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Tag: Thailand

Thammasat students draw “BLOCKCHAIN” to check voting transparency

Posted on by Thammasat University

Thammasat University students, the Pro-Tech team consists of Mr. Teeradon Pakalak, a 4th-year student from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT). Ms. Sirintra Ngamviriyapong, a 4th-year student from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Mr. Nattapong Wongthaveethong, a 4th-year student from the Faculty of Political Science, and Mr. Akkarachai Jintanakarn, a 2nd-year student from the Faculty of Liberal Arts, was award-winning with a technology certificate from the Hackathon Competition: Smart Voter Application (Application for quality voting) organized by King Prajadhipok’s Institute, with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orathai Kokphon, Deputy Secretary-General of King Prajadhipok’s Institute to present the award and congratulate the youngster’s Student at Thammasat University.

Mr. Teeradon Paklak said that the Hackathon: Smart Voter Application is organized to design and create voting applications by using innovations to encourage and assist voters in making decisions about the use of their own voices, facilitating and supporting voters’ access to decision-making information and further develop the body of knowledge in democratic innovation including creating public participation to reach all target groups.

Mr. Nattapong Wongthaveethong added that together, we brainstormed to create this Smart Vote app, our app is transparent and accurate as it is the first voting app that uses the Blockchain system to help verify the transparency of the voting system, including checking the identity of the people who have the right to vote against corruption or omissions. We are more advanced than other applications with the community system for posting topics and issues that require additional information or comments. This is a space to gather experts and people involved in the issue to discuss and share ideas. On top of that, data is also processed through a CIPP evaluation tool, indicating that our app is newer and more reliable than others with interesting technology and promising ideas to develop an applicable electoral system for our country.

Miss Sirintra Ngamviriyapong revealed that in the future, if we have the opportunity to develop and extend innovations from this idea further, we would like to further our work by collaborating with King Prajadhipok’s Institute to start implementing our innovations on a small scale first, such as student council elections. Then, in the future, we expect that this application will be able to extend to the national and international level to address the issue of the electoral systems that are not able to reflect the needs of people, for example, we want to create a community to provide a way to safely and transparently reflect people’s needs that can be monitored more efficiently.

“We are very proud to know that we have won this competition because it is the first-time championship for all of our team members and that it is regarded as an important initial step in proving our abilities which motivates us to work harder than ever. This competition has helped us bring out a lot of our potential. We learned a lot from the mentors and that they helped us develop and expose ourselves to the real world of work. And finally, the friendship that arises after the victory of the competition makes us closer, the relationship developed that can’t be found anywhere else,” concluded Mr. Akarachai Jintanakarn.

Thammasat students awarded in ‘TikTok Challenge’ at AUBCC 2021

Posted on by Thammasat University

With the recent international competition, the Australian Undergraduate Business Case Competition 2021 (AUBCC 2021) organized by the University of New South Wales, Australia, which has 16 teams from 9 countries participating in the competition, namely Australia, USA, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Serbia, Hungary, Ireland, and Thailand. The Little Ripper team from BBA Thammasat, the only representative from Thailand was able to win the second runner-up award and is the winner of the Tiktok Challenge. In addition, Ms. Nuerprae Duangsri, one of the team members, also receives the Best Speaker award.

The Little Ripper team which has built a reputation for Thailand is a gathering of 4th-year students from the International Business Administration Program, Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University which consists of Ms. Nuerprae, Accounting Major, Ms. Nanticha Jiratphikanpong, Accounting Major, Ms. Sarita Wiphasdamrongkul, Accounting Major, and Ms. Manipha Mahathanakorn, Finance Major.

This competition is divided into 2 sub-competitions: 1. Short-term case, offering ideas that will enhance corporate culture in the new era of work, ‘Future of Work’, in 3 hours within 3 PowerPoint slides; 2. Long-term case on how will the TikTok platform expand its user base and acceptance while benefiting both TikTok and Australia, having 12 hours to solve the challenge.

However, this competition uses the method of collecting points from each round. The teams with the highest total points in each division will advance to the final round using the long-term cases to present.

