From 12-15 October 2016, Dr. Pipat Saisook, Researcher at Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, received the "Spallanzani Award" from the North American Society for Bat Research (NASBR).
The committee screened and assessed the nominations for this award from NASBR by considering the researchers’ outstanding contributions in their development work and extensive publishing, who presented their research at NASBR conference in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The nominated presentations also emphasizes on the conservation of bats, since at present many researchers mainly focus on research of bats of their own interest and not on the way to preserve bats. In Southeast Asia in particular, there are many varieties of bats threatened by the loss of their habitat in forests and caves, and also by being hunted for food. In addition, there are still few researches about bats in the region. Therefore, the related researchers should also involve in bat conservation activities. However, the resources and funds are limited needing support from other developed countries, since modern research equipment and knowledgeable specialists can drive the research and conservation of endangered species to achieve a substantial increase.
Dr. Pipat Saisook is the forth researcher from Southern Asia and second researcher from Thailand to receive this award, after Prof. Dr. Sara Bumrungsri from the Department of Biology of the PSU Faculty of Science in 2010. These awards highlight the outstanding research on bats in the country and Southeast Asia.
Dr. Pipat Saisook is a renowned bat researcher who discovered three new mammal species, namely the Bala Tube-nosed Bat, Laotian Giant Flying-Squirrel, and Vampire Bat.