On August 19, Chargé d’Affaires Peter Haymond joined the opening ceremony for the 2016 National Science and Technology Fair, which takes place from August 18 to 28 at the IMPACT Exhibition Center. The Science Fair is an annual event organized by the National Science Museum that draws more than a million visitors, including schoolchildren from almost every province of Thailand. Following the ceremony, the Chargé welcomed the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Pichet Durongkaveroj to the U.S. Pavilion, which showcases efforts by the U.S. government, companies, and NGOs to advance scientific knowledge and technological innovation to solve global challenges. The pavilion includes exhibits from the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science (AFRIMS), a joint U.S. Army – Royal Thai Army medical research organization, on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases; USAID partner Freeland Foundation on mobile technology to uncover and report wildlife trafficking; and from the Wildlife Conservation Society on science saving Thailand’s tigers; as well as displays of cutting-edge automotive and information technology from Ford and Microsoft.
