Patana News Volume 25 Issue 22

PATANA NEWS

Friday 17th February 2023

Also in this issue...

Patana Page-Turners: Love!

Studying Engineering at University

CPL with Jim Knight

Patana Pride Days

Battle of Bangkok at the Thunderdome!

Fun Day - 11th March 2023!

Upcoming University Visits

All About Artificial Intelligence

www.patana.ac.th

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS

HOUSE QUIZ

Lorna Conroy, Secondary Assistant Principal, Student Welfare

At8:00am on Friday 10th February the whistle sounded for the start of the 2023 House Quiz. The new format meant that it was bigger and better than ever before.

The House Quiz has formed part of the House competition for many years at Bangkok Patana. COVID restriction meant that in the past few years, students have competed as tutor groups in separate locations; however, now that restrictions have eased, we had the chance to reintroduce the quiz in a fresh and enhanced format.

When reflecting on the importance of the House System at Bangkok Patana, words that spring to mind include: Involvement, Community and belonging, Challenge, Competition (friendly), and Enjoyment. The aim of the House Quiz is therefore to meet all of these in abundance.

INVOLVEMENT

Every single student in Secondary School was involved and earned valuable points for their House. At 8:00am, students in Years 7, 8 and 9 all made their way to one for the four quiz venues ready for the competition to begin. For some, this involved being part of a team competing in one of three specialist quizzes - Art and Culture, Science and Technology, or World and Current Affairs. Here, students battled it out to show their expertise by answering challenging questions written by the different faculties. Other students formed the audience and had the opportunity to ‘steal’ points from other houses should their team get the answer wrong. Meanwhile 216 students from Years 7, 8 and 9 headed up to the Conference Centre to take part in the General Knowledge Quiz. This included a mash-up round with a combination of questions from the specialist quizzes as well as rounds to test their knowledge of movies, capital cities and sporting teams.

While students in Key Stage 3 competed in the venues, students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 were in tutor bases gaining additional points from rounds including super heroes, country, dingbats and ‘name the place’.

The change-over took place after Period 1 when it was the turn of Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 to compete in the specialist and general knowledge quizzes and 7, 8 and 9 to return to tutor

bases to earn extra points.

In terms of involvement, every single student played a vital role in earning points for their respective houses.

COMMUNITY AND BELONGING

The House system also aims to foster a sense of community among students and staff. The quiz event brought together individuals from different Year groups who worked collaboratively in teams to compete in the specialist and general knowledge quizzes. This, combined with the tutor base activities, helped cultivate a strong sense of community spirit and belonging on various levels.

CHALLENGE

Challenge came in many forms. The specialist quizzes proved very challenging. See for yourself by having a go at the small sample below.

1) How many teams are there in the English Football Women’s Super League (WSL)?

a) 8 b) 10 c) 12 d) 14

2) In economic theory what is the term ‘ceteris paribus’ is used to indicate?

a)‘Demand and supply are equal

b) Prices are increasing

c) Other things being equal

d) A respected economist has died

3) Which of the following is used to test for the presence of chloride ions?

a) A solution of Barium chloride in Hydrochloric acid

b) A solution of Silver nitrate in Nitric acid

c) Sodium hydroxide solution

d) Damp blue litmus paper

(Answers: c, c, b)

Collaborating in teams during the tutor-based rounds provided an added layer of challenge, as every student in the group had to work together cohesively in order to maximise their points.

A further example of the challenge was for the Student Delegates from Year 13. They were tasked with the role of overseeing the running of the quiz. This included posing questions, evaluating answers, and handling the occasionally boisterous crowd. Some of them demonstrated such great charisma that they could have promising futures in the television industry!

Let’s hear their thoughts on this experience:

Rie (Senior Delegate and MC of the General Knowledge Quiz) “The chaos! Though it may seem stressful, the buzz of students’ conversations, coordinating a team of teachers to distribute and mark the question papers, and the enthused MCs’ chants are what made the House Quiz so enjoyable for me.”

