Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon (second from left) hands the AIT souvenir pin to Mr. Nguyen Van Ky (left), Project Manager, Industrial and Urban Development Project while Mrs. Monowara Hussain, Program Officer, assists.
Visiting AIT
On May 17, 2004 a 13 Vietnamese delegation representing People's Committee, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Finance and Accounting, Department of Industry, Centre for Health Care for Working Force, Department of Construction, Urban Environmental Management Company, Concrete and Construction Material Company, Board of Policy Science and Education Propaganda, Board for Labor, Youth, Women Association and the Intellectual Property Division of the Department of Science and Technology visited AIT. During the visit they met with Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost who briefed them on AIT management.
The visit to AIT by the Vietnamese delegation was aimed to explore about AIT and a future collaboration in its program on Urban and Industrial Environmental Planning and Management; Cleaner Production and OHS; Environmental Management Systems and Infrastructure Planning and Management.
Above and below: Scenes at the meeting
On May 24-26, 2004, Mr. Atma Ram Ghimire and Mr. Jiwan Prakash Sitaula, Member-Secretary and Under-Secretary, respectively, of the High Level Commission for Information Technology (HLCIT) of His Majesty's Government of Nepal visited AIT.
Prof. Jean-Louis Armand (right), AIT President welcomes Mr. Atma Ram Ghimire (left) and Mr. Jiwan Prakash Sitaula (second from left), Member-Secretary and Under-Secretary, respectively, of the High Level Commission for Information Technology (HLCIT), Nepal.
During the visit they met with Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, AIT President; Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost and Prof. Gajendra Singh, Dean AIT Extension; and members of the Institute-level Steering Committee to discuss the implementation of the earlier MoU signed between AIT and the Nepal Ministry of Science & Technology (MOST)/ HLCIT.
The MoU -- signed on February 9, 2004 in Kathmandu, Nepal -- aims to establish a basic framework for conducting cooperative activities in the areas of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Biotechnology and Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Technologies. The MoU was signed during the visit of Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, President and Mr. Karma Rana, Institute Secretary.
The Institute-level Steering Committee -- established in March 17, 2004 -- is Chaired by Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost and Prof. Ram Shrestha as Facilitator.
From left: Mr. Karma Rana , Institute Secretary; Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, AIT President and Prof. Ram Shrestha, Institute-level Steering Committee facilitator
On May 26, 2004 twenty-five participants of Revitalizing Higher Education Training Program from Chulalongkorn University led by Dr. Suchart Tantanadaecha, Faculty of Education visited AIT.
Prof. Jean-Louis Armand (left), AIT President assisted by Mrs. Wannapa Pliansri (extreme left), RTG Relations Coordinator welcomes Dr. Suchart Tantanadaecha (third from left), Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University and the participants of Revitalizing Higher Education Training Program.
The visit to AIT of these participants who came from the Philippines, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Dominica West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Paraguay, Pakistan and Thailand was part of their exploration to observe international university management in Asia and the Pacific.
During the visit they met with Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, AIT President and Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost and Mrs. Wannapa Pliansri, RTG Relations Coordinator. The participants viewed the Institute's introductory and were also briefed on AIT management. The participants were later led to the AIT Library for a tour of the facility and around the campus for familiarization of AIT.
Above and below: Scenes during the Introduction to AIT presentation.
Twenty-three undergraduate students from the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering fields of the University of Iceland visited AIT for half a day on Wednesday, May 26, 2004. As an integral part of their studies and prior to graduation in June, they embarked on a trip abroad and visited various companies and institutes in Malaysia and Thailand.
The students from the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering fields of the University of Iceland were briefed on AIT.
They were formally welcomed by Prof. Jean-Louis Armand (left), AIT President; Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe (fourth from left), Director of Promotion Activities; Mr. Kyaw Soe Hlaing (fifth from left), Alumni Relations Officer; Ms. Hnin Aye Lwin (second from left), Program Officer and Ms. Nadeera Rangika (third from left), Program Associate. During a relaxed discussions among the students and senior administrators of AIT, a brief of AIT was rendered and followed by a question and answer session in which the students took a keen interest in obtaining information on postgraduate studies in AIT and raised general questions about the South Asian region.
A tour of the Campus commenced at the Library where Mrs. Boontharee Phoonchai, Head of the AIT Library and library staffs guided them. At the School of Civil Engineering, Mrs. Ann Lopez-Fontanilla, School Outreach Officer, accompanied them to the Structures Laboratory where Dr. Pennung Warnitchai and the Laboratory Supervisor familiarized them with the equipment therein. Dr. Voratas Kachitvichyanukul and Mr. Khosak Achawakorn guided them through the laboratories of the Industrial Systems Engineering program in which there was greater interest. The last port of call was the School of Management where Mr. Anupam Das was at hand to welcome and attend to them.
The students were not only delighted but also impressed and left hoping to return once again.
AIT was honoured to have the visit of Prof. Uma Coomaraswamy (right), Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka on Friday, May 28, 2004. On her arrival, Prof. Uma Coomaraswamy paid a courtesy call Prof. Jean-Louis Armand (second from right), AIT President and at the same time met with Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe (left), Director of Promotion Activities and Ms. Nadeera Rangika, Program Associate.
The visit of the Vice Chancellor, which came directly after Mr. Jayasinghe's courtesy call on her in Sri Lanka last week, was focused on setting the foundation and finalizing admission procedures for the enrolment of six non-resident doctoral students in the August 2004 Semester. Of these, three are in the School of Management, two in the School of Environment Resources and Development and one in the School of Civil Engineering.
Details of this enrolment were discussed with faculty representatives from SCE, Dr. Mukund Singh Babel; SERD, Dr. Jayant K. Routray; SOM, Prof. John C. S. Tang and Mr. Benjamin Gargabite, Director of Admissions and Scholarships
The split program would find the students taking courses during the first two semesters in AIT and thereafter would return to Sri Lanka for research. Upon the successful completion of all academic requirements, the student is expected to return on his/her final semester for final thesis defense and graduation. This program, under the Distance Education Modernization Project (DEMP) funded by the ADB, has been structured based on the need for optimizing the utilization of available funds and encouraging students to carry out field work in the country of origin.