Postflood ait

2AIT Post-flood Activities and Achievements

TABLE OF CONTENTS

One year after the devastating fl ood inundated the pristine campus of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on 21 October 2011, the Institute continues to traverse its journey relentlessly and undeterred. Despite its worst crisis in history, the Institute continues to win laurels. This document provides a representative sampling of AIT’s work and achievements during the past eight months.

Graduations 3

Events 4

New initiatives 10

Charter 13

Partner support 15

Visitors/Meetings 16

Honors 19

Book releases 21

Alumni 23

Donations 24

Outreach/Projects 26

Reconstruction 28


GRADUATIONS

AIT celebrates 116th Graduation, three months after fl ood devastates campus

A total of 243 students from 25 countries representing Asia, Africa, Europe and South Ameri-ca were conferred with graduate degrees. The delay in graduation was only four weeks.

117th AIT Graduation, fi rst under International Intergovernmental Organization era

A total of 425 students from 25 countries in Asia, Africa, Eu-rope, and North America were conferred with postgraduate degrees. The delay in graduation was only two weeks.


EVENTS

Nepal PM reaffi rms support to AIT Council, says country is proud to be a member

Prime Minister of Nepal H.E. Rt. Hon. Dr. Baburam Bhattarai reaffi rmed Nepal’s support and commitment to the AIT Charter. The AIT President met the Nepal PM twice, in July and October 2012.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visits AIT exhibit

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously visited the AIT booth during her offi cial tour of the annual National Science & Technology Fair at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) on 22 August 2012.

TNA Project meeting with AIT as Asia-CIS Region Lead Organization

AIT hosted the global-level Technology Needs As-sessment (TNA) Project’s “Experience Sharing Workshop” as the Asia-CIS Region Lead Organiza-tion from 10-12 September 2012.

APMUN - where people enter as junior delegates, and leave as diplomats

350 young college and university students from 48 countries participated in the Asia-Pacifi c Internation-al Model United Nations (APMUN) event organized in the precincts of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacifi c (ES-CAP) in Bangkok on 20 September 2012.


EVENTS

53rd Anniversary

Highlighting its special linkages to South-East, South and East Asia, AIT celebrated 53 years of operation in Thailand on 7-8 September 2012.

SAARC

AIT President met Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), H. E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal on 11 October 2012.

Kurunegala Municipal Council Mayor compliments AIT for Low Carbon initiative

Mayor of Sri Lankan Kurunegala Municipal Council Hon. A. Gamini Peramunage complimented the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) for initiating the Low Carbon Cities project in his city.


EVENTS

40 Myanmar students arrive under Norwegian scholarship

Forty new postgraduate students from Myanmar under a landmark scholarship program of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) kicked-off their academic careers at AIT by attending a special orientation program on 16 July 2012.

400 students from 28 countries join AIT

Four hundred postgraduate students from 28 countries, spread across fi ve continents (Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and South America) joined AIT on 10 August 2012.

AIT welcomes its newest undergraduates

One hundred and fourteen undergraduates from six countries (Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal) joined AIT offi cially at its Orientation held on 3 September 2012.


AIT is an undisputed pioneer in the fi eld of education: Bhutan Minister

Minister of Labor and Human Resources, Government of Bhutan, H.E. Mr. Dorji Wangdi described AIT as a “great seat of learning,” and an “undisputed pioneer in the fi eld of education.”

‘Smart Province’ Nakhon Nayok partners with AIT

AIT signed a MoU on 26 June 2012 with Nakhon Nayok Governor Dr. Surachai Srisaracam, supporting its bid to become Thailand’s fi rst “smart province” and intelligent community prototype for the fast-emerging ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.

AIT President called on President of Nepal Rt. Hon. Dr. Ram Baran Yadav during a visit to Kathmandu.

Vietnam Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Ngo Duc Thang reviews AIT rebuilding work, meets Vietnamese community.

EVENTS


EVENTS

International Women’s Day celebrated

The theme for International Women’s Day this year was “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty.”

Mini Olympics at AIT

AIT Marathon and Mini Olympics were organized by the AIT Students Union in April 2012.

