2017. 6. 1

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Center

IAC News No.56
Alumni of DOBOKU – the pages for those having links with Japan–
Dear Alumni of DOBOKU, who keeping their bases in their homelands, travel all over the world on business after
completing research projects or their undergraduate and/ or graduate educations in the civil engineering field in Japan.
A new series of column Alumni of DOBOKU, which starts in JSCE Magazine Vol. 102. No. 6 June 2017, introduces
those having links with Japan about their professional field-experiences, their views and messages to Japan. Theirwords will give some ideas and encouragements to the students who are studying in Japan and the Japanese civilengineers who are pursuing their career paths in the global arena. (quoted from the original article published in theaforesaid issue of JSCE Magazine)
The International Activities Center (IAC), in cooperation with Editorial Committee of JSCE Magazine, introduces
the "Alumni of DOBOKU" in both "IAC News" Japanese and English versions. In case that the original articles arein English, they are published only in the IAC News English version. The articles published in both JSCE Magazine(in Japanese) are published in the IAC News Japanese version, too.

【Alumni of DOBOKU Series】“Study and research experiences in Japan andworks after returning from Japan”
Somnuk Tangtermsirikul
Director, Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT),
Thammasat University, Thailand
Head, Construction and Maintenance Technology Research Center (CONTEC)
Thanks to JSCE for inviting me as the first contributor to this column of theMagazine.
I first went to Japan in 1984, to study a master’s degree at the Concrete Laboratory,
Civil Engineering Department of the University of Tokyo, studying behavior of RCpiers under cyclic loading. That was my first experience to study seismic problems
though Thailand did not have concern on seismic disaster at that time. I continued mydoctoral study there, diverting my study areas to materials. During this period, I had

Somnuk Tangtermsirikul

the opportunity to get involved in various research subjects such as water transport infresh concrete, concrete pumping, SCC, etc., by working together with many graduate students and researchers
from companies. After graduated in 1989, I joined the Technology Research Center of Taisei Corporation,
working for 3 years on SCC and chloride corrosion, where I both contributed and learned a lot. I went back to1

Thailand and joined Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University in its establishment
year in 1992. I have been working there upto now.
Outreach Activities in Thailand
After returning home, I, together with some Japanese university’s civil engineering alumni (Dr. Taweep
Chaisomphob, currently an Associate Professor at SIIT and Dr. Penung Warnitchai, currently a Professor at AIT),
initiated the idea to establish subcommittees in various civil engineering disciplines under the Civil Engineering
Chapter of the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT). I was then the first Secretary of the Concrete
Subcommittee. By these subcommittees, the Civil Engineering Chapter have become a dominant Chapter of EIT
now. I became the Vice Chairman of the Concrete Subcommittee in 1998 and Chairman from 2000 to 2004. The
concrete subcommittee launched many seminar/ training courses, arranged conferences and published a numberof standards including Standard Specification for Materials and Construction of Concrete Structures (EIT 1014)
of which I was the Chairman of the drafting committee. After a few years, I initiated the idea to set up ThailandConcrete Association (TCA), with supports from many key figures in the Thai concrete society. TCA was set up
in 2004. I was the first Secretary General and elected the President in 2010 until 2014, and later became anAdvisor to the present. I also have been active in the Asian Concrete Federation (ACF) since a part of it was still
the former International Committee on Concrete Model Code (ICCMC), later merged as a single ACF
organization. I have served as the representative, nominated by TCA since its beginning, playing some activeroles in ACF including chairing the 1st and 5th ACF International Conferences, publishing 2 reference standards
for ACF, serving 2 terms as Vice President (Technical) and then Treasurer until now, looking after the permanent
office of ACF in Thailand.
Utilization of Fly Ash in Thailand
For research activities, I started researching fly ash usage in Thailand in 1992. I was the key researcher who
introduced the use of fly ash to the cement and concrete industries in Thailand by conducting comprehensive
studies on properties of fly ash concrete, solving application problems, educating engineers and university
students, establishing standards, producing supporting tools such as books, manuals, articles, and software fordesign, etc. The success of my research created a great business opportunity, and the veiws of the Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand toward fly ash changed from a waste to a valuable product. It also improved
the qualities of many concrete structures in Thailand as well as triggered the launching of many special concrete
products by ready-mixed concrete companies. From the results of the success, all the fly ash key researchers andI received the Outstanding Technologist Award in 2002.
Introduction of sustainable construction concept
At the same time, my efforts also were spent in introducing sustainable construction
concept into the construction industry in Thailand, starting with introducing special
concrete for durability purposes to the industry of ready-mixed concrete such as marine
concrete, sulfate-resisting concrete, etc., to launching durability and service life design
projects. The outputs of this project is the establishment of “Thailand Standard for
Durability and Service Life Design of Concrete Structures, DPT 1332“ (see Fig.1)
published by the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning, latertranslated and proposed to be a reference country standard for ACF in 2012. This
project received the Outstanding Research Award from the Thailand National Research2