Ms. Nuerprae said that the specialty of the AUBCC 2021 competition in addition to organizing via the online platform as the consequences to the COVID-19 situation, is that the competition also focuses on fostering change through innovation or the fact of becoming more innovative. This year’s challenge is on how to make the TikTok platform in Australia gain more users. The Little Ripper team found that TikTok is not just for entertainment but also is a general knowledge-providing platform. Therefore, this issue is taken as a selling point that will attract new generations to use the application more.

“We didn’t have much time to prepare, therefore we had to practice hard every day, having clearly divided duties for each of us and set all the rehearsal schedules. The crucial thing is to look back at the old matches of this competition, and another part is the division of duty to find relevant information about Australia to develop a strategy that meets the needs of the Australian market,” said Ms. Nuerprae.

She said that she was very happy to receive the award from the competition because she felt that all the intentions including the acquired presentation experiences were really useful. However, the most joyful feeling is that the name of Thammasat University has had the opportunity to be on the prize-giving screen 3 times, winning the second-runner up for the Best Speaker award and the TikTok Challenge. Being on the top rank allows people to get to know our university better.

Thammasat University’s Rector discusses the impact of COVID-19 on education at the annual EFMD Board Meeting

Posted on by Thammasat University

On October 3rd, Rector Gasinee Witoonchart, Thammasat University,  was welcomed by the EFMD Board of Trustees as the new board member at the annual EFMD board meeting. On the agenda were discussions on the impacts of COVID-19 on business education.

As the only representative from Thailand, Rector Gasinee shared how Thai universities are developing online platforms to ensure high-quality knowledge delivery.

“Virtual international exchanges and short programs represent remedies to curb declined mobility due to travel restrictions,” she said.

EFMD discussed how joint PhD programs are an avenue for future collaboration models in business education. In this regard, EFMD will be establishing a central platform for partners to join in grooming future business researchers. Although exchange agreements serve as an initial mean to internationalize institutions, dual degree and joint degree programs will bring partnerships to a whole new level.

On November 22nd, Thammasat University and EFMD will be holding the Thammasat & EFMD Seminars on Partnerships for SDGs where participants include top management from over 50 business schools in the ASEAN region and Southern China. This event will showcase how long-lasting collaborations among academic institutions and corporates promote sustainable learning models to achieve SDGs.

Chula researcher’s low-level laser therapy to end hereditary hair loss with promised results in six months

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

A world-renowned hair loss expert from Chulalongkorn University has discovered that low-level laser treatment can stimulate hair follicles and hair growth. Guaranteed by a world-class award, this treatment for thinning hair and hair loss can deliver results in 24 weeks.

Thinning hair, hair loss, and baldness can sabotage the self-confidence and quality of life of people of all genders and ages. Those who suffer these problems struggle to find the right treatments, like changing shampoos, cutting their hair short, taking supplements, avoiding using chemicals on the scalp, etc., to no avail.  One of the reasons for the failure is not tackling the problem at its root cause, especially in the case of genetic hair thinning, and hair loss.

Assoc. Prof. Ratchathorn Panchaprateep, M.D., Head of the Hair and Scalp Center, Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society and lecturer of the Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, in her research on “Proteomic Analysis in Derma Papilla from Male Androgenetic Alopecia after Treatment with Low-Level Laser Therapy” that received an award from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) proves that the use of low-level laser therapy can stimulate the scalp and hair growth in 24 weeks.

                                                    

                                                        Assoc. Prof. Ratchathorn Panchaprateep, M.D.

“This low-level laser therapy is suitable for patients with an early stage of hair loss i.e. with mild to moderate symptoms, but not suitable for those in an advanced stage, or already have baldness.  Patients should undergo the therapy continuously at least 5 – 10 times, every two weeks. They will start to see the result after the 5th treatment. Clearer results can be seen after three months. Patients will have new growth of stronger hair,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ratchathorn said.

This is the first research in Asia to confirm the efficacy of low-level laser therapy for genetic hair loss, making Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ratchathorn the first Thai female doctor to win the highest Platinum Follicle Award 2019 from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) for her professional excellence and research on hair.

“Even though genetic hair loss cannot be cured, the current treatment can extend the hair’s life and scalp health. Most important is to keep your body strong with a healthy diet especially protein, get enough sleep and avoid stress,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ratchathorn concluded.

