Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology
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Template:Infobox University2 Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (Thai สถาบันเทคโนโลยีนานาชาติสิรินธร) (SIIT) is an autonomous institute of technology established in 1992 within Thammasat University. It is located in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Known as one of the premier research universities in Thailand, it offers a range of science, technology and engineering education, as well as related management programs. All of them are international programs, with English language as a medium of instructions. The institute is part of the LAOTSE network, an international cooperation of leading universities in Europe and Asia.
Although it is an academic unit of Thammasat University, and graduates of the institute receive Thammasat University degrees, the institute is self-administered and financed (this is more or less like a 'Deemed University' in India.)
Campuses
Operations of SIIT are carried out at two locations, Thammasat University's Rangsit Center and Bangkadi. Both in Pathum Thani, which surrounded with many national research centers, high-tech industrial parks, universities, as well as Thailand Science Park and National Science Museum. The area is now known as the "Technology Cluster of North Bangkok".
Rangsit Campus
The Rangsit Campus is situated in the TU's Rangsit Center, approximately 42 kilometers north of Bangkok, just next to the Asian Institute of Technology and Thailand Science Park. The center served as the main host for the 13th Asian Games in 1998.
Bangkadi Campus
Located in Bangkadi Industrial Park, the Bangkadi Campus is about 15 kilometers away southeast from the Rangsit Campus. The information technology program moved to this facility in June 2002. The management technology, instrumentation and control systems, and the telecommunications programs also moved to Bangkadi in May 2003. It also houses all new ICT-related programs, for example, a computer science program. In late 2004, the new building Sirindhralai (Thai: สิรินธราลัย), named after Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, has been openned to accommodate the telecommunications, instrumentation and control systems, and mechatronics programs.
History
During the 9th Japan-Thailand Joint Trade and Economic Committee Meeting held in Kobe, Japan in 1989, all of the delegates from the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) realized that in order to enhance industrial development of Thailand, engineers with working knowledge of English are needed. Therefore, it was recommended that engineering programs, where all lecture and laboratory courses would be taught in English by highly qualified faculty members with doctoral degrees, be established.
A cooperation agreement among Keidanren, FTI, and Thammasat University was reached in 1992 to establish bachelor degree programs in engineering at Thammasat University with initial funds provided by Keidanren and FTI. After two years of operation, the "International Institute of Technology (IIT)" was founded on September 16, 1994. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the Cornerstone Laying Ceremony of a new building at the Rangsit Center of Thammasat University using part of the initial fund. Then, on June 28, 1996, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand graciously granted the Institute a new name, "Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT)." On October 2, 1997, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology's Inauguration Ceremony of its name and building. In June 2001, the former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun inaugurated a new campus at Bangkadi Industrial Park.
Administration and Financial
Although it is a unit of Thammasat University, SIIT is financially and administratively separate from the central university system. SIIT's policies and operations are guided and supervised by the Board of Trustees which consists of representatives from Thammasat University, FTI, Nippon Keidanren, and scholars appointed by the university. In addition, the Academic Review Committee (ARC) comprising reputable scholars in various fields provides guidance and recommendations on academic and research matters. The Institute, headed by the Director, consists of four administrative divisions, a library and information services center, and six academic schools, with fifteen academic programs.
For its financial, as the instiute is an autonomous (semi-private) body of Thammasat University, it gets no funding from the state, thus needs to find and manage its own income and spending. To starts its operation, the institute got initial funds from Keidanren and FTI. Parts of funding are grants from international organizations like Asian Development Bank, locals like industries and the Thailand Research Fund, and individual contributions. The rest of funding is from tuition fees, which is arguably high comparing to other state-funded academic institutes.
Without explicit financial subsidization from the state, the higher than national average tuition fees causes some problems for the institute to find students with a very high National University Entrance Examination scores, since those students may not be able to afford the fees. While scholarship programs do help attract a lot of bright students, its average entrance score is still relatively low comparing to other leading science and engineering programs in the country – which quite affects the image of the institute in the eyes of Thais.