Giles (Senior Delegate and MC of the World and Current Affairs Quiz) “Being able to stand up on stage and coordinate was great. It’s a great way to engage with the younger and older students alike while cheering on the houses.”

COMPETITION (FRIENDLY)

When welcoming students as they arrived at school on Friday morning, it was clear that the spirit of competition was in the air and as soon as the quiz ended the students were asking ‘who has won?’. But they had an agonising wait as all the results were verified and collated. On Monday morning their wait was over – Chang and Phuket were crowned the winning houses, scoring exactly the same number of points.

ENJOYMENT

I know I certainly enjoyed the quiz, but let’s hear what the students had to say:

Rajul (Chair of the Junior Delegates) “The organisation was well thought out and created a relaxing atmosphere, which allowed the event to be exciting instead of stressful. There was friendly competition and the system of allowing the audience to participate was a nice touch. Overall, it was a fun event that students will look forward to each year.”

Advika (Junior Delegate and ViceChair of the JSRC) “The House Quiz was wonderful, especially considering how much time it would have taken to research every topic and write questions on them. The Senior Delegates executed it perfectly and made it really enjoyable.”

Vivaan (Junior Delegate and Chair of the JSRC) “I think I speak for the whole school when I say that we really appreciate the amount of work the Senior Delegates put in to plan this House Quiz. We all value the fact the time and effort they put forth in order to make it memorable for each and every one of us.”

Luanna (Student Delegate) “Faced with a tough question and a ticking clock, students scramble to discuss and pen down an answer. The House Quiz is an event where students from different year groups and with different interests get to come together for some friendly competition - it’s great to see teams (and audience members, teachers included!) celebrating when a question is answered correctly.”

Overall, it was a very enjoyable event where every student in the community was involved in friendly competition as they rose to the challenge of each round.

Patana Page-Turners

Welcome to your monthly round up of reading recommendations. This month’s theme…LOVE!

INTERVIEW: KEVIN KELLER, HEAD OF FACULTY, CAREERS AND UNIVERSITY COUNSELLING

1. What is one of your fondest or most favourite reading memories?

In the US, we had a programme in the 90s called BookIt that encouraged elementary-aged students to read regularly. You took a little quiz in school to prove that you’ve read a book and after you met your reading goal, you were eligible for a FREE personal pizza from Pizza Hut. Maybe it was the bribery of the free pizza and maybe it was the escape from my life in a small, rural town to the faraway places and interesting people that I was reading about, but BookIt made me a life-long reader and I still read almost every day for at least an hour - but no free pizza anymore!

2. Based on autobiographies you have read, which real life person would you like to have diner with and why?

I’m a huge fan of non-fiction, biographies and autobiographies. I don’t read much fiction because I like to put down a book and feel like I’ve learned a new fact or interesting story about the past. I would love to have dinner with Michelle Obama, especially after reading Becoming, where she mentions a poignant interaction with her high school university counsellor. Mrs Obama was told she wasn’t a fit for Princeton (!!) and that she should apply elsewhere. Spoiler alert: she attended Princeton and while she encountered numerous hurdles due to her race and middle-class background as a student at an Ivy League university which are notoriously difficult for students, she excelled and the rest of her life is history! Obviously, this story had a huge impact on me and my work. I’m constantly reminded to encourage students to reach for their university aspirations while ensuring they have solid alternatives, just in case.

3. What does love mean to you? Do you have any book suggestions for this theme?

Love is caring for, protecting, supporting and encouraging someone else, in good times and in bad. Love isn’t always easy but love always wins. Love can be “the warm and fuzzy” feelings and love can be personal growth as you become part of a partnership and live your life a little less selfishly. I’m currently in the “warm and fuzzy” stage since I just got married in December! I’m going to break my own rule and include some fiction in my recommendations:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gillian Gil

The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married Into the British Aristocracy by Anne De Courcy

Love Letters of the Great War by Mandy Kirkby

Until We Meet Again: A True Story of Love and Survival in the Holocaust by Michael Korenblit

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

FS AND KEY STAGE 1 BOOK

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Kerry Meaden-Kendrick, Leader of Learning and Welfare, Year 1 Teacher

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst. This book provides a lovely framework for talking to children about love and feeling connected. It explores the idea that we can feel love, even when people are far away.

