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NUSTNEWS
Volume II / Issue I / Jan-March 2011

Quarterly Newsletter

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New feature: In a Snapshot...pg19

23rd March
Pakistan Day Celebrations...pg 02

Spring makes its own statement

Geoffrey G Charlesworth

Inside >>
Karen Armstrong ion...pg 03 Invokes Compass

Symposium on HCV Management...pg 06

Discover ways to cope with life-threatening diseases

Launching Business Plan DISCOVER.pg 12

Changing the way business is done today NCVI Hosts World Cup Semi-final Screening...pg 19

Inside
Highlights

Updates from Schools

Co-curricular Corner

Faculty & Student Achievements

Chief Editor Mahmud Bashir Bajwa Editor Maryam Khalid Graphics & Layout Kareem Muhammad Photography Ghulam Rasul

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From the Editors Desk

It is a pleasure to bring out the second issue of quarterly NUSTNEWS. After an encouraging response from our readers, it has been a source of great satisfaction working on this issue which we have attempted to make more diverse and informative. A couple of new sections have been introduced i.e., Co-curricular Corner and In a Snapshot which bring you campus news in an even more appealing manner. I would like to thank all focal persons and student reporters for their invaluable input. We look forward to making this quarterly even better. Your comments and contributions are welcome.

Sports News

Community Service

In a Snapshot

15 18 19
NUST Publications www.nust.edu.pk

highlights
Pakistan day observed at NUst
At a time when the country is facing immense challenges at various fronts, an orderly change has become inevitable; a change that brings visionary leadership to the fore and a revolution in the education sector only can stimulate such a change. The historic day of March 23rd is a day that demonstrates the ideology behind the Pakistan Movement and wants from us a renewed resolve to work for the development of our dear homeland. This was the crux of the address by Dr. Ross Masood Husain, former minister and current affairs analyst, that he gave at National University of Sciences and Technology here in a function held in connection with Pakistan Day. Any slogans for change are meaningless until they are realised to the true sense. Our country is gifted with resources and there is no dearth of potential to transform ideas into reality. Notwithstanding, it is heart wrenching to see that the very socio-political setup in the country has been in disarray since independence. The country is in dire need of leaders like Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to lift it from the muddled state of affairs, Dr Masood asserted. Dr. Masood counted the failures of successive regimes in understanding the motive behind the struggle for Pakistan in its true spirit as a result of which the society is going through an identity crisis. When asked what remedy could be effective in this grave situation, he said in categorical terms that it was education only that could solve these problems. Earlier, Rector NUST Engr. Muhammad Asghar in his inaugural address highlighted some aspects of the independence movement. He said we as a nation are proud of many accomplishments that we have made since getting freedom from British rule but there are certain harsh experiences too from which we should learn and correct ourselves. Engr. Muhammad Asghar also recited a few couplets from Iqbals poetry that the great poet had written to rouse the Muslims of the subcontinent from deep slumber. He said Iqbals poetry is reflective of basic Islamic concepts and can serve as a guideline in achieving our goals. The event was successfully organised by the NUST Bazm-e-Pakistan Society. Students from various schools of NUST also delivered speeches on the occasion and kept the audience spellbound with their scintillating ideas for the betterment of the country. At the end, the chief guest distributed prizes among the student speakers. Rector NUST also presented a souvenir to the honourable chief guest.

