667595919915

Enjoy !

 

(iii) SET welcomes Indian Visiting Faculty of TC - Prof. Adrish Banerjee

School of Engineering and Technology (SET) welcomes Prof. Adrish Banerjee who joined Telecommunications Program as a Visiting Faculty in January 2019. He is seconded to AIT by the Government of India for Jan. 2019 Semester.

Prof. Banerjee received his Bachelor’s degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA. He is currently Professor in the department of Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India.

He has been a visiting faculty to National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan and Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea. Under Erasmus-Mundus program, he was a visiting faculty in the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Politecnico di Torino, Italy.

He is a recipient of Microsoft Research India young faculty award, Institute of Engineers India young engineer award, P K Kelkar Research Fellowship, and IETE-Prof. K. Sreenivasan Memorial Award, 2016.

His current research interests are in the physical layer aspects of communications, particularly error control coding, green communication, visible light communication and molecular communication.

 

(iv) SERD welcomes Two Visiting Faculty – Dr. Armando A. Apan  and  Dr. Harry Chong Lye Hin

The School of Environment, Resources and Development is pleased to welcome Dr. Armand A. Apan and Dr. Harry Chong Lye Hin as Visiting Faculty in January 2019.

Dr. Armando A. Apan, Professor at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Australia, joined SERD as a Visiting Faculty to the Natural Resources and Management Program,  from January  – March 2019.

A graduate of AIT in 1992 (Master of Science, Natural Resources Management), Professor Apan received his BSc Forestry degree from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and PhD in Geography and Environmental Science from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. His research interests converge on the use of remote sensing and GIS in natural
resources management, environmental science, and agriculture.

Professor Apan is the recipient of the Queensland Spatial Science Excellence Award in 2006 and was elevated as Fellow of the Australia’s Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute in the same year. He was the Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying at USQ from 2011-2013. Dr Apan has over 170 papers published in international refereed journals and conference proceedings.

He can be contacted at:
Room: E120
Ext: 6133
Email: armando@ait.ac.th

Dr. Harry Chong Lye Hin, Senior Lecturer, Environmental Science Program, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia, joined SERD as a Visiting Faculty to the Environmental Engineering and Management Program, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change, from 2 January 2019 – 1 February 2019.

Dr. Harry Chong Lye Hin’s teaching and research interests are in the context of
wastewater treatment, adsorption and constructed wetland. During this period, He will give special lectures in ED78.10: Environmental Health and Sanitation, and ED78.20: Industrial Waste Abatement and Management at EEM, EECC.

He can be contacted at room E119, Academic Building, Ext. 5781, email: hlhchong@ait.ac.th

 

(v) Blog Contest for Students: What Makes AIT Special?

Email from OMCO (14 Jan. 2019)

Dear Students,

"What Makes AIT Special" is the theme of our blog contest this semester.

What is it that makes AIT so special? And what makes it unique? Is it the campus or is it the people? Or a combination of both?

Write a blog post for us, add a few photographs, give it a catchy headline, and mail it to us. The best entry will win a cash prize of 3000 THB, while the second and third entries get 2000 THB and 1000 THB each, The best entry will also be posted on the AIT website. Your entries will be judged for originality and creativity.

The ideal post ranges between 300-600 words, but we will not penalize if creativity demands that you violate these parameters.

As a guide, here are previous winning entries:

    AIT - My personal antidote to chaos https://www.ait.ac.th/2018/09/ait-personal-antidote-chaos/
    Curiosity killed the ignorant me https://www.ait.ac.th/2018/04/curiosity-killed-ignorant/  
    My first days at AIT https://www.ait.ac.th/2017/10/first-days-ait/

The contest is open to all AIT students. Please use your AIT email id to send your entries.

Deadline: 15 February 2019 (midnight).
Email: Send your entries to omco@ait.ac.th .
Header: Please write "Blog Contest" in the email subject heading.

