Seminars, Workshops and Conferences
15 November 2004: Role of Orography and Soil Moisture in Hydrological Transitions associated with Monsoon Onset in Southeast Asia seminar will be conducted by
by Dr. Koji Dairaku, Researcher, Disaster Prevention Research Group, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, Tsukuba, Japan. The seminar will be held at 9:15 a.m. in Room N202, North Academic (SCE) Building.
Abstract
The first transitions into the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) occur between late April and early May over inland Indochina, before any transitions occur along the coast. This study used a regional climate model to elucidate the influence of orography and ground wetness on sub-continental-scale hydrological processes. The model reproduced many elements of the onset of the Southeast Asia Monsoon (SEAM)
associated with land surface conditions, including the early and abrupt onset observed when mountain effects and relatively dry soil conditions were combined in the model simulations. The nonlinear effects of mountains and ground wetness, combined with realistic increases in precipitation, can modify the hydrological cycle through changes in the surface energy budget. A positive feedback between soil moisture and precipitation increases the moisture source for further precipitation in the first transition period.
About speaker
Dr. Koji Dairaku is a Researcher at the Disaster Prevention Research Group of the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster
Prevention, Tsukuba, Japan. He obtained his D. Eng. in Hydrometeorology from the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Tokyo, Japan in March, 2003. Dr. Dairaku's major research interests are in: i) Hydrometeorology; ii) Atmosphere-landsurface interaction, iii) Climate-hydrologic cycles in the Asian monsoon region under global climate change and onthoropogenic activities, and iv) Spatial and temporal variability of precipitation over mountains and its effects on regional climate variability. He has been conducting research in Asia monsoon region, particularly in Thailand to study the mechanism of atmospheric-landsurface interaction using regional climate models. Dr. Dairaku has published several research papers on hydrometerorology.
17 - 19 November 2004: International Symposium on 'Globalization and Construction 2004'. The event, organized by SCE and the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) will be held at the AIT Conference Center.
For further information please visit: http://www.sce.ait.ac.th/gc2004/
17 November 2004: 'Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing for Land Use Mapping' and 'Mapping Coral Reefs using High Resolution Quick Bird Data' special lectures will be conducted by Dr. Sunil Narumalani (http://www.calmit.unl.edu/sunil/), Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA. The special lecture will be held at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. respectively in the Milton Bender Auditorium, AIT Extension Building.
18 November 2004: 'Hyperspectral Remote Sensing for Crop Stress Detection: Discriminating Pests, Diseases, and Nutritional Deficiencies' seminar-lecture will be conducted by Dr. Armando A. Apan (http://www.usq.edu.au/users/apana/), Senior Lecturer and Coordinator, Geospatial Information and Remote Sensing Group, University of Southern Queensland, Australia. The lecture will be conducted in room E220 at 1:30 p.m.
Hyperspectral sensors (i.e. sensors with large number, narrow, contiguous spectral bands) offer great potential in detecting subtle and 'early-stage' differences in spectral reflectance of crops. In this presentation, selected applications of hyperspectral sensing will be demonstrated:
- using Hyperion, the first spaceborne hyperspectral sensor, in detecting disease in sugarcane;
- using HyMap, an airborne hyperspectral sensor in mapping olive pests and diseases; and
- using ASD handheld spectrometer in discriminating differences in wheat nutrition
Dr. Armando A. Apan is an AIT graduate (INRDM, 1992). He acquired his Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of the Philippines, and PhD in Geography from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include the application of remote sensing and GIS in natural resource and environmental management, agriculture, and landscape ecology.
18 November 2004: A special ISE seminar entitled 'Systems Engineering as Applied to Industrial and Defense Systems' will be conducted by Prof. Hee Gak Lee, Visiting Professor at ISE/SAT. The event will be held at 2:30 p.m., in room IE-106, Chalerm Prakiat Building.