AIT seminar presents lessons from the Thailand fl ood

Experts presented their views at a seminar on “Lessons from the Thailand fl ood,” which was jointly organized by AIT and ASEAN Affairs in association with the Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology, University of Mississippi.

Graduation Night by AIT Student Union

“The Night of Stars” was the theme of the graduation night party.


EVENTS

AIT students give to Thai orphanage

AIT’s Student Union opened up its wallet and heart by donating 16,000 Thai Baht to a rural orphanage in Thailand run by the organization “Baan Unrak” or House of Joy.

Spirit of togetherness marks AIT Cultural Show 2012

The auditorium of AIT’s Conference Center, which was deluged in October 2011, became an arena where togetherness and interna-tionality was on display during the AIT Cul-tural Show held on 21 April 2012.

AIT’s top talent draws interest at Career Fair 2012

Professional recruiters from 31 en-terprises set up booths across the expanse of the vacant ground fl oor of the library at the AIT Career Fair on 25 April 2012.

SU Research Poster Showcase shines spotlight on AIT students’ work

20 research posters from AIT’s three Schools were displayed on 29 May 2012 showcasing students’ research work.


EVENTS

AIT Returns Home

Experts discussed about sustainability at the program “AIT Returns Home: Towards a Sustain-able Future,” which was organized to mark AIT’s return to its home campus on 24 February 2012.

Completion ceremony of Professional Master's in Banking and Finance

Twenty-one students were awarded professional transcripts at the completion ceremony of the Professional Master’s In Banking and Finance (PMBF) program by AIT on 9 March 2012. Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Kazi Imtiaz Hossian graced the occasion.

Adaptation Forum 2012

AIT and UNEP’s Regional Resource Centre for Asia and Pacifi c (RRC.AP) were prominent partners in organizing Adaptation Forum 2012 at UN ESCAP headquarters in Bangkok on 12-13 March 2012.


NEW INITIATIVES

QR Codes for AIT launched

iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle versions of AIT Newsletter launched

AIT unveils 40 annual Norwegian scholarships for Myanmar students

AIT launches its fi rst dual doctoral program with Sokendai, Japan

New AIT Research Strategy 2012-2016 will

change AIT, VP Research assures

AIT has always been known for its new initiatives. Despite the fl ood, AIT has continued to move ahead, be it dual doctoral programs,

scholarships or its new Research Strategy.


NEW INITIATIVES

Deal with China’s GESIE Tian He Center positions

AIT inked a MoU with Guangdong Edu-cation Service of International Exchang-es TianHe Center (GESIE) to establish a foothold for academic partnerships in Guangdong province.

AIT and CSR Asia renew partnership for ten more years

Hong Kong based CSR Asia Ltd. and AIT extended their existing partnership for the next ten years.

Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC) signs MoU with AIT

Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC) signed a MoU promote research and dissemination of remote sensing technology in the region.

AIT launches Bachelor’s program in Bio-systems Engineering and Environmental Engineering

AIT launched a four-year collaborative international Bachelor’s degree programs in Bio-systems Engineering and Environmental Engineering with SAITM, Sri Lanka.


NEW INITIATIVES

AIT the hub for international effort to map Philippine fl ood from space

As the Philippines struggled with devastating fl oods, Dr. Masahiko Nagai of AIT’s SET emerged as the focal point of an international effort to produce satellite imagery and high resolution maps to aid disaster relief operations.

Colorado State University and AIT to develop joint research program

Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, Colorado, USA and AIT signed an MoU on 10 August 2012.

Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology tie up

Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT) signed an MoU on 25 June 2012.

Indian Institute of Management (IIM),

Raipur ties up

SU welcomes you to Your AIT story

“Familiar strangers” is how Ms. Wang Lin, a Master’s student at AIT describes a lot of AITians as she launched a weekly know your fellow AITians column titled “Your AIT story.”


CHARTER

Government of Bangladesh ratifi es the AIT Charter

Bangladesh became the seventh country to ratify the new AIT Charter at the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Bangladesh held at the capital city of Dakha on 2 January 2012.

Cambodia joins AIT Council

Cambodia deposited the Instrument of Acceptance to the AIT Charter with the Royal Thai Government on 3 September 2012 becoming the ninth country to do so.

