UNL and Thailand university formalize link

SNR’s Larkin Powell, back left, signs the agreement this summer linking UNL to King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in Bangkok, Thailand. At the back right (end of table with Powell) is KMUTT’s president Sakarindr Bhumiratana.
SNR’s Larkin Powell, back left, signs the agreement this summer linking UNL to King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in Bangkok, Thailand. At the back right (end of table with Powell) is KMUTT’s president Sakarindr Bhumiratana.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in Bangkok, Thailand, have cemented their commitment to academic collaboration.

While teaching wildlife population analysis there in summer 2016, SNR’s Larkin Powell signed a General Memorandum of Understanding agreement with KMUTT President Sakarindr Bhumiratana and Dr. George Gale, formalizing the institutional relationship. The agreement will continue through 2021 and has the potential to be extended.

“It was an honor to represent UNL at the signing ceremony,” Powell said. “Their students are very similar to ours, but they are studying tigers and other species with deep, deep conservation concerns in the tropical forests of Thailand. Perhaps more than any other time in my career, I feel like my efforts are benefiting our planet when I provide a course to their students.”

Powell; John Carroll, SNR director; and Drew Tyre, SNR professor of wildlife ecology and human dimensions, have been teaching the wildlife populations course to KMUTT students for the last 12 years; each has put his own spin on the course that covers population modeling and analysis of survey and Mark-recapture data for wildlife species.

“We have already been involved and wish to enhance the student exchange in both directions, including study abroad, short courses and graduate programs,” the agreement by both parties states. “In addition, we envision faculty exchange in both directions to enhance our expertise in complimentary areas of interest.”

KMUTT’s involvement in Mekong River initiatives is important to UNL’s work focusing on food, fuel and water, and UNL’s commitment to collaborate with KMUTT is important to that institution, Thailand’s youngest university. Though it gained autonomy in 1986, KMUTT recently was named the No. 1 institute in Thailand for research productivity.

“The partners recognize their common interests and strengths in Natural Resources Management, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Land and Water Management,” the agreements states.

Faculty from UNL’s Biological Systems Engineering and Agronomy and Horticulture departments have been engaging with students and faculty from KMUTT, and SNR has served has a home for a KMUTT faculty member on sabbatical, which resulted in a book co-authored by faculty at both institutions. SNR also just had its first doctoral student from KMUTT graduate, and Powell will host another doctoral student from KMUTT beginning this fall.

“Who knows what the future holds?” Powell said. Future collaborations “might involve a UNL study abroad trip or other interactions.”

Powell, who is director of the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit, spent two weeks teaching the course and another week at a conference there.

“The colleagues from their President to their Dean to their faculty and graduate students are unusually kind and welcoming people,” he said. “They took wonderful care if me and my family while we visited this year, and I look forward to returning the favor by hosting a PhD student from KMUTT later this fall.”

– Shawna Richter-Ryerson, Natural Resources

More details at: http://snr.unl.edu/