2006 Graduate Catalog and 2005 Annual R & D Report - Sirindhorn ...

2006 Graduate Catalog and 2005 Annual R & D Report
Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT)
Dr. Thammajun Leungsakul
Lecturer (Joined SIIT in May 2006)
B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
M.S. & Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Connecticut, USA
Area of Specialization: Environmental Biotechnology/Microbiology, Biological treatment of water and
wastewater.
Research Interests:
Protein Engineering of Monooxygenases and
Dioxygenases
Enzymes are the most varied and the most highlyspecialized
proteins. They are proteins with catalytic
activity, and nearly all the chemical reactions of
organic biomolecules in cells are catalyzed by
enzymes. There are many thousands of enzymes in
different organisms that have been discovered which
catalyze a myriad of chemical reactions. Bacterial
ring-hydroxylating oxygenases initiate biodegradation
of aromatic compounds, as they are responsible for
the initial step in the hydroxylation of aromatic
hydrocarbons and related compounds, in nature.
Since aromatic compounds such as nitroaromatics,
polychlorinated biphenyls, benzene, toluene, and
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are toxic and cause
extensive environmental contamination, these
bacterial enzymes have been studied with respect to
remediating these compounds. The purpose of this
study is to use an innovative protein engineering
approach such as error prone PCR, saturation
mutagenesis, and DNA shuffling to create novel
monooygenases or dioxygenases that degrade nitro
compounds and that synthesize new or useful
compounds for industry.
Bacterial Chemotaxis toward Nitroaromatic
Compounds
The enzymes and genetic pathways required for
bacterial degradation of toxic organic compounds
such as polychlorinated biphenyls, toluene,
naphthalene, and nitroaromatic compounds have
been determined. However, the role of chemotaxis in
pollutant biodegradation and bioremediation has not
been studied extensively. Bacterial chemotaxis,
movement due to a chemical gradient, enhances
biodegradation by bringing cells close to the pollutant
thereby reducing: poor bioavailability, sequestration of
the chemical on surfaces, and low solubility. In this
study, we focus on chemotaxis toward the
nitroaromatic compounds 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene,
dinitrotoluenes, and nitrotoluenes which are found in
soil and groundwater as contaminants.
School of Civil Engineering and Technology
Faculty Members and Research Interests, 2006
Dr. Amorn Pimanmas
Associate Professor
B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
M.Eng. & Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo, Japan
Areas of Specialization: Behavior, analysis and evaluation of damaged reinforced concrete members and
structures; Nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) mechanics; Maintenance, repair and
inspection of RC buildings.
Research Interests:
Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Members
by Fiber Reinforced Composite
Many existing reinforced concrete structures need
strengthening to upgrade the load bearing capacity.
Recently, fiber reinforced composite (plate and sheet)
has been increasingly used to elevate the flexural
capacity of the member. However, because of high
stress concentration near the plate ends, peel-off
failure takes place before fiber rupture. This reduces
the efficient usage of fiber reinforced material. The
research aims to prevent anchorage failure. A
numerical analysis will be attempted to predict the
anchorage failure load.
Evaluation of Damaged Reinforced Concrete
Members
This research aims to evaluate the structural behavior
of reinforced concrete members damaged by precracks.
This is a necessary step towards the
evaluation of the whole structure. Experimental
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