The ceremony was attended by Dr. Subin Pinkayan, Chairman, AIT Board
of Trustees; Dr. Sahas Bunditkul, Chair of the AIT Executive Committee;
Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, President, AIT; Prof. Sivanappan Kumar
and Mr. Surendra Shrestha, AIT Vice Presidents; Dr Surachet
Pravinvongvuth, RTG Faculty Representative; Ms. Chalita Lertwinyu,
Director, Office of Host Country Relations; Ms. Wannapa Pliansri RTG
Coordinator; Dr. Tenzin Rabgyal, Admissions and Scholarships
Coordinator, and Ms. Wilailuk Yooprem, Senior Administrative Officer,
OHCR.
In an informal conversation after the ceremony, HRH Princess Maha
Chakri Sirindhorn, who is herself an AIT Alumna, inquired about the
current state of affairs of AIT. President Worsak briefly reported to
the HRH on AIT's current financial health, the progress of campus
renovation, and the soft opening of the modernized library.
Since 1967, AIT and its host country (Thailand) have entered a
series of 5-year cooperation plans, mostly in the form of capacity
building for Thailand and other developing countries from Asia. Under
the current 10th 5-year Plan (2014-19), Thailand has allocated 30
King's Scholarships, 15 Queen's Scholarships, and 15 GMS Scholarships
for top students to study at AIT each year. Roughly, half of these
scholarships are earmarked for Thais, while international students are
the beneficiaries of the other half. To be eligible, recipients of
these scholarships must have a GPA of 3.5 or above.
Scholarship recipients who were honoured to receive certificates from
the Princess included Mr. Poom Pianpak (Thailand, Computer Science),
Ms. Sasiton Hahuad (Thailand, Industrial and Manufacturing
Engineering), Mr. Vorraseth Jittsomboon (Thailand, Industrial and
Manufacturing Engineering), Mr. Khangamlung Kamei (India, Industrial
and Manufacturing Engineering), Ms. Anussara Hirunpongchai
(Thailand, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems), Mr.
Christopher Shawn Sebastian Pulle (Sri Lanka, Mechatronics), Mr.
Nattakorn Promwongsa (Thailand, Telecommunications), Ms. Thedini
Asali Peiris (Sri Lanka, Water Engineering and Management), Mr. Uttam
Ghimire (Nepal, Water Engineering and Management), Mr. Chatuphorn
Somphong (Thailand, Water Engineering and Management), Ms. Vijittra
Maneerattanakittikul (Thailand, Business Administration), Ms Sutinee
Somabutr (Thailand, Business Administration), Ms Sumonna Chaithep
(Thailand, Business Administration), Mr. Shakti Singh (Thailand,
Business Administration), Ms Lalita Sermtanapatkul (Thailand,
Business Administration), Mr. Lavaraj Devkota (Nepal, Food Engineering
and Bioprocess Technology), Mr. Nantawat Rujiratpichathorn
(Thailand, Regional and Rural Development Planning), Ms Katika
Punbuatoom (Thailand, Natural Resources Management), Ms Siwaporn
Suwanate (Thailand, Environmental Engineering and Management), Mr.
Nattapon Sumprasit (Thailand, Environmental Engineering and
Management), Ms. Nyein Wai Pwint (Myanmar, Construction, Engineering
and Infrastructure Management), Ms. Aye Thandar Phyo Wai (Myanmar,
Urban Environmental Management), and Mr. Sinbandid Phommachack (Lao
PDR, Environmental Engineering and Management),
