WEEK #34: 21 – 27 August 2017

 

 In this issue:

 

A. Announcements

B. Events

C. Campus Updates

D. Faculty and Staff Travel

E. Classifieds (Jobs)

 

A. Announcements

 

(i)    SET Welcomes new faculty at ISE Program - Prof. Szuder Andrei

School of Engineering and Technology (SET) welcomes Prof. Szuder Andrei, who joined AIT as a Visiting Professor in Industrial Systems Engineering Program and will be teaching Production and Operations Management (AT 72.02) in August 2017 semester.

Prof. Szuder Andrei received a Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) degree from University Claude Bernard -Ecole Centrale de Lyon,France, 1977 and a PhD (Industrial Engineering) from Polytechnic University of Jassy. Romania ,1974. His master degree is in Manufacturing& Industrial Engineering from University, Politehnica, Bucharest, Romania 1969; He has also completed a postgraduate Diploma in Education.University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy,1982.

He is Professor at University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Engineering and Management of Technological Systems and Honorary Director of the Center for Advanced Technologies. He was Visiting faculty at several Romanian and foreign universities, Ecole Centrale de Lyon-ECL,France-, Ecole Centrale de Nantes-ECN, France, Ecole Nationale d’Ingenieurs de Saint Etienne -ENISE, France, University of Toledo-USA, University of Patras -Greece.

    He is founding and Board member of the Romanian Committee of Tribology. 1985, Member of the French Society of Tribology. 1985, ,Member of American Society of Manufacturing Engineers – SME 1997, Founding and member of Romanian Concurrent Engineering Association. 1997, Director of the Scientific Council of the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry -2007.

His research interests are: Industrial Engineering and Management particularly, Production and Operations management; Supply Chain Management; Logistics; TQM; Tribology; Project Management, Development of international projects involving High Education Institutions and the Industry, especially European Union funded projects
He can be contacted at:

Room No. 232(ChalermPrakiat Building)
Tel. No.0646758205
Email :szuder@ait.asia; szuder@yahoo.com; szuder@ctanm.pub.ro

(ii)    Confirmed Notes, AIT Management Team, 29 June 2017

At its 13 July 2017 meeting, the AIT Management Team (AMT) confirmed the notes of its 29 June 2017 meeting, which are now Intranet-published at AIT Management Confirmed Meeting Notes for easy reference.

(iii)    Hackathon winners

AIT Solutions announced and congratulated the following winners of the Hackathon: Sensors Challenge.

Platinum level [10,000 THB]
Idea:Digital Blue e-Aqua Sense Drone Technology for Next Generation Aquaculture: Food Security with Sustainable Intelligence
Team Member: Dhaval Bamaniya
Organization: AIT

Gold level [5,000 THB]
Idea: Digital Fuel Measurement with Fraud Detection and Theft Security
Team Members: P. Hima Bindhu, N. Tejasri, G, Praveen, V. Sandeep
Organization: AIT

Gold level [5,000 THB]
Idea: PHIN: Powerful Crop Health Imaging Next-Gen
Team Members: Saif Lakhani, Looi Chee Kean, and Asmita
Organization: IIIT, India, University | Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia

(iv)    Reminder: Securing your computer

To ensure the security of computer system and the whole AIT network, it is necessary that users regularly update their operating system and other software as well as install/update antivirus software and signature. However, in order to be able to regularly update software, users must use genuine software (licensed, free to use, open source) only. Pirated software will not get updated.

Please use the following guidelines:

1. Windows Operating SystemUse only genuine and supported Windows Operating System. Outdated/unsupported windows system (e.g. Windows XP) is no longer updated and thus it is highly vulnerable and should not be used. Genuine Windows Operating system is available from Microsoft Imagine (Microsoft Dreamspark) for every AITan as well as from Campus Volume Licensing (for faculty, staff, labs only). Also activate Windows automatic update.