Fig.1: Standard DPT
1332 Durability andService life Design forConcrete Structures

Council in 2016.
Due to the significant effects made with those research outputs upon the civil engineering society, I was awarded
the National Distinguished Researcher Award from the National Research Council in 2013.
At SIIT, I became a full-time professor in 2003, and haveworked as the Director of SIIT since 2012. In 2006, I
established the Construction and Maintenance Technology
Research Center (CONTEC), where 8 researchers and one
secretary are now working (see Photo 1). CONTEC also has its
network partners in 5 other universities in Thailand.
As the last message, I appreciate all my civil engineering

Photo 1: CONTEC members

colleagues in Japan, who always have been my good friends
and partners. I do believe that our close relationship, collaboration and mutual support will bring more benefits,prosperity and peace to our civil Engineering societies.
Profile: Born in Thailand in 1962. After completion of his doctoral course at Tokyo University in 1989, worked for Taisei
Corporation, then went back to Thailand when SIIT was established in 1992. Became director of SIIT in 2012.
《Column》MAEKAWA Koichi, Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Prof. Somnuk was the PhD candidate whom I supervised for the
first time in my life, and a colleague to challenge self-compacting
concrete with Prof. K. Ozawa under the supervision of Prof.
Emeritus Okamura. According to the Department’s policy inthose days, graduate students were strongly advised to change
their topics when they advanced to the doctorate program fromthe master one. Thus, his topic of thesis study was changed from the seismic
analysis of reinforced concrete to the development of new fresh concrete. It was anaccident for me to swing from solid mechanics to multi-phase flow, and it musthave been a disaster for him. Even though many years have passed, I feel so sorry for my insufficient capability and poor
guidance. But, we could share tough discussion of full capacity and gained to the courage to overcome disciplinary boundaries.
After his going back home, Prof. Somnuk challenged the new industrial society where fly ash could be effectively used togetherwith his 100 coworkers. The object granted to the youngest fellow in the history of Thai Kingdom was a yacht sailing on troubled
waters and His Majesty the King controlling it (the right photo). That’s a pride of civil engineer.
※Alumni of DOBOKU Series is in collaboration with Editorial Committee of JSCE Magazine.

A Summary of the “Research Report Conference on Flood
Damage due to the August 2016 Hokkaido Heavy Rain andDisaster Restoration Status”
On April 13, 2017, the “Research Report Conference on Flood Damage due to the August 2016 Hokkaido Heavy
Rain and Disaster Restoration Status” was held at the auditorium of the Japan Society of Civil Engineer (JSCE)
Headquarters. This event was organized by JSCE Disaster Reduction and Prevention Committee and supportedby Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
3

That committee was established as a standing committee to discuss JSCE’s approach to disaster risk reductionand prevention with the aim of improving the effectiveness of its various activities for reducing and preventing
disaster risks. The committee was formed by merging the Committee on Disaster Reduction and Prevention forRealization of a Resilient Society established in 2013 following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011
and the Committee on the Creation of Regional Resilience established in 2015.
In August 2016, three typhoons made landfall in Hokkaido within a period of one week. One week later, anothertyphoon approached Hokkaido. They brought record-breaking torrential rains and large-scale inundation caused
due to river bank collapse, damage to highways, bridges and railroads, in addition to widespread damage toagriculture. This series of heavy rainfalls caused serious damage in various parts of Hokkaido. Following thissevere disaster, the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau of MLIT and Hokkaido jointly established theResearch Committee on Water Disaster Prevention Measures Based on Lessons Learned from the Severe
Disaster due to the August 2016 Hokkaido Heavy Rain (Chairperson: Tadashi Yamada, Professor at the Facultyof Science and Engineering, Chuo University). From October 2016 to February 2017, the committee examined
the severity of the disaster from various aspects including weather, flood control and disaster prevention, anddiscussed how effective measures to prevent water disaster could be implemented in the future. This research
report conference was held to report on the committee’s results.
Table: Programs Presented at the Research Report Conference
Address

Tamiharu Tashiro, President of Japan Society of Civil Engineers

Lecture 1“Impact of Disaster and Flood Damage due to the August 2016 Hokkaido Heavy Rain and Efforts
for the Future”
Hideto Kon, Director-General of Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Lecture 2“Overview of Survey on August 2016 Hokkaido Heavy Rain Compiled by Research Team”
Yasuyuki Shimizu (Professor at Hokkaido University), Leader of Research Team on Flood
Damage due to the August 2016 Hokkaido Heavy Rain

Lecture 3“Effective Water Disaster Prevention Measures to Be Implemented in the Future Based on theLessons Learned from the Severe Disaster due to the August 2016 Hokkaido Heavy Rain”
Tadashi Yamada (Professor at Chuo University), Chairperson of Research Committee on Water
Disaster Prevention Measures Based on the Lessons Learned from the Severe Disaster due to theAugust 2016 Hokkaido Heavy Rain

