13 August 2012
To mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Thailand, the Australian Embassy in Bangkok staged the “Experience Australia Unlimited” exhibition at the CentralWorld shopping centre in central Bangkok from 17-22 July 2012.
A key element of the exhibition was a large installation showcasing Australian education, science and innovation and highlighting the strong education links between Australia and Thailand.
The installation, produced by AEI in cooperation with Austrade, had four main components:
· an overview of Australian research excellence, both past and present, as well as emerging strengths
· a selection of famous Australian research and innovation such as the black-box flight recorder, the technology behind wifi and google maps, the aircraft escape slide and raft, the cochlear implant (bionic ear), and radio astronomy
· a showcase of Australia’s 11 Nobel Prize recipients since 1915
· a video montage of interviews with prominent Thai Australian alumni and
· a display promoting the Endeavour Awards under the Australia Awards program.
The Australian Ambassador to Thailand, James Wise, presided over the launch of the exhibition, and the Hon Justine Elliot MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade, delivered a welcome speech to the invited guests, who included representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Nanotechnology Center, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, UNESCO and a range of Bangkok universities and alumni associations.
The education and research components of the exhibition will be featured again at the Thailand National Science and Technology Fair which will take place in Bangkok from 17-31 August 2012.