Affiliate-selected Board seats/2019/Nominations/Taweetham Limpanuparb

Name:

Taweetham Limpanuparb

Wikimedia username:

Questions for all candidates – Questions for this individual candidate that do not apply to other candidates

Statement

My first edit on the Thai Wikipedia was in March 2006 as an undergraduate student. During the past thirteen years, the Wikimedia Movement and I have significantly grown. It is my honor to be able to serve in various volunteer roles in the Thai community – Sysop, CheckUser, ArbCom, organizer of WLM/WLE competitions and lead coordinator in a usergroup. Over the years, my contribution has shifted from an editor to a mentor to other volunteers in the movement. I am very grateful to my students and other volunteers whose work as Wikipedians and usergroup volunteers have already surpassed mine in terms of quality and quantity. I can now run for the WMF board seat because of their encouragement and support.

I am a native to a developing country in a Southeast Asian nation but I have a significant personal, cultural and academic connection to East Asia, India and Australia. To many of us, Wikipedia and its sister projects do mean a lot more than the free knowledge movement known in the global north. There are also different challenges/needs as well as untapped potentials for this underrepresented region of the world. It is my intention to seek due attention from the foundation to the underrepresented - not only ours.

The relationship between the WMF and internal/external stakeholders is complex and evolving. As a long-term volunteer, I have had interactions with WMF and other international peers in the movement in different capacities. I have completed a number of WMF grants and successfully negotiated an agreement for a usergroup. Through Wikimanias, WMCONs and a Hackathon sponsored by the WMF, I have become friends with those who share the same inspiration and frustration. If elected, I will seek to redefine and balance this relationship to make our movement productive and sustainable.

Résumé

Taweetham (pronounced Ta‧wee‧tham, from Sanskrit language) is currently an Associate Professor of Theoretical Chemistry and a Program Director of Chemistry. He previously served as an Assistant Dean for Information Technology at at Mahidol University International College. Taweetham earned his Ph.D. (Theoretical Quantum Chemistry) from the Australian National University and has three other degrees, B.Ed. (Educational Technology and Communication), LL.B. (Law) and B.Sc. (Distinction program in Chemistry, First-class honors).Taweetham obtained full scholarships from the Royal Thai Government from Year 10 to Ph.D. Taweetham received numerous awards for his academic and volunteer work such as an ACM honorable mention award at the Intel ISEF in 2004 and Distinguished Referee from Software: Practice and Experience in 2018. Taweetham speaks Thai and English fluently and understand basic Mandarin and Japanese.

Eligibility

I am eligible to serve as a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Endorsements

Wikimedia Indonesia

Wikimedia Indonesia fully supports Taweetham Limpanuparb as the candidate of ASBS.--Biyanto Rebin (WMID) (talk) 12:20, 30 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Wikimedia Australia

Wikimedia Australia fully supports Taweetham Limpanuparb as a candidate of ASBS.Pru.mitchell (talk) 13:48, 30 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]