Rationales

Currently, there are a large number of students from Thailand pursuing their higher education in Europe, sponsored by the Thai government and other funding sources. Based on the information received from Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) as of December 2^nd, 2014, there are approximately 1,000 students holding government scholarship in the master and doctoral levels. The study subjects cover large disciplines ranging from humanities, social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, and other interdisciplinary studies e.g. environment and developmental fields. The students reside throughout Europe such as the Netherlands, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Austria and the United Kingdom. The advanced level of education in the master and doctoral degree often requires participation in international academic conference as well as holding presentation in order for the students to learn, develop and exchange knowledge within their field of studies and also broaden out the knowledge in other related fields.

The participation of Thai students in international arena not only results in the development of early career researchers but also builds stronger academic network. In addition, the cooperation with other researchers will also stimulate the connection of academic research to practical issues, which can potentially affect the development of Thailand in a positive direction. It will also raise awareness and involvement of Thai students who reside abroad to further integrate their knowledge to the development of the nation. Moreover, this gathering can also enhance the understanding of the public at large on the importance to pursue higher education abroad.

The 4^th Thai Student Academic Conference in Sweden is organized by the student committee, comprising scholarship holders from the Ministry of Science and Technology, private university in Thailand, Swedish government and institutes, and also self-funded students. The committee proposed this conference to be held under the theme "Green Research for Sustainable Thailand". The focus is on the management of natural resources and environmental related issues. Due to the competitive advantage of Sweden in this area, the current technologies and experience can provide valuable lessons that can be adapted to Thailand context. This will be presented by invited keynote speakers from Swedish university and industry. In addition, Thai students from all over Europe will also have an opportunity to present and discuss their works in various disciplines.

Thai Student Academic Conference was first held in the Netherlands in 2012 of which Thai Students Association in the Netherlands was the host. The second and third conferences were held in Germany and France, respectively. This conference hosted in Sweden in 2015 will consequently be the fourth conference.

Objectives

• To provide an opportunity for Thai students in abroad countries to learn the state-of-art technologies and approaches in natural resources and environmental fields from renowned academicians and industrialists in Sweden
• To provide a platform for the students to discuss and exchange their academic knowledge that can potentially be adapted to the context of Thailand, which will eventually lead to building up stronger network for early career researchers
• To provide an opportunity for Thai students in Europe to present, learn and integrate their field of knowledge with other students
• To stimulate Thai students to integrate their academic research to practical and current issues, which can potentially lead to the sustainable development of Thailand
• To collect and promote the research conducted by Thai students to governmental and relevant organizations