NEWSSirindhorn International Institute of TechnologyThammasat UniversityVol. 23, No. 1 April 2018

MOUSigning Ceremony

The SIIT News is published quarterly by SIIT.

Advisor:Prof. Dr. Somnuk Tangtermsirikul

Editors:Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suebsak NanthavanijAssoc. Prof. Dr. Waree KongprawechnonDr. Egill Hedinn Bragason

Editorial Assistants:Ms. Poonsri MitjaroentawornMs. Usanee NimdangMs. Mutita EkawipatMr. Peerasak RaksanontMr. Phungchok Pumpuang

For additional information about SIIT, please contact:

Sirindhorn International Institute of TechnologyThammasat UniversityP.O. Box 22, Thammasat-Rangsit

ThailandTel: +66-2-986-9009

+66-2-564-3221~9Fax: +66-2-986-9112http://www.siit.tu.ac.th

CONTENTSNEWS

3MOU Signing Ceremony / Research Award Recipients from External Organizations / Ajinomoto Talent Scholarship

4 Krungthai Bank Scholarship / Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation Scholarship / Sakura Science Program at Kobe University

5 PARE Spring School 2018 / IAESTE Program / SIIT Staff Internship at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland

6

SIIT Staff Internship at Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea / SIIT Job Fair 2018 / SIIT Alumni

7

Orientation for New Exchange Students / New Inbound Exchange Students in Semester 2/2017

Sirindhorn International Institute of TechnologyThammasat University

NEWSVol.23, No.1 April 2018 3

MOU Signing Ceremony

Research Award Recipients from External Organizations

Ajinomoto Talent Scholarship

On 22nd March 2018, Prof. Dr. Chitoshi Miki, President of Tokyo City University, along the executive committees, visited SIIT for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the Asia-Oceania, five-university alliance: De La Salle University (Philippines), Edith Cowan University (Australia), Tokyo City University (Japan), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Malaysia), and Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (Thailand). The objective of this MOU is to promote exchange and cooperation in education, research, and social services, as well as strengthen the relationships among the five universities.

Prof. Dr. Sandhya Babel, a faculty member of the School of Bio-Chemical Engineering and Technology (BCET) received an "Outstanding Researcher Award" from Thammasat University on “TU Researcher Day” held on November 21, 2017 under the category Research Award Recipients from External Organizations. She received Excellent Paper Award on the paper entitled “Microwave Assisted Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil for Biodiesel Production” from The 6th International Conference on Solid Waste Management (IconSWM 2016), India. She obtained her B.Sc. (1st Class) in Biology/Chemistry from University of Indore, India, M.Sc. in Biochemistry from University of Indore, India, M.Sc. in Environmental Technology and Management from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and D.Tech.Sc. in Environmental Technology and Management from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. Her research focuses on Adsorption, Bio-hydrogen production, Phytoremediation, Solid and hazardous waste management, and Wastewater treatment.

On February 23, 2018 Ajinomoto Foundation granted prestigious scholarships to SIIT undergraduate students who have excellent academic performance. The Ajinomoto Talent Scholarship Awarding Ceremony was held at Thai Army Club, Vibhavadi Road, Bangkok. The guests of honor were Mr. Phichien Koosmith (Vice President of Ajinomoto Foundation) with Executives from Ajinomoto Foundation, Miss Chadarat Singhadechakul (Assistant Secretary-General of Office of the Higher Education Commission), representatives from Chula-longkorn University, Thammasat University, Mahidol University, Kasetsart University, and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi. This is the 2nd year that Ajinomoto Foundation has offered the scholarships, and this year the foundation granted 105 scholarships in a total amount of 6.3 million baht. Eight scholarship recipients from SIIT are from Department of Common and Graduate Studies (Mr. Nattakorn Kongmaneerat, Ms. Pemika Cunaviriyasiri, Ms. Punsita Bualert, Ms. Patrin Sirodom, Ms. Jitsupa Deemagarn, Mr. Sirasit Jirasakulpeeti, Ms. Kanokporn Techapatiphandee) and from School of Information, Computer, and Communication Technology (Ms. Pintusorn Suttiponpisarn).