Viet Nam joins AIT Council

Viet Nam became the fi fteenth signa-tory and the eighth country to ratify the AIT Charter. It became the fi rst ASEAN country to ratify the Charter.


PARTNER SUPPORT

University of British Columbia hosts four AIT post-fl ood students

Almost 300 such positions have been offered by various partner institutions to AIT students.

AIT's partners continued to support the Institute in the post-fl ood scenario.

FAO to strengthen engagement with AIT

Mr. Hiroyuki Konuma FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacifi c at AIT.

Télécoms Sans Frontière chief assures AIT of support, keen to continue partnership

Eight AITians participated in an AIT training in September 2012.


VISITORS/MEETINGS

AIT is a Center of Excellence in many fi elds: Indonesian Ambassador

Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Thailand, H. E. Mr. Lutfi Rauf complimented AIT during his visit to the Institute on 22 March 2012.

Timor Leste Ambassador assures help to AIT

Ambassador of Timor Leste to Thailand, H.E. Mr. João Freistas de Câmara, visited AIT on 25 April 2012 and assured support for its capacity building in his country.

Thailand Deputy PM Yongyuth and Justice Minister Pracha Promnok express support

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Hon. Mr. Yongyuth Wichaidit expressed his full support for AIT in two separate meetings held on 9 December 2011 and 15 March 2012.

US Embassy offi cial visits AIT, Myanmar outreach and LMI discussed

Mr. Joseph Bagga-Taves, Thailand Environment, Science, Technology and Health Offi cer, Economic Section, U.S. Embassy, Bangkok discussed America’s Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) and outreach with Myanmar in a visit to AIT on 13 September 2012.


VISITORS/MEETINGS

Former Thai PM speaks at Plenary Session

Former Prime Minister of Thailand, Hon. Abhisit Vejjajiva delivered the plenary speech at the conference “Changing Asia - Changing Governance: Governance Academy” on 25 April 2012.

Nakornnayok Governor courts AIT for creating a smart province

Governor of Thailand’s province of Nakornnayok, Dr. Surachai Srisarakham offered 100 rai of land free of cost during a visit on 10 May 2012.

Social Business Symposium is a good effort by AIT: Prof. Muhammad Yunus

Nobel laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus delivered the keynote address at the Social Business Symposium jointly organized by AIT on 8 May 2012.

Japan Govt Scholarship Program to AIT contributes to regional development: Ambassador Kojima

Ambassador of Japan to Thailand H.E. Mr. Seiji Kojima hosted a function to honor AIT’s Japanese Government Scholarship Recipients on 25 May 2012.


Kenya Ambassador visits AIT

H.E. Dr. Richard Titus Ekai, Ambassador of Ke-nya to Thailand, visited AIT on 29 February 2012 to witness the signing ceremony of a Memoran-dum of Understanding (MoU) with Multimedia University College (MMU) of Kenya.

Oman Minister at AIT

H.E. Dr. Fuad Bin Jaafar Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Sultanate of Oman, visited AIT on 30 May 2012 to explore collaboration in the areas of agriculture and aquaculture.

German Ambassador assures support

Ambassador of Germany to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Rolf Schulze visited the AIT temporary offi ce in Bangkok in the immediate aftermath of the fl ood.

Sri Lankan President inquires about satellite center

Sri Lanka President H.E. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed interest on the status of AIT plans to open a branch campus in his country in a meet-ing with the AIT President on 31 May 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand.

VISITORS/MEETINGS


HONORS

AIT students win BicyRobo Thailand Championship

AIT’s “MECHA BIKE” team of Rewat Bunchan and Surachat Chantarachit won the fi rst position at the 2nd annual BicyRobo Thailand Championship.

Governor honors AIT President for exceptional leadership during the fl ood

Prof. Said Irandoust was presented with a commemo-rative plaque by the Governor of Bangkok, Hon. M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra at the Fifth Save our Planet Conference organized on 5 January 2012.”

AIT student awarded IPCC grant

Ms. Rizwana Subhani was one of the nine recipients of a grant from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

AIT professor featured in special 'COP' newsletter

Prof. Sivanappan Kumar was fea-tured in special COP Newsletter of the Technology Needs Assess-ment (TNA) pro-gram.

