Asian Institute of Technology MARCH 2011

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AIT inaugurates China Office in Shanghai

Recent News / Happenings at AIT................................................. 2-3Opinion........................................................................................... 4 New Programs.............................................................................. 5Backpage...................................................................................... 6

A ITinauguratedanewofficeinShanghai,a first-of-its-kindinthePeople’sRepublicofChina(PRC),on24February2011.Theformalribbon cutting ceremony to inaugurate theAITChinaofficewasjointlyperformedbyH.E.Dr.TejBunnag,Chairman,BoardofTrustees,AITand former foreign minister of Thailand; Ms.Yang Xinyu, Member, Board of Trustees,AITand Deputy Secretary-General, China Schol-arship Council (CSC), Ministry of Education,PRC;andProf.SaidIrandoust,President,AIT.

H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag said the AIT Chinaofficenotonlyreaffirmstheinstitute’slong-standing relationship with China, but alsosignifiesthebeginningofanewerabasedon“anardentdesireforabrightfutureoflink-agesinhighereducationbetweenChinaandThailand,andothercountriesintheregion.”Ms.YangXinyu,whilewelcomingtheopen-ing of AIT China Office, said this wouldstrengthenAIT’srelationswithChina.

Prof. Said Irandoust, H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag and Ms. Yang Xinyu at the inauguration of AIT China Office.

�Recent news / happenings at ait

Gates Foundation would love to work with AIT: Director

AITenjoysauniquepositionandtheBill&MelindaGatesFoundationisexploringthepossibilityofAITbeinganAsiannodeforregionalcooperation.TheIn-stituteishighonourradar,andtheFoundationwould

Sri Lanka suggests AIT Colombo office H.E.Mr.S.B.Dissanayake,MinisterofHigherEdu-cation, Sri Lanka, haswelcomed the initial idea ofopeningofanAITcityofficeinColombo.Themin-ister suggested that theAIT Colombo office couldoffer executive short-term training programs in SriLanka, apart fromoverseeing the development of afull-fledgedAITcampusinHambantota.Theministermade these remarks during ameetingwith theAITPresidentProf.SaidIrandoustandMr.SanjeevJayas-inghe,DirectorFundraisingandHeadAIT-SriLankaSatelliteCampusTaskForce,on15February2011.

Prof. Irandoust alsometH.E.Mr.NamalRajapaksa,Minister for SouthernDevelopment alongwithMr.R.M.D.B.Meegafnulla,DistrictSecretary,Hambantota.

ADB Country Director pays maiden visit to AIT

Country Direc-tor, ThailandResident Mis-sionoftheAsianDevelopmentBank (ADB),Mr. Craig M.Steffensen, ap-preciated therole played byAsian Instituteof Technology(AIT),statingthatitishearteningthattheinstituteisproducinggraduateswhoreturntotheirhomecoun-triestohelpinthenationbuildingprocess.

Mr.SteffensenreferredtohisexperienceinAfghani-stanwhereAITalumniareengagedininfrastructuredevelopment,particularlycreatingtheroadnetworkinthecountry.AtAITonhismaidenvisitasADBCoun-tryDirectoron24February2011,Mr.Steffensensaidhewasawareof thelongtermengagementofADBwithAIT.

Dr. Frank Rijsberman (left) and Mr. Doulaye Kone

Prof. Said Irandoust, H.E. Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, Mr. R.M.D.B. Meegafnulla, and Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe (left to right)

lovetoworkwithAIT.TheseweretheremarksofDr.Frank Rijsberman, Director, Water, Sanitation andHygiene,Bill&MelindaGatesFoundation,duringavisittoAITon11February2011.

Dr.RijsbermanstatedthattheFoundationislookingtowardsAITtocomeupwithuniqueandinnovativesolutionsinthefieldofsanitation.ImpressedwiththeAIT’sresearch,laboratoryworkandscientificpapers,Dr.Rijsbermansaidtheywereinterestedtoincentiv-izeamovefromlaboratoriestothefieldandafocusonpracticeandapplications.“Wearelookingforin-novationsand technology,whichcanbenefit80percent of the population that does not have access tosanitation,”headded.

ThedelegationalsoincludedMr.DoulayeKone,SeniorProgramOfficer,Bill&MelindaGatesFoundation.

MARCH 2011

�Recent news / happenings at ait

‘AIT gave me the break I needed’ - Oracle Corp VP Dr.RafiulAhad,VicePresident,CollaborationProductDe-velopment,OracleCorporationpaidhistributetohisalmamaterstatingthatAITgavehimthebreakthatheneeded.Visiting theAIT campus on 14February 2011,Dr.AhadexplainedtoseniorfundraisingofficialstheimpactAIThadonhisprofessionalcareerandpersonallife.“AITwasalsowhereImetmywife,FrancesKasala,whowasmyclass-mate,”hejokedplayfullytoalargeaudienceattendinghisspecialalumnilectureatAITonthetopic“CloudComput-ing:What,WhyandHow.”

