Tag: Thammasat University

“Galactic4”, a team of 4 second-year students in Computer Engineering, Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thammasat University won the first prize in the Astrobee Robot Programming Competition of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) operating on the International Space Station (ISS) to perform the assigned mission under the “The 4th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge” project.

The project is a collaboration between the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and partner agencies in organizing a competition to search for “Thailand Youth Representative Team” to participate in the international championship round at the Tsukuba Space Center, Japan.

For the competition under “The 4th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge” project, there were a total of 182 teams participating. The contestants had to write a robot controller program using JAVA to control the Astrobee robot. In which the “Galactic4” team from SIIT Thammasat, consisting of Natthawin Yamprasert, Dechatorn Dasri, Kasidit Sanrak and Chiwanon Chulikorn, was able to successfully win the championship and received a prize worth 20,000 Thai baht with a certificate and will represent the Thailand youth team to participate in the international championship round with teams from Kibo-ABC member countries such as USA, Japan, Singapore, Australia, etc.

Natthawin Yamprasert, second-year computer engineering student, SIIT, as the leader of the Galactic4 team revealed that the challenge of the competition is a computer programming mission in a simulation system to control the Astrobee astronaut assistant robot to solve the simulated chemical leak incident inside the space station which is written using an essential language like JAVA that is taught in SIIT during the first year.

Natthawin said that for such a competition, he heard the news about the recruitment from his parents. Therefore, he joined a group with his second year classmates at SIIT, Thammasat University to try adopting and applying what he learned in real life by starting from roughly planning the workflow and using the free time during the semester break to split work. Each person will start with writing their own program and later being put together for testing in the simulation system until the results are obtained, then continue to be improved and developed.

“In fact, our work was completed and operational within the first two weeks of the competition and although the result was quite good we thought that it could still be better, so we continued to make improvements until the final stage of submitting the work, ”Natthawin stated.

Natthawin said that the Galactic4 team intends to move forward as robustly as possible as a representative of Thailand. From now on it is necessary to manage the training schedule along with studying and adapting to the new rules which, of course, may have to be more tiring. However, it is a positive encouragement that I believe will be a good opportunity to open up new experiences.

Natthawin also said that in terms of programming with JAVA, even though he had studied and had basic knowledge of this subject in the beginning but received more skill enhancement from attending classes in the Faculty. Another key factor is unity in working together as a team. Within the fence of SIIT is an opportunity that allows me to get to know a group of teammates that all share similar learning habits and that each person has different skills and hidden abilities awaiting to be brought out for real use exactly like with this competition.

“This achievement would not be successful with just one of us but the talent and energy of each and every member. At the same time, we do not underestimate ourselves, the game and the rules. If we stop after the first time we finish and think it’s completely fine. But when we think we can do better and we want to be ahead of others, we then keep doing and continue to develop further until the best version is achieved,” Nattawin said.

Thammasat University in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security hosted the 15th National Conference on Persons with Disabilities for the year 2023 (NCPD2023) on the 4th floor of the SC3 Building, Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus, with the objective of exchanging knowledge in research, academic, innovation and technology development in promoting and developing the quality of life for the people with disabilities. This provides opportunities for disability organizations and related agencies to share experiences between each other, including communicating the knowledge of the organization to the public through academic seminars in more diverse dimensions.

Thammasat University has been driving the goal of equality to create an educational space for all groups of people both at the policy level, and in the development of projects and innovations for people with disabilities. Physically, the university uses the concept of “Universal Design” to create access to environments and resources that provide full participation for everyone to use conveniently and equally within all university programs and activities. There is also support for educational welfare for students with disabilities with a quota for students with disabilities to study in each faculty, including the Disabled Student Services Center (DSS Center) that is modern and equipped with full-service facilities.