2. Install and activate Antivirus software. Windows Defender (bundled with Windows 8.1 and up) or Microsoft Security Essentials (for Windows 7, which can be freely downloaded) should be enough to provide users with virus protection. Those software will be updated during Windows Update process. Please refer to http://itserv.ait.asia/helpdesk/technical/faq/faq_003.html  for more details.
If any user uses other antivirus software, please make sure that the license is still active.

3. Update other software as soon as it becomes available. As long as the software is genuine (licensed, free to use such as Adobe Reader, as well as open source), you can always get it updated

4. Uninstall highly vulnerable software such as Adobe Flash from the computer.  For more information, please contact Helpdesk.

(v)    Online Performance Appraisal 2017 (covering the period from 1 July 2016-30 June 2017)

Please be informed that the online performance appraisal for this year 2017, covering the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 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 23 August 2017.

The online / web-based system archived the appraisal results since 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 salary adjustment 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 OHRS (hro@ait.asia ).

(iii) New Locations of the Offices in the Administration Building

The Administration Building is under renovation. Most offices in the building have moved to AIT Conference Center and other buildings. Below is the list of the new location of Administration Offices:

President: Presidential Lounge, AITCC
VP Administration: Room B138
VP Academic Affairs: Room B136
VP Development: Room B130
Office of the President and Office of the Institute Secretary: Room B144B
Office of Academic Administration: Room B144A
Office of Human Resource Services: Room 223, 2nd Floor of the Administration Building
Office of Internal Auditor: Room B113
Office of External Relation and Office of Host Country Relation: B115
Office of Special Degree Program: B115
Office of Advancement: Ground Floor of the Admin Building (beside cashier).
Office of Finance: Admin (No Change)
Office of Purchasing and Inventory Procurement: Admin (No Change)
Office of Student and Affairs: Admin (No Change)
Office of GRU: Admin, located between Financial Dept. and Purchasing Office

 

 

 

 

B. Events

 

(i)    LECTURES, / SEMINARS / CONFERENCE

(a)    VSO Career Talk - 23 August 2017, 4 pm, MEB Auditorium

IT Career Center will organize the first Career Talk for this semester from VSO International, the world's leading independent international development organisation that offers volunteers the chance to work abroad to fight poverty. Representatives from the organization will visit the campus to present their company profile, jobs and volunteering opportunities.

VSO International Career Talk
Date: 23 August 2017 (Wednesday)
Venue: Milton E. Bender Auditorium
Time:  4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Name of speakers:  

1.      Khun Hattaya Wongsaengpaiboon, Country Manager

2.      Khun Nattasuda Anusonadisai, Asia Pacific Media Officer

To pre-register, click on the following link:

  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeYyrFDJVpoQtb7YVydOYkQ9ue1HdnIAegsvH36G39Sxym6g/viewform

 
Program Schedule :

3:45 - 4: 05 pm      Arrival
4:05 - 4:10 pm       Welcome Remarks & Introduction    
4:10 - 4: 40 pm      Career Talk by VSO representatives

4:40 - 4:50 pm       Open Forum

4:50 - 4:55 pm       Closing Remarks

4:55 - 5:00 p.m.     One-on-One with students/participants

About VSO Internationa;: VSO is the world’s leading international development organization that uses volunteers to fight poverty and reduce inequality. Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) began in 1958 when Alec and Mora Dickson recruited and sent 16 British volunteers overseas in response to a letter from the Bishop of Portsmouth asking for people to teach English in Borneo.Today, VSO is a truly global organization. They recruit skilled volunteers from all over the world, and from all sectors of society, including business leaders, parliamentarians and young people. Currently, over 30% of their  people come from within the country of their placement. They also send increasing numbers of people from one developing country to another.

For more information about VSO, please visit their website:

 https://www.vsointernational.org/

(b)    International Forum on Education for Rural Transformation: 13 – 15 Nov. 2017

AIT and the UNESCO International Research Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) is organizing the International Forum on Education for Rural Transformation (IFERT) during 13-15 November 2017, at the AIT Campus.

