The faculty of Environment of Van Lang University organized an academic seminar with the Top 1% professor in the world.

On June 8th, 2022, the Faculty of Environment of Van Lang University organized the Academic Seminar "Building Science Interfaces, Technology, and Innovation for the Circular Economy in Converting Agricultural Waste to Energy in ASEAN" led by Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan – Top 1% Professor in the world working at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand. 

The seminar took place in two primary forms: Directly at Hoang Sa 2 Room, main campus, Van Lang University, and online via Zoom platform. The event was honored to connect with many lecturers from many different universities in the Environment majors and especially lecturers and students of Van Lang University:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu – President of Van Lang University
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Kim Oanh – Head of the Faculty of Environment
• Dr. Huynh Tan Loi – Head of Doctoral Program of the Faculty of Environment
• Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan – Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) 

With more than 35 years of research and teaching experience in Environmental Engineering and Management, Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan has carried out extensive research and training activities in the field of membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment, solid waste management, industrial pollution control and plastic waste management in the direction of circular economy. His academic experience includes more than 200 research articles, more than 50 book chapters, and more than 170 international conference yearbooks. He is also a member of the editorial boards of 8 international journals.

At the seminar, Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan presented the following contents and solutions:

• Circular Economy in Asia.
• Circular economy model for agriculture in Asia.
• Methods of using technology and artificial intelligence in agriculture.
• Policies to promote the application of science and technology in transformation.
• Future Challenges and Opportunities to Transform Agricultural Waste in Asia. 

The world entered the period of building a "super-intelligent society", thoroughly applying information technology and artificial intelligence in the construction and innovation of social life. Therefore, the use of agricultural robots and advanced technology will help the Asian region develop the conversion of agricultural waste into useful energy, serving human, improving the agricultural value chain of the region. Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan shared: "The circular economy is the activities of designing, manufacturing and above all eliminating negative impacts on the environment, thereby minimizing damage to the quality of life through waste recycling solutions, using recycled materials as input materials to save natural resources. By applying technology to building interfaces and innovating the circular economy in converting agricultural waste to energy, it will contribute to socio-economic and environmental benefits and sustainable development in many countries in Asia." In addition, the circular economy also develops when the region owns a smart agricultural economy. Typical of that image is energy recovery projects in many Asian countries (the most prominent of which are Thailand and Vietnam). According to Professor Chettiyappan Visvanathan, most countries have adopted the model of using sugarcane agriculture to convert into organic energy for domestic enterprises to use. 

Attending the academic seminar, student Nguyen Anh Vu, who is currently pursuing a master's program in the Department of Environment shared: "In the future, when advanced farming techniques such as vertical or indoor farming are replaced by traditional pure agriculture in the field, at that time, the waste from agriculture will be significantly reduced. Industries that use agricultural waste for conversion into energy will more or less change. Thanks to the Professor's analysis, we understand more about future changes in energy conversion in Asia." 

Representative of Van Lang University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Kim Oanh – Head of the Faculty of Environment sent her sincere thanks for the report and the sharing of Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan. After the seminar, the Faculty of Environment of Van Lang University hopes that there will be more opportunities to exchange more about many projects related to environment and energy transition with the professor and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). 

On June 10th, 2022, Van Lang University held a Ceremony to announce the certification of training programs meeting AUN-QA quality standards for 04 majors in Accounting, Graphic Design, Hotel Management and Environmental Engineering Technology. Van Lang University is a long-standing and prestigious environmental training place, with 3 specialized fields: Technology, Environmental Management and Climate Change. This is a training discipline with strong scientific research activities, national and international reputation, with research cooperation with Wagenigen University, IHS Institute, Waste management Organization of Netherlands; Bauhaus Weimar University, GTZ Organization, Germany; RMIT University and La Trobe University - Australia; AIT Institute, Tharmasat University - Thailand; Kytakyosu University, Kyoto University, Kochi University – Japan. This is a premise for successive generations of students to work in multinational environments, receive scholarships for master and doctorate programs in many countries around the world. 

News: Thu Huong
Image: Dang Anh