The above table shows the programs presented at the conference. After the opening address by JSCE President
Dr. Tashiro, Mr. Hideto Kon, Director-General of the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, delivered thefirst lecture. He explained the damage situation of facilities maintained by the Hokkaido Regional Development
Bureau including river embankments and national highways, and inundation damage to houses and farmland
due to the heavy rain, and the extent of road network disruptions, the present state of restoration, and future
efforts to be made.
Next, Prof. Yasuyuki Shimizu, Leader of the Research Team on Flood Damage due to the August 2016 Hokkaido
Heavy Rain, delivered the second lecture, summarizing the damage situation at the time of the heavy rain based4on the results obtained by the research team. In the thirdlecture, Prof. Tadashi Yamada, chairperson of thecommittee, made proposals on the following seven
items: 1) flood control measures taking climate change
into consideration, 2) total mobilization of structural andnon-structural measures, 3) enhancement of evacuationand evacuation system, 4) measures for flood control ofbranch streams and upper reaches of rivers, 5) evaluationof existing facilities and their effective utilization, 6)
response to structures built with permission, and 7)

Presentations with the images of affected areas

conservation of production space.
The conference was attended by as many as 117 participants from industry, government and academia including
companies, civil engineering consultants and general contractors, who listened intently to the lectures. Theconference was a great success.
【Reported by Ryosuke Takahashi (Akita Univ.), Leader of Information Group, IAC】

Vietnam-Japan University:
New Education Program for Bridging Vietnam and Japan
Vietnam-Japan University (VJU) is a new international university in Hanoi, Vietnam,
which has been established under the cooperation of Japanese and Vietnamese
Governments. The goal of VJU is to produce international experts who are required
both for Vietnam, which has been experiencing a rapid economic growth, and forJapan, which wants to extend their business in Vietnam under globalization. Six
master programs including the infrastructure engineering field has started theiroperations since September 2016, when an opening ceremony was held in Hanoi.
Prof. Hironori Kato

Many well-known Japanese lawmakers participated in the ceremony, which indicated (The Univ. of Tokyo)
the Japan’s strong interests in this university. Additionally their Majesties theEmperor and Empress also met and encouraged the VJU’sstudents during their visit in Vietnam in March 2017.
The establishment of VJU was originated from a jointstatement of Japan and Vietnam, which included a phrase“to examine the feasibility of establishing a high-quality
university in Vietnam with support from Japan” in 2010,and since then, it has been prepared with assistance andsupport from many people and institutes including theOpening Symposium in September 2016
Right: Prof. Motoo Furuta, Rector of VJU
Left: Mr. Hiroshige Seko, Minister of Economy, Trade,and Industry, JapanJapanInternational

Cooperation

Agency(JICA).

Currently the operation of VJU is led by Rector Professor

5Motoo Furuta, ex-Vice-President, the University ofTokyo. The campus is located in the My Dinh district,Hanoi presently although it is planned to move to “Hoa
Lac High-Tech Park,” which is the first and largest hightech park in Vietnam in a near future.
The infrastructure engineering program is operated
under the leadership of The University of Tokyo as therepresentative university with technical supports fromthe professors of Ibaraki University, Osaka University,
Showa Women’s University, Takushoku University, andSymbol of VJU (Top) and Library of VJU (Bottom)

University of Tsukuba together with local professors.
The curriculum of the infrastructure engineering program was designed to follow the example of the one of The
University of Tokyo, reflecting a strong request from the Vietnamese side. The lectures are given basically inEnglish and also a three-month internship program in Japan is provided.
Communication with the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) have been developed. For instance, a joint
seminar organized by International Center of JSCE and VJU was held in June 2016. Students in VJU have strong
interests in Japanese firms and universities, and they are highly expected to work in the international market bybridging two countries in the future.

Updates◆Summary of feature articles in JSCE Magazine Vol. 102, No. 6, June 2017 is available on the JSCE website.
http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine◆Journal of JSCE
“Journal of JSCE” the research paper collections can be viewed on the JSCE website.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/journalofjsce◆Concrete Committee International Newsletter No. 49
http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/concrete/e/newsletter/newsletter49/index.html◆Disaster Fact Sheet
http://committees.jsce.or.jp/disaster/◆IAC Students and Alumni Network
http://www.jsce-int.org/IAC_network§ IAC News Subscription §The IAC News is one of the communication tools to share information and ideas with the members. We would like to invite
you, your friends and colleagues to join the communication and to subscribe the IAC News. Please register online:(http://www.jsce-int.org/node/150). We look forward to meeting you.
§ IAC Facebook §Recent activity of International Activities Center is introduced on this Facebook. By all means, please see this home page.
(https://www.facebook.com/JSCE.en)
Comments and Questions
Please send us your feedback and comments to help us improve the IAC news. We look forward to hearing from you.
JSCE IAC: iac-news@jsce.or.jp

6