The Opening Ceremony of the 3rd WIETE Annual Conference on Engineering and Technology Education was held at Seri Place Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, on Tuesday, 7 February 2012. It commenced with an introductory address presented by Dr Dianne Q. Nguyen, Academic Secretary of the WIETE and Conference Convener, on behalf of Professor Zenon J. Pudlowski, who was unable to attend the Conference due to sudden illness. Subsequently, an opening welcome was given by Dr Chawin Chantharasenawong, Director of the International Centre for Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok, Thailand, on behalf of the KMUTT President and Conference Patron, Associate Professor Sakarindr Bhumiratana.

A welcome on behalf of the WIETE Global Family of Engineering and Technology Educators was presented by the Conference Honorary Chairman, Professor Adinarayana Kalanidhi, Vice-Chancellor of the Commonwealth Science and Technology Institute, Kandy, Sri Lanka. He is also Vice-President of the Commonwealth Science and Technology Academy for Research (C-STAR), Chennai, India, and President of the WIETE International Academic Advisory Committee (WIETE-IAAC).

Two addresses were presented at the opening session that was chaired by Professor David W.S. Tai, Dean of the College of Management at Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan, and WIETE-IAAC Vice-President. The first address entitled  Innovations in engineering and technology and the need for innovative curriculum and syllabi revision was presented by Prof. A. Kalanidhi, and the second address entitled National assessment of knowledge of engineering and technology topics at the end of middle school - the Slovenian experience was delivered by Associate Professor Slavko Kocijancic of the Department of Physics and Technical Studies in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and President of the Society for the Development of Technology Education (SDTE), Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The addresses stimulated useful discussion, which preceded the main deliberations on the Conference theme. Networking in Engineering and Technology Education was chosen as the Conference theme to facilitate discussions and personal interaction between academics involved in engineering and technology education from different cultural backgrounds. The theme allowed authors to identify and present best collaborative programmes and projects, as well as examples relevant to the main theme. Addressing issues of concern and discussing the status and quality of global engineering education were also important objectives of the Conference.

The picture shows Dr C. Chantharasenawong of KMUTT, presenting an opening welcome.