From Canada - Anshul Bhatnagar - University of Toronto

Canada (U of Toronto)

MSU is a "University of Opportunity."  - Anshul B.

Anshul Bhatnagar, with support from the University of Toronto,
is in Maha Sarakam conducting research on Urban Development and Sustainable Community Planning.

Anshul's research here has been ongoing since June 2016, and is scheduled to finish by September 2016.  The project should include an environmental impact assessment, as well as a stakeholder analysis.  Anshul will return to Canada in August, and continue on to finish a Master's of Science Degree in Sustainability Management.

Additional Information:
This was conducted as an individual project of the UCRSEA, Anshul is also working to provide a more comprehensive stakeholder analysis for the TRAM project of the Khon Kaen city district.

While on campus, Anshul lived in an On-Campus dormitory, at the time reserved for all foreign visitors; professors, event speakers, and exchange students.

Anshul's recommendations to guests of Maha Sarakam, and students looking into studying at the University of Maha Sarakam can be found in more details in the accompanying article.

Anshul was motivated during his time here, and took an interest in pursuing some independent research - he spent some of his free time offering support to the TEI group (HQ in Bangkok, Thailand's capital) on their project related to both building and making infrastructure improvements in order to prepare for the introduction of new transportation.  This project also took into account necessary improvements to existing roads and transport systems, as well as ideas towards future planning, applicable to the wider Esaan region, with the center of this being the nearby town of Khon Kaen.  He contributed his talents through consultation offered to the board members in this project, his expertise and personal experience was specifically valuable in the area of sustainable large-city transportation infrastructure.

From Canada - U of Toronto - Nathan Stewart (Masters Student)

Nathan Stewart, with the support of the University of Toronto,
is in Maha Sarakam conducting research on Community Vulnerability and Climate Change Planning with special regard towards the role that key-stakeholder's perceptions of climate change, and vulnerability-impact planning outcomes, in the railway communities of Khon Kaen.

Proposals and Objectives for this research originated in Nathan Stewart's interest in a greater goal of understanding the interconnections that exist between urbanization and climate change in the understudied secondary cities of Southeast Asia, and while here, Nathan hopes to gain specific knowledge in the ways in which these two massive, interconnected processes interact with each other to produce new lived realities across communities.

The research has been ongoing since January 2016, and is scheduled to finish by September 2016.  The project should be completed by May 2016, which would include the production of a research paper as well as a presentation.  Nathan will return to Canada in September, and continue on to finish his Master's Degree in Urban Planning.

           Additional Information:

Funded as a joint project between International Development Research Centre and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Nathan is also part of the Urban Climate Resilience in Southeast Asia Partnership – a network of researchers from Canada and Southeast Asia focused on conducting research on climate change and urbanization in 8 secondary cities in Southeast Asia.

While on campus, Nathan resided in the Kut Rang On-Campus dormitory, at the time reserved for all foreign visitors, both professors, guest speakers, and exchange students.

Nathan gave some great recommendations to future guests of Maha Sarakam, as well as some tips for students looking into studying in Thailand!  These are as follows;

1)     Do some research on Thai/Isaan customs and culture before you get here – it will help a lot

2)     Keep an open mind – if you build up expectations, it is near certain that you will be let down at some point.

3)     Be respectful – Maha Sarakam is a university town, not Pattaya.  This is not a place to party through the night (though there are a few good bars)

4)     Get used to left hand drivers – if you’re coming from a country that drives on the right, this will take some adjusting

5)     Know your position – get a map, get a calculator, and do some reading. Once you know a) where you are and how to get around, b) what your money’s worth, and c) how to behave in public, you will feel all the more prepared to move forward

Nathan Stewart, Student Researcher

Master’s Candidate in Planning, University of Toronto

ในขณะนี้ Nathan Stewart (นาธาน สจ๊วต) กำลังดำเนินการวิจัย

ด้วยการสนับสนุนจากคณะสิ่งแวดล้อมและทรัพยากรศาสตร์ในจังหวัดขอนแก่น ระหว่างเดือนพฤษภาคมและ สิงหาคม 2559.

Nathan จะจบปริญญาโทในทางวางผังเมืองและมีความเชี่ยวชาญในการกำหนดนโยบายทางเศรษฐกิจและแผนสิ่งแวดล้อม

ก่อนเข้ามหาวิทยาลัยโตรอนโต (Toronto, Ontario), Nathan ได้รับปริญญาตรีในการพัฒนาระหว่างประเทศ และการศึกษาฮิสแปนิค

(ชาวเม็กซิโก) จากมหาวิทยาลัยกูเอลฟ์ (Guelph, Ontario)

ในปัจจุบันี้ การวิจัยของเขาเน้นเรื่องการใช้วิธีการทั้งเชิงปริมาณและคุณภาพในการระบุการเชื่อมต่อระหว่างการเคลื่อนที่ภายในเมือง

และความเสี่ยงต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศในเมืองที่พบการพัฒนาอย่างรวดเร็ว และการเจริญเติบโตทางเศรษฐกิจ

ในฐานะที่เป็น ส่วนหนึ่งของโครงการ นี้เขา กำลังศึกษา ผลกระทบของ การกระจัด เกี่ยวกับความมั่งคั่ง ของ ชุมชนแออัด

ในภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือ ของประเทศไทย