In this issue:

A. Announcements 

B. Events 

C. Classifieds (jobs)

A. Announcements 

1) Update on Positive Cases of Contractor Staff and Other Updates from the AIT COVID-19 Task Force

Email from Director, Office of Academic Administration on 7 May 2021.

Dear Members of the AIT Family,

We hope that all of you are keeping well and staying safe in the midst of the fierce third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.  As you must have been following in the news, COVID-19 is raging in Greater Bangkok, including several crowded communities in the capital.  The number of COVID-19 cases in Greater Bangkok has now surpassed those in 73 provinces combined.  As conveyed in our earlier message, Pathum Thani – where AIT is located, has been categorized as a dark red zone and designated as “Maximum and Strict Controlled Area” with almost daily new cases, so we must all take extra precautions to keep ourselves and the AIT campus safe.

Positive Cases of Contractor Staff – We would like to provide an update of the positive cases of contractor staff.  In our 30 April message we had reported that three technical contractor staff who work at OFAM and reside off-campus tested positive for COVID-19.  Two more technical contractor staff and one janitorial contractor OFAM staff, all of whom reside off-campus, have also tested positive for COVID-19—the most recent one on 2 May.  All six of these contractor staff are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

All five technical contractor staff work in the building maintenance section.  Based on their work timeline, these staff mainly worked outdoors on their own and some had very limited interaction with the AIT community aside from their team.  The persons who were in contact with these staff have stopped working, are under self-isolation, and have all tested negative for COVID-19.

The janitorial contractor staff works in the clothing store area and is a relative of one of the technical contractor staff who tested positive for COVID-19.  She is not a campus cleaning staff.  The janitorial contractor has conducted a rapid test (blood check) for all the rest of the 66 janitorial staff with no antigens detected in any of them.

As a precautionary measure, OFAM has sanitized and deep cleaned the areas where these staff visited.  OFAM has also warned other contractors in OFAM to be aware of the situation and to take extra precautions.  The contractors have been told to limit their work on campus to the most essential and emergency in nature, and to inform their staff to minimize their contact with others—whether with other contractors or AIT staff or faculty or students, and to not socialize or wander around campus.  We will continue to update the community.  Our thoughts are with these staff and we wish them a speedy recovery.

Face-to-Face Meetings – AIT is in a WFH mode until further notice.  Everyone is discouraged to meet, visit or talk with others in person.  This includes students’ consultations with faculty advisors and other staff members.  These should take place online.  If extremely necessary, please always observe proper social distancing and wear face masks.

Contact Sports – Although outdoor team sports—non-contact—are still allowed, please be reminded that this applies for AIT community members only.  No non-AIT players and no spectators are allowed and all indoor playing areas like the China Center are currently closed.

The Task Force reminds all players to exercise judgement, and maintain a high level of precautionary measures, like washing your hands before and after play, avoiding high fives, handshakes, fist bumps or hugs, covering your coughs and sneezes, and not spitting.

The outdoor sports fields and other sporting facilities are RESTRICTED for use by the AIT community only.  NO outside visitors will be permitted to use these facilities until further notice 

Visitors / Guests – NO overnight visitors are allowed on campus, even at the AIT Conference Center Hotel.  International visitors/guests are NOT allowed on campus 

As communicated in the 7 April TF message, all visitors / guests – including day visits – will only be given access when an AIT resident host signs them in.  Contractors, vendors, and service personnel will be signed in by OFAM.  Other casual day visitors (e.g. to buy take-out food, coffee, etc.) will have to make arrangements with the concerned establishment, which are allowed to ONLY make deliveries at the Main Gate.

Golf Course – The TF has decided to keep the Golf Course open with strict hygiene and sanitation standards.

Please check with the Task Force if you have any queries and also visit the Intranet page where all COVID-19 related information and updates from the Task Force are available.  We urge you to continue to maintain a high level of safety and hygiene measures, avoid large crowds, and please visit the AIT Medical Center if you feel unwell.  A final piece of advice, if you feel unwell but it is judged that you do not need to take a COVID test, you should stay in your quarters and minimize contacts for seven days if at all possible.

We thank you for your continued cooperation.

Please take care and stay safe. 

AIT COVID-19 Task Force

2) AITE Webinar on Global Supply Chain Outlook Post Covid-19

Date: Tuesday 11th May 2021

Time: 10:00 AM Thailand Time

Speaker: Dr. Nick Vyas, Executive Director of the USC Marshall Center for Global Supply Chain Management, USC Marshall School of Business

Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/5342p8x4

Webinar link: https://extension.ait.asia/node/1173

 

3) AIT-TusPark WHA Webinar on Deep Tech in Thailand's New S-curve Industries: Opportunities in Thai Market.
Date: 13 May 2021
Time :14:00- 16:00 Bangkok Time

4) AIT Extension in collaboration with Asia Pacific Telecommunication will be organizing a webinar on "5G and IoT Applications and Policy Solutions” on May 17th, 2021 (Monday).

Date: 17 May 2021

Time: 10:00 - 11:30 (GMT +7) Bangkok Time

For Registration https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRsqBFXs9_USrtPIi9fV4hv3LHNl-_...

For more information and registration, please visit our website: https://extension.ait.asia/course/1172

 

 

 

Training Courses/ Conferences/ Workshops

1) Online Professional Development Course on: Managing Organization change: Integrating Agile for Transformation (Batch 1 )

Online Professional Development Course on: Managing Organization change: Integrating Agile for Transformation (Batch 1 )

Date : 08 - 25 May 2021

https://extension.ait.ac.th/course/1158

Date: 10 - 28 May 2021
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 hrs. (Bangkok time)
Learn from practitioners on how to develop M & E pathways that foster measurement of results and respond to current changes of M&E contexts. Broadening perspectives for innovative ways to develop tools and reporting mechanisms that help to make decisions for project implementation. 

Aims of the program

Enhance practical knowledge and scope for M&E approach and practices during COVID-19.
Be acquainted with appropriate research design and data collection tools.

Apply M &E concept to create information sharing and reporting strategies.

For more information and registration pls. visit https://extension.ait.ac.th/course/1127

 

9) 2nd International  Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development (DRSD) 

We are happy to announce the "2nd International Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development” from 24 -25 June 2021 scheduled to be held at Asian Institute of Technology, THAILAND (In-person and Virtual) [www.disaster-sustainability.org]. The “2nd International Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development” organized by the Asian Institute of Technology brings together discussion on various dimensions of higher education systems in the Asia-Pacific region with a focus on Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development. The International Symposium will focus on various dimensions of existing and future risk scenarios and concerted efforts of the scientific communities to find new adaptation methods. 

The international symposium will be organized from 24 -25 June 2021 in hybrid mode. The program will include keynote speeches, panel discussions, technical sessions, poster presentations, and academic exhibitions. The Symposium is one of the initiatives of ProSPER.Net project “Disaster Education for integrating SFDRR and SDG in Asia” lead by the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand along with the partner universities in the Asia Pacific Region. 

The symposium will also provide an opportunity to develop a Higher Educational Institution Platform on DRR to address the cross-cutting issues on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development and also understanding regional challenges that result from complex problems generated by natural hazards and human-induced threats.

On behalf of Organising Committee DRSD-2021, I would like to invite your valuable participation and interaction with Global Resilience and Sustainability Experts. 

CALL for ABSTRACT is open 

We will encourage you to circulate the announcement to your scientific and professional netw