Quarterly Newsletter

02

sMMe holds National robotics Workshop

While speaking at the concluding session of the national workshop on Innovation 2011 organised at the NUST main campus in Islamabad, Rector NUST Engr. Muhammad Asghar emphasised the need for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship as modern computer-based value addition technologies are essential not only for strengthening of the economy but also to meet various technological challenges in the world. Robotics Workshop was organised by the NUST School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME) from Feb 19 to March 6. The main objective of organising this workshop was to expose the young students to various aspects of technology pertaining to robots and artificial intelligence. The workshop included introduction to basic robot parts, actuation and sensory techniques used in robots as well as some hands-on training using Lego Mindstorms kits for demonstrating various applications of robotics in the modern era. The workshop was attended by 25 students belonging to various leading educational institutions including Beaconhouse School System, The City School, Roots College International, University of Peshawar as well as constituent institutes of NUST. The students evinced a great deal of interest in the theory and practical sessions as well as the final competition. In total, 8 teams participated in the final competition. In the high school category, the first prize of Rs. 15,000 sponsored by M/s SANCO Middle East, was awarded to The Claw robot fabricated by Qasim Nadeem (Beaconhouse Margalla), Tafseer Haider Rizvi (Beaconhouse Margalla), Hassan Abid Aziz (Roots DHA) and Sajjad Ahmad (NUST College of E & ME). The first prize of Rs. 15,000 in the university category sponsored by SMME was secured by AFFROB3 robot fabricated by Fahad Naveed (NUST SMME), Farhan Zafar (NUST SMME) and Adel Farooq Khan (University of Peshawar). In his remarks on the occasion, Principal SMME, Brig. Dr. Abdul Ghafoor appreciated the efforts of the faculty members of the newly established Department of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at the SMME for the organisation of this workshop.

karen armstrong delivers lecture on the Need for a compassionate society

Compassion is intrinsic to all human beings; each of us needs to work diligently to expand our capacity for this virtue. All the religions of the world preach compassion and not oppression. This is the idea which can successfully guide human beings to establish a global community where people live in harmony. This was said by Karen Armstrong, while delivering a lecture on The Need for a Compassionate Society. The lecture was organised by NUST Business School (NBS) on 1st February. Karen Armstrong is a British author of numerous works on comparative religion, who first rose to prominence in 1993 with her highly successful A History of God. She asserts, All the great traditions are saying the same thing in much the same way, despite their surface differences. They each have in common, she says, an emphasis on the transcendent importance of compassion, as epitomised in the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. In her lecture at NUST, she stressed the need for concerted and joint efforts by the people across the world to spread the message of compassion and tolerance. She emphasised that all the religions of the world give the lesson of kindness and prohibit their followers from oppressing others. Karen Armstrong has written a new book, titled Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, in which she has discussed the importance of compassion in detail and has taught various steps that can make the society compassionate in the real sense of the word.

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NUSTNEWS / Highlights

International Workshop on fibre-to-the home technology

A one-day international workshop focused on Fibre-to-the Home Technology (FTTH) was held at NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS) on January 27. The workshop was jointly organised by NUST-SEECS Network Research Group (NNRG) and Nayatel (Pvt) Ltd (NTL). Nayatel are currently the sole provider of fibre-tohome high speed bandwidth connectivity in Pakistan. One of the prime objectives of the workshop was to highlight and demonstrate to a cross-section of researchers, industrialists and entrepreneurs the phenomenal power and incredible potential of fibre- to- the- home technology, a cutting-edge realm of technology enabling transmission of broadband TV/ video and voice on an optical fibre. It was a highly exciting and insightful experience for the participants to view in action blocks of fibre- to- the- home technology network; physical FTTH network layout and technology with hands-on exposure to components such as OLTs, ONTs, splitters etc. The workshop was keenly attended by researchers, engineers, as well as aspiring industrialists and entrepreneurs. Pro-Rector (I&I), Muhammad Mushtaq briefed the guests about NUST Incubation Centre which served as a hatchery for new ideas and products to be conceived and marketed. Highly illuminating talks and presentations were delivered on this occasion. The learned speakers included Mr Wahaj-us Siraj, industry co-chair, CEO Nayatel; Professor Dr Yasin Raja, UNCC, USA; (through video conference); Professor Dr S M Hassan Zaidi, General Chair, NUST SEECS; Dr Adeel Baig, NUST-SEECS; and Dr Tauseef Tauqeer, Co-chair, NUST-SEECS. In his welcome address, Dr Zaidi briefly covered the history and accomplishments of NUST. CEONayatel enlightened the audience on the prospects and constraints of bandwidth connectivity technologies in use. The high point of the workshop was the agreement between Nayatel and NUST to set up a start-up company by the name of Photonic Network Ltd to co-develop a new concept hybrid technology combining the benefits of fibre and wireless connectivity in terms of mobility, flexibility, ubiquity and lower cost. This marks a significant breakthrough in terms of confluence of industry-academia efforts to pursue research and product projects in fields emerging on the new frontiers of technology.

