SIP 2026 — Road Infrastructure Management

Networking Notes — common ground per team

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Networking Notes — Common Ground per Team

TL;DR

The workshop’s stated goal is mutual understanding and network-building. Here’s a quick conversation starter and common-ground point for each person/team, so you connect fast. Bring CMU/Thailand context to trade.

🇵🇭 Philippines — De La Salle

  • Daniel Valerio — ⭐ did his MEng at Chulalongkorn (Thailand). Opener: “You studied in Bangkok — how did that shape your work?” Instant rapport.
  • Jason Ongpeng — works on AI/ML + digital twins for bridges and sustainable concrete. Opener: ask about his Tokyo-Tech (JSPS RONPAKU) path and digital-twin bridge monitoring — overlaps AI interests.

🇹🇼 Taiwan — agency + industry

  • Common ground: Taiwan and Thailand both manage seismic + heavy-traffic networks; Taiwan and Japan share earthquake-engineering culture.
  • Dr. Chien Wen Huang (Kawada) — bridge construction/maintenance, a top steel-bridge builder. Opener: ask about fatigue-crack retrofit and the 7/22 bridge demo.
  • The NLMA engineers: ask which part of the road/infrastructure lifecycle they own (planning vs. maintenance) — genuinely useful and a good icebreaker.

🇯🇵 Japan facilitators

  • Prof. Miyazato — concrete corrosion/durability + Hokuriku SIP lead. Strong technical common ground; ask about corrosion in coastal Ishikawa.
  • Prof. Nishida — NDT/elastic-wave; perfect to engage around the 7/22 hands-on.
  • Dr. Panitha — Thai researcher at KIT: a friendly first contact and cultural bridge for your whole team.
  • Ms. Okamoto (Nippon Koei) — consultant active in JICA projects across the students’ countries; good for the industry/overseas-development view.

🌍 JICA students

  • Common ground = funding, staffing, data, climate — the same battles, harder mode. Be a peer, not a lecturer.
  • Sri Lanka (Janitha, Nipuna) — closest to Thailand in institutional maturity; compare RDA vs. DOH/DRR.
  • Tanzania, Laos, DRC, South Sudan — ask what they hope to take home; offer Thai examples of doing more with limited budgets.
  • Bonus: several work in Miyazato’s concrete lab — a shared thread with the host.

General tips

Small things that land well

  • Learn to say a few words in Japanese (and greet the students in their language if you can).
  • Carry business cards (meishi) — exchange with two hands, Japanese-style.
  • Have a one-line description of Chiang Mai University + your work ready.
  • Offer something concrete: a paper, a contact, an invitation to Thailand. Follow up after the workshop — that’s where networks actually form.

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