 

(vi) Medical Insurance coverage for 2019 under AIA

Email from OHRH (9 Jan. 2019)

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Please be informed that effective 31 December 2018, our medical insurance coverage is under AIA.

OHRS will organize a forum in cooperation with the AIA to discuss details on the medical coverage and claim procedures.

The forum will be held on 24 January 2019, from 10.30 a.m. at the Robert B. Banks Auditorium, AIT Center.

 

We would like to invite all of you to attend this forum and learn more about the medical coverage.

Please note that the new insurance card is expected to be available next week. In case you need medical attention before you receive the insurance card, we request you to please pay the medical expenses first and reimburse it at OHRS.

To process the reimbursement, kindly submit the medical certificate and the original receipt to OHRS.

 

(vii) Announcement from the Social Security Office

Email from OHRS (17 Dec. 2018)

Dear AIT Employees,

This is to kindly inform you that the Social Security Office will no longer issue a new Social Security card after the current SS cards expires on 31 December 2018.

You can still continue to avail the Social Security benefits by going to the  hospital which you have registered with the Social Security Office and present to the hospital staff your passport as proof of your identification and your current social security number. For Thai employees, please present your Thai Identification Card only.

For SS members who wishes to change their current hospital, please contact OHRS until 15 March 2019.

Please be guided accordingly.

 

(viii) Vacant Seats Available for Staff Vans

Email from Office of Human Resources Services (9 Jan. 2018)

Kindly be informed that the available seats for AIT Staff Vans are indicated as follows:

Route 1:  Latplakaow - Ramintra - Sapanmai - Phaholyothin km. 27 - AIT, still has 3 seats available (from 4 seats left 1 seat for relaxing space)

Route 2:  Sathorn - BTS Morchit  - Vibhavadi - AIT , still has 2 seats available  (from 3 seats left 1 seat for relaxing space )

Route 3 :  Nonthaburi - BTS Ministry of Public Health - Pongpetch - Laksi - Vibhavadi - AIT, still has 3 seats available (from 4 seats left 1 seat for relaxing space)

Route 4:  Thonburi- The Mall Tha-pra - Pinklao Intersection- Rama VII Bridge -Vibhavadi - AIT, still has 4 seats available (from 5 seats left 1 seat for relaxing space)

For further communication and reservation, please contract Khun Jirada at ext.5018 or jirada@ait.asia .

 

 

 
B. Events
 

 (i) EVENTS

(a) Blood Donation: 5 Mar. 2019

Email from AIT Medical Center (9 Jan. 2019)

The Thai Red Cross Society has been working with volunteer students and 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.

We again would like to ask for your help. The next visit for blood donation is scheduled on Tuesday, 5th March 2019, 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.

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

 

(ii)LECTURES / SEMINARS / CONFERENCES

(a) ED82.09 Climate Change Seminar (1 credit) course: Starting 15 Jan. 2019

Dr. Bindu Nath Lohani (AIT Board member and former Vice President of Asian Development Bank) and Dr Shobhakar Dhakal would like to announce the opening of one-credit course ED82.09 Climate Change Seminar to interested students.

They can also accommodate a limited number of staff members / researchers to join the seminar and contribute to the discussions which will help our students as well as opportunity for staff members / researchers to learn and engage.   

It will be organized in an interesting format where course coordinators will invite several speakers on different aspects of climate change. Speakers will raise issues and provide insights concisely, followed by an interactive brainstorming discussions moderated by the course coordinators. It will be done in a workshop-style U-Shape layout and full of lively discussions. We expect students and participants to engage in a lively debate.

The seminar will be held twice a week starting on 15 January 2019 at 5 PM at ET238 (Energy Building).

In the interest of greater participation and to accommodate student class-conflicts, the seminar will be held in the late afternoon/early evening.

So far the plan is to offer on Tuesday 5-7 PM and Thursday 4-6 PM.          

We aim for a solid panel of speakers, ample discussion time, interactive  and lively debate.