humour Poets enliven NUst audience

The spicy lines of poetry along with the sarcastic tone of the poets infused joy amongst the youngsters in an impulsive All Pakistan Mazahiya Mushaira organised by NUST Bazm-eAdab in NUST on March 29. Famous Urdu poets from across the country participated in the event to entertain the students with their beautifully expressed verses including Anwar Masood, Sarfaraz Shahid, Dr. Inam-ul-Haq Javed, Khalid Masood, Prof. Dr. Tuaha Khan, Zahid Fakhri, Dr. Saeed Iqbal Saadi, Saleem Akhtar and Aisha Masood Malik. They amused everyone with their witty couplets. It is pertinent to mention here that three of the guest poets are recipients of Pride of

Performance. A Mushaira in a science and technology institute brings home the importance of social sciences and literature to our students. The university infuses the spirit of a critically active citizen and a life-long learner into its students through such initiatives, shared Dr. Asghari Maqsood, faculty sponsor of NUST Bazm-e-Adab. The students, who attended the event, were jubilant and boisterous. They applauded the spontaneity and aptness of the humorous verses. They were of the view that such events not only brought smiles to their faces, but also familiarised them with new trends in poetry. This wonderful event has been a tremendous source of catharsis for otherwise busy science and research scholars at NUST.

Quarterly Newsletter

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rector NUst elected as member acU council

Rector NUST Engr. Muhammad Asghar, HI (M) has been elected recently as a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Council. Executive heads of the ACU member universities were invited to nominate the candidates for election to the Council. Rector NUST was nominated by peer universities to represent Constituency-II, which includes Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It is a great honour both for the Rector as a person and the country. Being a member of the ACU Council, Engr. Muhammad Asghar will represent Constituency-II for the next two years. Meanwhile, Rector NUST has reiterated his resolve to represent the universities of constituency-II, in general, and Pakistan in particular to the best of his abilities.

experts discuss natural disasters in international workshop

A three-day international workshop on Education for Managing Hydrological Extremes and Related Geo-hazards was organised by NUST in collaboration with UNESCO and HEC at the NUST campus from 24th to 26th Jan 2011. Guest speakers from Australia, Korea, Japan, Srilanka, China, Iran and Nigeria came to attend the workshop and delivered lectures. Former Federal Minister for Science and Technology Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Jillani, who was the chief guest on the occasion, commended the organisers for selecting this immensely important sector of education that had been lying somewhat dormant in the past. The minister reiterated that efficient management of extreme events of hydrological or geological nature at all tiers will not only save precious human lives but will also minimise the material losses and damages caused to assets and property. The workshop which was earlier inaugurated by the Federal Minister for Environment drew a number of national and international experts from academia, water professionals, decision makers, and community representatives. The UNESCO invited a number of experts from its centres in UK, Japan, Nigeria, China, Srilanka, USA and Iran. The deliberations during the workshop were organised in a number of technical sessions in which detailed presentations were made by the experts, analysing various aspects of water-related disasters. An important focus of the Workshop was the catastrophic floods that are a recurring phenomenon worldwide with special reference to the recent floods in Pakistan.

