MSU HONOURED TO HOST REPUBLIC OF KOREA EMBASSY OFFICIALS

On July 27 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito and Vice President for Planning and International Relations Dr. Nathanon Trachoo welcomed representatives of the Bangkok Embassy of the Republic of Korea.

Charge d'affaires Embassy Minister Mr. Park Wom-sup and Counsellor Mr. Kwon Sun-chil paid a courtesy call to MSU and had discussions over educational matters during a luncheon held in their honour at the MSU Staff Club building.

MSU pro-actively engages in educational collaboration with ASEAN nations and are honoured to host such distinguished guests. Mahasarakham University has many students enrolled in its Korean Studies Center where they gain Korean language and culture skills. 

MSU RUBBER PLANTATION PROJECT

On July 23 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito opened the Faculty of Technology rubber tree plantation project. Growing rubber trees is gaining popularity in the north east of Thailand.

The rubber tree plantation project is located on twenty acres of land devoted to agricultural technology to the north east of the main campus.

MSU Faculty of Technology will now be conducting training, educational courses  and research on natural rubber sustainability. The plantation project is part of the teaching program of Department of Agriculture.

The training program is also inclusive of local communities.  

PERFECT SETTING FOR TRADITIONAL LEARNING

On July 22 a new cultural and social sharing program was introduced by the MSU Museum. Every Friday at 11 am at the MSU Historical Village Museum students, staff and the general public are invited to come along to a place where they can sit down and informally chat with elders.

The aim is to share wisdom in a traditional way with participants meeting together and speaking with their elders to gain knowledge and wisdom. The weekly sessions will include subjects such as traditional food preparation, astrology, Thai massage and knowledge of herbs. There will also be plays and music performed at various times.

The program provides an opportunity for all participants to share in and learn traditional wisdom in a traditional way. Naturally no meetings such as these would be complete without the sharing of traditional Isan foods such as som tam, sticky rice and lotus seeds while speaking together.

The Mahasarakham Historical Village has full size traditional Isan houses and is a perfect setting in which to host such a program. Anybody living in Mahasarakham interested in attending can make contact through the comments section at the bottom of this post.

SILK INNOVATION CENTER LIVING UP TO ITS NAME

Thai silk is renowned as one of the finest quality silks in the world. Mahasarakham University Silk Innovation Centre is one of the leading research and development centers in Thailand. Continuous research and development on improving and value adding throughout the silk industry is a key factor in the Thai silk industry keeping pace in a modern globalised environment. Below are examples of the Silk Innovation Center’s recent community involvement programs, product development and cooperative agreement involvement.

VALUE ADDING TO SILK PRODUCTS COMMUNALLY

On July 12 one of a series of workshops was held in the first floor conference room at the MSU Silk Innovation Center. The workshop comes under a program Strengthening Communities Through Silk Projects which is funded by the Province of Mahasarakham.

This particular workshop consisted of activities including inventing souvenirs and gifts using residuals of mulberry and silk products and training in the use of natural dyes.

 The workshops are aimed to function from a grass roots level encouraging farmers and community members to become innovative and appreciative of the extra income which can be generated in value adding to residuals of the silk creation process.

These workshops involved students from MSU as well as community members from the nearby Ban Phai district.

The program creates a valuable link between government, the Silk Innovation Center and local communities.

SILK PROTEIN SOAP GAINS OFFICIAL APPROVAL

The Silk Innovation Center has now patented and registered four silk protein products with the Department of Intellectual Property.  The process has taken five years since the products were first developed until approval by the Department of Medical Sciences and the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health.

The products which include liquid soap and avocado silk protein cream have proven very popular with people in several provinces in Thailand already. The products are just a few of the many silk related items available from the Bug Bee Silk Shop located in the Silk Innovation Center on Mahasarakham University Campus. 

SERICULTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT

On June 29 MSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr Preecha Prathepa represented Mahasarakham University in the signing of an important sericulture agreement of cooperation at the Rama Gardens Hotel in Bangkok. The agreement links the Department of Sericulture with many other agencies with MSU including Chiang Mai University, Naresuan University (Phitsanulok), and public organisations the Institute of Nuclear Technology and the National Electronics and Computer Center (NECTEC).

The agreement is aimed towards adding value to Thai silk through continuing basic and existing research as well as the development of new technologies. These include design, packaging, processing and research applications using nuclear technology in innovation for new products incorporating electronics.

The agreement has the full support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

FACULTY OF MEDICINE AT BAN NONG

On June 30 representatives of MSU Faculty of Medicine visited the Ban Nong community.

The visit is the first sub project for the Faculty of Medicine for the semester.

The project assists the Child Development Center towards improving the management of early childhood health. Meetings concerning early childhood health issues are discussed and children are given free medical health checks in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

1 MILLION BAHT ALLOCATED FOR 2011 RESEARCH PROJECTS

In mid July MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito announced an allocated research budget of one million baht for ten future MSU research projects for 2011. Each research project can apply for up to 100K baht.

The budget allocation can be applied for research directly related to the following five subject matters.

