AIT held the Internet Week
On May 12-20, 2003, the Internet Week was held at the AIT Conference Center to provide the opportunity for network experts in Thailand and the Asian region to present their research work, discuss, and enhance their latest knowledge in Internet technology development. Over 300 computer personnel from various Thai universities, educational institute as well as government agencies participated in the event.
The Internet Week's activities started with the conference on 'Internet Technology CIT-2003' and the workshop on 'Activities Implementation on Information Network System for Educational Development' or 'WUNCA 10th', which were organized by Thailand's Ministry of University Affairs and AIT.
The 'Internet Technology CIT-2003' is the first ever conference on Internet technology held in Thailand. The conference was opened by Mr. Suchart Muangkaew, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Thailand's Ministry of University Affairs. Also at the opening ceremony were Dr. Thanakorn Uan-On, Director of the Office of Information Technology Administration for Educational Development, MUA, who delivered a report to the conference, and Dr. Kanchana Kanchanasut, AIT's Director of Distributed Education Center (DEC), who welcomed the participants.
During the opening ceremony, there was a panel discussion on 'Research Environment Towards Thai Knowledge Based Society' by Dr. Kanchana Kanchanasut (above), DEC Director; Assoc. Prof. Yeun Pooworawan, Dr. Yunyong Tengamnuay, Dr. Sukumal Imudom, and Dr. Wasaka Wisuthiwiset. Prof. Shigeki Goto, Waseda University, Japan, delivered a Keynote Speech on 'The Internet Integrates Media'.
Pensri Arunwatanamongkol, left, is seen presenting a plaque representing the symbol of the event to Assistant Prof Taweechai Sittisorn, right, Director of Computer Center, Mahasarakham University, which will be the next host of the event. Also in the photo is Assistant Prof. Wanchai Rivepiboon, Deputy Director,
Office of Information Technology Administration for Educational Development, Ministry of University Affairs.
The conference was divided into following sessions: Grid and Middleware; Internet Applications: E-Learning; Internet Technology; Campus Network Management; Measurement and Monitoring; Internet Applications: Search and Retrieval; Satellite Internet; and E-Learning and Multimedia.
There were also special lectures on 'Sensor Network', 'Cyber Classroom', Learning and Teaching through Network System', 'VClass', 'Grid and Middleware', 'Advance Network Performance', 'Advance GRID and Middleware', and 'Multicast Technology', by faculty, researchers, and students from various educational institutes
Another event taking place during the Internet Week was a 'Hands-on Multicast Workshop', which was jointly organized by AIT's Internetworking Research Lab (irl.cs.ait.ac.th) together with Internet2, a university consortium in partnership with industry and government for Internet technology development on May 18-20, 2003 at AIT Conference Center. The workshop was sponsored by the Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC) and several router vendors such as Cisco and Procket.
The workshop aimed to encourage the use of multicast technology in the Asia Pacific region for delivering educational content over research and education networks. Network engineers from educational institutions in the region were trained to be more proficient with multicast equipment and able to engineer multicast networks in their institutions to serve the Internet community in their countries. The main targets were those working for network operation centers (NOCs) in Thai universities or operating the educational network, UniNet, which is linked with Internet2. At the Workshop, participants learned how to design and set up a set of interconnected multicast networks.
The workshop led to a more permanent structure of the Asian Laboratory for Internet, Education and Research (ALIRE), being established by AIT in partnerships with a number of international Internet organizations including Internet2.