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. Based on a true story, this book is about two penguins who fall in love but cannot lay an egg like the other penguins in the zoo. Their zookeeper sees their love and decides to help them make a family.

Love You Forever by Robert Muncsh. A beautiful book celebrating love and the sense of loss as a child grows up. It has a rhythmic refrain throughout that you can put to your own beat or tune when reading aloud.

KEY STAGE 2 BOOK

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Leah Lin, 7N

Charlotte’s Web by EB White. A young girl called Fern wakes up one day to find that her dad is going to kill a small pig (a runt) that was just born the night before. Fern decides to save the poor young pig. Raising the pig called Wilber she soon was forced to send it to her uncle’s farm. She finds amazing discoveries about her pig and his friend, a spider called Charlotte. The

love bond between Fern Wilber, Charlotte and other animals is eternal. It’s a wonderful book all tied in with love, adventure and friendship. Read all about the amazing journey with Fern, Charlotte and Wilber.

Yada (Emily) Roeksiriphong, 7N

Sisters by Raina Telegemeier. This book is about a girl called Raina, who had always wished to have a sister. Everything changes for Raina as soon as she gets a sister and she realises that life with a sibling is nothing like she had imagined. This book is about love within families as Raina and her sister Amara don’t get along at all at first and are quite polar opposites, but as they face challenges together they eventually have to learn to live together and get along. They soon realise that they are all that each other have.

Varissa Asavathiratham, 7N

Wonder by RJ Palacio. This book is about a child named August (Auggie) Pullman who was born with a facial deformity. He goes through many ups and downs on his journey through school and friendship. He finds the people who matter and the people he loves. We also get to view his world from many different perspectives through important characters in his life. This book, which was also turned into a movie nominated for an Oscar, is one of my favourite books of all time. I think this book is a heartwarming representation of love for family, love for friends, but most importantly: love for yourself.

KEY STAGE 3 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Pimnara (Prim) Asawapiwat, 7S

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. A fantasy novel about a cruel king that also features two “paper girls” who fall in love and promise each other that one day they will find happiness and freedom.

Nanthicha (Amy) Jirachotchuwong, 7S

Loveless by Alice Oseman. This book is is really good because it shows that not everyone needs to have a romantic partner. It also shows that it is okay to want to be alone and what aro-ace, an often overlooked part of the identity spectrum, really means.

Mr Danny Nason

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. All four volumes of this graphic novel series tell the heartwarming story of Charlie and Nick’s high school romance. The art style is simple but the characters are brilliantly realised.

KEY STAGE 4 AND 5 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

Mr Murray Sutcliffe, Secondary English Teacher

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. This book is a unique and powerful novel that explores the intricacies of love, identity and sexuality in 1950’s Paris. The central love story between the American protagonist, David and the Italian bartender, Giovanni is one of the most unconventional and groundbreaking depictions of same-sex love in American literature. Baldwin’s representation of these two men’s relationship is raw, emotional, and deeply personal, portrayed as a journey of self-discovery and a search for meaning in a world that often denies the validity of their love. Baldwin masterfully navigates the complexities of love and identity, showing how the two are so often bound by fear and guilt, making the novel an essential read for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ literature and the tenderness of the human condition.

