NANOplus+ Network Conference (NP+C2012) opened today at Thailand Science Park under the theme of “Nano & Nature”. Dr. Thaweesak Koanantakool, President of NSTDA joined the opening ceremony by giving an Opening Remark that stressed the need for public awareness of nanotechnology development. “The government is giving nanotechnology development a priority as can be seen by the completion of the National Nanotechnology Policy Framework (2012 – 2021), which has been approved by the Ministry of S&T and will be submitted to the cabinet for approval within this month” said Dr. Thaweesak. “It will be the national guidelines for nanotechnology development. The goal of this framework is ambitious. We are calling for science, technology, and innovation in nanotechnology to be increased by 10 folds. This is coupled with the development of human resources and infrastructure”.
NP+C2012 is organized by TTN network members with support from NSTDA/NANOTEC/MOST. One of the highlights of the 2 days conference is the final stage of the students’ science competition under the theme “Nano & Nature”. The winning team will have an opportunity to showcase their science project at nanotech 2013 in Tokyo, Japan during Jan 30 -1 Feb. The conference will also showcase various science related activities such as science show by National Science Museum, nano science show, and nano folksongs. Scientific poster session from schools will also be exhibited at the conference.
The Teacher Trainer of Nanotechnology (TTN) network initiated by NANOTEC is instrumental in building over 100 trainers from 90 institutions such as schools, universities, and research institutions in just over 5 years of its operation. A total of 400 training sessions were held for teachers and faculty members, 600 training activities were held for students, 2000 training activities for classroom teaching, and 30,650 exhibitions were organized.
TTN is looking to establishing its first TTN Network Center at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, RMUTL. An MOU is expected to be signed soon. TTN is looking to setup a total of 4 regional TTN Network Centers within this year.
