Tag: Thammasat University

Thammasat University and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, represented by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), have signed a memorandum of understanding with PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation to collaborate on research and development of renewable energy technologies and sustainable innovations in the fields of biotechnology, food technology, computer and electronics technology, metal and material technology, energy, and nanotechnology. Mr. Permsuk Sutchaphiwat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, attended the signing ceremony, together with Asso. Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector of Thammasat University, Mr. Somboon Sahasithiwat (Ph.D.), Deputy Director of Research and Development Division, NSTDA, Ms. Kanchanee Udomkulwanich, Senior Executive Vice President for Petroleum Operations, OR, and the project’s management team and researchers.

Assoc. Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart, the Rector of Thammasat University, stated that Thammasat University aims to produce graduates in all degrees with knowledge and abilities in both theoretical and practical aspects in every dimension. The university has a team of professors and researchers who are experts with diverse experiences in various fields. Each one has the ability to cultivate and create innovations that align with the needs of the industrial sector.

“Thammasat University has participated in the Reinventing University project, a cutting-edge global research development initiative since the beginning of 2023, driven by IJC-FOODSEC. Thammasat University anticipates that the collaboration between IJC-FOODSEC and the food industry, both domestic and international, will be a game changer in developing high-level human resources as a key force in national development. This will promote Thammasat University’s excellence and establish its excellence on the global stage in the future.” – Assoc. Prof. Gasinee, stated.

Mr. Somboon Sahasithiwat (Ph.D.), Deputy Director of Research and Development Division, NSTDA, also stated that there has been an elevation in research, development, and personnel collaboration exchange to promote fairness and inclusiveness across all specialized fields of the national research centers under NSTDA. These three organizations are working together to drive and support sustainable research and innovation. Currently, the collaborations are as follows:

1. Development of a measurement system for analyzing ethanol in fuel oil at desired locations is a project collaboration between NSTDA, MTECH, NECTEC, and IJC-FOODSEC under the BioTech-TU-QUB program, funded by OR and led by Dr. Thanasas Suksrimuang, a senior researcher in material transformation innovation at MTECH.

2. The Industrial Postdoc program, supported by PMU-B, is led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Awanwee Petchkongkaew, a lecturer of the Food Science and Technology Faculty at Thammasat University. This program is conducted as part of the research collaboration between OR, MTECH, and NECTEC.

3. The collaborative research project on increasing the value of coffee production waste materials is a collaboration between NSTDA, BioTech, and a research team from OR, led by Dr. Verawat Champreda, the head of the Bio-refinery and Bioproduct Technology Research Group.

All three organizations are interested in collaborating on research and development in various fields, such as research and development related to food waste management from restaurants within the PTT gas station service area. Research and development in the coffee varieties for Amazon Cafe, which is a business within OR group and biotech research team.

Prof. Dr. Rattha-korn Vilaichone, the Assistant to the Rector for Academic Affairs at Thammasat University, revealed that Thammasat University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SCB Academy, Siam Commercial Bank PCL, to collaborate in creating online learning courses for university students and the general public. This collaboration aims to drive the development of digital human capacity skills in order to create a sustainable future of learning.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pipop Udon, the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Thammasat University, stated that the agreement has enabled Thammasat to incorporate courses from SCB Academy and Google into the curriculum for students who can choose to enroll in these courses at any time through the online system. Upon completion of the courses, students will receive an E-Certification. There is a Credit Bank system where students can accumulate credits to further their current studies. It will help students avoid having to take certain courses and allow them to fasten upon their studies.

“In today’s learning, we refer to it as ‘Anywhere, Anytime, Any Devices,’ which means that we can learn whenever, wherever, and through any device. This allows students to not necessarily attend physical classrooms, but instead choose to learn online.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pipop further emphasized that Thammasat University’s direction focuses on lifelong learning and recognizes the increasing importance of online education. The university’s response is not limited to its own students but extends to various groups, including high school students who will become future university students, working adults, and especially in the future as we move towards an increasingly aging society. It becomes a crucial responsibility of the university to address lifelong education or Life Long Learning.

Assoc. Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart, the Rector of Thammasat University, reinforced that the signing of this agreement will further establish Thammasat University as one of the pioneering institutions to collaborate on curriculum development with leading national entities such as SCB Academy and globally recognized organizations like Google. Moreover, it will be among the first universities to implement a Credit Bank system, enabling online learning not just to conclude after completion but to allow E-Certificates received to be credited towards further education within the university. This is believed to set a precedent for other universities in Thailand to develop their teaching and learning systems to meet the demands of future learning worldwide.

