135
investing in such a program has already paid rich dividends. Provided the same
energy is dedicated to incremental improvement of the content and maintenance of
funding for APIEL, it promises to be a forum that mediates and shapes opinion on
environmental issues in Asia and further afi eld.”
8.5.3 The Experience of APIEL and its Impact on His
Development
11
The APIEL was fi rst organized when the author was studying at the Department of
Urban Engineering, UT. At that time, knowledge limited to one specifi c academic
environmental fi eld was not enough; broad global environmental issues are becoming
more and more important. APIEL could not be a more suitable and benefi cial program
for students in the environmental fi eld. The APIEL curriculum not only consists of
compulsory courses, which lets the students have a better understanding and analysis
of environment-related problems in Asia but also consists of hands-on experience to
propose environmental solutions in the region where actual environmental problems
are occurring. Furthermore, the APIEL focuses on establishing, through collaborative
projects, a network of people in environmental fi elds. This is one of the keys to success in resolving global environmental issues. The APIEL curriculum, which aims to
incubate students to have the skills to solve environmental problems based on an
interdisciplinary approach and specialized skills, really fascinated the author, making
him decide to apply. At the end of the program, his decision could not have been more
right as he has learned, accomplished, and gained a great deal.
The compulsory course for APIEL was especially meaningful. Students learned
about the global aspects of environmental issues, focusing on Asian countries such
as Japan, China, Korea and Hong Kong. The content was not limited to one aspect
but came from various aspects. It helped them create a structured methodology for
problem solving based on interdisciplinary knowledge gained from the APIEL curriculum and their own specialized skills from their academic fi elds. The integral
knowledge was crucial for analyzing and solving global environmental issues and
the course equipped them with it.
APIEL also provides students with a good experience in fi eldwork, such as the
Oasis Unit in 2009, which offered participants a chance to develop environmental
leadership skills through education and from different disciplines. In the fi eldwork
for the Oasis Unit in Lanzhou Province in China, the focus was on sustainable
watershed management in arid regions. During the program, the attendees developed their environmental leadership skills through three main parts: lectures, group
work, and fi eldwork.
Before the fi eldwork, a lecture was delivered by a professor from CAREERI.
The professor was highly knowledgeable about the environmental problems in the
11 This subchapter was written by one of authors, Jatuwat Sangsanont, graduated from Department
of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo in Year 2011.
8 Resonance in the Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders
investing in such a program has already paid rich dividends. Provided the same
energy is dedicated to incremental improvement of the content and maintenance of
funding for APIEL, it promises to be a forum that mediates and shapes opinion on
environmental issues in Asia and further afi eld.”
8.5.3 The Experience of APIEL and its Impact on His
Development
11
The APIEL was fi rst organized when the author was studying at the Department of
Urban Engineering, UT. At that time, knowledge limited to one specifi c academic
environmental fi eld was not enough; broad global environmental issues are becoming
more and more important. APIEL could not be a more suitable and benefi cial program
for students in the environmental fi eld. The APIEL curriculum not only consists of
compulsory courses, which lets the students have a better understanding and analysis
of environment-related problems in Asia but also consists of hands-on experience to
propose environmental solutions in the region where actual environmental problems
are occurring. Furthermore, the APIEL focuses on establishing, through collaborative
projects, a network of people in environmental fi elds. This is one of the keys to success in resolving global environmental issues. The APIEL curriculum, which aims to
incubate students to have the skills to solve environmental problems based on an
interdisciplinary approach and specialized skills, really fascinated the author, making
him decide to apply. At the end of the program, his decision could not have been more
right as he has learned, accomplished, and gained a great deal.
The compulsory course for APIEL was especially meaningful. Students learned
about the global aspects of environmental issues, focusing on Asian countries such
as Japan, China, Korea and Hong Kong. The content was not limited to one aspect
but came from various aspects. It helped them create a structured methodology for
problem solving based on interdisciplinary knowledge gained from the APIEL curriculum and their own specialized skills from their academic fi elds. The integral
knowledge was crucial for analyzing and solving global environmental issues and
the course equipped them with it.
APIEL also provides students with a good experience in fi eldwork, such as the
Oasis Unit in 2009, which offered participants a chance to develop environmental
leadership skills through education and from different disciplines. In the fi eldwork
for the Oasis Unit in Lanzhou Province in China, the focus was on sustainable
watershed management in arid regions. During the program, the attendees developed their environmental leadership skills through three main parts: lectures, group
work, and fi eldwork.
Before the fi eldwork, a lecture was delivered by a professor from CAREERI.
The professor was highly knowledgeable about the environmental problems in the
11 This subchapter was written by one of authors, Jatuwat Sangsanont, graduated from Department
of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo in Year 2011.
8 Resonance in the Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders