SERVIR Welcomes Discover Thailand's Astronaut Scholarship Program

From April 22 to 29th, SERVIR, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville welcomed a delegation of Thai students and educators to Huntsville, Alabama for a week-long visit aimed at deepening the Discover Thailand’s Astronauts Scholarship Program and U.S.-Thailand space collaborations. Organized with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, the visit gave several Thai students the opportunity to participate in the popular Space Camp program while a team of educators, advocates, and entrepreneurs explored new opportunities for space science collaboration between the U.S. and Thailand.

Krit Kunplin, CEO of the Thai marketing and technology company Zignature and an educational advocate, serves as an unofficial ambassador of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and has helped organize several similar visits in recent years. Kunplin first encountered representatives from NASA and SERVIR during the launch of SERVIR Mekong in 2014. After being invited to visit Huntsville himself, he has since represented the Space and Rocket Center for educational programs back in Thailand. Kunplin helped found the Discover Thailand’s Astronauts Scholarship—and is even supporting the creation of a similar space museum outside Bangkok. An advocate for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education, Kunplin’s work has helped make American space science opportunities accessible to Thai students.

For SERVIR, these visits are important times to explore new opportunities for collaborations in Thailand and neighboring countries. Projects at SERVIR’s Mekong regional hub, located at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok, often involve public science engagement. For example, SERVIR has helped organize “Smogathons” in Thailand—high school coding competitions in which students help develop web tools to monitor air pollution.

“Meeting with STEAM educators and advocates like Kunplin is incredibly motivating and helps SERVIR better connect with brilliant young minds, creating new opportunities for collaboration” said SERVIR Global Program Manager Dan Irwin.