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Vol.23, No.1 April 2018

Krungthai Bank ScholarshipOn February 21, 2018 Krungthai Bank Co., Ltd. awarded scholarships to undergraduate Thammasat students with financial need who have excellent academic performance, a total amount of 500,000 Baht. The Krungthai Scholarships Awarding Ceremony was held at Sanya Dhamasakti Conference Room, Thammasat University, Tha Pra Chan Campus. The guest of honor was Mr. Payong Srivanich (President and Executive Director of Krungthai Bank). A warm welcome was extended by Thammasat Executive members led by Assoc. Prof. Kesinee Vitoonchart (Rector of Thammsat University) and Prof. Dr. Orapan Poachanukoon (Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Thammasat University).A scholarship recipient from SIIT under the recommendation of SIIT Scholarships Committee is Ms. Natthanicha Santhi, a second-year student of the Information, Computer, and Communication Technology (ICT).

Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation ScholarshipOn December 20, 2017 Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation awarded prestigious scholarships to SIIT undergraduate students who have excellent academic performance. The 2017 Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation Scholarship Presentation Ceremony was held at Bank of Ayudhya Public Company Limited (Head Office). Mr. Shigemitsu Miki (Chairman of Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation) and Prof. Dr. Somkit Lertpaithoon conveyed a welcome speech. Asst. Prof. Dr. Suthathip Suanmali, a representative of SIIT Director, also joined this ceremony. Scholarships from Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation have been awarded to 15 undergraduate students of Thammasat University and three of them are SIIT students. They are from Management Technology (MT) Curriculum (Mr. Natthanun Lojnsirisilp and Ms. Pranpriya Meteeyonpiriya) and Industrial Engineering (IE) Curriculum (Ms. Nittaya Chemkomnerd). The scholarship is 36,000 Baht per year, in a total amount of 108,000 Baht.

Sakura Science Program at Kobe University

Four undergraduate and three graduate students from School of Biochemical Engineering and Technology (BCET), accompanied by Prof. Dr. Sandhya Babel, joined the Sakura Science Program hosted by Kobe University from January 21 - 30, 2018. Prof. Hiroshi Onishi was in charge from Kobe University. This program was supported by Japan Science and Technology Agency. Students worked in seven different laboratories for 5 days and got research exposure in different areas. They also had chance to visit SPring-8 in Hyogo, one of the biggest Synchrotron facility, and Shimadzu Memorial Hall in Kyoto.

NEWSVol.23, No.1 April 2018 5

PARE Spring School 2018

IAESTE Program

During February 16 - 26, 2018, SIIT hosted the PARE Spring School 2018, which is a collaborative program among Hokkaido University and universities in Thailand and Indonesia. The PARE program is an important program for graduate students, to foster individuals to be global leaders who will be active in resolving challenges related to PARE (Populations-Activities-Resources-Environments) in Asia. The theme of the PARE Spring School 2018 in Thailand was “Climate Change and Human Activities: Impact on Water Resources”. This involved the Lower Chao Phraya river basin in Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Sumut Prakarn, and Bangkok provinces as sites for field study. The program offers participants an opportunity to work together with others majoring in different fields with diverse national and cultural backgrounds, to find solutions for various issues related to sustainable usage of resources and management in the Populations-Activities-Resources-Environments chain.

The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) is an independent, non-profit and non-political student exchange organization. It provides students studying for technical degrees with paid, course-related training abroad and employers with highly skilled, and motivated international trainees. In academic year 2017, two students from different countries attended a technical training program at SIIT during August – March 2018 : Mr. Josep Blay Ruiz (from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain), and Ms. Julia Dippmann (from RWTH Aachen University, Germany). Mr. Josep Blay Ruiz received his training at the School of Management Technology (MT), under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veeris Ammarapala. Ms. Julia Dippmann received her training at the Department of Common and Graduate Studies (CGS), under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pakorn Opaprakasit. The technical training was co-sponsored by SIIT and the IAESTE.

SIIT Staff Internship atMetropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland

During June 11 – 15, 2018, Ms. Monthicha Auysakul, the Research and Academic Quality Assurance Division (R&QA) staff member from SIIT, was selected to participate in the SIIT Staff Internship Program 2018 at the 8th International Staff Week at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. There were approximately 20 participants from Metropolia's partner institutions from all around the world, coming together for this special week to exchange experiences and best practices, to expand benchmark and network, and to strengthen international and intercultural interaction.Ms. Monthicha also had an opportunity to visit the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Department. This visit gave her a lot of good experiences in exchanging knowledge with the staff in the department and learning about different cultures, which can be applied to her job in SIIT.

