AIT Campus Bulletin

In this issue:

A. Announcements 

B. Events 

C. Classifieds (jobs)

A. Announcements 

1) Passing Away of Contractor Staff, Positive Cases, and Updates from the AIT COVID-19 Task Force
Director, Office of Academic Administration on 11 August 2021

Dear AIT Family,

Passing Away of Contractor Staff and Condolences – It is with great sadness that we announce the passing away of one of our contractor staff on 10 August 2021. He had been assigned by the contractor to work at AIT as a landscaper since 2014. This contractor staff tested positive for COVID-19 on 23 July—he has not been on campus since 9 July. He was the husband of the concessionaire staff who tested positive on 19 July. On behalf of the entire AIT Family, we wish to express our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to his family during this time of bereavement.

New Positive Cases – We would like to report two more positive cases among the AIT community: (i) The dependent husband of an AIT staff residing on campus (ST6-58) tested positive (ATK) for COVID-19 on 9 August, and is now in our Community OQ (COQ), along with his family (AIT staff and child). (ii) A staff residing off-campus tested positive for COVID-19 on 10 August (last day on campus was 6 August) and is now on home-isolation off-campus. The husband of the AIT staff got infected from a colleague in Nonthaburi, while the staff member got infected from a market near her off-campus home.

The following immediate actions have been taken:

The concerned family (2 adults and their child) have all been moved to the COQ.
The concerned family’s accommodation unit is being deep cleaned and sanitized, along with the public areas (handrails, hallway, doorknobs) in the building.
Based on contact tracing of these cases, the direct close contacts identified were provided with rapid antigen test kits (ATKs), who all tested negative. They were still required to undergo Self-Isolation (SI) in their own rooms and to monitor their health.
All the locations visited by these cases were accordingly informed so that they can take the necessary follow up precautionary measures. These locations will also be undergoing thorough cleaning over the next few days.

The timeline of these recent positive cases is provided below and if any member of the AIT community has been to the places listed, please be careful and closely self-monitor yourselves for any symptoms.

6 August (9.40am-12.30pm): AIT Extension office
7 August (5-6pm): around AITCC fountain, Administration building

Advice from the Department of Disease Control (DDC) on Protective Measures – The COVID-19 situation in Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya, like in Bangkok, is still very serious with most hospitals at full capacity with a shortage of beds in the hospitals as well as field hospitals. The Task Force has consulted with the Department of Disease Control (DDC) of the Ministry of Public Health on protective measures which the campus can take, and their advice is very clear, i.e., take all measures to protect yourself and others. DDC encourages people to keep implementing the DMHTT precautionary measures: D – Distancing, M – Mask wearing, H – Handwashing, T – Temperature check, and T – Thai Chana contact tracing application. Aside from strictly following the lock down rules and other restrictions these are their strategies to reduce the number of infected people nowadays. Therefore, we must continue to strictly practice safety measures, because it is the best way to control the spread of the virus.

Update on Protocol on testing of AIT community members – We also consulted with DDC on testing, and DDC recommendations are in synch with our own protocol. Let us provide an update on the protocol for the testing of AIT community members for COVID-19. The categories for rapid antigen test kits (ATK) to be provided will be as follows 

1) Rapid antigen test kits (ATK) will be provided by Student Welfare to direct close contacts of positive cases and those showing symptoms

2) Contacts of positive cases may also request for test kits from Student Welfare

3) Anyone else who felt they were in a high-risk area or feel unwell must visit the AIT Medical Center. They may request for test kits from Student Welfare subject to the assessment and referral by the AIT Medical Center or the Task Force. Test kits for this category will be provided at no cost to students, but employees and dependents will be charged for the ATK cost (@300 baht). Please be informed that an RT-PCR test might be required to confirm a patient’s registration in the Home Isolation scheme with Thammasat University Hospital.

Note: OSA will handle the above procedure for students and OHRS for employees.

Disposal of used face masks and ATKs – Concerns have been expressed on the disposal of potential infectious waste on campus, which can pose a threat to our AIT community, especially for the cleaning staff on campus. In this regard, we urge AIT community members to segregate such waste which may be infectious (e.g. used face masks, used rapid antigen self-test kits, etc.) and to take them and throw them away in the “Big Red Bins” outside the OQ (near Dorm C). This infectious waste will accordingly be handled by a special company. We encourage the AIT community to take an active part in this collective social responsibility.

