WEEK #1: 3 – 7 Jan. 2018
In this issue:
(i) HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018
Message from AIT President: 1 Jan. 2018
A Happy New Year to all my FaceBook friends, well wishers, peers, colleagues, acquaintances and readers. May your new year be blessed with good fortune, health and success, especially in coping with exciting year ahead.
Do you ever feel that each new year always pass you by at a much faster speed than the previous year? Certainly we are witnessing the beginning of rapid changes at a pace unprecedented in the history of mankind. Technological advances are getting bigger and bigger, and happening more and more quickly. We are at the toe of the so-called "exponential growth" curve, when it will be more and more difficult to plan a reasonable new-year resolution.
My special new year advice for you is — to recognize and brace yourself for the many more disruptive breakthroughs. We hear some of the trends including the emergence of electric vehicles, drones, 3D printing, etc., the real exploitation of cheap and abundant solar energy, the changing paradigms of traditional banks, department stores, and even universities. In the middle term, hot debates have been going on about the Artificial Intelligence Revolution, when AI will soon surpass human's intelligence, and will take over many of human’s jobs and perhaps also our future. This is not a scientific fiction, but what many scientists working in AI research firmly believe.
The impact of changes will be harder and harder for us human to adapt. The famous Darwin’s phrase may be modified from "Survival of the Fittest" to “Survival of the Best Adaptable”.
By the way, for my senior citizen friends, if you can hang on for the next 10 years, you will be awarded with at least an additional 20 years of life expectancy, by the promising trends of genetic-engineering and neuroscience technologies today. Take best care of your health and enjoy whatever comes.
(ii) AIT Newsletter: January 2018
Email from OMCO: 1 Jan. 2018
Greetings on the New Year.
The first newsletter of 2018 tells the story of the AIT graduation, the launch of a double master's program in wireless communication engineering with the University of Oulu, partnerships in Bhutan and Thailand, faculty achievements, the award of long service award to AIT employees, and three photo features.
Happy Reading and wishing everyone the very best in 2018.
AIT NEWSLETTERS: https://www.ait.ac.th/newsletter/
(iii) ERP offline
Please be informed that ERP is offline every day, January 2-31, 2018
From 11:30 - 13:00 during offline period finance has to process the transaction
of Y2017 (Due to Year-end closing).
(iv) AIT Official Holiday 2018
Email from Office of Human Resources Services: 23 Nov. 2017
AIT Management Team has approved AIT Official Holiday 2018 as follows:
January
1 Mon New Year's Day
March
1 Thu Makha Bucha Day
April
6 Fri Chakri Memorial Day
13 Fri Songkran Festival
16 Mon Substitute for Songkran Festival
May
1 Tue National Labor Day
29 Tue Visakha Bucha Day
July
27 Fri Asalaha Bucha Day
30 Mon Substitute for H.M. the King's Birthday
August
13 Mon Substitute for H.M. the King's Mother Birthday
October
15 Mon Substitute for H.M. late King Bhumibol Memorial Day
23 Tue Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
December
5 Wed Birthday Anniversary of H. M. late King's Bhumibol
25 Tue Year-End Break
26 Wed Year-End Break
27 Thu Year-End Break
28 Fri Year-End Break
29 Sat Year-End Break
30 Sun Year-End Break
31 Mon Year-End Break
(v) Student contest: The Trail by VINCI Construction
Email from AIT Solutions: 22 Nov. 2017
We are delighted to announce the launch of a student contest The Trail by VINCI Construction “Imagine tomorrow's construction industry.”
Innovate in one of these three fields:
· The construction site of the future
· Sustainable construction and resilience
· Cities above and under cities
This competition has 2 phases:
Part 1: an online challenge on Agorize platform to attract students and where they can submit their innovative projects “Imagine the construction industry of tomorrow”
Part 2: an outdoors sports challenge to take place in Annecy, France
Timeline:
Online Challenge (Ideation): 20 Nov 2017 - 18 Mar 2018
Voting: 20 Mar 2018 - 03 Apr 2018
Local awards: 04 Apr 2018 - 04 May 2018
The local ceremony for Asia will be organized in Singapore and will gather the 3 best Asian teams.