AIT professor featured in Asian Water

Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan was featured in the mag-azine ‘Asian Water’ in its four-page fea-ture on Bangkok’s water problems.


HONORS

AIT student Ashik Rajbhandari takes prize at 14th APNG Camp

Presenting his re-search entitled “Topic - Geo Mapping of Di-saster Information Us-ing Ontology,” at 14th APNG Camp held in Seoul, South Korea, new PhD student Mr. Ash ikRa jbhandar i (RS/GIS), impressed

the Asia Pacifi c Networking Group (APNG) com-munity and was awarded the runner-up prize for best research presentation.

Dr. Teerapat selected member of Board of Governors of Thai Public Broadcasting Service

Dr. Teerapat San-guankotchakorn, has been selected as a member of Board of Gover-nors of Thai Public Broadcasting Ser-vice (TPBS).

Our man in the UNDP Asia-Pacifi c Human Development Report 2012

Asst. Prof. Cle-mens Grunbuhel contributed the-matic case stud-ies on Ganges-B r a h m a p u t r a and Mekong River delta re-gions in the Asia-Pacifi c Human D e v e l o p m e n t Report 2012, published by the

United Nations Development Programme.

AIT President awarded for outstanding contribution to education

AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust was honored at the First World Education Congress at Mumbai on 29 June 2012.

AIT Researcher honored

Dr. Alfredo Anceno was awarded the World Water Con-gress fellowship by the International Wa-ter Association (IWA).


BOOK RELEASES

AIT professor publishes book on air quality management

Professor N. T. Kim Oanh published a book titled “In-tegrated air quality man-agement: Asian case stud-ies.” Published by the CRC Press (USA), it reports some of the major results of AIT research coopera-tion in Asia. Book by Dr. Sundar

Venkatesh

Dr. Sundar Venkatesh, Advi-sor, AIT Extension, published a book on “Fundamental Accounting Principles.” Pu-bished by McGraw Hill, the book covers both fi nancial accounting and managerial accounting.

AIT faculty’s book on groundwater released

A book titled “Kathmandu Valley Groundwater Out-look”, edited by Dr. Sangam Shrestha was launched dur-ing the ‘Nepal National Water Week 2012’ celebrations on 22 March 2012.

Despite immense pressure, relocation and post-fl ood trauma, AIT’s dedicated faculty continued to fl ourish producing research papers,

publications and books.


BOOK RELEASES

Book by Dr. Philippe Doneys

A book titled “Mainstreaming Human Security: Asian Perspec-tives” edited by a team including Dr. Philippe Doneys of the Gender and Development Studies (GDS) fi eld of study at AIT’s School of Environment Resources and Development (SERD) has been released.

Book by Dr. Siddharth Jabade

A book coauthored by Dr. Siddharth K. Jabade, AIT’s Director of In-novation and Intellectual Property Rights, has been released by CRC Press. Titled “Nanotechnology Intellectual Property Rights: Research, Design, and Commercialization,” the book dwells on the evolving pat-ent landscape in Nanotechnology.

Two books by Dr. Kyoko Kusabake

AIT Associate Professor Kyoko Kusakabe has contributed mightily to the fi eld of gender studies in Asia with the release of two scholarly pub-lications that are destined to become required reading.

A faculty member of the School of Environment, Resources and De-velopment’s Gender and Development fi eld of study, Assoc. Prof. Ku-sakabe recently co-authored one book titled “Thailand’s Hidden Work-force: Burmese Migrant Women Factory Workers” and edited another titled “Gender, Roads and Mobility in Asia.” Both works have received considerable favorable reviews from experts in academia, nongovern-mental organizations and the media.


ALUMNI

AIT alumnus elected to public offi ce in Australia

Dr. Shahadat Chowdhury won the local government election in New South Wales (NSW), Australia He has been elected to the Parramatta City Council, and will serve for four years.

Alumnus chosen best CFO in Thailand

AIT alumnus Mr. Chaovalit Ekabut has been selected as the best Chief Financial Offi cer (CFO) in Thailand.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn confers National Outstanding Person Award to Alumnus Prof. Wongwises

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as the Representative of His Majesty the King Bhumibol of Thailand, con-ferred the National Outstanding Person (Science and Technology) pin to Prof. Somchai Wongwises, an AIT alumnus.

