How have universities injected innovation into your research in social impact areas? How do university collaborate globally with academia, governments, multinationals, and non-profit organisations in social impact research? How do university maintain a sustainable campus both in teaching and in campus operations?

These three core questions towards innovation, globalisation, and sustainability were the focus of the 16 University Presidents and Vice Chancellors who assembled at AIT to share their prescient thoughts at the Presidents’ Forum held on 24 October 2019. As the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) celebrates sixty years of existence, it realizes that tectonic shifts in the field of higher education.

From the small batch of students who began studying engineering in a quaint corner of Bangkok in 1959, over the past six decades, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has emerged as a premier international institution, focusing on engineering, environment, and management.

The AIT Entrepreneurship Center has been launched to equip students and faculty with the spirit of innovation and start-ups

The AIT Entrepreneurship Center was launched at the “100 Innovations X Entrepreneurs” conference on 27 September 2019 organized by AIT. The Entrepreneurship Center is envisioned to be a place for incubating young entrepreneurs and providing them with entrepreneurial and innovative capabilities for sustainable development.

Dr. Eden Y Woon joined AIT as President on September 1, 2018. It has been slightly over one year since he took over the reins. AIT’s Office of Public Affairs is pleased to share a Question and Answer session with President Woon.

 

1.  What did you want to accomplish when you came to AIT a year ago?

I consider the start of my tenure at AIT last September to be the beginning of AIT 3.0 – with AIT 1.0 being the first few decades after our founding in 1959, when we had more widespread support and engagement, and AIT 2.0 being the past two decades or so when resources became more constrained and various issues limited the growth of the institute.