Kitchen by Banana Yashimoto. This is a short yet deeply moving novel that explores themes of love and friendship in the wake of tragedy. The book follows the life of Mikage, a young Japanese woman who finds solace in the comfort of the kitchen, following the death of her last remaining relative. Throughout the novel, Mikage forms close bonds with the people around her, including her enigmatic classmate Yuichi and his transgender mother Eriko, who help her navigate her grief and find new purpose in life. Yoshimoto’s writing style is heavily influenced by Japanese shojo manga, characterized by its portrayal of both male and female characters as complex and introspective, as the novel celebrates the power of love and human connection.

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabelle Allende. This is a sweeping tale of love and survival, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. The novel follows the journey of Victor and Roser, two refugees who flee Spain and eventually find themselves in Chile. Despite being bound together by a sense of familial duty and obligation at first, the two characters develop an unconventional yet beautiful love affair that spans decades. It evolves into a deep and meaningful connection as the they come to rely on each other for support and companionship during times of immense hardship. The result is a beautifully crafted story of love, loyalty, and resilience that will stay with readers long after the last page.

Curious if we have any of these books available in our libraries? Search online here, or contact our library staff here

Andrew Haughton, Careers and University Counsellor

WhenI was 17 years old, I told my Dad I wanted to study French and Geography at university. I shall never forget the look of confusion on his face. He was a production engineer, my grandfather a chemical engineer and my older brother, an automotive engineer. The Haughton’s’ were meant to be engineers! Sadly, Maths and Physics were not my forte, but I knew the word engineer sounded like the French ‘ingénieur’ which came from the Latin ‘ingenaire’, meaning, ‘people who make ingenious contraptions’.

Nine years earlier, my dad and I were stood on a London underground platform. As we waited for our tube, he told me how the first electric trains were really slow at accelerating and then slow at braking (he was an engineer after all). This meant they used up lots of electricity getting moving and quickly wore down their breaks stopping at stations. Later, the engineers who designed London’s deep Tube lines resolved this problem by making the platforms slightly higher than the rest of the line, meaning trains climbed a short incline as they approached the station and could also use the downhill gradient to help accelerate as they pulled away. They used science, logic and creative thinking to solve a problem. I nodded politely at my dad’s story, but I was more fascinated by the colourful lines that made up the underground poster which I would later learn in my Geography degree, was a topological map.

Many Bangkok Patana students enjoy Maths and Science, so it comes as no surprise that some go on to study a Bachelor’s in Engineering. It is important to note that lots of higher education institutions offer a BEng, but they can differ greatly in their focus and approach. Let’s take the US as an example.

ENGINEERING AT US LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

Liberal Arts colleges tend to have a smaller student body and offer four-year programmes which generally focus on the undergraduate experience and emphasise a well-rounded approach to learning. Students are often expected to study a core curriculum, so as well as taking classes relating to engineering such as calculus and physics, they may also study a foreign language, history, philosophy and the arts. It may be that students only start to explore their engineering major in their third year, so it could be described as a two-year engineering degree. Consider the 3-2 Engineering Programme which is a five-

year dual degree programme with the student leaving with two degrees. Students complete three years at a liberal arts college before their final two years at a partnering university. For example, study at Occidental (CA) and, if you fulfil the requirements, study at Engineering at California Institute of Technology or Columbia University for your final two years.

ENGINEERING AT BIG RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

Research universities are institutions that are active in research and publishing, with large student populations. As with Liberal Arts Colleges, students are likely to follow a core curriculum, but being so big, the choice of majors, minors and concentrations is considerably greater. Exploratory engineering could be an option for students interested in careers with an engineering degree but who have not yet decided in which area they want to specialize in. At Michigan State University for example, students can gain an overview of the 11 engineering programmes offered and how it prepares them to be competitive in the global marketplace. They deep dive into their engineering major in their third year. Moreover, undergraduates can gain research experience through research programmes and independent study opportunities.