More information are available at www.ifert.ait.asia

(c)International Expert Forum: Mainstreaming Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction in Education: 1 – 2 Dec. 2017

An International Expert Forum on "Mainstreaming Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction in Education" will be organized at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on 1-2 December 2017.

Registration Open: 15 August 2017
Full Paper Submission: 30 September 2017

More details: http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/2017/events/international-expert-forum-mainstreaming-resilience-and-disaster-risk-reduction-in-education/#.WSPuJtylaUl

(ii)    COURSES / TRAININGS

(a)     Library’s Training for Knovel: 22 Aug. 2017

AIT Library will conduct the training of Knovel - a reference engineering database which is currently subscribed to by AIT Library as follows:

Preparing students for a career in engineering
Knovel is an engineering decision-support solution delivering best practice insights, material and substance properties data, and validated equations through powerful search and interactive analytical tools.

Fostering success in the classroom and beyond
Using the same tools as professionals in the field better prepares students for a highly competitive workforce.  Used by hundreds of thousands of professors, researchers, and students from top engineering schools worldwide, including leading universities for mechanical, aeronautical, chemical and manufacturing engineering, Knovel helps engineers save time, integrate technical information into their work, and expand their knowledge.  Whether users need to look up a chemical formula, compare properties of substances or get general reference information about new topics, Knovel supports engineering education and research needs.

Knovel is an interactive platform that provides access to trusted technical reference material and is used by top engineering organizations worldwide.  This session will provide insights into:
•the best ways to search for answers through Knovel’s extensive technical reference and content areas
•leveraging interactive tools, such as, Interactive Equations, Data Search and Unit Converter
•how to save searches and access content even when you’re offline

Date: 22 August 2017
Time: 13.00 p.m. – 14.00 p.m.
Location: AIT Library’s Training Room
Interested persons can join this training by email to library@ait.asia . Seats are limited, on a first come, first served basis.

(b)    Library’s Training on Springer e-books and Springer e-journals: 23 Aug. 20127

AIT Library will organize a training on Springer e-books and Springer e-journals. The topic of the training is "How Springer Nature enhances your research work".
Springer Nature is a leading global research, educational and professional publisher, home to an array of respected and trusted brands providing quality content through a range of innovative products and services.

Springer Nature is the world’s largest academic book publisher, publisher of the world’s highest impact journals and a pioneer in the field of open research. The company numbers almost 13,000 staff in over 50 countries and has a turnover of approximately EUR 1.5 billion. Springer Nature was formed in 2015 through the merger of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media.
Currently, AIT Library subscribes to both Springer e-journals and Springer e-books.

Date:          Wednesday,  23 August 2017
Time:         13.00 p.m. - 14.00 p.m.
Venue:       Training Room, AIT Library

(c)    Library’s Training on Emerald e-journals and Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies: 25 Aug. 2017

AIT Library will arrange a training on Emerald e-journals and Emerald emerging markets case studies.
Emerald is a global publisher and manages a portfolio of nearly 300 journals, more than 2,500 books and over 1,500 teaching cases.
The e-Journals  provide highest quality with peer reviewed research. Many of the titles are indexed by Thomson Reuters (ISI) and Emerald has outperformed the market with 72% of the indexed titles seeing an increase in their Impact Factors for 2014 (source: Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports 2015).
Emerald has published Case Studies since 2011 and aims to continue to develop case study products to help educators deliver an enhanced student experience.
This collection introduces captivating commercial scenarios, authored by academics specializing in developing economies.

The training will cover:

- What you can access on Emeraldinsight.com
- How to search articles and case studies on emerald website.
- How to create your personal profile to keep the searching terms, add favorite content, save search Alert and etc.

Speaker: Sucheenuan Ladalert, Business Manager of Emerald Publishing Thailand

Date :     Friday,  25 August 2017
Time :     13.00 p.m. - 14.00 p.m.
Venue:     Training Room, AIT Library
Interested persons can register to join this training by replying to library@ait.asia .  Seats are limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis.