WatchingherhusbandaddressthepackedMiltonE.BenderJr.Auditorium, fittingly enough onValentine’s Day,AITalumnaMs. FrancesKasala, remembered the lecture hall

AIT signs MOU with Nepal based Hydro Lab NepalbasedHydroLabPrivateLimitediskeenonmutualsharingoftechni-calexpertiseandresearchfacilitieswithAIT.Italsoseekstocreateapart-nershipforconsultancyworkrelated tohydraulicstudiesandriverworks.Thiswasfinalizedon16February2011inaMemorandumofUnderstand-ing(MOU),signedbyProf.SaidIrandoust,President,AITandDr.MegB.Bishwakarma,GeneralManager,HydroLab,Nepal.Dr.Bishwakarmastatedthat theyarekeentoofferstudent internshipsandexchangeofstaff,apartfromotheracademicandeducationalexchanges.DuringhisvisittoAIT,hewasaccompaniedbyMr.YogeshKhadka,laboratorymanager,HydroLab.

vividly.“Thiswaswhereweallmetonourfirstday and had to show our passports,” the na-tiveofBatangas,Philippineslaughed.Dr.AhadalsopledgedtodowhathecouldbackhomeinCalifornia’sBayareatoassistAIT’sfundraisingcampaign.

AIT is a unique international educational institute

AIT is a unique example of an international institute ofhighereducation.TheseweretheremarksofProf.YoungS.Chai,DeanCollegeofEngineering,YeungnamUniversity,KoreaduringavisittoAITon10February2011.

Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai (left) and Dr. Rafiul Ahad

Prof.ChaiwholedadelegationcomprisingofDr. JehWonLee,VicePresident for Planningand Budget, andMs. Jungchoon Lee, DeputyManagerofInternationalCooperation,OfficeofInternational Programs, stated that YeungnamUniversitywaskeenon strengthening its rela-tionswithAIT.Hewascurioustoknowifthereareanyothersimilar international institutesofhighereducationinotherpartsoftheworld.

Prof. Chai explored the idea of offering real-time distance learning courses jointly byAITand Yeungnam University. Ms. Lee also pro-posed that Yeungnam University could offerselectscholarshipstoAITstudentsunderanex-changeprogram.

Ms. Jungchoon Lee, Prof. Young S. Chai, Dr. Jeh Won Lee (form left to right)

Dr. Meg B. Bishwakarma

MARCH 2011

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Thai universities face a brave, new world

AnarticlecoauthoredbyH.E.Dr.TejBunnag,for-mer foreign minister of Thailand, and Chairman,AIT Board of Trustees, and Prof. Said Irandoust,President,AITwaspublishedontheEditorialpageoftheEnglishdailyBangkokPost.

ForalongtimetheeducationsysteminThailandhasbeenfacingadilemmaoverpolicies.Reminis-centoftheOrientalistversusAnglicistdebatewhichtookplaceinmostcountries,policymakersinThai-land have also been caught between education in-spired byWestern universities vis-a-vis the indig-enousmodel.

Thenewcentury,however,mayrendermanysuchdebates irrelevant. Advances in technology, newpedagogical techniques and the creation of know-ledgesocietieshavecatapultededucationtoatotallydifferenttrajectory.

Afewtrendsinhighereducationareclearlydiscern-ible.Nosingleuniversityorinstituteisinapositionto respond to the burgeoning demands of society.Thecollectivedemandsonhighereducationaresohighthatgovernmentsarenotinapositiontomeettherequirements.TwoofthebiggestmarketsinAsia-ChinaandIndia-haverealisedthatthemarketissimplytoohugefor thegovernments toserve,andthey are actively inviting foreign partners. Chinawasanearlystarter,andin2003ithadalreadyin-vitedforeignuniversitiestoestablishpartnershipsinChina.InMarchlastyear,IndiaintroducedanactinparliamentallowingforeignuniversitiestoestablishabaseinIndia….

Readtheentirearticleatthislinkhttp://www.bang-kokpost.com/opinion/opinion/220396/thai-universi-ties-face-a-brave-new-world

Nanotechnology will impact society in profoundwaysandalterthewaypeoplelive.Fromcosmeticstosportswear,healthcaretofashion,andagricultureto green technologies, almost anything and every-thinginourworldhasthepotentialtobetouchedtosomedegreebytheemergingapplicationsofnano-technology.

ThiswasacoremessagethatAITVicePresidentforAcademicAffairs,Prof.JoydeepDutta,broughttothe television show “InsideAsia” hosted by notedThai journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn. The 30-min-uteepisodewasrecordedatTheNationTVstudiosinBangkok,andwastelecaston13February2011.Prof.Dutta,whoisalsothedirectoroftheCenterofExcellenceinNanotechnology,AIT,emphasizedtheenormous potential nanotechnology has for givingnationsascientificandeconomicedge.

