Bangkok--28 Jul--Asian Institute of Technology
A large group of 59 students and two faculty members from nine campuses of India's United Group of Institutions (UGI) attended a two-week Summer Education Camp at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), recently that underscored the institute's solid connection with India.
The camp organized from 5-18 July 2014 exposed the third-year bachelor level engineering students to new technologies and innovations developed by AIT faculty members and other professionals.
In particular, they were introduced to the basic skills of project management and global positioning systems and GIS for navigation and mapping. Experts also demonstrated examples of robotics, nanotechnology, computer graphics and 3D vision for medical applications.
“All together they will carry back a good overview of possibilities associated with some new technologies, and this could inform their postgraduate education and career choices,” said AIT Director of Special Degree Programs Prof. Nitin K. Tripathi, who organized the camp.
Immersed in the multicultural environment of AIT by living on campus, experiencing seminars and hands-on learning sessions, the camp-goers also soaked up ample aspects of Thai lifestyles and culture through sightseeing tours in and around metropolitan Bangkok.
Academic field visits included stops at laboratories of AIT partners Bangkok University, NSTDA and also the National Science Museum. Organizers said competitions in project management and a “GPS Treasure Hunt” were organized, which added a creative and competitive edge to the fortnight.
A special highlight for the UGI students was meeting India’s Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who visited the campus on July 10 and personally addressed the students.
India’s Ambassador congratulated them on gaining selection to the camp at AIT, which he referred to as a premier higher learning institution.
Informing the young people that India itself is a young country with an average population age of just 35 years, he said the country’s youth would have a great role to play in developing modern India. He urged them to make the best use of their time spent at AIT to learn not only about new technologies but also to experience new cultures and environments, and to represent their country well when abroad.
Later, on July 14, AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai met with Dr. Jagdish Gulati, President, United Group of Institutions during his visit to AIT. Prof.Nitin K. Tripathi, Director of Special Degree Programs, and Prof.Voratas Kachitvichyanukul, Dean, SET, also attended the meeting.
UGI and AIT signed a memorandum of understanding in 2010. Dr. Gulati expressed his appreciation for AIT conducting the 3rd Summer Education Camp and indicated his interest to collaborate on more activities such as student and faculty exchanges and on academics and research. He also proposed to initiate an AIT Office in Delhi, and offered the institute dedicated building space at the UGI campus.
President Worsak suggested that some special education programs for working professionals and capacity building could start, along with some workshops and conferences conducted in India with the support of UGI. President Worsak also accepted the invitation to visit the UGI campus in Allahabad and Greater Noida, which is adjacent to New Delhi, India, to explore further possibilities for extending the cooperation.
Later on, they joined a dinner reception with the Counselor of Indian Embassy Bangkok, along with the visiting UGI students.
Photo caption: India’s Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla is seen in a group photo with UGI students and faculty members from UGI and AIT.