We would like to stress once again the absolute need to take personal responsibility at this time of this heightened pandemic. 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.

Thank you for your cooperation.

AIT COVID-19 Task Force

2) The International Expert Panel Discussion on "Sustainable Finance, Why Should Leaders Care?"

Come and join the International Expert Panel Discussion on "Sustainable Finance, Why Should Leaders Care?"

Date & Time:

16 August 2021 14.00-15.30 hours GMT+7

Free Registration with certificate provided:
Please visit our website or scan QR code

 

3) Call for applications for the ASEAN-China Young Leaders' Summit 2021

On behalf of ASEAN FOUNDATION, we invite you to participate in the first virtual ASEAN-China Young Leaders' Summit (ACYLS) 2021. The summit targets tertiary education students from across ASEAN and China to understand diplomacy as well as decision-making of ASEAN Member States in addressing regional issues through various high-level ASEAN meeting simulations. For detailed information, please visit: https://www.aseanfoundation.org/the_china_asean_young_leaders_summit_2021_is_open_for_applications or follow the instructions on the poster!

Office of International Affairs (OIA)

4) The Webinar on "COVID-19 Crisis Management - India Experience of Delta Variant Spread"

Dear Members of the AIT Community,

Professor Deepak Sharma, Director of AIT's "Center for Global Challenges" cordially invites you to participate in the below webinar on the topic "COVID-19 Crisis Management - India Experience of Delta Variant Spread". The AIT Vice Chairperson of the Board, Dr. Suwit Khunkitti (former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand) helped coordinate this event which is being organized under the auspices of AIT's "Center for Global Challenges". The other organizing partners are the Health Department, Haryana (India), Khon Kaen University and Thai PBS.

The registration details are provided below:
https://kku.world/covidindia

5) TQR Webinar Series on Moving Towards Automation in Insurance : Strategists and Challenges

AIT Extension Welcomes to join TQR Webinar Series on Moving Towards Automation in Insurance : Strategists and Challenges on 20th August ,2:30-4:00 PM Bangkok Time (In Thai Language)
https://extension.ait.ac.th/course/webinar_Moving_Towards_Automation_Ins...

6) AIT Tech Talks on Structural Engineering: Future-Proofing the Built Environment

We are pleased to invite you to the third event of AIT Tech Talks, a series of events being organized under the AIT Enterprises Alliance (AEA), to highlight the expertise of AIT in various emerging technologies and developments.
This third event on Structural Engineering: Future-Proofing the Built Environment will be held online on 26 August 2021, Thursday (09:00 - 14:30 hrs, Bangkok Time). It will highlight the future trends and innovations in the design and development of safe and resilient infrastructure that will last and support future generations.

Event highlights:
9:30 - 11:30 Keynote Talks
13:00-14:30 Interactive Workshop & Panel Discussions

Note: Please click here to see what time it starts in your time zone.

Register

Website:
http://www.aea.ait.ac.th/events/tech-talk-series-3/

7) August 2021 EL Registration

Dear Students,

The registration for Academic English (EL) classes for the August 2021 Semester is now open. Please click here and choose the available time slots before the deadline on Friday 20 August 2021(Adding/Dropping). The registration is on a first-come-first-served basis. Classes start on 25 August 2021.

Please note that students are NOT ALLOWED to change their class times after the first 2 weeks of classes.

Students with English scores below AIT’s admission requirements will be automatically enrolled in the mandatory English Language (EL) courses listed below. 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: 3,000 Baht one-time flat fee to all newly enrolled students.

Remarks: Important!! Please read.

1. Students whose program schedule conflicts with their EL schedule must consult their advisor. Please note that you must attend 2 EL classes per week and that you are required to successfully complete all designated EL courses within 3 semesters in order to enroll for your thesis credits.

2. New students of August 2021 will be invoiced in the SIS for the one-time EL fee of 3,000 baht. The fee must be settled in the first semester.

3. In order to keep the number of students in each class low (12-15) to ensure highest teaching and learning effectiveness possible, LC will not allow students to change their EL time slots after the first 2 weeks of classes.

4. Students must obtain 80% EL attendance each semester. If they fail to do so, they will not be allowed to take the final exam and must repeat the same EL class the following semester.