Thammasat University lecturer discovers a new plant species

Posted on by Thammasat University

A name has been initiated and a botanical description has been written in accordance with the international rules for determining the scientific name of plants (ICN) by Dr Thiwthawat Napiroon, Lecturer in the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University with Mr Arun Sinbumroong, Forestry Technical Officer, Professional Level, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and Mr. Manop Phuphat, Forestry Technical Officer, Professional Level, Office of the Forest Herbarium, Department of National Parks.

“Cute Star Flower” has the scientific name Lasianthus ranongensis Sinbumroong & Napiroon, which was named in honour of Ranong Province, the area where it was first discovered, and the study team. It has been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Plant Biology PeerJ (Plant biology section), where part of the research was supported by the cooperation in the Flora of Thailand project.

Dr. Thiwthawat Napiroon, Lecturer in the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University who examined the genetics of this plant, said that from researching scientific evidence, this plant had never been reported or discovered before. It has been first discovered here in Thailand, in a tropical rainforest of the Andaman Sea at Namtok Ngao National Park, Ranong Province.

“The time of collecting this plant was right at its flowering period of around this April to May, using the laboratory of the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University. It took about a month to prove all of the plant genetic identification,” said Dr Thiwthawat.

Cute Star Flower is one of the members of the Lasianthus Jack genus. Various Rubiaceae species within this genus are wild medicinal plants that are rich in important phytochemicals such as scopoletin of a high amount. From the number of petals according to plant biology or botany, the number of petals is not within the range of 4-5 petals or is a multiple of that number according to the common dicotyledon, but appearing in the tropical forests of Thailand.

With the characteristics of the reproductive organs that are different from neighbouring species within the same genus, including other plant components; such as leaf morphology, monofilament-like strings corolla surface covering, beaded calyx, calyx, auricle morphology, etc. These traits are genetically controlled and they vividly indicate the uniqueness of a species in evolutionary biology and botany.

“I have discussed with the Department of National Park on the ongoing research and Namtok Ngao National Park in relation to the application of plant biotechnology or tissue culture to increase the number of plants in equilibrium or reduce the risk of disappearance which will be made into an area-specific model to keep plants in an environment where they can settle and later increase the chance of survival. In other areas, if the environment is suitable or similar to what was discovered, there is a chance to be found as well,” said Dr Thiwthawat.

Currently, it is kept at the Office of the Forest Herbarium, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (Forest Herbarium-BKF), Bangkok. The study of the preserved prototypes of the flower is available, including the dried samples of the staff specimens.

Thammasat University partners with ALT to develop smart city model

Posted on by Thammasat University

The Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University, joined with ALT in organizing academic cooperation to develop model areas or smart technologies aimed at creating a model area for environments and smart buildings in addition to granting smart city innovation research funds for building up to real application at the community level and leading to smart city development in the future.

Assoc. Prof. Asan Suwannarit, Dean, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University, stated, “In cooperating with ALT Telecom Public Company Limited to organize academic cooperation projects to develop model areas and smart technologies, ALT supplied the Modular Data Center developed by ALT along with installing equipment and information in the area of innovations, telecommunications and smart communication networks. The project is now complete and ready for use.”

“The goal of the research is to have a model of an innovation that can create impact in the future for buildings, communities, neighbourhoods or cities. All three topics of the research may be inventions or innovations in terms of systems and services needed for use in real situations. These innovations are scalable and can be developed for use in business to meet the smart city goals of ALT and the government sector in the future”, said Assoc. Prof. Asan.

Mr Prin Chakrit, Director of Business Development, ALT Telecom Public Company Limited or ALT revealed that the company is working with the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University, in an academic cooperative project to develop model areas and smart technologies with the aim of researching and developing the area of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning as a model area for the environment and smart buildings.

This cooperation will create a proper research and learning environment for students and academics along with combining real practice and the ability to design and develop technologies in the fields of industry, technology and commerce to develop smart city models in the future.

“The company is cooperating with the Faculty to select research on innovations related to smart city research. The company will then use the research to develop and work in the area of the Company’s innovations and technology to meet the needs of agencies in the public and private sectors,” added Mr Prin.