The speakers would come from inside as well outside of AIT. The topic coverages in seminars are:

·       Historical discourse on Sustainable Development and emergence of climate as a key agenda in sustainability discourse. SDGs and climate change, Paris Agreement and international climate negotiations.
·       IPCC perspectives on mitigation, vulnerability, adaptation, and economics of global climate change

·       Climate change mitigation involving energy, forest, waste and agriculture sectors, including options, screening and mitigation/low carbon planning

·       Land use and Climate change and key links to ecosystem services

·       Climate change impacts, vulnerability and uncertainties in water and agriculture

·       Climate change adaptation needs, options, screening and adaptation policy and planning processe

·       Understanding infrastructure, policy and societal “lock-in” and untie-ing  for better climate responses

·       Enabling climate responses: Climate finance, carbon markets, technology transfer and support, and institutional capacity building    

·       Climate policies: type of policies, policy instruments, experiences and lessons, Low Emission Development Strategies, Climate Change Masterplans

·       Society, community, social development (including gender, poverty, etc) and climate change

·       Corporate sectors’ response to the climate change

·       ICT, disruptive innovations/technologies and new prospects for responding climate change

Please join us on 15 January 2019 at 5 PM at ET238 (Energy Building). For more information, please contact: 

Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal,
E-mail: shobhakar@ait.ac.th , shobhakar.dhakal@gmail.com
Personal web: http://faculty.ait.asia/shobhakar
Department web: https://www.eecc.ait.ac.th

 

(b) Special Seminar on on Emotional Intelligence for Professional Growth : 15 Jan. 2019

A Special Seminar on Emotional Intelligence for Professional Growth

Speaker: Mr. Venugopal Lakshmipuram 

11-12:30 Hrs, Tuesday, 15 January, 2019, Milton Bender Auditorium

Mr Venugopal Lakshmipuram is an Engineer and completed his Bachelor Indian Institute of Bombay, India. He has worked in Western Electronics, New Delhi, India, Sembawang ship yard, Singapore, Philips, Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia, and Mobile Shipping, Beaumont, Tx,USA.

He entered into soft skills training in the year 1998. He has conducted so far around 4500 sessions which include short sessions and workshop
Training programs in India and the South East Asia.

Abstract:

Why this subject is so important ?

Sure you might be smart and have all the right skills to succeed at your present position, if you lack Emotional Intelligence, there is a high chance you’ll struggle to succeed in every walk of your life. The Speaker would focus more on Practical facts of Life and surely this Seminar would help you plan your Career more Professionally and pave a high way for  Holistic Growth.

After the Conclusion of the Seminar, the floor would open for any Questions relevant to the Topic.

All students, Faculty and staff are welcome to attend and benefit from experience of the speaker. Please reply this mail just to confirm your attendance.

 

(c) International Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development: 7 – 8 Mar. 2019

An international symposium on "Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development: Integrating Higher Education Institutions achieving SFDRR and SDG" will be organized from 7-8 March 2019 at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

More details: https://www.ait.ac.th/event/international-symposium-disaster-resilience-...

 

(iii)TRAININGS

(a) Training programme on GNSS: 14 – 18 Jan. 2019

Geoinformatics Center (GIC) along with Centre for Spatial Information Science of the University of Tokyo (CSIS/UT) and International Committee on GNSS (ICG) is organizing a training programme on Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS from 14 – 18 January 2019 at AIT.

Details at this link http://www.geoinfo.ait.ac.th/…/icalrepeat…/2019/01/16/32/-/-

 

(b) Thai Courses: Jan – Mar. 2019

The Language Center is pleased to announce the opening of Thai Courses for Beginners.

Survival Thai Course

The 7-week survival Thai course is an introduction to Thai languages which will cover basic words, phrases, daily and simple expressions and basic grammatical structures to communicate with Thais. The purpose of the course is to introduce participants to the principles and basic of Thai language as used in everyday conversation. Moreover, the course will prepare them to feel confident to communicate with Thais and feel at ease while staying in Thailand.