As a university student, you can attend classes to earn credits or further enhance your knowledge and skills at https://learning.kaorag.com/. For those who are interested, you can also attend classes at https://pmdacademy.teachable.com/.

“Let’s Call a Day” by Phanuwat Chansiri, Punyaporn Yanpanya, and Panwassa Wongcharoen, a team of fourth-year students in Textile and Fashion Design, majoring in Fashion Design, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Thammasat University, has won the championship award in the fashion design competition with Yamaha motorcycles at the YAMAHA Best Automatic Fashion Festival 2024, under the theme of Fashion Ride On, inspired by Yamaha motorcycles, the Grand Filano Hybrid and Fazzio models, in designing real wearable fashion outfits. The event took place on February 4, 2024, at Siam Square.

Panwassa Wongcharoen speaks about her inspiration behind the design, which is derived from Camping Hangout. It is a lifestyle passionated by office workers who enjoy socializing together after work. The clothing design is interestingly minimalistic. Therefore, the design is collided with a leisurely ride on the YAMAHA Fazzio motorcycle. The clothing is made from Ripstop Nylon and Cotton fabrics, with additional backpack accessories. The color selection is based on the Mood Board, combining with the colors of the YAMAHA Fazzio motorcycle that draws inspiration from Touring Fashion. The result is the creation of “Let’s Call a Day”.

Phanuwat Chansiri emphasizes that in this competition, his team has applied and adapted the knowledge from fashion design class to design and customize the most suitable motorcycle riding suits. This includes selecting color tones that match the motorcycle, as well as choosing fabrics that are suitable for practical use.

“Our team encountered problems regarding the discrepancy between the colors of the fabrics we designed in the program and the colors of the fabrics from the store. We then solved the problem on a case-by-case basis by comparing the closest matching colors and matching them with other colors. Fortunately, we were able to manage this issue in a timely manner.” – Punyaporn Yanpanya.

Panwassa Wongcharoen ends her interview with a remark to all the new generation, “Opportunities are there for everyone, depending on whether you seize them and act. Once you take it, you must strive for the best.”

Kanokporn Thammawong, a first-year student majoring in Textile and Fashion Design, Fashion Design, has also won an honorable mention in the fashion design competition with Yamaha Automatic Motorcycles.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nartnirun Junngam, a faculty lecturer of the Faculty of Law at Thammasat University and the recipient of the National Outstanding Researcher Award Fiscal Year 2024 in the field of law, revealed that the research is related to international law, which is not an inapplicable matter. This is because Thailand and other nations are subject to jurisdiction of international law. The country plays a role as a direct participant involved in the implementation of the law.

The research includes topics related to both Thailand and international communities such as 1. Relationship between territorial division, self-determination of the people, and international legal recognition, considering the case of three southern border provinces of Thailand, 2. Lessons and recommendations from the case of Walter Bau v. Thailand, the first investment treaty case involving Thailand, 3. Interpretation and application of national treatment standards in international investment law, 4. The role of stability in international investment law, and 5. Interpretation and application of full protection and security standards in international investment law.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nartnirun added that the ongoing research is related to the elimination of discriminatory practices in international investment law. The study focuses on a provision commonly found in investment treaties, which deals with the treatment of similar situations. This provision will have implications on the legal consideration of a state’s conduct towards one foreign investment compared to another.

In conducting research, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nartnirun has expressed his opinion that researchers should consider the quality and the benefits that will arise and be well-accepted in general. The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has placed great importance on this matter. As for the quality of the research, it can be preliminarily assessed based on the research methodology and the publication. The point of research publication is to make it accessible and verifiable, and to be implemented for research purposes. As for the benefits, research is different in its categories. When considering the benefits that will arise from each piece, one must consider the nature of the research, including what category it is and how it can bring benefits to the academic or professional field, or both.

“The research that I am conducting is something that I am truly interested in. As for the rewards, recognition, and acceptance, I see them as potential outcomes. One thing I believe is that if we conduct research on a topic that interests us, we will enjoy it along with gaining knowledge. I would like others to consider our findings. For me, my research project has been used for teaching and published internationally, regardless of whether it received research funding or not.” – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nartnirun

QR code has now been utilized to verify the authenticity of bird’s nests or swallow nests using cloud technology. This award-winning innovation showcases the potential of Thai research to be commercially developed in order to meet the needs of consumers in the digital age. It will be exhibited at the Future Thailand event organized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI).