ENGINEERING AT INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY

Institutes of Technology are ideal for those students who are passionate about Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Students will be surrounded by like-minded STEM students and can deep dive into their major from Day 1 and be exposed to cutting edge technologies and smart classrooms that are designed for hands on, interactive problem solving rather than traditional lectures. They are encouraged to apply their theoretical learning by participating in competitions, projects, and challenges sponsored by national STEM-related organisations and through internships making them very attractive to prospective employees. Let’s not dismiss the importance of the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences though. William Barton Rogers, MIT’s founding president, once wrote that “the abstract studies…of the philosopher are often the most beneficent sources of practical discovery and improvement.” See MIT’s HASS requirement for more details.

The next time you’re at the BTS station, take a moment to appreciate the tracks that bring trains in and out. It’s pure and simple engineering genius.

Thisweek we have been very fortunate to host Jim Knight in partnership with Chapters International. Jim, who hails from Canada originally, works for the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and is also a prolific author. Jim is widely regarded as the pre-eminent expert in the field of Instructional Coaching. This is a communication and leadership tool we use as a school to frame great conversations and help our teachers shape their own teaching goals based on the needs of their students. Jim’s five-day Institute attracted visitors from as far afield as Japan, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, India and of course all over South East Asia. Several of our teachers were lucky enough to attend the workshop, here are some of their reflections:

MARK VERDE (PRIMARY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL)

“The Intensive Instructional Coaching conference with Jim Knight has been a highly energising experience. This practical workshop offered lots of opportunities on how to explore effective coaching through better conversations where the focus is on developing quality listen and responding with deep and meaningful questions. Jim has shown us that by applying the “partnership principles” where you collaborate with a colleague to set PEERS goals, (powerful, easy, emotionally compelling, reachable and student focused) following the Impact Cycle, we are able to have a huge impact on how we develop the learning across the school for all our children and teachers. A brilliant training event delivered by Jim Knight – an expert in this field of educational pedagogy and learning.”

CARLY PEART (LEADER OF LEARNING YEAR 3)

“Spending time listening to and working with Jim Knight has truly been life-affirming. I feel like I’m going to come out of these five days a significantly better conversationalist in all areas of my life (though I’ll let my friends, family and colleagues be the judge of that), not just through the professional coaching conversations I’m having.”

LUKE JONES (SECONDARY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, CURRICULUM)

“The brilliant Jim Knight recently visited Bangkok Patana School to deliver a course on instructional coaching, which I attended as an assistant principal. The course was engaging and provided huge insight into instructional coaching, which will help support our teachers in the continuous improvement of their practice. I am particularly excited about the potential of instructional coaching to have a significant impact on the professional growth of our teachers in Secondary school. By creating a culture of coaching within the school community, I know we can support teachers to continuously improve their teaching practices, leading to a more engaging and effective learning experience for our students. I am looking forward to exploring the implementation of instructional coaching further with my colleagues in the coming weeks, months and years.”

Cindy Adair, Cross Campus Assistant Principal, Continued Professional Learning

Patana PRiDe DaYs

Spectrum CAT Group

Thisweek, Secondary students celebrated the second annual Patana Pride days. These days celebrated our LGBTQIA+ students and the importance of being supportive allies across the school. Students held karaoke, face painting and quizzes during lunch while having a very colourful dress down day on Tuesday! It was good to see our community coming together and celebrating one of the many areas of diversity among students at Bangkok Patana School. Schools who hosts events like this one experience less bullying and students have better self-esteem, leading to greater success in academics and ECAs! We look forward to celebrating Patana Pride days again next year!

Hugo Cheng, 13B

Thisweek, during our French lessons, we did a module on the topic of LGBTQ+ rights. Specifically, we learned about how the rights have evolved over time, whether they have improved or regressed, and the current global perspective on it. I personally found this to be very fulfilling as during these lessons, I learnt important historical lessons from a variety of different cultures. One thing I found particularly interesting was a French interview we watched in class where the EU’s perspective on LGBTQ+ rights were discussed and how other countries pertain to the morals created by the EU. It was great to be introduced to a plethora of knowledge on LGBTQ+ history, and I hope to learn more.

