In this issue:

A. Announcements 

B. Events 

C. Classifieds (jobs)

A. Announcements 

1) New Vice President for Academic Affairs

Email from AIT President on 19 March 2021

Dear AIT Family,

As you know, the current Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), Professor Deepak Sharma, will vacate this position on March 31, 2021 to continue to pursue his research career as a Professor in SERD’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change and also be the Director of the new Center for Global Challenges.

Therefore, I am pleased to announce that the AIT Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of Professor Shobhakar Dhakal to be the next Vice President for Academic Affairs of AIT, taking over this position on April 1, 2021. Professor Shobhakar has been a faculty member here since 2012. He is an accomplished researcher and academician in the field of Energy Policy and climate change and is world-renowned with participation in international forums, publications in top journals, and contributions to key global scientific assessments. He has served as Head of AIT’s Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change, and he has been the Dean of SERD since July 1, 2020. In this capacity, Professor Shobhakar has been a member of my AIT Governing Team, responsible for helping to guide AIT during the difficult Covid-19 pandemic time and also to continue our drive to Transform AIT.

Professor Shobhakar, a native of Nepal, is an AIT graduate, receiving a Master of Engineering in Energy Policy and Planning after his undergraduate studies in India. After AIT, he went on for further studies at the University of Hong Kong, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo. He has worked in Japan and several other countries, most notably with the prestigious Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and National Institute for Environmental Studies (Global Carbon Project) in Japan. Professor Shobhakar combines an excellent academic career with able administrative experience, and let us welcome him to be our next VPAA. You can find his details here

I look forward to working with Professor Shobhakar, but I must thank Professor Sharma for his dedication and tireless work as VPAA to help lead AIT in the past two years. I am very grateful to him to have worked in a most challenging environment, with much of it due to Covid-19, but also to play an important role in laying the academic foundation for the demanding Transforming AIT Initiative. But I am happy that he will continue to be on the AIT campus and contribute through the Center for Global Challenges, which will attempt to integrate our social impact technical work in a more comprehensive policy framework. I wish Professor Sharma the best of luck in getting back to the research work that he loves.

Let us thank Professor Sharma and welcome Professor Shobhakar!

Dr. Eden Woon 

President

2) World Water Day 2021

It’s our pleasure to inform you that AIT, UNESCO and Chulalongkorn University are jointly celebrating World Water Day 2021 on 22 March to raise awareness on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The event consists of keynote speeches, World Water Day messages, and the launch of several initiatives and products developed by AIT and UNESCO to address the global water crisis and to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Date and time: 3:30-5:00pm, 22 March (Monday) (ICT)

Venue: Robert B. Banks Auditorium, AITCC (Hybrid mode)

Registration link: https://forms.gle/Eqn2Ki5g4mLy1wdW7

3) An online event called "Black Carbon : The Dark Side of Human Activity"

The Embassy of France to Thailand, in partnership with the Embassy of Japan to Thailand and ESCAP, are pleased to invite you to an online event called « Black Carbon : The Dark Side of Human Activity », on Monday 22 March from 3pm to 4 :30pm, as part of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.

Being a transboundary issue, air pollution must be addressed both at the local, national, and regional levels, and there is a need for policymakers in the region to target multiple pollutants and to open “the PM2.5 black box” to better identify the sources of emissions. Despite raising public awareness and some policy actions being taken to mitigate atmospheric pollution in SEA, further urgent action is needed to reduce emissions by applying various tools such as targeted abatement measures, knowledge dissemination to various private and public actors, local events for awareness raising and ultimately bringing air quality to safe, long term levels.

“Black Carbon : The Dark Side of Human Activity” will consist of a multidisciplinary panel discussion and Q&A with different experts to debate on past and on-going projects as well as solution-based initiatives (such as those from Research and Measurement, Monitoring Networks and Infrastructures, Training and awareness Raising).

Side events are organized in the margins of the 2021 APFSD, on the theme “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pacific”. APFSD is an annual and inclusive intergovernmental forum and a regional platform for supporting countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while serving as a regional preparatory meeting to the high-level political forum.

 

4) Recycling Program Launch

In partnership with Trash Lucky, a waste tech startup, AIT is launching a pilot recycling program where you can recycle and win prizes. Come find out more at the launch assembly. Snacks will be provided.

What: Recycling Program Launch

When: Wed., 24-Mar-21, 10:00 - 11:15

Where: Korea House, AIT Register: http://bit.ly/aitregis

Please register before 23:59 on 22-Mar-21to help the organizer plan the right amount of snacks.

Please bring a used PET bottle to follow a recycling demo and exchange it for snacks. While the pilot program focuses on SV3 and selected staff dormitories, all students and staff are welcome.

