WEEK #26 & 27, 30 June – 12 July 2015
In this issue:
Announcements
Recent Donations to the AIT Library Modernization Campaign
7 July 2015: Thai Contractors Association under H.M. The King’s Patronage led by Mr. Sangvorn Lipatapanlop, President of TCA and Mr. Supachai Rakpanitmanee, Managing Director, Panya Consulting Co., Ltd. – 2 Million THB
2015 MID-YEAR HIGHLIGHTS
Dear Members of AIT Community
At the mid-year of 2015, I am pleased to report some of the interesting milestones that AIT has crossed during the past few months. To save you time, I will highlight to you with the briefs and the links for more details.
(1) AIT DEGREES ARE OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED IN INDIA.
On 22 May 2015, AIT has crossed a historic milestone when its degrees are officially recognized in India, by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the apex coordinating body of all universities in India. This makes AIT graduates being treated at par with graduates from prestigious Indian universities like Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). I hope this can lead to a breakthrough for many new collaborations and especially more student intake from India, currently the biggest market for high-end international students. Membership will also provide evidence of degree equivalence to employers in other South Asian countries, which will help AIT students with more job opportunities.
More details from:
https://www.facebook.com/worsak.ait/posts/400403626811278
(2) JAPAN’S MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT TO SUPPORT AIT.
On 9 June 2015, I have signed a landmark Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with H.E. Hideka Morimoto, Deputy Vice Minister of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ). Through the agreement, MOEJ will second one of its top professional executives to serve as the Director of AIT's Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) for three years. In addition, MOEJ will fund more than US$ 1.2 million worth of projects in 2015. The new RRC.AP Director, Mr. Osamu Mizuno will assume office on July 20, after completing an official overseas posting at the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) based in New York City.
We should be thankful to Vice President for Resources Development, Professor Kazuo Yamamoto, who spearheaded the deal. This support not only bolsters the operations of RRC.AP, but also signifies a renewed partnership with the Government of Japan.
More details are available from this link:
https://www.facebook.com/worsak.ait/posts/399962193522088
(3) WHERE IS AIT IN THE WORLD MAP?
While universities in Asia are debating Asia University Rankings recently released by QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education Rankings, AIT as the first regional postgraduate Institute remains unaccounted for in either list.
AIT has specifically written to both ranking organizations and received a clear reply from both that AIT is not eligible to participate because AIT is not a full-fledge university.
While AIT was unable to participate in the "Institute-wide" rankings, the Institute was invited to participate in "World University Rankings by Faculty" and "World University Rankings by Subject". Apparently, AIT fared exceedingly in both rankings despite its small size.
(a) In the 2014-15 QS World University Rankings by Faculty, AIT’s faculty in Engineering and Technology was ranked 210 in the world, above many well-known universities. In addition, AIT’s faculty in the board areas of Social Sciences and Management was ranked 283 in the world.
(b) In the 2015 QS World University Rankings by Subject, QS has ranked AIT among the global tops in four subject areas. AIT was ranked the top 151-200 of the world in Civil and Structural Engineering, the top 151-200 in Environmental Sciences, the top 251-300 in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and the top 301-400 in Computer Science and Information Systems.
Note for AIT’s Civil & Structural Engineering, the traditional flagship of AIT, its world ranking is in par with the Colorado State University, which happened to serve as its prototype when the US Government helped establish AIT in 1959. More details are given in these links.
https://www.facebook.com/worsak.ait/posts/397252973793010:0
https://www.facebook.com/worsak.ait/posts/397304073787900
(4) RTG ANNUAL BUDGET FOR AIT REGULARIZED.
On 28 April 2015, the Cabinet of the Royal Thai Government (RTG) has approved a special budget of 133 million Baht to AIT from the “Central Budget for Emergency and Necessity Purposes”. This will be the last year, after its 2012-14 crisis, that AIT needed a special treatment from RTG. From 2016 onward, AIT budget allocation from the host country will follow the regular national budgeting process, based on the approved 5-year RTG-AIT Cooperation Plan 2015-19. The RTG Budget normally covers Their Majesties the King and the Queen’s Scholarships, GMSARN Scholarships and RTG Fellowships.
(5) AIT WELCOMED 30 STUDENTS FROM AFGHANISTAN
Since June this year, 30 Afghan engineers from the Western Basins regions of Afghanistan are attending a Bridging Program before progressing to their regular Master’s Degree Programs in August.
