The conference of the National Burma Studies Group and the Conference on Thai Studies will convene at NIU today through Sunday in Swen Parson Gallery.

The purpose of the conference is to study “all aspects of Burma and Thai culture and academic life.”

The two-day program will feature an exhibit titled, “The Splendor of Burma Textiles.” It will contain information on the history and progress of the country’s textile industry and samples of its works.

Also featured will be the 25th jubilee celebration of NIU’s Center for Southeast Studies, which was established in 1963.

Richard Cooler, director of NIU’s Center for Burma Studies, said the center is one of the nation’s largest and most active, with a regular publications program and formal exchange relationships with universities in Thailand and Malaysia.

One of the main topics of the conference will be the several Burmese students that will attend NIU due to a new program for advanced degrees in museum studies.

“There is a new museum of archeology being built in Rangoon (Burma) and very few people were trained in museum work since the British left in 1948,” Cooler said. “There is a real need in Southeast Asia to train individuals for work in museums.”