5. If students can no longer attend their registered EL time slots and thus cannot obtain 80% EL attendance, they can write a memo signed by their academic advisor stating that they need to drop the EL class for the semester and will resume in the same EL level in the following semester. The memo must be emailed to LC to be approved by the LC Director.

6. Students can also drop the EL classes completely and submit the IELTS writing score of 6.0 or higher to LC. In this latter case, such students will not be required to take EL classes and will not be tested by LC. A memo stating this request is also needed.

For more questions, please email languages@ait.asia.

http://www.languages.ait.ac.th

8) Applications invited for UNFCCC CASTT Adaptation Academy for 2021 online training

Email sent on behalf of the School of Engineering and Technology on 7 August 2021.

"We are excited to announce that applications to participate in the Asia-Pacific UNFCCC CASTT Adaptation Academy are now being accepted. The deadline to apply is 30 August, and the online training will be held live from 11 – 15 October for 3-hours each day (total of 15 hours in the programme). Please apply here.

Selected candidates will be informed of their acceptance by 22 September. 

Organized in partnership between the UN climate change secretariat, the Water Engineering and Management  Programme of the Asian Institute of Technology and the Korea Adaptation Center for Climate Change of the Korea Environment Institute, this one-week online course provides an opportunity for early- and mid-career adaptation professionals from the Asia-Pacific region to participate in a training programme to prepare their climate vulnerability and adaptation assessments within the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement."

9) New Database: EBSCO Newspaper Source Plus
Email from AIT Library on 5 August 2021

AIT Library is pleased to inform you that now AIT members can have access to EBSCO Newspaper Source Plus.

AIT Library would like to thank the EDIT-AIT Project for their collaboration and assistance for this access. EDIT-AIT project at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand received funding from the Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations (EDITS) project, which is part of the initiative coordinated by the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) (and funded by Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), Japan)."

Below is the information about EBSCO Newspaper Source Plus.

EBSCO Newspaper Source Plus provides a full-text digital collection of the world's major news content. It includes millions of articles from newspapers, newswires, and news magazines. In addition, it offers television and radio transcripts and ongoing daily updates from popular news sources.

Subscription period: access from now – 31 October 2022.

Content Includes:

More than 1,200 full-text newspapers
News from more than 150 newswires
More than 88 million full-text articles
More than 2.1 million television and radio news transcripts

Daily Updates with News View

Newspaper Source Plus brings critical news content with ongoing updates throughout the day with its News View feature. Popular sources include:

AP (Associated Press)
CNN Wire
PR Wire
UPI (United Press International)
Xinhua (China)

News View also includes television and radio news transcripts from top sources:

ABC News (American)
ABC (Australian)
CBC (Canadian)
CBS News
CNBC
CNN
CNN International
FOX News
MSNBC
National Public Radio
PBS

To access the database:

Go to http://library.ait.ac.th.
Then click on the menu "Online Databases."
Choose "EBSCO Newspaper Source Plus."

Alternatively, click on this direct link: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&def....

Please note that off-campus access to this database, please access through AIT VPN.

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 research. If you require more information or need further assistance, please feel free to contact Library.

AIT Library

http://library.ait.ac.th

10) Library Orientation: 16 - 20 August 2021 (Via Zoom)

AIT Library would like to invite all new students to attend the Library Orientation via zoom during 16 - 20 August 2021.

Topics include the following:

Library: overview
Electronic Library resources and services
How to access e-resources off-campus
How to install OpenVPN
How to search online databases

Schedule:

Please choose the session that best suits your availability.

Register in advance at library@ait.ac.th

The Zoom meeting ID and password will be sent to the participants by email.

For students, who cannot participate in the scheduled sessions, please feel free to contact the library for a group orientation at your convenience.

We look forward to welcoming you to the orientation.

AIT Library
http://library.ait.ac.th

11) The Webinar on Machine Learning and Deep Learning – Machines Getting Smarter and Smarter

AIT Extension Welcomes to join the Webinar on Machine Learning and Deep Learning – Machines Getting Smarter and Smarter 16 September 2021, 10:00-11:30 am Bangkok Tim 

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

B. Events

Training Courses/ Conferences/ Workshops

 

1) Certificate Course on Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Read more

 

2) Accounting for IFRS 17 (Insurance Contract) and IFRS 9 (Financial Instruments)

Read more

Read more