AIT MPA and Trash Lucky

 

5) An online event called "E-Learning : Integrated Action on Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Health and Climate"

The Embassy of France to Thailand, in partnership with the Embassy of Japan to Thailand and ESCAP, are pleased to invite you to an online event called « E-Learning : Integrated Action on Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Health and Climate », on Wednesday 24 March from 4:15pm to 5:45pm, as part of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.

The side event will aim at launching an eLearning course exploring the latest knowledge approaches and techniques to raise ambition in tackling urgent environmental issues, specifically Biodiversity, Climate Change and Health in the context of COVID-19. The course will look into the interconnectedness of these issues and the need to engage on this topic in order to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and prevent future zoonoses. Please find the associated press release enclosed.

Side events are organized in the margins of the 2021 APFSD, on the theme “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pacific”. APFSD is an annual and inclusive intergovernmental forum and a regional platform for supporting countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while serving as a regional preparatory meeting to the high-level political forum.

6) AIT Special Lecture on Sharing my Journey of Sustainability and Building a Circular Community

Date: Wednesday, 24 March 2021

Venue: Milton E. Bender Auditorium

Time: 13.00 - 14.30 pm.

 

 

7) The 2nd President's Tea this Spring 2021 Semester

Dear students,

This is a gentle reminder regarding the invitation to the 2nd President's Tea this Spring 2021 Semester. Please note that the schedule and venue has been changed to:

24 March 2021 (Wednesday) from 

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  (Bangkok time) in 

Milton Bender Auditorium, 2nd Flr., Extension Building, AIT

To join via Zoom:          

Login:  498 076 8145

Password:  812 046

Kindly confirm your participation by registering through this Google form

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGgMr-4UEmr3pONqCvkMYMSv8x93e2...

For Spring Semester 2021-second session, please note that the first 20 students to register  will be the selected participants. The rest will be on the waiting list. The first 20 students will be informed of the selection and will be asked to reconfirm their participation. Those who will not reconfirm by the specified deadline will be replaced by the next student in the registration list.

Those continuing students who have already attended the past sessions are requested to give way to new students and other continuing students who have not yet personally met the President.

Please register the soonest but not later than  23 March 2021.

We look forward to your participation.

Student Welfare Unit

Office of Student Affairs

 

8) Webinar - Forum on Nanosafety: From Lab to Society

Date 24 March 2021 from 9.00 am. - 3.10 pm.

 

9) A hybrid workshop on "Mendeley: Reference Data Management for Research"

AIT Library is pleased to invite you to participate in a hybrid workshop on "Mendeley: Reference Data Management for Research." This workshop will take place on Monday 29 March 2021, from 1 - 2.30 p.m. (Bangkok time).

At this workshop, you will learn about:

•Research workflow

•Easy start with Mendeley.

•Create a Mendeley account.

•Mendeley Installation & Setup - Mendeley Desktop, Web Importer, and MS Word Plugin.

•Reference building using Mendeley - Literature search, PDF drag & drop, grab data off web pages, manually enter references into Mendeley.

•Insert citations & create a reference list in Word.

•Collaborate with colleagues and use social networking features in Mendeley.

•Q & A

Speaker: Dr. Kelwalin Dhanasarnsombat, Customer Consultant Elsevier South East Asia

Venue: Video-Teleconference Room, AIT Library and Webinar (To follow step-by-step installation, please bring your laptop for the workshop.)

To register for the workshop at the Library, please reply to this e-mail. There are only 15 seats available.

To register for the Webinar workshop, please click on this link elsevier.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EcIJ47iWTESuC1QWWnF1kA.

 

10) AIT Virtual Career Fair on 31 March 2021 

Dear AIT Community,

Warm greetings from the AIT Career Center ! We are pleased to inform you that the Spring 2021 Semester AIT Virtual Career Fair is scheduled on 31 March 2021!

What to expect:

¤  Long-term career prospects (jobs and internships)

¤  On-the-job training

¤  Networking with company representatives virtually/online and

¤  Raffle prize goodies on Career Fair day to online attendees!

Please help us in spreading the word out about the Fair (with complimentary/FREE registration for companies)!  And let us know as well if you have any company contacts that you want us to invite to the Fair.

Career Talk Schedule:

¤  "Impress with your CV" Workshop on  25 March 2021 (Thursday), 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, (Online Event)    

Company Guest Presenter: Mr. Ary Pratama, Regional HR Manager,  Tractebel APAC 

Mark your calendar! For developments and career opportunities, please visit: www.careercenter.ait.ac.th

or check/like:  https://www.facebook.com/officialaitcareercenter

or email: careercenter@ait.ac.th

or contact us via phone: 662 524-6744, 662 524-5006

11) The Meet the Expert by Professor Priyan Mendis

We are pleased to invite you to the Meet the Expert by Professor Priyan Mendis, Professor of Civil Engineering, The University of Melbourne, and Director of Australian Research Council's Centre on Prefabricated Buildings on 25th March 2021 (11:00 AM-Bangkok time).