Chula’s newest school becomes Thailand’s first educational institute to achieve ISO 56002 certification

Posted on by bajinderscii

Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation (ScII) has achieved the prestigious ISO 56002 Certification, the first institution to do so in Thailand and perhaps the whole region. ISO’s elusive certification effectively recognizes our Innovation Management system along with the practices introduced by ScII, of which the Bachelor’s Degree of Arts and Science in Integrated Innovation (BAScii) has been the talk of the town since its inception three years ago as an academy for the future.

ScII was officially conferred this status on October 23, 2021, when Ms. Punnee Angsusingha, President of the Management System Certification Institute (MASCI), handed over the ISO 56002–2019 certificate to Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Executive Director of ScII at a ceremony witnessed by Professor Bundhit Eua-arporn, President of Chulalongkorn University.

“The ISO aligns flawlessly with our recently established School of Integrated Innovation as it sees a gap in the current education system and aims to be disruptive towards the traditional categories of disciplines by availing itself of its professors’ expertise and creativity and constantly seeking the attainment of collaborative partnerships with the growing community of ScII industry Partners,” Prof. Bundhit noted. “The ISO certificate recognizes the School’s accomplishment in fulfilling the requisite measures and acknowledges that we have progressed in the right direction, with the right approach and the right people,” he added.

Tracing ScII’s Journey to Achieving ISO 56002 Certification, Professor Worsak said: “ScII deployed five strategies to achieve this goal: creating market-ready innovations, focusing on digital technology and entrepreneurship as the core areas of its curriculum, equipping students with 21st-century skills, emphasizing internationality, and creating an open-platform ecosystem for collaborations.

An evaluation of our Information Management began more than a year ago, with the first evaluation being conducted in June 2020. Following this was the development of a Document Management System, culminating in its implementation in November 2021. The audit process began in December 2020 and concluded with verification by MASCI and finally the official award of the ISO 56002– 2019 certificate on 6th October 2021.

Dr. Natcha Thawesaengskulthai, Vice President for Strategic Planning, Innovation and Global Engagement at Chulalongkorn University, and Associate Professor Damron Thawesaengkulthai, who advised ScII during the entire ISO process attended the ceremony along with ScII staff and representatives of MASCI.

Despite this success, ScII’s certification does not mean that its activities have been limited to the Innovation Management System since it also encompasses quality management, risk management, auditing management, and a collaboration with the Chulalongkorn University Intellectual Property Institute.

“Its success in achieving this landmark can be attributed in part to the fact that ScII focuses on providing its students with entrepreneurial mindsets and innovation development skills as well as digital and technological knowledge,” said Dr. Ronnakorn Vaiyavuth and Dr. Pakjira Leelertphan, who together managed the process on behalf of ScII.

“By establishing an innovation management system in accordance with ISO 56002–2019, ScII has demonstrated to its stakeholders that it has implemented a strategy for its sustainable long-term growth through innovation,” Prof. Worsak said.

“By implementing this innovative management system, the School aims to achieve its goals in line with the University’s slogan Innovations for Society,” he added.

Chula and NSTDA collaborate to combat plagiarism in research works

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University has signed an academic agreement with NSTDA to share databases of the plagiarism check programs, Akkaravisut and the CopyCatch, to enhance duplication detection and prevent plagiarism of national research works.

Representatives of Chulalongkorn University, the Graduate School of Chulalongkorn University, and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)  signed the memorandum of understanding on “Plagiarism Check for Research Works (Akkharawisut program and CopyCatch program)”, at the Chaloem Rajakumari 60th Birthday Building,

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thammanoon Nuchak, Dean of the Graduate School of Chulalongkorn University, mentioned that Chulalongkorn University has developed the Akkaravisut program and provided access to educational institutions, government sectors and state enterprises. The program can be used to check plagiarism for research work free of charge. From 2014 until now, more than 150 educational agencies have collaborated with Chula Akkarawisut to share plagiarism check databases for thesis, journals, and articles.

The academic collaboration will also help build a network of cooperation between institutions that develop plagiarism check programs, strengthening academics and detect duplication of research articles.