•             21 January  –  6 March 2019
•             Monday and Wednesday, twice a week
•             From 17:00 – 18:30
•             Total 20 hours
•             Course fee: 2,000 baht

Thai Reading and Writing

This course is the introduction to reading and writing. It is the 7-week course that is designed for those who do not know how to read and write Thai language. The participants will practice reading letters and learn how to spell words and make up words.

•             29 January  – 14 March 2019
•             Tuesday and Thursday, twice a week
•             From 17:00 – 18:30
•             Total 20 hours
•             Course fee: 2,000 baht

Interested persons can register and make payment at the Language Center, Room 216.

 

(c) CLMVT Professional Development in Nonlife Insurance: 4 – 8 Mar. 

The Second CLMVT Professional Development in Nonlife Insurance will be organized by AIT Extension from 4-8 March 2019 at the AIT Conference Center.
Details of the training program are available at this link: https://www.extension.ait.ac.th/course/893

 

 

 C. Visitors / MoU

 

 • Delegation from the Embassy of Bangladesh, led by H.E. Mr. Md. Nazmul Quaunine, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand / 14 Jan. 2018 / to have a Courtesy Call on AIT President

 

 

 

D. Campus Updates

 

(i) Improvement project: Cleaning and Painting of Dorm J Building
Email from OFAM (11 Oct. 2018)

Please be informed that subcontractor will start the improvement project at Dorm J, to clean and paint the exterior and corridors of the building.

Project has started on 12 October 2018 (Friday)
Expected to finish soon.

During this time there may be loud noise and dust around the area work. Residents of Dorm J are requested to close their doors and windows properly. 

Apologies for any inconvenience that it may cause.

After this dorm, we will continue with dorm E and Dorm K, which will be announced later.

 

 

  E. Faculty and Staff Travel 

 

Dr. Sangam Shrestha / Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam / 25 – 27 December 2018*

Mr. Voravate Chonlasin / Vientiane, Lao PDR / 6 – 16 January 2019

Ms. Chatchata Prasongsuk / Vientiane, Lao PDR / 10 – 16 January 2019

Ms. Narumon Wangnai / Vientiane, Lao PDR / 10 – 16 January 2019

Prof. Joyashree Roy / Delhi and Mumbai, India / 14 – 17 January 2019

Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal / India / 14 – 18 January 2019

Prof. Thammarat Koottatep / Chonburi, Thailand / 15 – 18 January 2019

Dr. Wenchao Xue / Beijing and Shanghai, China / 15 – 19 January 2019

Dr. Eden Woon / Beijing and Shanghai, China / 15 – 20 January 2019

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

 

 

 
 
  F. Classifieds (Jobs)

Faculty Position (Assistant Professor or Associate Professor) (School of Engineering & Technology)
Ref. No. Fac 02/18
Deadline: 15 January 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/517

Senior Librarian (Head of Cataloguing Section) (AIT Library)
Ref. No. 39/18
Deadline: 15 January 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/536

Position: Administrative Staff (Senior Public Relations Officer) (Office of Media and Communications (OMCO)
Ref. No. 02/19
Deadline: 31 January 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/573

Position: Administrative Staff (Internet Education and Research Laboratory)
Ref. No. 66/18
Deadline: 31 January 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/568

Position: Senior Librarian (Head of Acquisition) (AIT Library)
Ref. No. 59/18
Deadline: 31 January 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/559

Position: Administrative Staff (Program Officer) (Regional Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific)
Ref. No. 01/19
Deadline: 3 February 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/572

Position: Senior Fundraising Officer (Office of Advancement)
Ref. No. 03/19
Deadline: 28 February 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/574

Faculty Position: Assistant/Associate Professor [ASE] (School of Environment, Resources & Development)
Ref. No. Fac 12/18
Deadline: 19 March 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/571