Topic - Prefabricated Modular Construction

About the Speaker

Professor Priyan Mendis is Professor of Civil Engineering at The University of Melbourne & Director of Australian Research Council’s Centre on Prefabricated Buildings. He completed his Ph.D in Monash university & worked as a structural engineer at Connell Wagner Ltd - Australia’s largest structural engineering consulting company before he joined the Department of Infrastructure Engineering of Melbourne University & has worked for over 25 years as an academic & a structural consultant. 

Professor Mendis is a world expert on modular construction. He has been involved with design & construction of many prefabricated modular structures. He is a fellow of the Australian Institution of Engineers & Chartered Engineer of Australia. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering (EJSE) since 2001.

To join, please register here:

http://bit.ly/2YKhDsk

12) Free Access to Wiley Digital Textbooks on the e-Library Platform (Now - 31 March 2021)

Email from AIT Library on 24 February 2021.

Please be informed that Wiley is now offering us free access to Wiley Digital Textbooks on the e-Library platform. There are more than 18,000 titles of Digital textbooks available to access and read online.

Subject coverage:

Business & Economics, Science, Technology & Engineering, Medical, Computer, Social Science, Education, Mathematics, Psychology, Political Science, Philosophy, History, Architecture, Literary Criticism, Language Arts & Disciplines, Religion, Cooking, Health & Fitness, Law, Performing Arts, Art, Study Aids, Foreign Language Study, Self-Help, Music, Juvenile Nonfiction, Photography, Design, Family & Relationships, Nature, Biography & Autobiography, Sports & Recreations, Reference, Pets, Gardening, Body, Mind & Spirit, House & Home, Games, Humor, Craft & Hobbies, Drama, Juvenile Fiction, and Poetry.

Access rights: 3 concurrent access/2-day loan period

Trial period: From now – 31 March 2021

How to access e-Library

1. Please visit https://wileysgp.ipublishcentral.net/

You will be automatically authenticated if you are within the IP range (On-Campus). You should see the Asian Institute of Technology at the top right-hand corner of the page.

2. The e-Library will launch and prompt you to "Register" an account (if you are a new user).

3. Please click on “Register” and create your account. If you are an existing user, please click on "Login."

You will be able to search, browse, and check out the titles in the e-Library. (2-day loan period)

Please note:

Off-campus students, please access this e-resource through AIT VPN. For more information about VPN, please click on this link http://library.ait.ac.th/2019/04/20/off-campus-access-to-e-resources/.

As this database is available in the e-Library platform, you will need to click on "Check out" for reading.

Unable to download or print out. 
The Library hopes this resource will be useful for your studies and research. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please reply to this e-mail.

Web Site: http://library.ait.ac.th

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3a2ScpZ

13) Statista: Trial Database (Now - 31 March 2021)

Email from AIT Library on 2 March 2021

Please be informed that Statista is now available for trial access from now until 31 March 2021.  In order to access this database, please go to www.statista.com.

For your information.

•Statista is one of the first statistics portals in the world to integrate over 80,000 diverse topics of data and facts from over 22,000 sources onto a single professional platform. Categorized into over 20 market sectors.

•Statista provides business customers, researchers, and the academic community with direct access to relevant quantitative facts on media, finance, politics, and many more areas of interest. 

•Sources include market reports, opinion research institutions, trade publications, scientific journals, and government agencies. 

•Charts can be downloaded in PNG, PowerPoint, Excel, or PDF formats.

How to use Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistic-portal/#all

As the access has been set up via IP Authentication, off-campus students will be required to access the database through AIT VPN.

How to set up VPN, please follow the steps from the link below.

•how to install OpenVPN on Windows: https://helpdesk.ait.ac.th/services/ait-vpn/vpn-windows

•how to install OpenVPN on Mac: https://helpdesk.ait.ac.th/services/ait-vpn/vpn-mac

•how to install OpenVPN on iOS:  https://helpdesk.ait.ac.th/services/ait-vpn/vpn-ios

•how to install OpenVPN on Androids: https://helpdesk.ait.ac.th/services/ait-vpn/vpn-android

Please make use of this database for your studies and researches.

For any inquiries, comments, or feedback regarding this database, please reply to this e-mail.

Web Site: http://library.ait.ac.th

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3a2ScpZ

Training Courses/ Conferences/ Workshops

1) Online training course on "Connect Learning with Monitoring and Evaluation: A Strategy for Project M&E in Current COVID-19 Pandemic"

Date: 26 April - 13 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

 

2) 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 network.