Prof. Prasit Palittapongarnpim, Acting Deputy Director of the National Science and Technology Development Agency, said that NSTDA recognizes the importance of promoting awareness about plagiarism. In Thailand, Chula’s Akkharavisut program is currently the main program used to detect plagiarism. Since NSTDA’s CopyCatch program was developed at around the same time and thanks to advancement in technology, it is possible to link the two programs’ databases for plagiarism checks.  This academic collaboration is a good example of how databases can be linked for better use, Prof. Prasit concluded.

Thammasat University tops in Thailand in the QS Graduate Employability Ranking 2022

Posted on by Editorial Team

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released the official QS Graduate Employability Ranking of the year 2022 on September 23. Thammasat University (TU) is ranked as the top educational institution in Thailand and the third in ASEAN. Globally, Thammasat University is ranked within the 141-150 ranking group, moving higher than the previous year from the ranking group of 171-180.

Associate Professor Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector of Thammasat University (TU) revealed that in 2022, QS evaluated more than 650 institutions and published 550, with 70 new
entries. TU climbed to a higher position as a result of the achievement of 5 indicators: Employer Reputation;  Alumni Outcomes; Employers-student Connections; Cooperation of Partnerships with Employers; and Graduate Employment Rate.

Associate Professor Gasinee said,” TU ranked as the number one university in Thailand and the third in ASEAN is the result of the progress in three important areas, reflected through the score that has been greatly increased – the reputation of the university from the employer, the score increased from 23.1 in 2020 to 29.1 in 2022; Alumni Achievements, the score climbed up from 75.7 in 2020 to 81 in 2022; and University partnerships with employers, in which the score increased from 9.5 in 2020 to 19.2 in 2022.”

“Comparing the rankings three years back, it is found that Thammasat has received better scores in all dimensions, reflecting the quality of the university in the academic aspect which is not only excellent in academics but also gives its importance to serving society and people, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic, I am certain that next year we will be ranked in an even better position, and will boost the reputation and recognition of Thailand on the world stage,” Associate Professor Gasinee said.

Thammasat University approves regulations to allow students to dress according to their gender identities

Posted on by Thammasat University

The University Council approved Thammasat University‘s regulation concerning student dress code and uniforms for 2021, whereby additions were made to Clause 9 concerning dressing in student uniforms to allow students to dress according to either their birth sex or gender identity.

“We are communicating to society that we are giving importance to non-discrimination and think that this should be made into law because we want equal protection for everyone, regardless of gender, and we hope that this will be a beginning that communicates to society that this issue should be made normal, that anybody should be able to dress however they want and that their decisions need to be respected for so long as they abide by the same rules and that is by dressing politely and appropriately for their settings,” Associate Professor Dr Adisorn Chansuk said.

Dr Adisorn Chansuk said that previous rules were just practice guidelines and not strictly regulations. As they become regulations and are published in the Royal Government Gazette pursuant to the Act for the university, these regulations will become law within the university, which means everyone will be required to comply.

As for previous content, the rules did not mention anything about permitting students to dress according to their genders. This issue was brought up last year when an announcement of the chancellor gave permission to students to act according to their gender identities and to be able to take their graduation pictures wearing their graduation gowns.

This was last year, but before that, there were students who dressed according to their gender identities. This is because the actual dress codes never required them to only dress according to their sex.

However, because there were no specifications, if students wanted to dress a certain way, it was up to them but their teachers could still require them to dress according to their birth sex. Before the announcement of the chancellor made last year granting permission, if a student wanted to cross-dress, the student would have to go and ask for a hospital to issue a certificate for the student. It was a way of asking them to seek a certification process.

So, this became an issue that depended only on the chancellor’s announcement.  Whenever executives change, announcements might be made to require students to go back to dressing according to their birth genders (depending on management policies).

However, the upgrading of rules to legal regulations, regardless of which executives are in charge, means that students’ right to express themselves and to dress freely according to their intentions will remain protected.

As for Thammasat University’s project to support and engage in the issue of gender equality, there are large numbers of students currently pushing on this issue. For example, the TU Changemaker project, which is supported by UN Women, last year organized an event about gender equality to raise awareness on this issue within and outside the university. Students also gave away sanitary napkins for free to female university students. All of these activities are related to promoting gender equality, which is something the university has always prioritized.