In the past, AIT has always committed to help strengthen the capacity of countries emerging from internal difficulties. This capacity building project will be fully supported by the ADB grant from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). The total cost of the project is USD 1,576,264.85. The project was conceptualized with the help of Dr. Michael McGarry, Vice President, Cowater International Inc., Canada, when he visited my office almost 2 years ago. Dr. McGarry served as Canadian seconded faculty member in Environmental Engineering during the period of 1970-1974.
More details are available from: https://www.facebook.com/worsak.ait/posts/399081330276841
With Regards,
Yours sincerely
Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai
AIT President
AIT Newsletter July 2015
The July 2015 edition of the monthly AIT Newsletter has been released.
You can also download them at these links:
PDF: http://goo.gl/HKo1Ic
EPUB: http://goo.gl/vZgiZg
MOBI: http://goo.gl/gj5DYB
Happy Reading
Media and Communications Unit (MCU)
Confirmed AIT Management Notes, 18 June 2015
Please be informed that the confirmed notes of the 18 June 2015 meeting of the AIT Management are now Intranet-published at
http://www.ait.ac.th/management/aitmt-notes
Performance Appraisal
To all concerned immediate supervisors and Unit Heads of direct-hire (centrally-funded) staff members,
Please be informed that the online performance appraisal for this year 2015, covering the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 is now open. The annual online performance appraisal process was implemented since July 2014 following the approval of the AIT Management.
The online system can be accessed through the “PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL” link in the HRIS menu (https://hris.ait.ac.th ). The immediate supervisors can complete the individual Performance Appraisal Reports for all the employees under their supervision, and individually (electronically) submit them. The Unit Heads shall then review and endorse all completed Performance Appraisal Reports not later than 15 August 2015.
The online / web-based system archived the appraisal results of last year 2014 (“Appraisal History” link in the HRIS menu) and will build up annual data that will be available to unit heads / immediate supervisors and AIT Management. The process will be carried out in conjunction with the annual budget process. Based on the annual performance appraisal results, which will be used for the purpose of determining the annual merit increment and staff training and development needs, financial implications can be taken into consideration in the following fiscal year’s budgets. Please note that those with no performance evaluations will not be considered for any performance-based merit payments and/or salary increments.
Should you encounter technical problems, please report them to Helpdesk (helpdesk@ait.asia ). Please convey other feedback to HRO (hro@ait.asia ).
Head, Administration
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Campus Updates
Call for Papers
The Asian Institute of Technology and its partners in the Wetlands Alliance are organizing an international conference on “Wetlands Management: Science, Practice and Sustainable Development – Pathways for sustainable wetlands management in the Mekong region”, Siem Reap 19 - 21 January 2016.The conference intends to facilitate dialogue and discussion between scientists, researchers, practitioners and managers.
This is a great opportunity to showcase and present your research on wetlands and aquatic resources management. While the geographic focus is on the Mekong region, related research from other regions would be of great interest as well to foster wider learning experiences and sharing.
We invite paper and presentation submissions addressing key themes and topics of wetlands management, such as
•The state of wetlands in South and Southeast Asia. Trends and threats and initiatives for wetlands conservation
•Wetlands, Fisheries and Food Security
•Wetlands in the context of climate change: The role of wetlands in mitigation and adaptation
•The Role of Wetlands in Disaster Risk Reduction
•Wetland values: Integrating values of wetlands ecosystem service/processes into local development investment planning (government budgets and private sector)
•Private sector engagement in wetlands management – wetlands services/processes in market value and supply chains.
•Wetlands Governance and rights-based approaches to wetlands uses and management
•Community engagement and participation
•Local, national and regional capacity building needs and approaches
Paper and presentation abstracts should be submitted before August 31, 2015 to be included in the review and selection process. Final papers should be submitted before November 31 for inclusion in the conference proceedings.
Conference Paper and Presentation submission schedule
August 31, 2015 : 1-page abstract submission
September 15, 2015 : Notification of acceptance
November 30, 2015: Deadline for final full paper submission
December 31, 2015: Deadline for presentation submission
A joint committee of Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) faculty and Wetlands Alliance (WA) partners will review abstract submission for the final paper selection and finalization of the conference programme for the conference.
Papers should not exceed eight pages and presentations should be timed for 20 minutes.