Academics
SIIT offers undergraduate and graduate programs (master and doctoral levels) leading to the Bachelor of Engineering (BEng), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Master of Science (MSc), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in the following areas:
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Cooperations
The Institute enjoys a strong link with many universities, remarkably with its neighbor Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and a group of Japanese universities and research centers, as well as a network of European universities such as DAAD International Quality Network (IQN) program and LAOTSE network. Locally, a remarkable collaborative network is the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, a group of leading Thai universities in environmental and energy technology area.
The Institute has established both faculty member and student exchange programs, as well as internship programs, with a number of universities and organizations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. These programs allow faculty members to collaborate with their counterparts in research projects as well as students to have an opportunity to take engineering courses at these universities. Additionally, qualified foreign professors are invited to visit and conduct courses at SIIT regularly.
From their proximity location, SIIT, Thammasat University, AIT, Thailand Science Park, and research centers of Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), share some of their facilities, including libraries and laboratories, with each other. In 1998, the Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (TGIST) has been established by NSTDA to further strengthen its collaborations with academics and industries, SIIT is among three major academic institutes in TGIST's "Thailand Science Park Collaboration".
Contacts
- Rangsit Campus contact list (http://www.siit.tu.ac.th/text/phones.html)
- Bangkadi Campus contact list (http://www.siit.tu.ac.th/text/phoneb.html)
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See Also
- Education in Thailand
- List of universities in Thailand
- Thammasat University
- Nihon Keidanren
- Federation of Thai Industries
- Pathum Thani : A Province of Education and Technology
References
- Nishino, Fumio and Taweep Chaisomphob, 1997, A New Challenge for the Establishment of Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology at Thammasat University, Thailand (http://www3.grips.ac.jp/~nishino/fumio/GeneralPublication/GP-97.pdf), Inauguration of the Institute's New Name 'Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology', Commemorative publication, pp.18-24.
External Links
Institute Websites
- SIIT official website (http://www.siit.tu.ac.th/)
- SIIT International Office (http://www.siit.tu.ac.th/) for all international affairs including training, student exchange (in-bound/out-bound), visiting faculty, and scholarships
- Research Groups
- Ergonomics and Safety Solutions Group (http://www.siit.tu.ac.th/ergonomics)
- Knowledge Information & Data Management Laboratory (http://kind.siit.tu.ac.th)
- A New Software for 5-Axis Machining, Optimization, Simulation, and Verification Project (http://www.siit.tu.ac.th/5axis)
- Mobile Soccer Robot Group (RoboCup) (http://it.siit.tu.ac.th/robocup/)
In the News
- Back to the drawing board (http://www.cs.tufts.edu/~sanpawat/bkkpost1.html) (Bangkok Post, 1999) -- about engineering/technology education/research in Thailand
- 诗琳通国际科技学院 (http://www.studytothailand.com/siit/siit.asp) (in Chinese) (StudyToThailand.com)
- Engineering & Technology Education in Thailand (http://www.transworldeducation.com/articles/thailand2.htm) (TransWorldEducation.com)
- SIIT สถาบันการศึกษาของเด็กไทยหัวใจอินเตอร์ (http://www.manager.co.th/QOL/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9480000023186) (in Thai) (Manager Online, 16 Feb 2005)
- Sandhya Babel answers a few questions about this month's fast breaking paper in field of Engineering. (http://esi-topics.com/fbp/2004/december04-SandhyaBabel.html) (ISI Essential Science Indicators, December 2004)
Others
- SIIT Network (http://siit.net/) — Online community
- SIIT World (http://siit.net/world/) — SIIT alumni around the world
- Nerves (http://siit.net/nerves/) — A Wiki for anything about SIIT and its people
- SIIT websites listing in Open Directory (http://dmoz.org/Reference/Education/Colleges_and_Universities/Asia/Thailand/Pathum_Thani/Sirindhorn_International_Institute_of_Technology/) (dmoz.org)de:Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology
fr:Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology ja:シリントーン国際工学部 simple:Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology th:สถาบันเทคโนโลยีนานาชาติสิรินธร มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์