Prof. Dr. Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, ICHARM (Japan); Dr. Olusanjo A. Bamboye, NWRI (Nigeria); Prof, Bakhshal Lashari, MUET; Dr. Qunli Han, UNESCO ( Iran); Prof. Dr. Uzma Qureshi Hamid Sarfraz, IUCNP; Dr. Bart Schultz, UNESCO- IHE, (Netherlands); Dr. Nimal Gunawardne Saci WATERs, (India); Mr. Arif Mehmood, DG PMD; Dr. Muhammad Latif, CEWRE. Dr. Bart Schutz, UNESCO-IHE, (Netherlands) were among those who gave presentations on the occasion.

low-cost robotic hand developed

The Department of Mechatronics, College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering has designed and manufactured the Myo-Electric Prosthetic Upper Limb under Higher Education Commissions project entitled National Research Program for Universities. The project, which was awarded to Dr. Akhter Nawaz Malik, Department of Mechatronics, College of EME had a total Cost of Rs. 1.569473 million and it was completed in one year. This elbow prosthetic limb uses brain signals from motor points as input to control the actuation of the hand grip and wrist rotation. This limb was tested on a patient from Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM) and allowed him to voluntarily control the motion of the prosthetic hand for doing complex tasks like picking and releasing objects. It has a reasonable functional time of 10 hours. It provides

adaptive grip whereby the patient can grab objects of various shapes and sizes. Apart from these advantages, the estimated cost of this robotic hand is much lower compared to the arms available in the international market.

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NUSTNEWS / Highlights

symposium on hcv management

Owing to unprecedented increase in pollution due to industrial development at a fast pace and other related reasons, developing countries like Pakistan have become susceptible to health concerns. The swift rise in cases of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) has alarmed us all. It is therefore imperative that well thought-out efforts, both at individual and institutional levels, be made to eradicate this growing threat to life from the country. Dr. Anwar Nasim, Adviser Science COMSTECH, said this in his address in the inaugural session of 1st Annual HCV Management Symposium held here on 10th Feb 2011. He was also the chief guest on the occasion. The two-day event was organised by NUST Centre of Virology & Immunology (NCVI) in collaboration with Higher Education Commission (HEC). The audience included scientists, clinicians, clinical pathologists, students and selected members of the community. The theme was to share knowledge, new research areas, unexplored territories and experiences regarding Hepatitis C virus and associated diseases. He asserted that one of the most serious contemporary challenges that the human society faced was to effectively cope with life threatening diseases, saying that human health is the most precious asset for any nation without which it becomes helpless against emerging challenges. Hepatitis C is an infectious disease of the liver that in majority of cases acts as a silent killer and is rising alarmingly throughout the world including Pakistan, he added. He was all praise for NUST for establishing NUST Centre of Virology and Immunology with state-of-the-art laboratories

and staff comprising distinguished and experienced scientists. Dr Ishtiaq Qadri, Principal NCVI also stressed on the basic aim of the symposium which was to address the Hepatitis C spread in Pakistan, the major cause of liver diseases like liver steatosis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. He said that they had tried to provide a forum whereby investigators from across the country could introduce new work for peer review and discussion focusing on HCV management. Dr. Muhammad Idrees from CEMB gave his presentation on the changing epidemiology pattern and frequency distribution of HCV in Pakistan. He said that the specific objective of this study was to find out the frequency distribution of Hepatitis C Virus in the country. He said that the changed HCV genotype pattern might have direct impact on HCV disease outcome and new therapeutic strategies may be needed.

NUst holds international conference on flood management

The natural calamity that hit the country in the shape of flood during the year 2010 broke all previous records as a vast area across the country was inundated causing great loss both in terms of life and property. It is high time for the government and other stakeholders to draw a roadmap with regard to flood management and strictly follow it so that any similar disaster in the times to come be dealt with efficiently. Chairman HEC Dr. Javed Laghari said this while addressing the inaugural session of a two-day international conference titled Floods 2010: A Dialogue to Transform Devastation to Opportunity on 23rd Feb 2011 in collaboration with HEC. Dr. Javed Laghari termed the holding of conference as an initiative towards providing a platform whereby the government and other stakeholders might utilise the collective wisdom in devising strategies to minimise the damage caused by floods in the future. Meanwhile, he also appreciated the efforts of the armed forces and all other entities for the rescue and rehabilitation of the flood victims. Earlier, Rector NUST Engineer Muhammad Asghar said that the revolution in sectors like ICT and higher education, especially during the last decade, had considerable impact on the lives of people worldwide and growth of these sectors in countries like Pakistan was a good omen. Mr. Rab Nawaz, Secretary Irrigation and Power Punjab, said that the inundation