For more information visit the Alliance website http://www.wetlandsalliance.org/index.php/about-wa-conference or contact the alliance secretariat at secretariat@wetlandsalliance.org
Bank services on campus
Please be informed that representatives of the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) will be in Finance Office every day from 9 to 9.30 a.m., mainly to collect deposits from AIT units.
Deposit Service
SCB offered to extend its deposit service to AIT faculty, staff, and students. Personal deposits (cheque/cash/bank draft) will be entertained from 9.15 a.m. onwards or soon after SCB handles AIT transactions.
Other Service
Both SCB and KBank offer special exchange rates (from Thai Baht to foreign currencies and vice versa) to members of the AIT community. Please present your AIT identification card to avail of the special exchange rates.
Car and Bicycle Parking
It has been observed that nowadays many cars are being parked under the tree and non parking areas in academic areas as well accommodation areas. For safety reasons, the Securitas team will leave a small note requesting the owner to move the car to the nearby parking area (academic area only). This is a small initiative to avoid any accidents like fallen branches. We will appreciate the kind support of the community to park the cars in the parking areas provided.
We have also observed that the bicycles in the campus are parked neither in the parking area allotted nor parked in order. Moreover the community tends to park in the area where no parking signs are placed. So to exercise habit of proper parking, as a initiative Securitas will try to help the community to move the bicycles to the nearest parking area and we believe that community will also support our initiative for a better AIT and try to park the bicycles properly.
Thanking the community in advance for the support.
Head of OFAM
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Events
Seminar on "Application of satellite technology and the current status on monitoring of Geological Disasters in Asia"
DPMM will organize a seminar on "Application of satellite technology and the current status on monitoring of Geological Disasters in Asia” to be held on 6 July 2015 from 9:10 - 10:20 am at Room E220.
The guest presenters are:
* Development of 3D building model from UAV video after the Nepal earthquake, by Dr. Fumio Yamazaki, Professor, Chiba University
* Preliminary Damage Assessment Using PALSAR-‐2 Images Observing the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, by Dr. Masashi Matsuoka, Associate Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
* Disaster response of Sentinel Asia for the Nepal earthquake by Dr. Masahiko Honzawa, Senior Research Scientist, Representative of RESTEC Thailand
The lectures will be followed by a 15-min lecture by Dr. Masahiko Nagai on “Disaster response in AIT with Emergency Satellite Observation for the Nepal earthquake”
_________________
Faculty and Staff Travel
Dr. Faiz Shah / Dhaka, Bangladesh / 27 – 30 May 2015*
Dr. Naveed Anwar / Kathmandu, Nepal / 27 May – 2 June 2015*
Dr. Faiz Shah / Lahore, Pakistan / 31 May – 20 June 2015*
Dr. Pham Huy Giao / Madrid, Spain / 30 May – 15 June 2015*
Ms. Shreya Pradhan / Siem Reap, Cambodia / 1 – 4 June 2015*
Prof. Sivanappan Kumar / Yokohama, Japan / 2 – 5 June 2015*
Mr. Norman Del Mundo Alcoba / Manila & Palawan, Philippines / 11 – 19 June 2015*
Prof. Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh / Boston, North Carolina, Massachusetts and New York, USA / 16 June – 13 August 2015
Dr. Than Lin / London, United Kingdom / 18 – 29 June 2015
Dr. Chotchai Charoenngam / Vietnam / 19 – 21 June 2015*
Mrs. Niramol Wangnai / Phuket Province, Thailand / 21 – 24 June 2015*
Mrs. Warindhorn Wachirasiri / Phuket Province, Thailand / 21 – 24 June 2015*
Dr. Sangam Shrestha / Tokyo, Japan / 21 – 24 June 2015*
Mr. Bayasgalan Sanduijav / Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia / 21 June – 5 July 2015
Ms. Phyu Sin / Phuket, Thailand / 22 – 28 June 2015*
Prof. Mukand Singh Babel / Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand / 23 – 25 June 2015*
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Shrestha / Manila, Philippines / 23 – 27 June 2015*
Dr. Oleg Shipin / Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand / 23 – 29 June 2015
Dr. Vilas Nitivattananon / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam / 25 – 28 June 2015*