Mr. Jakkrit Thavorn, a professor in the Department of Organization, entrepreneurship, and Human Resource Management, Thammasat Business School, Thammasat University, and a researcher and developer of “EBN-QR: Edible QR Code for Authenticity Verification of Bird’s Nests using Cloud Technology,” states that EBN-QR is a biodegradable QR code that its paper, glue, and ink can be consumed without altering the taste of the nest.

The QR code label is an innovation designed to support the verification of production for consumers who purchase and consume or process health-promoting food. It will be attached to each bird’s nest, allowing consumers to scan it using their smartphones to access relevant important information. This information will be connected to cloud technology, including farm location data, production standards, production processes, farm care, and nest cleanliness and safety. This verification system helps promote sustainable commercial bird farming, creating a balance between industrial growth and environmental conservation.

In the United States, there are also edible labels, which are used to check if the medication is suitable for the patient and to verify if it is genuine or counterfeit. Similarly, EBN-QR is used to check the items that need to be consumed. Thai bird’s nest is also a high-value export product of the country. If counterfeit goods are received, their nutritional value will likely be compromised.

In addition to ensuring customer safety and highlighting the qualities of the bird’s nests, the QR codes will eliminate the need for plastic labels, which take a long time to decompose. Moreover, everyone needs to consider climate change and try to cut back on plastic waste.

EBN-QR has received an award from “The 17th International Warsaw Invention Show” (IWIS 2023), an international exhibition of inventions held in Warsaw, Poland.

‘Blockchain’, an advanced data storage technology that has been reconditioned as a tool to support direct democracy. The use of ‘blockchain’ in supporting elections is considered a tendency or trend of the era. Currently, there are many countries that use it.

For Thailand, recently, a research team from Thammasat University by the Office of Business Incubation Center and Intellectual Property has invented, developed, and designed to adopt blockchain technology in election process under the project, “Online Election System Using Blockchain via THAIVOTE.io”, which has been piloted and becoming a compelling social innovation.

In terms of development, Thammasat started the “Online Election System Using Blockchain via THAIVOTE.io” back in 2017 under the budget from the Department of Physical Education. It later has been progressively improved and officially piloted for actual usage in the ‘Surat Thani Public Health Saving and Credit Cooperative Committee’ 2019 election.

Thammasat has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Surat Thani Public Health Saving and Credit Cooperative Limited to organize elections of the chairperson of the committee, committee, and auditors through the first blockchain-based online election system which is continuously adopted every year.

“With the largeness in size of the province having nearly 30 polling stations scattered around with some on islands, this projects difficulties and huge budget on management and organizing elections each year, and that some members of the cooperative are medical personnel who were unable to vote at the polling station in time. Cooperative executives therefore, collaborate with Thammasat University to develop a blockchain-based online voting system that cooperative members can use to vote conveniently. The vote counting is accurate, fast and reliable,” said Prof. Dr. Anat Limakdet, Director of the Center of Intellectual Property and Business Incubation and a member of the research team mentioned about spatial limitations in the past.

Prof. Dr. Anant went on to say that the THAIVOTE.io election system is an innovation that is distinctive to conventional electronic election systems, which is mostly centralized. This may lead to doubts on safety and transparency. The system may be hacked and targeted by outside parties, and system administrator or central administration may access the voting database which can cause distortion in the election results.

However, the election system is blockchain-based. The data is therefore encrypted and stored in a distributed database on a public blockchain. Data stored in each node once accepted by the network cannot be altered which makes the data to be highly secured and reliable. The distributed data storage on blockchain does not require a middleman.

“Blockchain-based elections will help reduce the problem of hacking occurred on the election system which consequently prevent interference in election results, including confidentiality of voters’ profile and voting information thus, helps eliminate issues of delays and errors in vote counting, increase convenience and save costs for both the election organizing agency and the voters,” explained Prof. Dr. Anant.

The success leads to the expansion of application to other elections. In the past, Thammasat has organized online elections through THAIVOTE.io for various savings cooperative groups such as Surat Thani Public Health Saving and Credit Cooperatives Limited, Ministry of Justice Saving and Credit Cooperative Limited, the Communications Authority of Thailand Saving and Credit Cooperative and The Saving co-operatives limited of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives.