AIT alumna made Thailand’s Permanent Secretary for Education

An alumna of AIT, Ms. Panita Kambhu Na Ayutthaya, has been appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Royal Thai Government.


DONATIONS

Japan’s University of Yamanashi supports AIT with 1 million Yen

The assistance was extended on 2 December 2011 by Prof. Futaba Kazama, Dr. Kei Nishida, and Dr. Takeshi Nakamura.

AITAA Japan Chapter hands over 2.6 million Yen in fl ood relief from alumni, former

faculty and AIT friends in Japan

Mr. Yoshiaki Shimura, President of AITAA Japan Chapter, handed over 2,660,000 Japanese Yen and 10,000 Baht.

NEF-CCN donates 300,000 Baht for AIT library

Nepal Education Foundation-Consortium of Colleges (NEF-CCN) donated 300,000 Baht to AIT.

AIT received help from numerous friends after the fl ood. This is an overview of some of the donations.


DONATIONS

AIT Alumni Affairs Offi ce collects 9 million Baht

AIT Alumni Affairs Offi ce has collected 9,101,445 Baht so far, courtesy of contributions from various individual alumni, alumni chapters, former faculty and staff, and friends of AIT.

University of Borås students begin fund raising drive for AIT

Students from University of Borås in Sweden launched a fundraising drive immediately after AIT was hit by fl oodwaters on 21 October 2011.

EBARA donates 1 million Yen to AIT

The donation was handed over by a delegation of EBARA Corporation comprising of Mr. Kiyoshi Hi-rono, Executive General Manager; Mr. Katsufumi Nakano, Managing Director; and Ms. Kornkanok Naprasertjkul, Administrative and Offi ce Manager.

A mother’s gratitude to her son’s alma mater

Among the touching stories in AIT’s post-fl ood recovery was one on 18 July 2012, when Ms. Chomchai Morya, a proud mother of an AIT alumnus Mr. Kewin Morya (1998), arrived at the AIT campus with a 100,000 THB donation to help the Institute.

Tohoku University gifts 1 million Yen to AIT

Prof. Hideki Harada and Prof. Tatsuo Omura handed over a donation of 1 million Yen on 25 February 2012.


OUTREACH/PROJECTS

Reinventing the Toilet

World Bank aided training

As part of a World Bank-funded project, AIT will train more than 400 personnel from Pakistan’s electric power distribution sector through a two-month intensive professional development program. Ambassador of Pakistan to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Sohail Mahmood, participated in the inaugural program on 29 April 2012.

Capacity building in Timor Leste

Ambassador of Timor Leste, H.E. Mr. João Freistas de Câmara attended the opening ceremony of the University Foundation Program (UFP) under the Human Capital Development Fund (FDCH) program. 22 students arrived at AIT to participate.

Dr. Thammarat Koottatep received two projects from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, namely “Sustainable decentralized wastewater management in developing countries” and “Innovation on Sanitation.” The projects are worth THB 149,991,660 and THB 26,124,360 respectively.


OUTREACH/PROJECTS

Prof. Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh

Successfully received a grant of THB 5,542,800 from U.S. Agency for International Development and National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for the project “Assessment of impacts of the emission reduction measures of short-lived climate forcers on air quality and climate in South East Asia”

Post Flood Projects

Dr. Sutat Weesakul

Received a research grant of THB 6,297,196 from Team Consulting & Engineering Management Co.Ltd. The project is titled “Physical Hydraulic Model Study of Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Project Lao PDR”.

Dr. Erik L.J. Bohez

Received a research grant from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Thailand for the project “Optimal design of Turbine Geometry for small hydroelectric Power plant of PEA”.


RECONSTRUCTION

Post-fl ood Reconstruction

AIT International SchoolAIT Consulting

Produced by the Media and Communications Unit of the Asian Institute of Technology.

[email protected]

AIT Auditorium

AIT Lecture Theatre

Renovated buildings of AIT International School and AIT Consulting.

Architect’s rendition of reconstruction plans for various AIT buildings.

AIT Library