Md. Zakir Hossain / Phuket, Thailand / 25 – 28 June 2015*
Dr. Masahiko Nagai /Chiang Mai, Thailand / 26 June 2015*
Mr. Fazle Karim / Denpasar Bali, Indonesia / 26 – 27 June 2015*
Prof. C. Visvanathan / Singapore / 26 – 28 June 2015*
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Shrestha / Pakistan / 27 June – 3 July 2015
Mr. Upul K. Brahmanage / Jakarta, Indonesia / 27 June – 5 July 2015
Prof. Ajit P. Annachatre / France and The Netherlands / 27 June – 18 July 2015
Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul / The Netherlands and Copenhagen, Denmark / 27 June – 5 July 2015
Dr. Lal Samarakoon / Singapore / 29 June – 1 July 2015*
Mr. Mohammad D. Hossain / Dhaka and Khulna, Bangladesh / 29 June – 3 July 2015*
Ms. Kanokwan Wangchina and Ms. Sanirat Sangmuang / Dhaka and Khulna, Bangladesh / 29 June – 3 July 2015*
Dr. Clemens M. Grunbuhel / Leeds, UK / 29 June – 3 July 2015*
Dr. Masahiko Nagai / Changi, Singapore / 30 June – 1 July 2015*
Mr. Voravate Chonlasin / Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand / 30 June – 1 July 2015*
Mrs. Niramol Wangnai / Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand / 30 June – 3 July 2015*
Mrs. Warindhorn Wachirasiri / Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand / 30 June – 3 July 2015*
Prof. Voratas Kachitvichyanukul / Chiang Mai, Thailand / 30 June – 4 July 2015
Ms. Shiela Carillo Salde / Chiang Mai Province, Thailand / 30 June – 5 July 2015
Ms. Thaniya Jirasathitpornpong / Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia / 1 – 7 July 2015
Dr. Noppadol Phienwej / Lao PDR / 2 – 4 July 2015*
Dr. Bernadette Resurreccion Sayo / London, UK / 2 – 5 July 2015
Dr. Philippe Doneys / London, UK / 2 – 5 July 2015
Dr. Lal Samarakoon / Tokyo, Japan / 3 – 11 July 2015
Dr. Anil Kumar Anal / Kathmandu, Nepal / 4 July – 4 August 2015
Dr. P. Abdul Salam / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 5 – 6 July 2015
Dr. Djoen San Santoso / Cantho, Vietnam / 5 – 8 July 2015
Dr. Manzul K. Hazzarika / Tokyo, Japan / 5 – 9 July 2015
Dr. Manzul K. Hazzarika / Tokyo, Japan / 5 – 9 July 2015
Prof. Mukand Singh Babel / Paris, France / 6 – 11 July 2015
Dr. Naveed Anwar / Kathmandu, Nepal / 8 – 16 July 2015
*(Staff or faculty member travelled and returned to AIT prior to documentation received for publication)
_______________
Classifieds (Job)
Auditor (Internal Audit Office)
Ref. No: 15/15
Deadline: 9 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/305
Assistant Internal Auditor (Internal Audit Office)
Ref. No: 11/15
Deadline: 9 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/297
Research Associate (Social Sciences) (Asian Center of Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Intensification - ACISAI)
Ref No: 37/15
Deadline: 10 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/329
Research Associate (Asian Center of Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Intensification - ACISAI)
Ref No: 36/15
Deadline: 10 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/328
Draftsman (AIT Consulting)
Ref. No: 35/15
Deadline: July 17, 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/327
Net Software Developer (AIT Consulting)
Ref No: 38/15
Deadline: July 22, 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/267
Laboratory Supervisor (ISE) (School of Engineering & Technology)
Ref. No: 4/14
Deadline: 31 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/202
Research Specialist I (School of Engineering & Technology)
Ref. No: 32/15
Deadline: 31 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/325
Assistant or Associate Professor in Natural Resources Management (School of Environment, Resources & Development)
Ref. No: Fac 4/15
Deadline: 31 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/304
Faculty Position in the Environmental Engineering and Management (School of Environment, Resources & Development)
Ref. No: Fac 11/14
Deadline: 31 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/280
Assistant or Associate Professor Positions (School of Engineering & Technology)
Ref. No: Fac 7/15
Deadline: 31 July 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/322
Senior Project Engineer (AIT Consulting)
Ref no: 25/15
Deadline: July 31, 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/318
Assistant or Associate Professors Positions (School of Management)
Ref. No: Fac 5/15
Deadline: 31 August 2015
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/309