To the extent of the election process, it is all controlled through a program on the blockchain which has predetermined information on voters, candidates, start and end times of the election. When voting day arrives, the system will function automatically and eligible people can use their smartphones or notebooks to vote through the website. Each individual can verify their identities prior to voting in various ways, such as using a pre-set-up password or confirming with an OTP from your registered phone number, including identity verification with ID card and facial recognition. When election time ends, the system automatically shuts down. Once the information stored on the blockchain is complete, results can be announced in less than 15 minutes.

The “Online Election System on Blockchain via THAIVOTE.io” project is considered a social innovation of Thailand. Recently, it just won an honorable mention award from the Democratic Innovation Contest 2023 of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives.

Students from the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University won the first prize in the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) mock trial competition organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Thailand (ICRC) and the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University. The members of the Thammasat University competition team include Injin Khai, first year student of the Business Law major (International Program), Kanpitcha Rachasiha, second year student of Business Law major (International Program), and Thanakit Saeju, third year student of Business Law major (International Program)

The awards received are First Place Award, Best Memorial for Defendant Award and Best Mooter Award.

Understanding what is ‘Mock Trial Competition’

The mock trial competition is an activity that simulates court cases. Thanakit said that we have an opportunity to take on the role of an attorney for the plaintiff or defendant in that case. This activity is very beneficial to legal education as students will have the opportunity to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, as well as research skills on legal topics related to simulated cases. The International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition 2023 deals with international humanitarian law. The case must be presented and prepared in English. It promotes and develops students’ language skills also.

Sharing experiences from the mock trial competition

In this competition, Kanpitcha Rachasiha and Injin Khai participated in the competition as advocates and Thanakit Saeju participated in the competition as a researcher and petition drafter.

“Every team member has a responsibility to share their opinions and adapt the law to the facts to create a defense in the memorial brief. Researchers and petition drafters will help find more information including checking the content and overall orderliness of the summary statement. In addition, the advocate has a duty to present the defenses in the draft summary statement to the court orally,” Kanpitcha said.

Injin added that researching legal arguments can be quite challenging. This is because this year the issue is the law on armed conflict and naval warfare in which the team comprehensively prepared for the competition both conducting research and finding research information within a limited time. It is considered a key to the victory this time.

The feeling of winning the championship

“I feel so overwhelmed and grateful that I can’t put it into words. Every team member was extremely dedicated to this competition, even though every step of preparation was made under time pressure. However, receiving this award shows the success of our dedication and determination. And most importantly, it is a driving force for us to move forward fully in the mock trial competition in the future,” Kanpitcha said.

With sexual violence widely occurring in Thai society and the problem of accessing various assistance is the source of the research study “LAW-U: Legal Guidance Through Artificial Intelligence Chatbot for Sexual Violence Victims and Survivors”. In Thai, “LAW-U” is pronounced similarly to “Ror-Yuu” meaning “I will wait for you,” which reflects the chatbot’s unconditional support to its users. It was invented by Worada Sokatiyanurak, Nittayapa Klangpornkhun, Adirek Moolthuli, Pongphan Pienpanich, Prof. Dr. Lalin Korwutthikulrungsi, Nantawat Saksakulkunakorn, Pornkanok Chairuangsri and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jaturong Tantibundit, researchers from Thammasat University. The objective of the research study is to create and develop a virtual chatbot that can provide legal advice to survivors of sexual violence of all genders, ages and sexual orientations.

The highlight of the LAW-U chatbot is that it provides service to all users equally and gives legal advice to users without special privileges, being neutral and accurate, taking into consideration personal details, not putting pressure on users in identifying their genders, not requiring to mention the user’s full name or occupation, meaning users can maintain their anonymity. The advice given by LAW-U will closely resemble the user’s situation, thus giving the user complete convenience in consultation.

This research is the first ever study of a chatbot model for sexual violence law counseling in Thailand. There are things to consider as follows:

1. Most model development consists of a process of direct comparison with user data similarity scores and matching Supreme Court cases which is accumulated through the identification of frequently encountered keywords. Although adding and using synonyms increases accuracy, this expanded model’s training methods on the other hand can increase the matching accuracy even further.

