Pirada “Mink” Techavijit PhD

LECTURER, KING MONGKUT'S INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY LADKRABANG INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF AVIATION INDUSTRY

Industry : Science

Dr Pirada Techavijit''s professional journey began as a satellite engineer for the Theos earth observation satellite at GISTDA. Armed with a first degree in computer engineering, she furthered her education through the Theos Operation Training Program (TOTP) scholarship, earning a master''s degree in aerospace engineering from Institut Supérieure de l’Aéronautique de l’Espace in France. She gained public attention when she became one of only 23 participants worldwide, and one of four women, selected by AXE Apollo and Space Expedition Corporation (SXC), now XCOR, to join a space camp in Orlando, Florida. Dr Pirada completed the G-Centrifuge and Astronaut Assault Course in preparation for joining the LYNX MARK II spaceplane crew. Recognizing Thailand’s limited personnel and technology in the aerospace field, Dr Pirada, together with her colleague Polkit Sukchalerm, developed a makerspace laboratory model named STEMLab (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) for schools. This initiative aimed to empower young minds to create their own technology and innovations, fostering interest in aerospace engineering. Starting in two schools in 2017, STEMLab has now successfully expanded to over 200 schools across Thailand.