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Vol.23, No.1 April 2018

New Inbound Exchange Students in Semester 2/2017

Twenty two students from SIIT’s partner universities enrolled in courses as exchange students at SIIT in the 2nd semester/2017.

JapanHosei University Nagasaki University

TaiwanTunghai University

FinlandHelsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

FranceIMT Atlantique-Nantes

Portugal Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon'

Germany Technische Universitat Munchen Techniche Universitat Damstadt

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Orientation for New Exchange Students

The orientation for new international students who enrolled in courses at SIIT in the 2nd semester of academic year 2017 was held by the International Affairs and Corporate Relations Division on January 5, 2018. There are 46 new international students, including exchange students from SIIT partner universities, and full-time students who have received scholarships in various scholarship programs. Prof. Dr. Somnuk Tungtermsirikul, the SIIT Director, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Itthisek Nilkhamhang, the Assistant Director for the International Affairs and Corporate Relations, gave welcome speeches to students. In addition, information about academic life, regulations, VISAs, and campus life, including Thai culture, were provided by the staff of the International Affairs and Corporate Relations division.In conjunction with this orientation event, SIIT students from the International Club also held a campus tour on January 6, 2018 in order to introduce the facilities around the campus to new international students.

NEWS7Vol.23, No.1 April 2018

SIIT Job Fair 2018

Over the past 5 years, an SIIT Job Fair has been organized by the International Affairs and Corporate Relations Division. The fairs have proved successful for employers and jobseekers with up to 300 students attending, to find employment. “SIIT Job Fair 2018” introduced leading companies and job opportunities to the 4th year students who will graduate in academic year 2017. The job fair has held on February 5, 2018 at SIIT, Rangsit Campus. Fifty companies were part of the job fair, including Thai and international companies that have put their trust in SIIT. These companies regularly participate in the SIIT Job Fair, providing students with professional expertise and career advice. This is a great way for students to build their networks and search for career opportunities. Moreover, there were organizations for studying abroad opportunities. They provided information on interesting careers and research opportunities, to students and graduates.

Dr. Kobkrit Viriyayudhakorn is graduated in Bachelor of Computer Science (CS) and Master of Information and Communication Technology for Embedded Systems (ICTES) from Sirind-horn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thammasat University and TAIST Tokyo-Tech program in 2007 and 2009 respectively. He joined the Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Laboratory in California, USA, as a research intern. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Creativity Support Systems (Knowledge Science) from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) in 2013, with the best dissertation award. After graduation, he founded two startup companies named Rushbike and iApp Technology. Rushbike is an on-demand messenger service startup funded by JFDI (Joyful Frog Digital Innovation), Singapore. iApp Technology is a modern software company and AI research lab that develops intelligent mobile and web applications, located in Pathum Thani,

Thailand. iApp Technology now consists of 15+ software and AI engineers. In high school, he created the famous CS_UNTITLED counter-strike map. He managed several software projects such as ThammaTRANS (NGV Bus Tracking System), ThaiReform: Citizen’s opinion collection system, the Thammasat Chatbot, a Graduation Ceremony Management System (GCMS), a Conference Management System (CMS), a Journal Management System (JMS), an Intelligent Creativity Support System, and ETC. Moreover, he contributed 15 research works in Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Deep Learning, and Creativity Support Systems. He is also an active committee member of the Artificial Intelligence Association, Thailand (AIAT).

SIIT Alumni

SIIT Staff Internship at Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea

SIIT Staff members, Mrs. Waraporn Thongthua Lee (Chief of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations Division) and Ms. Chonticha Patchotchai (International Affairs and Corporate Relations Staff), were selected to visit Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea during March 20 - 22, 2018 under the SIIT Staff Internship Program 2017. The purpose of the program was to exchange information on international cooperation, student exchange programs, student activities, campus overview, and facilities for students. SIIT staff also had a chance to give a presentation to the students of Soong-sil Univeristy about the Student Exchange Program and scholar-ship opportunities at SIIT. Apart from the academic sessions, the Office of International Relations arranged additional trips to help the delegates from SIIT learn about traditional Korean cultures and advanced technologies during their visit.