Assoc. Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector of Thammasat University, said that Thammasat University is ready to move forward with determination to be the leader of an educational institution for all people through creating a learning space that responds to various lifestyles so that all communities can live together equally and sustainably without leaving anyone behind. This is in line with the drive towards sustainable development goals, SDG10: Reduce Inequality.

In addition to policies and guidelines at the university level, Thammasat as well always develop new projects and innovations for people with disabilities to ensure equality and happiness of everyone in Thammasat, such as the production of handicapped care aids and the innovation of the Rangsit Model of the Research Unit in Social Design, etc.

“From the great commitment and determination of Thammasat University as a result, we are the first university to receive the Friendly Design Award. It is also the only university in Thailand that has received this award for five years in a row, which is more than half a decade since the university has been advancing society as the leader of an educational institution for all people. From now on, Thammasat University will continue to develop society according to the aspiration that strives to promote equality for all groups of people, both nationally and globally, “Assoc. Prof. Gasinee said.

For the 15th National Symposium on Persons with Disabilities under the theme of “Promoting the Well-being of Persons with Disabilities through Innovation and Sustainable Development”, there were many interesting lectures and Ted Talks on social issues and development in disability research and innovation, such as a special talk on “Well-being Promotion for Persons with Disabilities through Innovation and Sustainable Development” from UNDP Resident Representative to Thailand and a special lecture on “The Social Movement of Disability in the Disruptive World” by Ms. Yukiko Nakanishi from the Deputy Chairperson of DPI Japan.

In addition, the event also featured academic and research articles, exchange of experiences and good lessons on persons with disabilities, demonstration of skills and competences with underlying disabilities, including having an exhibition of work and selling products which are works from various groups of people with disabilities as well.

For the year 2024, Thammasat University handed over the flag to Udon Thani Rajabhat University in hosting the 16th National Academic Seminar on Persons with Disabilities.

A smart sensor to measure blood glucose levels (MyA1c) was developed by Prof. Dr. Kesara Na Bangchang, professor at Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University and the research team. This innovation was initiated to diagnose diabetes, and to assess and control treatment in patients with diabetes (Point-of-Care test).

Measurement of blood sugar levels, which is glucose that binds to the red blood cells (Hemoglobin A1c: HbA1c), in that the measurement value is stable, showing the average amount of blood sugar over a period of 2 to 3 months without being affected by various factors, especially food. It is similar to measuring blood glucose levels. This is the standard method currently used to diagnose and control diabetes in which patients must refrain from food 8 to 12 hours before the examination.

Commonly, the standard methods for measuring HbA1c levels require analysis. only in the laboratory by complex tools, High Pressure Liquid Chromatography which is expensive and requires a large amount of blood, as well as takes a long time to analyze. Patients will need to be examined at a specific hospital or laboratory, and are needed to wait for the results for about 1 day, which is inconvenient in practice.

The developed test kit is designed to be easy to use, convenient, giving immediate results, accurate, precise and highly specific. It is capable of measuring hemoglobin levels in the blood together with HbA1c levels at a low price and cost-effectiveness. The kit uses only 20 microliters of blood drawn from a fingertip in which diabetic patients can regularly check their HbA1c levels at home to provide information to physicians for treatment, giving immediate test results within 30 seconds.

The examination was based on the principle of specific HbA1c conductivity measurements and high sensitivity with a sensor connected to an electrode made of carbon tube coated with gold nanoparticles prepared from the peel of passion fruit (Green chemistry), which is the part that are not needed and must be disposed of to replace the use of conventional chemical synthesis processes that require toxic chemicals.

The cost of the examination is very low compared to the same type of test kit that sells a whole unit specifically for detecting HbA1c, which costs from 5,000-12,000 Thai baht. It has been developed to be able to apply to various kinds of examinations using the same tool in the form of a smartphone used in the daily life of the user and only downloading a specific application for testing.