BattlE Of BangkOk

Justin Jempson, Cross Campus Assistant Head Football Coach

OnTuesday 7th February, our Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Football teams competed in the “Battle of Bangkok” fixture against NIST. The game was played at the Thunderdome stadium, home of Thai Premier League outfit Muangthong United. It was an experience which I’m sure will live in our students’ memories for a lifetime.

The evening began with coaches Brandon, Justin and Rich meeting our excited students at school and travelling by bus to the stadium. After a (relatively) traffic free journey, we arrived at the Thunderdome. It was amazing to see so many parents from Bangkok Patana and NIST in attendance! After a quick snack provided by Muangthong, the players dropped their belongings in the home dressing room and familiarised themselves with their surroundings by walking down the tunnel and onto the pitch. Teams then gathered for a quick team talk and thorough warm-up with Brandon and Justin.

Both the Girls’ and Boys’ teams played two 30-minute periods with the Boys’ first half occurring immediately after the Girls’ first half and scores from both matches being aggregated to decide the winner.

The Girls started quickly and aggressively with Mya confidently leading the back four and reading the game exceptionally well. Bangkok Patana’s dominance was rewarded 10 minutes from half time when Jazzie expertly won and converted a penalty. She followed this up with a sweetly struck half-volley into the bottom corner to send Bangkok Patana into a 2-0 half-time lead.

The Boys then took to the field and started equally fast, making it 3-0 within minutes! The NIST keeper parried a free kick into Seb’s path for a simple tap-in. Seb’s work-rate, aggression and physicality up front were causing NIST problems, as were Att’s well-timed runs beyond their defence. Unfortunately, we were not so effective defensively and NIST managed not one, but three goals before half-time, sending the Boys to

the changing room slightly disappointed and the score level at 3-3.

The Girls made it 4-3 when Amelia sent a cracking free kick into the top left corner, a just reward for her perseverance, grit and determination. Sumin and Aya were excellent in midfield, striking up a solid partnership and Lara (making her first appearance for the Varsity team) fitted in perfectly with some accurate passes into midfield.

The Boys returned to the field and looked more solid defensively, catching NIST offside several times. However, they gave away a free-kick with minutes to go, which led to a goal. Aaku was introduced to proceedings and performed admirably, winning the ball back several times and rarely giving it away.

With the scores 4-4 at full-time the game went to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out which NIST unfortunately won. Nevertheless, it was an incredibly fun, exciting and tension-packed evening which our parents and students thoroughly enjoyed.

FFUN UN DDAY AY

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

DIAMOND

PLATINUM

GOLD

Anonymous Personal Donor

SILVER

BRONZE

Khun Saowalak Chirapongsananuruk

Special thanks also go to:

Cosmo Group, Vina V8L, Brother Pictures and Subaru Pathumthani, Topgolf Thailand

Desert Island Discs

With Graham Lewis, Primary PE Teacher

Throughout Terms 2 and 3, we will be revisiting previous contributions to the Desert Island Discs column.

Thiscolumn follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?

Today Primary PE Teacher, Graham Lewis, is stuck on a desert island.

MR GRAHAM, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?

Superheated - New Order

Fool’s Gold - Stone Roses

Dakota - Stereophonics

Sound of Silence - Disturbed

F.E.A.R. - Ian Brown

Creep - Radiohead

Teardrop - Newton Faulkner

Gravity - Embrace

PICK ONE LUXURY ITEM YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU. THIS ITEM MUST BE INANIMATE AND OF NO USE IN ESCAPING THE ISLAND OR ALLOWING COMMUNICATION FROM OUTSIDE.

A Swiss Army Knife!

WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?

Underworld by Don DeLillo

Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. What are you listening to? Have a list of your own?

Let us know! Contact STML with your favourites.

