PSU’s Faculty of Engineering signed a cooperation agreement with Toyota Tsusho Nexty Electronics (Thailand) Co., Ltd., also known as NETH, a global leader in the development of electronic systems and automotive software. The collaborative project, titled "NETH-PSU Research Collaboration", entered its fourth consecutive year, and it is centered mainly around training engineers and developing research on embedded systems in vehicles.
The project news was announced at a press conference held at the Faculty of Engineering on 19 April 2019. The event was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanit Chalermyanont, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and Mr. Koichi Okoshi, Chief Administrative Officer of Toyota Tsusho Nexty Electronics (Thailand) Co., Ltd, along with the Thai and Japanese management of the company. From the Faculty of Engineering, members of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering were also present.
Dr. Thanit noted that the Faculty of Engineering has been entrusted by NETH, through funding, to open a Joint Research Center as the main base for producing capable engineers of embedded systems in automobiles. This arrangement creates much-needed support for the automotive industry in key areas, including software quality assurance, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) training, and model-based design training. In addition, Dr. Thanit explains, the project features technology transfer training, work preparation, practicing various skills through problem-based learning, providing project problems for fourth-year students, posing research questions for graduate students, along with offering joint research opportunities with professors.
The success of the project is obvious: in the past three years, more than 50 participating students have passed the selection criteria and became employed in the company straight after graduation, their qualifications allowing them to forgo the customary trial period.'
Dr. Thanit's closing statements summarized the highlights of the faculty's international activities and achievements, explaining how these global collaborative activities keep playing an important role Prince of Songkla University becoming the center of ASEAN with regards to the creation of human resources and research in embedded systems in vehicles.