Abstract:
The systems engineering is a way of thinking, a way of doing business, and a process enabling organized transition from need to product. It is widely used in developing the industrial and defense systems in the world. Proper implementation of the systems engineering leads to better system quality/value, lower cost and shorter schedule. Throughout this seminar, background and necessity, concept, benefits and architecture of systems engineering are reviewed. Also, systems engineering process of requirements analysis, functional analysis & allocation, design synthesis, systems analysis & control, etc. are presented. As case studies of systems engineering implementation, train industry, automotive industry, aircraft industry and submarine project will be discussed.
19 November 2004: 'Trafficking - a form of forced labor, a development issue' GDS seminar will be conducted by Mrs. Lin Chew, Coordinator, GAATW, Bangkok, Thailand. The seminar will be held at 10:00 a.m. in room E108, SERD Building.
The presentation wil be focused on the conceptualization of 'trafficking' as a human rights issue, within the field of women's work and labor migration. The contemporary phase of economic globalization as the dominant 'trend' of development leads to increasing economic, social and political inequity. Women bear the brunt, especially of the economic changes and breakdown of social protections.
This is the backdrop of modern-day 'trafficking' - a consequence, but at the same time an inherent element of these (development) processes.
What can we do to halt these developments? Or at least to offer some remedy to those affected? Join the seminar to know the answers. For further information, please contact Ms. Ageno B. Ochola at tel. ext. 6382, e-mail: abochola@ait.ac.th.
About the Speaker
Born and bred in Singapore, Mrs. Lin Chew has lived 26 years in the Netherlands and since 1999, in Hong Kong. She is a feminist and a human rights activist, focusing principally on issues around migration and women migrant workers. In the Netherlands she was one of the initiators of the Dutch Foundation against Trafficking in Women (STV) and the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW), with which she remains associated until the present. Besides serving as a Board member of the Global Fund for Women (GFW, USA) an Ex-Co member of Action for Reach Out (AFRO, HK) and a founder member of HER Fund (HK), Lin is also a grandmother and a potter.
21 November 2004: 'Pre-Conference Short Course 2004 on Dam Safety Risk Assessment' will be held at the AlT Conference Center Auditorium. The event is organized by the The Asian Center for Soil Improvement and Geosynthetics (ACSIG), School of Civil Engineering, AIT
Introduction
The failure of dam is unacceptable to geotechnical engineers and society. Dam Safety Risk Assessment is a practice that provides confidence to engineers in order to manage risks wisely. The main benefit of performing Dam Safety Risk Assessment is to get the solution for risk reduction at the suitable time and cost. It helps dam engineers to make a right plan for dam maintenance. Moreover, it answers the question about the safety of old dams using up-to-date analyses. When dealing with the series of dams, Portfolio Risk Assessment is the powerful tool to prioritizing the dam for maintenance. Remedial action can be planned effectively and economically directly to the selected dam and will reduce risk of overall system. This short course will guide participants to the concept of Dam Safety Risk Assessment and also its benefit in practice.
Professional Engineers, Consultants, Developers, Accredited Checkers, Structural Design Engineers / Designers, Contractors / Project Managers, Contract Managers, Site Engineers are invited to attend.
To download registration form, please visit: http://www.sce.ait.ac.th/acsig/
For further information please contact:
Prof. Dennes T. Bergado
Director - Asian Center for Soil Improvement and
Geosynthetics (ACSIG)
School of Civil Engineering
Asian Institute of Technology
P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani, Thailand 12120
E-mail: bergado@ait.ac.th, acsig@ait.ac.th
Resource Speakers
Prof. David Bowles is an expert who brought Dam Safety and Risk Assessment into practice. He is currently Head of the Water Resource Laboratory of Utah State University, Logan Utah. He has been performing Dam Safety Risk Assessment in many countries such as England, Australia and in the U.S.A.
Prof. Loren R. Anderson is a well-known dam engineer in the U.S.A. who has been working on the Dam Safety for many years. His expertise includes determining the dam behavior when subjected to various kinds of loading. He is currently the Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Utah State University, Logan, Utah, U.S.A.
22 November 2004: 'Numerical Simulation of atmospheric Environmental Problems' seminar will be conducted by Dr. Ryozo Ooka, Associate Professor, ICUS, The University of Tokyo, Japan at 2:30 p.m. in Room N202