(d)    Foundation English Program for intake January 2018: 28 Aug. – 17 Nov. 2017

The AIT Language Center is offering an extra Foundation English Program from 28 August – 17 November 2017. This program aims at those applicants with high academic skills potential who were unable to meet the English language entry requirements for admission in August 2017, but who would like to apply for admission in January 2018 instead and need an extra hand in developing their English skills.

In some cases, half fee scholarships are available for applicants with high academic potential. Please contact the Schools and relevant departments for more information.
For more information, please contact the Language Center: Languages@ait.asia

(e)    EL classes for the August 2017 semester: 28 Aug. – 16 Nov. 2017

The registration for EL classes for the August 2017 semester is now open. Please choose from the available time slots in SIS: https://sis.ait.ac.th  (Register/Enroll menu) before the deadline on 18 August at 16:00 (Adding/Dropping).

CLASSES:             28 August – 16 November 2017
NO EL CLASSES:           Monday 25th to Friday 29th September
Monday 23rd  to Friday 27th October

EL COURSE EXAM:         Monday 20th to Tuesday 21st November

After registering for an EL course you will not be allowed to change the class time on SIS.  Students will only be allowed to change EL class times from Wednesday 16th to Friday 18th August before 15.00 at the Language Center, Room 216.
Students with English scores below AIT’s admission requirements will be automatically enrolled in the mandatory English Language (EL) courses listed below. Students will need to pay a registration fee at the AIT Cashier for EL courses before they can attend. The EL course level will be automatically assigned based on a student’s current English score:

5.0 - EL15 Intermediate English Composition
5.5 - EL19 Academic and Technical Writing
English course fee:

•        5,000 Baht one-time flat fee to all new students.
•    Students who have attended EL 15 or EL19 once will be charged an additional 2,000THB; the total amount will not exceed 5,000 THB.
•      Students who have attended EL13 and EL15; EL15 and EL19 or who have already paid > 5,000 will not be charged again.

Students who joined AIT before January 2016 are allowed to drop EL courses.  If you joined AIT after January 2016, you are not able to drop EL courses. The EL courses should be your first priority, therefore scheduling problems and conflicts are not valid reasons to request to unregister from the EL courses. To unregister from the course, you will need to create a memo requesting the EL exemption on a semester basis. This memo will need to be approved by your advisor and submitted to the Language Center before 18 August 2017 (AIT adding/dropping date). If you fail to drop the EL course you are enrolled in before the 22 September, you will still be graded for the EL course you have enrolled.

As you have been informed during the orientation, AIT maintains a strict policy on English language requirements and if you have not met the English language requirements by the third semester of study, you will not be allowed to register for thesis or research credits. Review the Graduation Requirements here.

(f)    Thai, Chinese and French Courses for Beginners

The Language Center will conduct languages courses as follows:
 
Thai Courses for Beginners
•         21 August – 4 October 2017
•         Monday and Wednesday
•         Time: 17:00 – 18:30
•         Total of 20 hours
•         Course Fee: 2,000 baht

Chinese Course for Beginners
•         21 August – 4 October 2017
•         Monday and Wednesday
•         Time: Group 1 (17:00 – 18:30)  Group 2 (12:00-13:00)
•         Total of 20 hours
•     The course fee is 1,000THB due to the kind support of the Chinese Government through the Confucius Institute.  (Refunds are not available.)

French Course for Beginners
•         23 August - 6 October 2017
•         Wednesday and Friday
•         Time: 17:00 – 18:30
•         Total of 20 hours
•         Course Fee: 2,000 baht

Register and make a payment at the Language Center, Room 216.

(iii)    Events

(a)    Blood Donation: 6 Sept. 2017

The Thai Red Cross Society has been working with volunteer students and staff to collect units of blood from the AIT community. The bloodmobile visits AIT every three months, four times a year, hoping to collect enough units to supply the constant demand for blood.

