Finnish Education System Policy with Asian Countries

International Affairs Division andKyoto University, one of the closest partnersof Kasetsart University co-organizeda Japanese cultural event through the Dashidemonstration on August 20, 2010 at theInstitute of Food Research and ProductDevelopment. Dashi is the base soup forseasoning Japanese food. 3 famous chefs ofKyoto cuisine namely Mr. MotokazuNAKAMURA from the famous restaurant“Nakamura”, Mr. Takuji TAKAHASHI from“Kinobu”, and Mr. Mitsuru SAIKI from“Jikishinbo Saiki”, were the demonstratorsat this special event.The activities was divided into 2sessions; first, a lecture concerning thecharacter of Asian and Japanese food andthe importance of Umami by ProfessorFushiki and Dr. Yamazaki. After that 120participants who are Kasetsart Universitystudents, staff, and alumni were dividedinto 3 groups. 3 chefs had demonstratedall the process of Dashi from the beginningof choosing an ingredient throughfinishing. During the demonstration,4 students from Japanese languageDivision, Faculty of Humanities,were a translator for each group.This was made the participants moreunderstanding and amused. Besides,the participants had an opportunityto taste and eat kabayaki preparedby these 3 chefs.DashiDemonstrationINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIVISIONNONSEE NEWSLETTER

NewsNONSEE NEWSLETTERHow to prevent Bangkok’s lastgreen lung from turning red? That wasthe main question 24 graduate andundergraduate students tried to answerduring the 2010 edition of KU Facultyof Architecture’s international trainingprogram “Planning for SustainableDevelopment in Thailand” that was heldfrom 6 to 20 August. The participants,who came to Bangkok for the workshopfrom countries as far as The Netherlandsand Austria and also included studentsfrom France, Germany and Thailand,represented a variety of disciplinesincluding landscape design, urbanplanning, architecture and socialsciences.Students present their results during the closing seminar held in Sri Nakhon Kuen Khan park.Opportunities and Threats forBangkok’s LastGreen LungBangkok’s last green lung is tobe found in Bang Krachao, the almost20 km 2 of predominantly green andsparsely populated land located in thepicture-perfect meander of the ChaoPraya river, just south-west of thecity’s ever buzzing business centre.Administratively Bang Krachao belongsto Samut Prakan province, but geographically andfunctionally it is very much part of the BangkokMetropolitan Region (BMR). As such, Bang Krachao is,just like so many other parts of the BMR, experiencingsevere urbanization pressure, in spite of the fact thatit is under a strict town planning code that intendsto keep the area as green as possible. The researchthat was conducted within the framework of theworkshop confirmed this image.Bang Krachao is clearlyhome to multiple modes ofdevelopment, some of whichpush the area towards an‘urban’ future while othersare more compatible withthe aim to keep the areamostly green.The students’ missionthen became to complementthe prevailing conservationpolicies with more ‘offensive’strategies that depart fromand aim to strengthen theunique – green – qualities of Bang Krachao.They explored ways to increase the valueof green space in Bang Krachao, cameup with ideas to encourage the localcommunities to explore and definethe identity of Bang Krachao, calledattention for the need to makepeople in Bangkok more aware andappreciative of Bang Krachao’s green andenvironmental qualities, and proposedways to increase connectivity betweenBang Krachao’s dispersed and currentlylargely disconnected attractions. Theresults were presented and discussedwith several dozens of attendantsduring a closing seminar that was heldat the Green Area Management Centerof the Sri Nakhon Kuen Khan park.Attendants included representatives fromthe Chaipattana Foundation, the RoyalForest Department, local governmentorganizations, and the Samut PrakanNatural Resources and Environment Office.INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIVISIONNONSEE NEWSLETTER

NewsNONSEE NEWSLETTER “Envisioning KUStudents towardsGlobal Context:Batch 7”Student Affairs Division organized a trainingprogram entitled “Envisioning KU Studentstowards Global Context: Batch 7” for 33 studentleaders, including Presidents of StudentAdministrative Organization, Presidents ofStudent Representative Council, Presidents ofStudent Union, and President of StudentDormitory Club from Bangkhen Campus (17),Kamphaeng Saen Campus (5), Si Racha Campus(6), and Chalermphrakiat Sakon NakohnProvince Campus (5) during August 23-28,2010. The training program comprised thelectures at Student Affairs Division and the studyvisit to some leading universities in Melbourne,Australia, namely the University of Melbourne,Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMITUniversity), and La Trobe University. Through thisprogram, the students learned and experiencedinternationalization including the Australianeducation system, student life at Australianuniversities, the process of sustainable naturalresource management, urban planning, publictransport management, architecture, cultures andlife style of the people in Melbourne, Australia.On this occasion, Director of Finance Division,Director of Personnel Division, and concernedstaff also joined the study visit to learn aboutfinancial management and personnel managementof Australian universities.