2. Information gathered from cases in the Supreme Court which is only publicly-available information. Therefore, some information is missing due to the confidentiality of the parties in the case or information not detailed and declared in the abbreviation. For example, there may be missing information regarding the sex of the victim and plaintiff, their age, and whether the victim has provided such information to the police, thus leaving a gap in LAW-U learning practice.

3. The chatbot is not available for users with visual impairments and some cognitions. However, LAW-U is hoped to be able to support all survivors of sexual violence. This target group will not be ignored, therefore future developments may focus on adding automatic speech recognition technology and voice-enabled conversation.

4. Information about sexual violence among LGBTQ+ should be given as equal importance as typical gender relationships. The LAW-U chatbot should be trained to prepare for text input and all possible situations when receiving information about incidents of sexual violence from users.

5. Collecting real-life test subjects can help adding new sets of information and expand the scope of LAW-U training situations to improve the accuracy of matching with unpredictable real-life events. The information received will be more current than information gathered from the Supreme Court in the past. It provides information on changing cultural contexts and social characteristics. It is an important part of education. This is because the latest amendments in legal provisions are more relevant to a progressing world.

6.LAW-U is currently available as an extension of legal professionals and is expected to not be able to replace these experts. However, this does not imply that chatbots should not be developed further to provide more detailed and accurate legal advice.

For future directions, the researchers wish to expand the chatbot to be able to communicate in English language as the study aims to have everyone in Thailand use LAW-U when receiving legal advice on gender-based violence.

Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University in collaboration with Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music and partner universities from abroad organized an international academic conference in Language Education and Thai Studies on the topic “Diversity and Perspectives in Language Education and Thai studies” at Iconsiam, Khlong San District, Bangkok.

This international academic conference is one of the side activities celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhan aKrom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra. The objective is to provide an opportunity for those interested, both Thais and foreigners, to present contents, concepts, theories, and educational methods related to the science of language education and issues related to Thai studies which have developed and changed. This is regarded as the dissemination of knowledge and the exchange of diverse perspectives and ideas in order to expand the knowledge in such sciences and education on a large scale.

Within the conference, there were music and cultural performances such as classical music performances in the ‘Kaew Kanlaya’ song and the ‘Saeng Nueng Kue Rung Ngam’ song french edition from the Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music and the Kritdaphinihan dance performance from the Faculty of Liberal Arts students, Thammasat University.

In addition, there was an exhibition to promote Thai culture to the world, such as basketry, inhaler making, street food, Thai handicrafts and traditional dance, and the literary work by HRH “The Little Prince, The Young Future King” book translated into English, French and Chinese.

Phanwira Ngaoprasert, a 3rd year student in Interior Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University received the 1st prize with the work, “MECHAIR” from the 1st Futuretech Design Talent Award 2023, a furniture design project for GEN Z under the concept of flexibility in use, environmentally friendly, reflecting identity, with convenience and technology. Over 20 institutions submitted their entries to the contest organized at the FUTURETECH Showroom.

The Story Behind ‘MECHAIR’

MECHAIR derived from the concept of Origami, the art of paper folding and inspired by taking diagrams from leaf shapes into designing a portable chair that is flexible for Gen Z. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic that causes many people or organizations to work from home and encounter problems that need to be stuffy working in the room and not socializing.

MECHAIR provides you the flexibility to work anywhere, whether on the skytrain or in the middle of a meadow in a park. It adds more options to work, making the life of the user more inspirational. It also has a folding function and supports comfortable portability with a glimpse of fashion in mind.

The Uniqueness of ‘MECHAIR’

The highlight is the shape of the chair derived from the diagram of the leaf combined with a folding technique based on the art of origami. This makes the work unique and flexible to use, and supports a variety of functions that include folding, carrying, and sitting with up to 3 types of adjustment: upright position, reclining position and taken as an extra chair.

MECHAIR helps users sit more comfortably and can be carried to sit and work outside the home, not feeling stuffy working only in a square room. In addition, the chair is made from PET plastic, a recycled material. This makes this furniture unique in terms of saving the world as well. Currently, MECHAIR is in the experimental stage where testings are undertaken in order to ensure the meeting of the needs of GEN Z according to the initial concept prescribed.

“I feel so proud of myself. Thank you to my friends, family and professors who have been mentoring and encouraging me in creating the work. In addition, supplementary knowledge has also been added by the committee, as well as friends and seniors from other universities who participated in the contest. This makes my design perspective more open and more open to comments,” said Panwira Ngaoprasert.