1. The development of a mobile phone application(s) covering MSU personnel databases and/or the introduction of e-learning courses. Researchers can apply for up to 100K baht for equipment to develop applications.
2. The development of applications for digital online point of service survey questionnaires for instant customer service feedback.
3. How to increase the response indicators of MSU in relation to World University Survey Rankings (QS, QS Asian, Webometrics etc.).  
4. The development of innovative commercial products expressing the identity of MSU in order to raise the presence of MSU on the international stage. i.e. the branding and packaging an MSU identity for international marketing.
5. The development of a program aimed to reduce accidents at traffic lights within the university.  eg red light cameras, digital vehicle identification forwarded to a central control centre.

More information is available from the Department of Planning, 3^rd Floor in the President’s Building, Mahasarakham University.

MSU WAI KRU CEREMONY 2011

On July 14 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito presided over the MSU Wai Kru Ceremony held in the MSU gymnasium. The Wai Kru ceremony is an important traditional event held at some point during the year in every single educational institution in Thailand.

Pictures of students bowing at the feet of their teachers in a show of respect may annoy some of those unfamiliar with Thai custom. In Thailand showing respect for teachers is an important part of the cultural fabric of Thailand. The respect shown by students is also returned in respect of the students from their teachers.

The Wai Kru ceremony is also an important reminder to the teachers (Ajarn) of their responsibility in guiding their students towards a better future in their lives – lifelong learning. To attend a Wai Kru ceremony is to gain a better understanding of this mutual respect between teachers and their students in Thailand.

The bond between many teachers and their students in Thailand extends beyond the classroom. Students drawn from all twenty Isan Provinces live on or close to the campus and are away from their family and friends; many for the first time in their lives. Therefore besides their alumni classmates, students look to their lecturers for more than just classroom learning. Many, many teachers are available and willing to give advice and encouragement outside the classroom environment, treating students as they would their own children.

If you spend some time at Mahasarakham University you will come to realise the Wai Kru ceremony is not a ceremony of subservience; it is a public celebration of reaching towards a common goal of lifelong learning equally applicable to both student and Ajarn. MSU is more than an educational institution. At times it feels you are part of one very large family.

The Wai Kru ceremony is just one reminder of how Thailand is a very special kingdom.

LAOS CONSUL GENERAL IN FAREWELL VISIT TO MSU

On July 13 Mr. Soutthideth Phommalath, the Consul General of the Khon Kaen Consulate of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, paid a visit to Mahasarkham University before the end of his term in Thailand and his return to Laos.

Mr Phommalath was warmly welcomed by MSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Preecha Prathepa and thanked MSU for for the cooperation and caring shown to Laos students attending MSU.

Mr Phommalath will  be paying a visit all twenty Isan provinces under his consulate before returning to Laos.

FISH SAUSAGES ANYONE?

If you look up Mahasarakham University on Google Earth you may notice it is very far from the sea and would therefore have very limited availability to sources of fresh fish. This is not so.

In northeast Thailand there is a large and thriving freshwater fish and prawn industry. So much so you could say fish and prawns may be described as a staple part of the Isan diet. In many locations you can dine outdoors in the middle of a pond on a bamboo platform on stilts with your dinner swimming live underneath you among the blooming lotus.

Commercial agricultural entrepreneurial company Thanapol Foods Ltd in conjunction with MSU Department of Food and Nutrition have been busy innovating this rich fish resource.

link to Highgreenfish.com (pictured left)

On July 6 at the MSU Conference Center Thanapol Foods Ltd in collaboration with MSU Faculty of Technology Department of Food and Nutrition launched their new product named Green Diamond sausages.

Green Diamond sausages are result of exhaustive scientific research and development studies led by Dr Suwan Angkana of MSU’s Department of Food and Nutrition. The team explored the best physical characteristics of fish species and fishmeat content  to find and develop a successful fish sausage recipe.

 The product was also aided by the MSU Business Incubator program and has attracted research support from the National Office of Science and Technology.

QS MASTER CLASS SEMINAR HOSTED AT MSU

On June 16 Mahasarkham University delegates from all over Thailand participated in a QS World University Rankings (QS WUR) Master Class seminar. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings is reputed as one of, if not the, world’s most reliable guides to university performance.

The seminar was held at the MSU Faculty of Infomatics with Mandy Mok, Managing Director of QS Asia, giving a presentation on strategies for universities to achieve world class status in the early morning session. Ms. Mok’s informative presentation explained the workings of the QS organisation and what benefits can be gained by tertiary institutions joining and making use of QS networking capabilities.

Senior QS consultant, Dario Consoli, also spoke in the morning session providing a thorough explanation on varying criteria used in the creation of the major university world rankings. Mr Consoli also included advice on how some universities successfully create marketing strategies and most importantly how a university can learn to discover and analyse its own strengths and weaknesses before creating a marketing plan to attract international students.

Mr. Consoli had a busy day, also running a four hour open Globalisation Workshop in the afternoon, providing extra information and fielding many questions on the world university rankings process. Questions were asked and answered on how Thai universities can best adapt to find their place in an increasingly mobile academic world.

Normally seminars such as this are held in major city centres. It was a pleasure for Mahasarakham University to bring this world class QS Master Class seminar to the heart of north east Thailand.