The AIT project proposal on ‘Community Preparedness for climate
change and increased water use efficiency for rice cultivation using
principles of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in
central Thailand’ has been selected for the Asia-Pacific
Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) Showcase 2008 Programme.

Two Ph.D. students of the Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management
(AARM), School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD) namely
Mr. Troung Hoang Minh (above left) and Mr. Chavan Balu
Ramdas (above right) won the first and third oral presentation
awards respectively during the International Symposium on
Sustaining Fish Diversity, Fisheries and Aquacultures in the Mekong
Basin, held from 3-5 September 2008 in Ubon
Rachathani, Thailand.

According to Dr. Joydeep Dutta, Director of the
Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, and Associate Dean School
of Engineering and Technology, the new master’s program in
nanotechnology is planned for launch from the January 2009 intake. This
is stated to be a very unique and interesting, application-oriented
multidisciplinary program that integrates physics / engineering
physics, chemistry / chemical engineering, material science / material
engineering.

Following the establishment of four Director positions under the Office
of the Vice President for Academic Affairs to oversee new highly
promising initiatives, AIT President Said Irandoust has
formalized the appointments of Professor Vilas M Salokhe,
Professor in School of Environment, Resources and Development’s
Agricultural Systems and Engineering Field of Study, as Director for
Unified Programs at AIT, and Dr. Nitin Afzulpurkar, School of
Engineering and Technology (SET) Associate Dean and Associate Professor
in SET-Mechatronics / Microelectronics, as Director for Undergraduate
Programs at AIT. Their initial appointment period is from 1 September
2008 to 30 June 2009.  Professor Salokhe and Dr Afzulpurkar shall
serve as the contact persons and in-charge of related coordination both
within AIT and with partner universities, as well as support the
development of their respective initiative areas in collaboration with
our field of study coordinators.

A Task Force for the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of AIT in 2009 has
been formed, chaired by the Vice President for Development and
Resources, Dr. Ir. Khin Ni Ni Thein. AIT’s 50th Anniversary
Celebrations are also expected to coincide with the declaration or
reaffirmation of AIT’s international status.

Mr. Börje Wallberg, Sida consultant, recently completed a
Sida-funded review of Sida support to master’s scholarships Program
2004-2008. The purpose of the review was to make an assessment of the
Sida funded scholarship program, its relevance, effectiveness and
cost-efficiency as compared with other education programs, as well as
to make a study and give recommendations to Sida of the AIT proposal
for a new program for the period 2009-2011. Aside from the review of
the scholarships, Mr. Wallberg also undertook an assessment of the
systems connecting the scholarship program with the Institute’s field
programs, like the Aquaculture Outreach Program (AOP) and the wider
Wetlands Alliance Program (WAP).   

Since the end of the 1980s, Sida has had a very close cooperation with
AIT, and this support has encompassed different components of higher
education and research, that have been important for the effectiveness
of Swedish bilateral aid programs in countries, like Vietnam, Laos and
Cambodia and in regional programs and regional cooperation.

From left: Ms. Park,
Prof. Vilas, Prof. Cho, Dr. Pritam and Ms. Kim.

Officials representing one of South Korea’s top
universities and one of its leading telecommunications companies
recently paid a visit to AIT to strengthen mutually beneficial
partnerships.

The Asian Institute of Technology acknowledges Dr. Poompat
Saengudomlert, an Assistant
Professorof Telecommunications (TC) Field of Study,
School of Engineering and Technology (SET), for his accomplishment in
translating a book  “A Brief History of Communications” into Thai
version.

Hope Not Complacency – Disaster Management in India and Sri
Lanka
Asian Institute of Technology, pp. 129
By Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmad and Arvind Kumar

Disasters are the first and foremost major threats to development,
specifically to the uplifting of the poorest and vulnerable people in
the world.

The
Government of France has extended a financial grant totaling 379,000
Euros to the Asian Institute of Technology. The financial pledge for
this year was officially presented to the Institute on August 21 by Mr.
Hervé d'Oriano, Regional Counselor for Health at the French Embassy in
Thailand, who personally visited the campus to deliver the
grant.