Since 2013, the ASIAME Thematic School aims to provide young ecologists from South and Southeast Asia with a solid foundation in aquatic microbial ecology, on theoretical and methodological aspects (cultural approaches, taxonomy, physiology and metabolism, metagenomics). Through their recurrence, these schools also aim to create a sustainable network structuring this nascent scientific community to foster interactions and the emergence of research collaborations between South and South-East Asian countries.
The ASIAME schools combine four important elements: (A) lectures, (B) practical training, (C) oral presentations, (D) literature review. The number of participants in ASIAME is usually between 20 and 30; it includes students ranging from master’s to post-docs from countries in South and South-East Asia, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, Maldives, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia. It is important to note that the budget is fully allocated to students to cover their travel and living expenses.
Meeting with Prof. Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap (left), dean of the CFOS UP visayas. From left to right: EES Yap, JC Auguet, Y Bettarel, T Bouvier and S de Léon Santander
After ASIAME 1 and ASIAME 2 organized respectively in Nha Trang (Vietnam) and Port Blair (India), the third edition of ASIAME is in preparation and will be located in Miagao (Philippines). In this perspective, we met our Philippine partners: Dr Sheila de Léon Santander, Dr Sharon Nuñal, Dr Emmanuel Ferriols as well as the Vice-Chancellor Dr Rolly Fuentes, the Chancellor Dr Ricardo Babaran and the Dean Pr Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences of the University of the Philippines Visayas (CFOS UPvisayas), and visited the infrastructure in order to prepare the co-organization of ASIAME3, which will welcome forty participants in 2020.