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The Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Kingdom of Thailand, Her Excellency Ms. Orna Sagiv, paid a visit to Walailak University yesterday. She was welcomed by Professor Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, the President of Walailak University, along with Professor Dr. Tawadchai Suppadit, the Vice President, Associate Professor Dr. Worawan Panpipat, the Dean of the School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry (SAF), and Assistant Professor Dr. Patnarin Supakorn, the Director of the Center of International Affairs (CIA) at the Honor Hall, Walailak University Hospital.

     Professor Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong briefed Her Excellency Ms. Orna Sagiv about the background and progresses of Walailak university, such as the university being ranked in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 at 1501+ among universities around the world, the university’s implementation of the UK Professional Standard Framework (UKPSF) to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, over 90 percent of the university’s faculty members certified by Advance HE based on UKPSF, and an increasing numbers of students each year with higher quality, of which Her Excellency described as “very impressive” and expressed interest in promoting student and staff mobility between Israel and Walailak University.

     On this occasion, Dr. Thanet Khomphet, Vice Dean of SAF, reported on the progress of the greenhouse. The greenhouse at the Agricultural Innovation and Demonstration Center at Walailak University was funded and supported by smart farming technologies and experts from Israel, and has already produced six cycles of melon. The greenhouse serves as a learning center for students, researchers, and the nearby community. Despite encountering challenges such as monsoons, flooding, caterpillars, and rats, SAF has found solutions to these problems. The melons grown at WU are sweet and in high demand in the market. Additionally, WU researchers have utilized their findings from the greenhouse to further their research and publish articles in the Scopus database.

     After meeting with the president, Walailak University was honored to have Her Excellency give a talk on "What Makes Israel a Startup Nation and the Future of AgriTech" to the SAF students at the Huataphan Chamber, Walailak University Hospital. Her Excellency Orna Sagiv revealed that one of the key factors contributing to Israel's advancements in agriculture is the use of greenhouses. Greenhouses enable farmers to control temperature and humidity, creating the ideal environment for plants. Despite being a small country with an area of 22,000 square kilometers and 9.5 million people, Israel is advanced in technology and places a strong emphasis on education, which is the foundation of its growth. Currently, over 300 multinational corporations have research and development centers in Israel, 13% of its GDP is derived from the high-tech industry, and Israel is ranked as the No.1 global leader in water recycling, with 90% of its water being recycled in 2019. Additionally, alternative meat products from plants are being developed without causing animal cruelty or harm to the environment.

     "Innovation starts with all of you. When you have a good idea, and you're ready to fight for it. You have to know that in many cases you will fail, but it's okay. Because tomorrow you will take it forward and you don't give up. Thank you so much and I hope to see all of you in Israel in the future," said Her Excellency Orna Sagiv to the SAF students at Walailak University.

     After that, Her Excellency, along with faculty members from SAF and CIA, went to the Agricultural Innovation and Demonstration Center and officially opened the greenhouse. 

Photos by Woraprat Chanpan
News by Settaboot Onphakdee
Division of Corporate Communication