Users can purchase only an electrical signal detector that costs no more than 300 Thai baht which can be used at least 500 times, and an electrode (electrode: blue.o4kr) that is specific to measuring HbA1c, costing about 10 Thai baht, one-time use and a drop of blood from the fingertip to test. In addition, the advantage of smart sensors is that in the future, users will also be able to download applications for other tests developed by the researchers using the same mobile phone as a platform, for example: such as screening for kidney disease (Microalbumin), Tumor markers examination of various types of cancer, Dementia examination and the detection of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, etc.

The smart sensor for measuring blood glucose levels (MyA1c) was awarded a gold medal and Honorary Gold Medal, Gold Medal Award with the Congratulations of the Jury from the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.

Thammasat and the Korean Education Center in Thailand (KEC) have agreed to launch a new “Korean Language Test Center” at the Institute of East Asian Studies, Thammasat-Rangsit. The inauguration ceremony for the new center was co-hosted by Thammasat and KEC .

The Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) is a standardized examination evaluating Korean language skills. The TOPIK test can be an accurate and useful choice for a variety of foreigners who want to work or study in South Korea but do not speak Korean as their mother tongue. It is an international exam designed to help non-natives certify their talents.

The new center will offer test services for those who wish to have a comfortable stay in South Korea in jobs requiring the Korean language and to boost scholarship opportunities, visas, and permanent residency or study in South Korea. TOPIK is an excellent value-add to one’s profile since many companies expect documentary evidence before interviews and nearly all organizations, public and private universities, and government bodies accept and trust TOPIK certification. Thammasat will organize the test and KEC will monitor and assist Thammasat to manage implementation.

Additionally, Thammasat and KEC will co-host a symposium, an international conference and conduct workshops and meetings to promote comprehensive Korean studies in Thailand. More information is available at: https://www.facebook.com/topikinthailand

Thammasat University has been honored as an exemplary network organization to promote gender equality in the Network to Eliminate Unfair Gender Discrimination: Gender Fair 2023 by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the UN Women which is in line with Thammasat University’s vision of driving sustainable development, Goal 5 (SDG 5).

The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security together with the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development open a space for network partners to exchange knowledge and learn about social issues to eliminate unfair gender discrimination in “Events to join forces with networks to eliminate unfair discrimination between genders: Gender Fair 2023” at the courtyard in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center.

Thammasat University was selected as 1 of 17 organizations that have been honored as an exemplary network organization to promote gender equality which is relevant to the vision of Thammasat University in promoting equality and eliminating gender discrimination over the years.

Assoc. Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector of Thammasat University said that Thammasat University gives our priority to gender equality by starting from the Thammasat community to raise awareness and understanding, making our people to be prompt to go out as an important force in promoting and empowering gender equality according to international standards for a well-being, equal and sustainable Thai society.

Such activities are in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”. In 2022, Thammasat University has also been ranked 48th in the world in driving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) by THE IMPACT RANKINGS 2022 with various policies that promote gender equality in universities such as encouraging women to have greater access to higher education, encouraging women to hold academic positions and take part in senior management. In addition, Thammasat joined UN Women in launching the project to end sexual harassment.

 

The School of Global Studies’ Knowledge Management Community of Practice on Teaching hosted an informative “AI in Education” presentation at Thammasat University‘s Tha Prachan Campus On Wednesday, March 15th, 2023. Pat Yongpradit, the Chief Academic Officer of Code.org from USA, was invited to deliver the presentation. As part of his role, Khun Yongpradit works towards building connections with the education ecosystem in Thailand. He has previously conducted seminars and workshops on Computer Science, and Computational Thinking at Mahidol University, spoken at Thai conferences such as IPST’s ISMTEC 2018 and Aksorn’s Education Leader Symposium, and visited university classes to discuss education policy and systems change.

