This year's newest freshmen hailed from Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, Thailand and Nepal.
A large number arrived from two prominent partner institutions, with
78 entering AIT from Sri Lanka's South Asian Institute of
Technology and Medicine (SAITM) and 16 coming from the MCC Training
Institute in Myanmar.
In a warm gesture, Prof. I. M. Pandey, Vice President - Academic
Affairs, opened the orientation program by encouraging the new students
to smile at their peers as after all Thailand is known as the "Land of
Smiles".
He recounted the story of AIT's foundation 53 years ago and emphasized
how AIT is a place where the convergence of scientific thinking and the
philosophy of multiculturalism is possible. "AIT is a natural place to
develop an open mind and become truly international," he added.
Dr. Nitin Tripati, Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and
Technology (SET) challenged the newcomers not only to listen and write
but more importantly to speak out and make the most out of the
connections they can make while at AIT.
Dr. Matthew Dailey, Director of the Undergraduate Programs, provided
an overview of the undergraduate program and academic requirements. He
also gave valuable tips on how to become a successful undergraduate
student at AIT. Dr. Dailey advised the new students to be responsible
for their success, "Take an active role. Get involved."
Dr. Louis Hornyak, Director, Center for Learning, Innovation and
Quality (CLIQ), was the Master of Ceremony, while Dr. Sanggam Shrestha
from the Civil & Infrastructure Engineering program and Mr. Rajeev
Sinha, President, AIT Student Union, also addressed the students.
Sessions on code of conduct and ethical behavior, academic
requirements, student welfare, placement and counseling, visa services
and laptop subsidy were also delivered during the afternoon
session.
