News

There is a huge demand for engineering and management programs in Pakistan with the number of aspirants growing every year. Over 10,000 prospective students seek admission to engineering courses in the Islamabad region alone, while the existing capacity is limited to 1000 seats. These were the remarks of Prof. Zahid Saleem, Professor and Campus In-charge of Islamabad Campus of Federal Urdu University of Arts Sciences and Technology (FUUAST), Islamabad, Pakistan, during his visit to Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on 2 March 2011.

A recent study has revealed that AIT’s alumni Diaspora is more internationally located than previously thought, with graduates currently residing in 108 countries and territories around the world.

A delegation from the University of Borås, Sweden was impressed with the internationality at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and sought enhanced partnerships to help their students acquire a global experience. A seven member-strong delegation of the University of Borås today expressed their desire to use the AIT platform for providing their students with an international edge.

AIT’s academic quality is very high, and the institute has the advantage of being extremely flexible and able to develop innovative programs quickly, Dr. Suwan Trongjitwikrai, Director, Asian Technical Human Resource Development and Research Collaboration, Western Digital, told a Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia delegation of university representatives visiting AIT’s School of Engineering and Technology (SET) on 24 February 2011.

Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) inaugurated a new office in Shanghai, a first of its kind in the People’s Republic of China on 24 February 2011. The formal ribbon cutting ceremony to inaugurate the AIT China office was jointly performed by H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag, Chairman, Board of Trustees, AIT and former foreign minister of Thailand; Ms. Yang Xinyu, Member, Board of Trustees, AIT and Deputy Secretary-General, China Scholarship Council (CSC), Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China (PRC); and Prof. Said Irandoust, President, AIT.

Country Director, Thailand Resident Mission of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mr. Craig M. Steffensen, today appreciated the role played by Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), stating that it is heartening that the institute is producing graduates who return to their home countries to help in the nation building process.

H.E. Mr. S.B. Dissanayake, Minister of Higher Education has welcomed the initial idea of opening of an AIT city office at Colombo. The minister suggested that the AIT Colombo office could offer executive short term training programs in Sri Lanka, apart from overseeing the development of a full-fledged AIT campus in Hambantota.

More than most, AIT grad Dr. Rafiul Ahad (M.Sc. 1980) knows the value of a first-rate education and how an academic scholarship can spur a financially challenged but gifted student’s destiny. That’s because he’s living proof – rising from humble beginnings to become a senior executive with one of the world’s most influential computer technology firms.

Nepal based Hydro Lab Private Limited is keen on mutual sharing of technical expertise and research facilities with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). It also seeks to create a partnership for consultancy work related to hydraulic studies and river works. This was finalized within a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by AIT and Hydro Labs on 16 February 2011.