Both in-person and online SGS faculty members attended the presentation, where insights on “Global AI Education Policy Highlights” were shared. The presentation also touched on “AI in Education” and covered example uses limitations, and risks. The talk raised several thought-provoking questions, such as the advantages and disadvantages of using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT for active learning and critical thinking. These tools could potentially revolutionize how we teach and structure the learning experience.
Following the presentation, there was an open discussion among participants. The recent advent of ChatGPT has caused concern in the academic ecosystem worldwide, and this exchange was considered timely. Despite the potential risks associated with AI in education, SGS faculty members view it as an opportunity to revise the current way of learning, teaching, and evaluating students. This includes the development of active learning through AI technology, such as ChatGPT.

A team of students from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Computer Science, Thammasat University, Lampang Campus, representing Thailand which consists of Supakiat Waipinij, Kanokpol Saewang, Wiraphorn Rosmode, Wilasinee Maithong and Sadanont Riangsantia received the Best Performance Award and the Third-place award from the 5th APAC HPC-AI Competition for the second year in a row.

Assistant Professor Dr. Worawan Diaz Carballo as the team supervisor received a bronze medal in the Asia-Pacific High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence competition, with Ms. Suwannee Aroonsawatwongse, Minister Counsellor as a representative of the embassy appointed to attend the opening ceremony of the Supercomputing Asia 2023 at the Singapore Expo together with Mr. Chan Lai Fung, Permanent Secretary for the Prime Minister’s Office (National Research and Development) of Singapore chaired.

Thailand co-hosted the event for the first time since it foresees the potential of Thailand as a leader in supercomputers in the region, especially “LANTA”, Thailand’s supercomputer with the highest computing speed in ASEAN. NSCC and ThaiSC both agreed upon the cooperation between Thailand and Singapore as an important force in driving cooperation at the ASEAN level in the future.

Teams of students from Thammasat University, Lampang Campus were able to successfully win the bronze medals for the second year in a row. This year, ThaiSC Center takes an important part in supporting the Thai student team throughout the competition. The success of students from Thammasat University, Lampang Campus is greatly congratulated by international students for their determination and effort which eventually led the Thai team to win the award from the highest speed, beating 24 teams across the APAC region.

Professor Dr. Sakun Boon-it, Lecturer of the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University and the winner of the National Outstanding Researcher Award of the Year 2023 in Economics said future research will be more complex. There is a body of knowledge in various disciplines used in research works. Therefore, working on research across disciplines or interdisciplinary and with research teams in different fields helps make research respond to complex questions and bring benefits to society better.

Expertise in conducting research work

This research is the research that studies the connection of organizations in the supply chain. It is a collaboration of each business organization that wishes to increase the value of products or services to customers. The research study will be a collaboration to study mechanisms that will help manage the environment, such as reducing air pollution, water resources, or using less raw materials, and even minimizing costs. Currently, business organizations are taking this matter very seriously. During the epidemic of COVID-19, we studied the mechanisms of each supply chain organization in working together to overcome any disruptions during this crisis. Such research also brings academic benefits and in practice that allows certain business operations to be implemented and through a period of business interruption which also known as the disruption from the COVID-19 epidemic.

Research must be implementable

The research I work on focuses on goals in two aspects. The first is academic, which is achieved through publishing in international-level academic journals in order to present knowledge to the academic society and the second aspect is the application of research to the practical use by business sectors, society or the nation, such as research results can be implemented and applied for the development of business operations, therefore, the importance of research is that there must be a balance on both sides.

When in crisis, it shall be able to go on

The benefit that arises from the cooperation of supply chain is that whenever there is a problem such as a business interruption or environmental issues, without academics to guide on what to do, society or the country will be in great trouble. When we have research that is useful in practice, it will be able to help solve problems in society better, business will be better, and eventually the country will be better and continue growing.

Cross-disciplinary research work will help answer complex research questions

In the future, the research problems will become more and more complex, therefore the future trend of research is cross-disciplinary research work. Cross-disciplinary research must begin with research identity. We must be able to identify the key skills or competencies, the others then see that we have this, and how will they benefit from what we do in that regard. For example, I worked on supply chain and other professors saw that I project strong expertise in this field, and that some subjects could be linked across disciplinaries. We then form a better research team and work together to solve complex research problems in all dimensions.

