#GoingGlobal: CET Dean speaks in geospatial tech training in Thailand

Dr. Jannet C. Bencure, the Dean of the VSU College of Engineering and Technology served as one of the collaborators and resource persons in an eight-day geospatial and data analytics training program at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand. 

From July 16 until 24, Dean Bencure shared her expertise in remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) with 20 participants from Thailand, Bangladesh, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Vietnam, and the Philippines. 

Her expertise guided participants in utilizing remote sensing and GIS in urban mapping, monitoring, and management.

“I served as a speaker under Module 1 and 2. I was assigned to deliver lectures on data collection and management techniques in a QGIS platform and other online resources; machine learning techniques for extraction of different land use/cover types, urban heat island analysis, and spatial correlational analysis relevant to urban studies. Each module consists of lectures and hands-on exercises,” Dr. Bencure shared.

VSU and AIT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on activities like organizing seminars/trainings, faculty and student mobility programs, and research engagements.

The training was funded by the Alliance of International Science Organization (ANSO) through the collaborations between AIT, VSU, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in China, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Laos. 

In July 2022, the team of four institutions worked together to create and submit the proposal in the same month, successfully securing funding by December 2022.  

Subsequently, in January 2023, they began planning an 8-day training program scheduled to take place in Thailand from the 16th to the 24th of July, 2024. This program aimed to bring together participants from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Laos to engage in valuable discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions.

“The participants were very participative, they wanted to learn more. I could sense their interest in the topic, as they also expressed their desire to apply it in their work later on. This was impactful for me, as it allowed me to initiate a meaningful discussion on how we could collaborate in the future.”

With this opportunity, Dr. Bencure highlighted that they wanted to send Viscans to Thailand for their internship every summer and collaborate on research projects.

“Afterwards, we plan to send interns to Thailand during summer break which is a significant aspect to work on in the future. In addition to the internship, we also aim to share research findings, similar to conducting research there.”

Dean Bencure also organized the Viscan YouthMappers (VYM) at VSU in 2022 to train students from various degree programs in geo-data collection and mapping. VYM has made significant contributions to the community as such it was recognized as the Outstanding Organization of the Year by VSU.

[This article aligns with Sustainable Development Goals: 4 (Quality Education), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 17 (Partnerships for Goals).]

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