On Wednesday 2 February 2022 from 16:00 to 17:15 pm. in the IAD meeting room on the 10th floor of the Golden Jubilee Administration and Information Center at Kasetsart University Bangkhen Campus. Kasetsart University organized KU Online International Academic Forum 2022: In Celebration of the 79th Anniversary of Kasetsart University under the theme “Reinventing Kasetsart University: Innovative Research and Advanced Studies on Agriculture and Food,” scheduled for two days (Bangkok time) which is Wednesday 2 February (Day 1) at 16:00- 17:15 p.m. and Thursday 3 February (Day 2) from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom Meeting. Professor Mathew P. Downs is the moderator of the event for the entire two days.

  In addition, in the morning at 6:00 a.m., there was a wreath-laying ceremony to pay homage to the Three Founder of Kasetsart University Monument, on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the founding of Kasetsart University. The ceremony was attended by the administrators, alumni, current students, personnel, faculties and organizations joined the ceremony to commemorate the great contributions of Sam Buraphachan, the founders of Kasetsart University. as well as inviting attendees to join in laying the wreath online in celebration of the 79th Anniversary of Kasetsart University.

  KU’s 79th Academic Forum will provide a platform for discussions and exchange of ideas between international partners on issues related to Global Food Security: Challenges and Strategies in Agri-food Research and Innovation, Enhancing Agriculture and Food Research. KU and many of our partners are currently focusing on these topics as part of our Reinventing the University and Research Institutes Program. The Forum will showcase some of these collaborative initiatives and provide opportunities for partners to participate, which we hope will lead to additional opportunities for future beneficial research and collaboration.

  The program started with an opening ceremony of the forum. A welcome speech was given by Assistant Professor Dr. Kampanat Pensupar, Vice President for International Affairs, Kasetsart University. He said, “It is my honor to extend my heartiest greetings and welcome to you all participating in Kasetsart University’s Online Academic Forum, 2022. Thank you very much for joining us online. Of course, we hope to welcome you in-person to our campus in the near future.” Then, an opening statement by Dr. Chongrak Wachrinrat, President, Kasetsart University. KU President said, “The goal of our annual forums has been to promote conversations on various challenges confronting higher education and the role of universities in coping with critical global issues, such as technological evolution, social change, and efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our discussions will address the obstacles that we must all confront and present some of the efforts in research and educational programming that we have made, often in collaboration with our partner universities, to tackle the problem, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

  The next following program was a keynote address from a Keynote 1 on the topic “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Global Food Security: Challenges and Strategies in Agri-food Research and Innovation” by Professor H. De Jong, Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands. Later, the second Keynote speaker for today’s forum was Associate Professor Dr. Sutkhet Nakasathien, Vice President for Research and Creation, Kasetsart University on the topic “Enhancing Agriculture and Food Research under the Reinventing Universities and Research Institutes Program.” In the meantime, participants were given an opportunity to ask questions and express their opinions on various topics and finally was a wrap up of the main points of the first day of KU’s 79th Academic Forum. On its first day, more than 300 people attended the online meeting, including representatives from higher education institutions, international relations network, international partners, faculty members, students and the general public. KU Online International Academic Forum 2022: In Celebration of the 79th Anniversary of Kasetsart University under the theme “Reinventing Kasetsart University: Innovative Research and Advanced Studies on Agriculture and Food,” has reached another milestone in terms of academic participation in society in terms of academics, research, and national development as well as establishing continuous and sustainable international cooperation.