Click to listen to Mr Graham’s playlist

#240: arTificial inTelligence

I encourage everyone to watch the Greylock general partner, Reid Hoffman, interview OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. In particular, listen to the audience Q&A section at the end and read the comments. OpenAI’s primary mission is to develop and promote AI technology that benefits humanity. Founded in 2015, the company has most recently been noted for its generative transformer model GPT-3, which uses deep learning to produce human-like text, and its image-creation platform DALL-E.

This interview took place last September during Greylock’s Intelligent Future event, a day-long summit featuring experts and entrepreneurs from some of today’s leading artificial intelligence organisations.

You can read a transcript of this interview here

There is a Parent’s Guide to AI here Have a great weekend and half-term break.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

Star G azing at Kaeng Krachan, Phetchaburi province

Saturday, 25 to Sunday, 26 March 2023

with Mr Visanu Euarchukiati Council Member of The Siam Society

Once in a while, a city dweller accidentally ventures into a place so poorly lit at night that life becomes a little too uncomfortable. The location may be remote countryside, all in the middle of the ocean. Still, nature appeases the city dweller with a gift of a starry sky, even when the moon is visible. It gets more confusing on a moonless night when bright dots crowd the heaven confounding a mesmerized spectator. The beautiful sky manifests itself in its full glory.

After the initial confusion, one can see that the stars are not a random collection of dots. Some of these may be official constellations while other chance combinations of several parts from many constellations.

Thailand has developed to the point that the night sky in many locations polluted by light from urban areas or industrial estates. Doc places I found only in remote areas, near the border, or in large national parks and their vicinity

The Siam Society will arrange a 2-day trip to visit Kaeng Krachan, Phetchaburi. This trip will be led by Mr Visanu Euarchukiati, a council member and a freelance astronomy academic/ educator. The programme will include a guided tour of the night sky and a trip to a historic site of the British royal Society total solar eclipse expedition in 1875 (the reign of King Chulalongkorn, Rama V) in Phetchaburi.

CY-2023-009

L E C

The Association of Siamese Architects under the Royal Patronage In Collaboration with the Siam Society Under Royal Patronage Presents

Beyond Net- Zero: Local Wisdom and Sustainable Architecture at National University of Singapore

A Talk by Johannes Widodo

Making a modern contemporary building which is not only sustainable and green but also net-zero aimed at human wellness is not rocket science. Sustainability, liveability, and resilience depend not on smart technology but cultural wisdom, like the principles of tropical vernacular architecture, human-centred design, and common sense.

The talk is about the architecture of NUS SDE4, the first Zero-Energy Certified building in Singapore and Southeast Asia, the first university building in the world and the first building in Singapore that received the International WELL Building Institute 2019WELL Certified Gold (1st). It will reveal the innovative design of one of the World’s 6 Most Beautiful Buildings That Redefine Sustainable Architecture (according to the Architecture Digest, 2022), based on our tropical Southeast Asian local vernacular wisdom. The building, completed in 2020, is actually an energy-positive building with a low maintenance cost, part of the national water resilience endeavour, promoting natural biophilia, providing better human health, and advocating change in mindset.

D r Joh anne s W

DO D O is the director of Graduate Programs in Architectural Conservation at the National University of Singapore. He is an Associate Member of the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), the founder of mAAN (modern Asian Architecture Network), an Executive Committee member of the Asian Academy for Heritage Management, a jury member for the UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, member of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee, a founding member and director of ICOMOS National Committee of Singapore and Indonesia, a founding member of DoCoMoMo Macau and Singapore, the founder and executive director of iNTA (International Network of Tropical Architecture) and a member of TCHS (The Circle of Human Sustainability (Singapore). He is an advisory board member of SEACHA (South-East Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance).

Lecture Room, 4/Floor, The Siam Society

Khun Pinthip at 02 661 6470-3 ext 203 or e-mail pinthip@thesiamsociety.org

The Siam Society is deeply grateful to James H.W. Thompson Foundation for its generous support of the 2022–2023 Lecture Series

I