Please check out the website for more information:
https://www.agorize.com/en/challenges/thetrail
If you are interested to join, let Innovation Lab [ilab] help you. You can send us your presentation before you submit online and our experts can give you feedback. Kindly send to ilab.solutions@ait.asia
(i) EVENTS
(a) Orientation Day for New Students: 5 January 2018
January 5 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
An Orientation program will be organized for new students on 5 January 2018 at the AIT Conference Center on 5 January 2018 from 10:00 am onwards.
Detailed program is available at this link: https://www.ait.ac.th/event/orientation-day-new-students-5-january-2018/
(ii) LECTURES / SEMINARS / CONFERENCES
(a) Thanat Khoman Lecture Series: 20 – 22 Feb. 2018
Tue Feb 20th 11:00am - 4:00pm
thanat-khoman
Thanat Khoman Lecture Series will be organized in February 2018 by Dr. A R Chamberlain, Former President, Colorado State University (CSU).
The first lecture will be held at the AIT Auditorium on 20 February 2018, followed by two lectures on 21 February 2018 at the Chulalongkorn University, and on 22 February 2018 in Bangkok.
(iii) COURSES / TRAININGS
(a) Training Programme on Economics of Climate Change Adaptation: 12 – 23 Mar. 2018
The Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific at the AIT, in cooperation with UNDP and USAID Adapt Asia-Pacific, will organize the second run of the training course on the Economics of Climate Change Adaptation under the Climate Change Asia initiative from 12 – 23 March 2018 in Bangkok (exact location to be confirmed)
More details: https://www.ait.ac.th/events/
(i) New AITCC Annex & renovation of car park near Arcade
A new AITCC Annex building will be constructed opposite to AIT swimming Pool/AIT Solutions. The construction work will start from 1 October 2017 and expected to be completed by April 2018. To prepare the area for construction, the car park area opposite to swimming pool/AIT Solutions will be demolished partially and a new sewage line will be laid from Arcade area.
During the process of this work, the area will be barricaded and there might be some disturbance as well as noise.
Please be also informed that currently partial section of car park area opposite to Arcade is being renovated. It may take a week to complete the work and the area will be closed.
Prof. Kyoko Kusakabe / Kampot Province, Cambodia / 27 – 31 December 2017*
Prof. Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh / Louisiana and San Francisco, USA / 11 December 2017 – 22 January 2018
*(Staff or faculty member travelled and returned to AIT prior to documentation received for publication)
Position: Administrative Staff (Webmaster) (Office of the Media & Communications)
Ref. No. 51/17
Deadline: 15 January 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/485
Position: Administrative Staff (Social Media and Promotions Coordinator) (Office of the Media & Communications)
Ref. No. 52/17
Deadline: 15 January 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/486
Position: Director/PRINCIPAL for AIT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (AIT International School)
Ref. No. 50/2017
Deadline: 31 January 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/483
Position: Administrative Staff (Accommodation Manager) (Office of Facilities and Assets Management )
Ref. No. 53/17
Deadline: 31 January 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/487
Position: Administrative Staff (Accommodation Clerk/Assistant Accommodation Officer) (Office of Facilities and Assets Management )
Ref. No. 54/17
Deadline: 31 January 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/488
Position: Administrative Staff (Cafeteria Supervisor) (Office of Facilities and Assets Management )
Ref. No. 55/17
Deadline: 31 January 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/489
Position: Receptionist / Operator (Office of Facilities and Assets Management )
Ref. No. 56/17
Deadline: 31 January 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/490
Faculty Position (School of Engineering & Technology)
Ref. No. 04/2017
Deadline: 15 February 2018
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/484