Prof Joydeep Dutta being interviewed by Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn (right)

OpiniOn

Nanotechnology will change the world, VPAA tells “Inside Asia” TV show

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MARCH 2011

�Recent news / happenings at ait

TheChinaScholarshipCoun-cil (CSC) has announced 40scholarships for qualifiedChinesecandidates tounder-take Master’s and Doctoralprograms at AIT. A Memo-randumofAgreement(MoA)to this effect was signed byMs.YangXinyu,DeputySec-retary-General, of CSC, andProf. Said Irandoust, Presi-dent,AIT,duringtheinaugu-ration ceremony of the AITChina office on 24 February2011atShanghai.

CSCwill provide 10 annualscholarships for a period offour years. The scholarshipsshallincludetuition,registra-tion,researchandvisafee;apartfromlivingstipendandhealthinsurance;andareturninternationalairfaretoChinabythemosteconomicalroute.ThefundingforeachMaster’sprogramwillbeupto24months,whilethefundingforeachDoctoralprogramshallbeupto36months.

Professional Master’s in CSR

AITalongwithCSR-AsiawillbeofferingaProfessionalMaster’sinCSR(MCSR)throughAIT’sSchoolofMan-agementandtheCSRAsiaCenteratAIT.Theobjectiveof the program is to provide participants with profes-sionalcompetenciesandskillsinthefieldsofsustainabledevelopmentandCSR.

The professionalMCSR degree comprises eight inten-sive four-day taughtmodules, anaction researchbasedprojectandaspecialstudyproject.The“fly-in,fly-out”structureofthemodulesoffersahighdegreeofflexibilitytosuittherealitiesofbalancingaMaster’sdegreewithademandingjobandmakesitaccessibletoprofessionalsfromacrossAsia-Pacific.

CSC announces 40 scholarships for Chinese nationals to study at AIT

Professional Master’s in Energy Business Management

AIT’sProfessionalMaster’s inEnergyBusinessManagementistargetedatprofessionalswhode-sireanintegratedunderstandingoftheglobalen-ergybusiness.Participantsoftheprogramwillbeabletocombineknowledgeofenergyandengi-neeringwithsoundfoundationsofbusinessman-agement.Thefocusofthisacademicprogramistoprovidestudentsin-depthexposuretomodernmanagementapproachesandskillsneededtofacethe challengeofmanaging the changing energybusinessparadigmsandenergymarkets.Thepro-gramwillberunjointlybyAIT’sSchoolofMan-agementandSchoolofEnvironment,ResourcesandDevelopment.

new pROgRams

Royal Thai Government Master’s Fellow-ship Awards for Thai Students

AIT has announced thatalargenumberoffellow-shipawardssupportedbythe Royal Thai Govern-ment are now availableforThaistudentstostudyalongsidemanyofthefin-est international studentsinAsiaatAIT.TheRoyalThai Government (RTG)Fellowship Awards areno-bond fellowships andare intended to increasethe competency of Thaiscientists, engineers andmanagers, officials said.Application forms canbedownloaded from www.ait.asia

MARCH 2011

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Editor: BajinderPalSingh

MediaSpecialist,AITbajinder@ait.asiaGraphic Design:

ChittrawineeWichiansonPhotos:

PaitoonTinnapong

Forfeedback,contactMediaandCommunications

UnitatAITmcu@ait.asia

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NewsYouCanUse

IncreasingNumber ofNEETs (Not in Education, Employment orTraining)has led toacallof reviewineducationpolicy inEngland.According to theGuardian,“thenumberof16-to24-year-oldsnotineducation,workortraininginEnglandreached938,000,”implyingthat15.6percentofall16-to24-year-oldsinEnglandwereNEETs.

ReadmoreattheGuardianhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/feb/24/neets-statistics

HoweverNEETsarenotjustanissueinEngland,asareportinPeople’sDailyOnlinequotesastudytostatethat“over60percentofChinesefamilieshaveNEETchildren.”Readmoreatthislinkhttp://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/7277071.html

NEET is not Neat

A nail biting sudden deathwinning shot helped AITPresident’steamwinthefoot-ball match against the AITStudentUnion team.Tied 2-2at theendof thegame, thematch was decided with apenalty shootout which waswon by the President’s teamby two goals to one. Thishelped the President’s teamseekrevengeofthedefeatin-flicteduponitbytheAITStu-dentUnionduringtheGoldenJubileefootballmatchheldinNovember 2010. Organizedby the AIT Student Union,theAITSportsDayalsowit-nessed the formal inaugura-

President’s eleven triumphs in AIT Sports Day football match

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• Facebook www.facebook.com/aitasia • Twitter www.twitter.com/aitasia• Youtube www.youtube.com/aitasia

MARCH 2011

tionof therenovatedgymnasiumat theStudentUnionbuilding.Minimarathon,slowcyclingandrelayracewere theotheractivitiesof thedayorganizedby theStudentUnion as a part ofSportsDay celebra-tions.