The next visit for blood donation is scheduled on Wednesday, 6 September 2017, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. at the parking lot in front of the AIT Conference Center.

Give blood! You'll experience a fulfilling sense of contribution. And the donation process isn't time-consuming. It only takes about half an hour.

 

 

 

 

 

C. Campus Updates

 

(i)    Dorm F Renovation

Please be informed that Office of Facilities and Asset Management (OFAM)
has started the renovation of dorm F and is scheduled to be complete by end of August 2017.

During this renovation period, there might be loud noise and also some disturbance on the pathway near to dorm F.

OFAM apologizes for any inconveniences that may cause and requests kind understanding from the AIT Community.

(ii)    Temporary Relocation of Photo Vending Machine from Administration to Cafeteria

Please be informed that due to the renovation of the ground floor of the Administration Building, the photo vending machine has been moved temporarily to Cafeteria (entrance opposite Korea House).

 

D. Faculty and Staff Travel

 

Dr. Sundar Venkatesh / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 23 – 29 July 2017*
Mr. Qi Xinjian / Beijing, Guiyang, China / 23 July – 2 August 2017*
Dr. Sundar Venkatesh / Colombo, Sri Lanka / 2 – 5 August 2017*
Farah Nashid Hossain / Colombo, Sri Lanka / 2 – 5 August 2017*
Ms. Warindhorn Wachirasiri / Udon Thani and Nongkhai, Thailand / 8 – 9 August 2017*
Mr. Furqan Ali Shaikh / Karachi, Quelta, Sukkur, Pakistan / 6  August – 23 September 2017
Prof. Sivanappan Kumar / Dhaka, Bangladesh / 9 – 11 August 2017*
Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal / Dhaka, Bangladesh / 9 – 11 August 2017*
Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmed / Dhaka, Bangladesh / 9 – 11 August 2017*
Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto / Delhi, India / 11 – 13 August 2017*
Dr. Manzul K. Hazarika / Assam, India / 13 – 20 August 2017*
Ms. Worawan Sunroetrum / Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Nayok, and Chonburi,Thailand / 14 – 18 August 2017*
Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto / Hanoi, Vietnam / 16 – 18 August 2017*
Dr. Vilas Nitivattananon / Mandalay, Myanmar / 17 – 20 August 2017*
Mr. Nawarathnage L. Deshapriya / Pohnpel, Micronesia / 18 August – 11 September 2017
Prof. Voratas Kachitvichyanukul / Beijing, P.R. China / 20 – 24 August 2017
Ms. Thanaphorn Soraprom / Beijing, China / 20 – 24 August 2017
Prof. Lawrence Stephen Abeln / Taipei, Taiwan and Shanghai, China, and Seoul, Korea / 20 – 30 August 2017
Dr. Krailak Fakkaew / Tokyo, Japan / 22 – 26 August 2017
Mr. Thanakhorn Chanlapa / Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia / 22 – 27 August 2017
Dr. Nophea Sasaki / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 23 – 26 August 2017
Ms. Rowena Alcoba/ Tokyo, Japan 23 - 29 August 2017
Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai / Tokyo, Japan  24 – 27 August 2017
Dr. Indrajit Pal / Beijing, China / 27 – 30 August 2017
Dr. Ram C. Bhujel / Bali, Indonesia / 27 August – 3 September 2017

*(Staff or faculty member travelled and returned to AIT prior to documentation received for publication)

 

 

 

F. Classifieds (Jobs)

 

Position: Administrative Staff (Assistant Program Officer) (Internet Education and Research Laboratory (intERLab))
Ref. No. 33/17
Deadline: 25 August 2017
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/465

Position: Technical Staff (Laboratory Supervisor) (School of Environment, Resources & Development)
Ref. No. 32/17
Deadline: 31 August 2017
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/464

Faculty Position: Assistant or Associate Professors Positions (School of Management)
Ref. No. Fac 2/17
Deadline: 30 September 2017
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/451