Harper Adams to work with Thai institute

Posted 14 September 2008

Two academics from Harper Adams University College have recently returned from Thailand, where they held discussions about a collaborative project with the Asian Institute of Technology to research efficient control of agricultural tractors.

In the spring of this year, Dr Alex Keen was awarded British Council funding, primarily to cover travel and subsistence during exchanges of students and staff from both AIT and HAUC over the next two years, and further financial support has come from the Douglas Bomford Trust.

It will fund a PhD student and involve a researcher from AIT Thailand working at the Shropshire University College from this autumn until March 09.

The project will look at the “Control of agricultural tractors carrying out cultivations with the aim of maximizing tractive efficiency and resulting in minimum fuel use and minimum operator time”.

Engineer Dr Keen and his colleague Dr Nigel Hall, a soils scientist, visited AIT in Bangkok
Dr Keen said: “We had a very successful visit to the Asian Institute of Technology including a number of informative field trips. The accumulated knowledge and experience in the project team, both in the UK and Thailand, provided a unique opportunity to provide a significant contribution to this subject and should lead to a continuing co-operation between the two institutions.

The Harper Adams pair also visited Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Engineering at its Kamphaengsaen campus; The University of Thanyaburi; and Jor.charoenchai Tractor Ltd a Thai company which makes agricultural machinery used in the production of rice.