Bangkok--29 Apr--Asian Institute of Technology
Two students from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) were among a select group of fellows who had the opportunity to interact with the USAID chief Mr. Rajiv Shah, as a part of their Fellowship program. The two, Mr. Jirawat Panpeng and Ms. Khi Seint Seint Aye, also participated in joint USAID and NASA events in Washington DC, where they met with senior officials who proffered advice on their research.
“Fourteen fellows from all over the world were selected to participate in the Capstone events lasting from April 1-14, and we were the only two students from Southeast Asia,” Seint Seint says. Both students were a part of the USAID and NASA My Community Our Earth (MyCOE) SERVIR Global Fellowship Program. While Seint Seint is from Myanmar, Jirawat is from Thailand.
“Our program was also broadcast over NASA TV,” an excited Seint informs. The first day of their session concentrated on interacting with NASA officials. Their USAID poster session was graced by its Administrator Rajiv Shah, and the 14 participants had an opportunity to meet him. While the first week of activities was shared between USAID and NASA, during the second week students participated in the Conference of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).
Jirawat is investigating the vulnerability of coastal fishery communities in the Laemsing district of Thailand. Jirawat’s study aims to identify the impact of severe sea level rise and its consequences, such as coastal erosion and inundation. Applying climate simulation and GIS, he aims to analyze potential sensitivity of communities in terms of the physical and social impacts of climate change.
Seint Seint is studying the impact of floating gardens on the environment of Inle Lake in Myanmar, and her research is targeted at providing mitigation plans to prevent an imminent environmental collapse of the natural ecosystem.
Mr Jirawat Panpeng, is a doctoral student in the Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CCSD) field of study at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), and he is working with his advisor Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmad. Ms. Seint Seint is studying Environmental Engineering and Management (EEM) also in the same school, where she is working with her advisor Dr. Oleg Shippin.
The MyCOE fellowship program is aimed at creating the next generation of scientific leaders from developing countries to create innovative, science-based solutions to meet their countries’ development challenges. Fellows are selected from among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world in East and West Africa, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. As a part of their fellowship, students use NASA satellite information to develop tools and approaches that bring higher incomes to those in poverty and help protect their country’s most vulnerable citizens from potential disasters.
Details about the two AIT students are available at the Capstone Event Publication at this link:
http://www.aag.org/galleries/mycoe-files/MyCOE2014_CapstoneBookletFINAL.pdf
Details about the program and AIT students are available at the NASA blog at this link: http://blog.usaid.gov/2014/04/international-students-apply-satellite-data-for-development-solutions/
Photo caption: From right: Ms. Khi Seint Seint Aye and Mr. Jirawat Panpeng at NASA.