Tag: Thammasat University

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.

Thammasat University Council has resolved to expand educational opportunities to the region at the Lampang Campus in the year 1996, with the curriculum at the bachelor’s degree, academic service to society and the preservation of arts and culture, responding to the needs of communities in the northern region of Thailand.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supreeya Kaewla-iad, Vice Rector for Lampang Campus Administration and Law, Thammasat University said that over the past 30 years, Thammasat University, Lampang Campus, has developed in terms of physical, academic, social services, and network cooperation. This is in line with the strategy of Thammasat University and the goal of establishing Thammasat University, Lampang Campus, which is a university with academic excellence that meets the needs of communities and society.

Physical Development

Thammasat University, Lampang Campus places importance on the safety of its students and personnel as the number one priority. The University improves both the electricity and lighting systems as well as the security system, including building a strong fence along the perimeter of the campus, installing additional closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) in the area in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law, and improving buildings, premises, and equipment to be well-maintained.

In addition, in terms of transportation, the university has developed a transportation system that connect on campus students to other living areas by purchasing golf carts and electric trams to provide shuttle service for students and personnel which as well constructed a BUS STOP service point along the service route within the university.

Academic Development

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supreeya said that an important goal is to become a multidisciplinary education center which is the highlight of Thammasat University, Lampang Campus, because in today’s world, solving any problem cannot be solved by one discipline. Therefore, we try our best to promote academics as a combination of various disciplines.

There are projects that demonstrate academic development, for example, a learning exchange program through the Can We Talk? Project. It is an academic promotion project by organizing academic seminars in an online format and a national academic conference project, “Innovation in Education and Research for sustainable development in the future” with academic presentations, academic panel discussions, and eye health check-ups and eye measurements services along with providing eyeglasses to the public by a team of ophthalmologists from Thammasat Hospital, etc.

Social Services Development

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supreeya stated that Thammasat University, Lampang Campus attaches great importance to the development of social services. It can be seen from the organization of various projects that meet the needs of the community. For example, the Integrated Sub-district Economic and Social Enhancement Project, or U2T, currently Thammasat University, Lampang Campus works in 48 sub-districts, creating employment for more than 960 people by working with government, private sector and people in each area in bringing knowledge, technology and innovation and help improve the economy and society in the sub-district.

Apart from that, there is also a project to develop the potential of community product entrepreneurs to the online market. It is a training project to educate both theoretical and practical knowledge in order to develop the potential of community product entrepreneurs to gain knowledge and understanding of online marketing. Thammasat University, Lampang Campus has supported community products by creating the TU to share online shop platform as a distribution channel for community products and souvenirs.

There is also a project to improve the community museum. Thammasat University, Lampang Campus has renovated the Wat Pongsanook Nuea Museum and Wat Phra That Sadet Museum into a learning center for history, ancient sites, antiquities, which are local Lanna cultural heritages, enabling future generations to continue disseminating knowledge of local cultural history.

Cooperation Networks Development

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supreeya said that we have an important cooperation network, which is a network of cooperation with alumnis by sending off e-Newsletters on a regular basis for alumni to get to know the possibilities of the university and get involved through various projects such as fundraising and volunteer programs for community development. It also establishes a network of partnerships with government, private organizations and relevant civil society in which the university has arranged to discuss cooperation projects to gather the strengths of each party and exchange through projects such as trainings, internship programs, etc.

Atthaphon Meephan, a 3rd year student majoring in textiles design, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Thammasat University received the first prize in the silk pattern design contest with the work “Thong Rai, Thong Na (Paddy Fields)” from The 4th Next Big Silk Designer Contest organized by the Association of Thai Silk and Culture Promotion that presents creative aesthetic through practical design, extending into business and as well encourage people to wear more Thai fabrics. It also promotes Thai fabric entrepreneurs to remain and grow sustainably. The submitted works must have a blend of applied design harmoniously and beautifully, and with contemporary Thai identity. This contest is opened to students from both public and private institutions nationwide, and is honoured by a panel of experts and famous designers of Thailand as judges.

Atthaphon Meephan revealed that the process of designing the fabric pattern of the work “Paddy Fields” started from searching for photos that match his main inspiration. After that, he began sketching the shape that he was interested in from all the information gathered, then reduce the shapes into a graphic pattern and bring each part of the shapes to create a pattern template. After obtaining the pattern template, the pattern template was then stitched together by aligning, reversing, alternating, or constantly rotating, etc., then choose to use local varieties of Thai silk from Sisaket Province that is, a thin silk thread. This type of silk is selected because the thread is smooth and glossy, making the fabric weaved out light and shiny.

Atthaphon said that this work was inspired by the agricultural work of the farmers, namely terrace rice planting in the northern region. Therefore, the rectangular shape of the rice fields is stacked in layers, blended with the curving mountain paths which then refined to become a new pattern that is more contemporary. The yellow colour of the paddy grains is used as a reminiscence of abundance. Then bolden up using brown and black colour of minerals in the soil on the mountains which give a sense of strength and durability, therefore becoming a fabric that reflects the power of the strength of agriculture that continues to create fertility at all time.

In the future, this fabric pattern will be used in production by the local communities in order to generate and distribute income to the local people and use the fabrics to various design products such as bags which may matched together with other materials such as leather, canvas, or making costumes, etc.

“The reason behind the judges’ preference and decision for us to be the winning team is probably the use of contrasting shades which make the canvas more dimensional, and that the shape of the pattern has been refined to be more contemporary and not overly complicated. By winning the prize, I feel happy as it is one of the opportunities that allow us to create works and present to everyone. It makes us learn more things such as task planning, time allocation and errors that occur during the progress, and further use it to develop other works to be better in the future.”Atthaphon concluded.

In addition, other students from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Thammasat University namely, Punyawee Chantorn, 3rd year student majoring in fashion design with the work title: “Mother’ Forest” won the second runner-up award for Thai Silk Dress Design Contest, named and Panuwat Chansiri, 3rd year student majoring in fashion design with the work title: ‘Thai Fighting Fish’ won the honorable mention award for Thai Silk Dress Design Contest from the same project as well.