NAIST Thailand Office 5th Anniversary Symposium (September 6, 2022)
NAIST Thailand Office 5th Anniversary Symposium "NAIST and Thai Universities for Research and Education Collaboration Symposium 2022- Towards the Post-Pandemic New Normal" was held on September 6, 2022. This symposium was organized to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the NAIST Thailand Office, which was established in March 2017 in the Faculty of Engineering at Kasetsart University as a central point in Asia for global collaboration in education and research. It was held in a hybrid format, onsite and online, and attracted about 100 participants.
In a post-pandemic situation where global mobility had become possible once again, from NAIST Prof. Jun Ohta (Vice President/Executive Director), Prof. Kenichi Matsumoto (Director of NAIST Thailand Office, Division of Information Science), Prof. Minoru Okada (Division of Information Science) and Prof. Hiroshi Takagi (Division of Biological Sciences) visited Bangkok to meet faculty members from partner universities (Kasetsart University, Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi and Chiang Mai University) and Thai alumni who are actively working worldwide including Japan and Thailand.
In the symposium, Prof. Ohta gave an opening address as a representative of NAIST and expressed condolences for the loss of Dr. Putchong Uthayopas, the former vice president of Kasetsart University who contributed to the establishment of NAIST Thailand Office, who passed away last year. Then Dr. Peerayuth Charnsethikul, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of Kasetsart University, gave a speech on behalf of Thai partner universities and expressed his expectations for future collaboration and further academic exchange. Then Mr. Takeshi Uchida, First Secretary of Embassy of Japan in Thailand, discussed the expectations for the future roles of NAIST Thailand Office in academic exchange between the two countries and Prof. Matsumoto introduced the history of the collaboration between NAIST and partner universities.
After the opening remarks, in Session 1 representatives from each partner university gave presentations on their relationship with NAIST. In session 2-4, professors from NAIST talked about their history of collaboration with Thai universities in each division and Thai alumni/students presented their research and introduced their lives at NAIST. In session 5, Prof. Matsumoto introduced the
Thai Virtual Office which was established this April with six Thai students who work as student assistants, who also introduced themselves.
At the end of symposium, Dr. Teerapong Buaboocha, the Head of Department of Biochemistry, Chulalongkorn University, gave closing remarks and the symposium ended as a great success.
During their stay in Thailand, NAIST delegation visited all 5 partner universities to discuss the revitalization of academic exchange and strengthening of partnership.
Through this stimulating symposium and the partner university visits, NAIST will aim to further our existing relationships with partners and promote exchange with Thai universities in the post-pandemic era.
Presentations by Prof. Okada and Prof. Takagi