Team of students from the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University, consisting of Kirakorn Klomrit, 4th year student majoring in Accounting, Nutruja Wainipitpongse, 4th year student majoring in Accounting, and Boonya-orn Chanthamanee, 4th year student majoring in Accounting, won the first prize among 125 teams from 66 institutions across the country in the 9th national accounting quiz competition of the year 2023, or “Thailand Accounting Challenge 2023”, and received a trophy from the President of the Federation of Accounting Professions, a plaque, and a scholarship of 50,000 Thai baht organized by the Federation of Accounting Professions in the Royal Patronage at Emeritus Professor Kesree Narongdej Seminar Training Center, 6th Floor, Federation of Accounting Professions Building, Sukhumvit 21 Road (Asoke), Bangkok.

Kirakorn Klomrit revealed that the team knew about this competition from the public relations channel in MS Teams of the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University, and announcement from the lecturers as well. Thailand Accounting Challenge or TAC is a competition organized by the Federation of Accounting Professions. It is about answering questions or quiz related to the accounting profession. The nature of the competition is exam-like with multiple choice questions and time limits for completing each question in which the contents of the competition consisted of 6 topics: financial accounting, cost accounting and managerial accounting, auditing, taxation, accounting information systems, ethics and laws related to the accounting profession which compete as a team of 3 people and help each other think about each question. The competition is divided into 3 rounds, with rounds 1 and 2 being qualifying rounds to select the number of teams to about 30 teams out of more than one hundred teams go to the finals in Round 3.

Natruja Wainipitpongse said that for the preparation, the lecturers would arrange sessions to review knowledge, or that is, provide tutoring for all students who participate in the competition. There were many lecturers who come to tutor during the out-of-class time including creating a group for students to ask questions at any time. In addition to the tutoring prepared by the lecturers, each student had to read the textbooks of the subjects they had studied since they were in the first year to review their own knowledge and download documents such as professional standards or manuals explaining various standards from the Federation of Accounting Professions website to read and understand thoroughly as well because the content learned in the classroom alone may not be enough. By taking time off from studying and working in each subject to study and read books. In addition to reading books, there will be practice exercises, both questions that have been done in the classroom and old exams that have been used in previous years’ competitions and when the day of the competition was approaching, the lecturer would arrange a simulated test like the actual competition day to see whether we are ready or not to join the competition, or is there anything that needs to be improved or further reviewed.

Boonya-orn Chanthamanee added that the main obstacle encountered by the team prior to the competition was boredom as when we read books for a long time, we could be bored and did not wish to continue reading. Another hurdle was the time constraint as we only had a few months to prepare while having to study and work for various subjects as well, which also makes it even more difficult to organize the time for reading for the competition.

As for the obstacles the team encountered during the competition, there were time constraints and some problems that were quite long or even took up a whole page, but only given a few minutes to think, causing confusion. Also, there were times we skipped important information.

“The reason behind winning the first prize is thought to be due to the well-taught knowledge from the lecturer which has been accumulated since the first year, making us understand the idea and content of accounting since started studying the subjects. This includes trying to constantly review the content and find more knowledge outside the textbook, such as the website of the Federation of Accounting Professions to the good support from many lecturers and cooperation between the good team members, allowing each other to think, share, and help filling in certain content that some may not know about or neglect as team competition, every member will have to work together to think and that an individual member cannot remember all the contents to oneself for the competition.

After receiving the award, I am very glad that our effort in reading books has made this achievement possible and I am as well proud to be able to build a reputation for team advisors including other professors as well as the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy and Thammasat University as well.”Kirakorn concluded.

In addition, students from the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University consists of Puntila Lertchakorn, Panpanat Sereesuwankit and Adirut Trakanmaneerat received an Honorable Mention award and a scholarship of 10,000 Thai baht.