Asian Institute of Technology

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) is an international institution for higher education in engineering, advanced technologies, and management and planning. It "promotes technological change and sustainable development" in the Asian-Pacific region, through higher education, research and outreach.

History, mission
Founded in 1959 as SEATO Graduate School of Engineering, with a mission to develop highly qualified and committed professionals who will play a leading role in the sustainable development of the region and its integration into the global economy, it receives funding from organizations and governments around the world (initially from SEATO members).

In 2006, AIT claimed that it "has become a leading regional post-graduate institute and is actively working with public and private sector partners throughout the region and with some of the top universities in the world". (See note presented at the Asia Commons conference, Bangkok, June 2006.)

It also sees itself as being "recognized for its multinational, multi-cultural ethos".

Location
This institute operates as a self-contained international community at its campus located some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Bangkok, Thailand.

The school was hosted by Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, before it became the AIT, an independent institution, in November 1967. While its main campus is located in Thailand, there is a remote campus in Vietnam called AIT Center in Vietnam. Another two centers have been authorized to be setup in Indonesia and Pakistan.

Academic Structure
AIT consists of three schools, the AIT Extension, the AIT centre in Vietnam and the AIT centre in Indonesia.

The three schools are

School of Engineering and Technology (SET)
School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD)
School of Management (SOM)

Athletics
AIT prides itself in the athletic diversity offered within the campus. Sports such as badminton, takraw, table tennis, tennis, basketball, cricket, volleyball, swimming, slow bicycle, and running enable students the chance to not only exercise but share valuable experiences with such a diverse student body.

Rival competitions with competing universities makes for a great athletic atmosphere. After six straight losing seasons to rival NIDA, the basketball team, led by talent brought in from countries such as Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and the United States sent the NIDA team home with a loss. The final score read 72-46. Next year's game is expecting larger crowds with participants from all over the Asian continent.

Ramon Magsaysay Award
In 1989, it received a Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding, "... for shaping a new generation of engineers and managers committed to Asia , in an atmosphere of academic excellence and regional camaraderie.".

Students, faculty
Hosted 1,949 students from 50 countries, and 104 faculty from 22 countries (August 2006), its main campus in Pathum Thani, Thailand, is situated just next to Thailand Science Park and Rangsit Center of Thammasat University. The campus is approximately 42 kilometers north of Bangkok, the capital of the country.

Memberships
The institute is a member of the Greater Mekong Sub-region Academic and Research Network, and LAOTSE – an international network of leading universities in Europe and Asia.

Asian Institute of Technology
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