Hello All. Hope you had a very nice long weekend though quite a few of us here are full retirees na ka....go chill and slow as usual.
Last week, I went to NARIT (National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, a Public Organization since 2009) in Chiang Mai to discuss with them what best to offer to16 Americans who are high school teachers under Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad visiting us in July-August. I've been asked to help as a resource person of this Fulbright Seminar.
One full day spent at NARIT taught me a lot as I felt like crawling out of my sabai box to digest loads of new and definitely amazing information and insight, especially from Dr. Saran Poshyachinda, Executive Director. He said several key points: information about astronomy is universally shared, NARIT is a top-down agency with a passionate young workforce, and it's attracted world experts and agencies to collaborate.
Its vision is, 'To be a world-renowned organization in Astronomy, Technology, and Innovation'.
The following are what I got from this visit ka:
- The vision works well with some evidence seen along the way, e.g. world known astronomers are eager to work with this organization during active and retirement days, global awards, action-oriented collaboration, passionate young gen stay on to experiment, etc.
- Leadership is key to success as senior leaders use the top-up approach to align the policies to all levels while designing the organization to have shorter layers of authority. Here, I see clearly the leaders' role as the link between the workforce and the world.
- Leaders act like doctors, making rounds very often to learn how things have progressed with advice and help as needed.
- Capacity building is given regardless of age and authority for maximum relevant learning responsive to the assigned tasks and beyond. This could be regarded as 'opportunity packages' available to young passionate teams to pursue their common dreams and goals ka.
- Passion is at the core of NARIT's culture. I gather that it has been used as one recruitment criterion. It's been able to get younger ones with strong passion in astronomy and space-related technology. What is very crucial is opportunities that are always open for them to do related research that answer real-life problems identified, increasing learning and leading to innovation.
- Igniting, enhancing, and sustaining passion begins from much younger age through its inspiring outreach activities. Love it to include disabled kids particularly the blind! Extremely challenging and they can do it successfully through sound and senses.
- This is an organization that can be a showcase of being local, glocal, and global, striving to bring the best of local expertise and wisdom to the region and the world. Its collaboration is far beyond thinking of visits and MOU signings but some concrete projects partners have mutual interest and objectives.
These days, I've heard westerners talk more about being glocal when the term was coined over 2 decades ago. I guess that it could be because local contexts and wisdom have been increasingly recognized globally na ka.
I left the place, feeling proud and more hopeful for our weakening Thailand ka.
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