of the areas at a massive scale caused great damage to irrigation, flood protection and drainage infrastructure in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. He said the government of Punjab adopted a conscious policy of selfreliance in terms of early restoration of the canal network and closure of critical breaches in embankments. The Secretary asserted that though the flood brought misery and chaos into the overall social setup, it also offered opportunities for the future. He said flood protection works should be given due importance in resource allocation irrespective of the frequency of floods. The Conference culminated on a positive note that such steps were important to reduce the damage in case any calamity befell the country.

Quarterly Newsletter

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visits-dignitaries/delegations
Minister Most visits NUst
Federal Minister of Science and Technology Mir Changez Jamali has said that the educational needs of the far-flung areas across the country, especially those in Balochistan, must be addressed on priority basis, adding that the role of universities is pivotal in this regard. The Minister said this during his visit to NUST accompanied by Secretary MoST Mr. Irfan Nadeem on March 28. Rector NUST Engr Muhammad Asghar received the honourable guest on his arrival to the university campus in sector H-12. Mr. Jamali commended the role of NUST in imparting quality education not only in its various campuses but also by initiating programmes for the underprivileged aspirants of education countrywide. The minister expressed his satisfaction over the performance of the university. However, he urged the university authorities to contribute its share in educating the students from Balochistan to enable them to equally benefit from the programmes being offered by the university.

British MPs visit the University

An 11-member delegation of British MPs paid a visit to NUST on January 27. Rector NUST Engr. Muhammad Asghar warmly welcomed the delegation led by MP Roger Gale. The MPs were then given a briefing on the achievements and initiatives of NUST towards imparting quality education. Roger Gale acknowledged as well as eulogised the efforts of NUST in promotion of higher education in the country. The highly qualified faculty, state-of-the-art laboratories, impressive ratio of the female students were some of the aspects that drew the admiration of the visiting dignitaries. Earlier, the Rector apprised the delegation of the phenomenal growth made by the university in the past few years. He also highlighted that out of the esteemed faculty members there were many who had acquired higher education from well-recognised universities of UK and Europe, adding that there were more than 300 PhD degree holding faculty members teaching in the various disciplines at the university.

Balochi position holders visit NUst

25 member delegation of Balochi students visited NUST on February 22. A briefing about NUST was presented at BOG Conference Room and meeting was chaired by ProRector (A&R). NUST souvenirs were distributed among the guest and a photo session was conducted. The delegation visited NUST-SEECS library and research labs. The delegation members also met the Balochi students studying at SEECS. This visit to NUST was organised by Ministry of Information and ISPR.

fU delegates visit NUst

A delegation of faculty and management staff of Foundation University visited NUST on January 26. The delegation was headed by Brig (R) Abdul Rahman Bilal (SJ)-Director, Foundation University The delegation called on the Rector and were later given a presentation on NUST. NUST souvenirs were distributed among the guest and photo session was conducted. The delegation visited SEECS and NBS seminar halls, libraries and research labs.

exploration visit of afghan chancellors, vice chancellors and professors

A 16 member delegation of Afghan Chancellors, Vice Chancellors and Professors visited NUST on January 19. The delegation, headed by Prof Hamidullah Amin -Chancellor, Kabul University, included representatives from Nangarhar University, Sheikh Zayed University, Heart University and National Centre for Policy Research (NCPR). The meeting was chaired by Rector NUST. The delegation visited SEECS and NBS seminar halls, libraries and labs. Later they visited NCVI and IESE labs to discuss venues for future correspondence. The visit was organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Islamabad. NUST also signed an MoU with Afghan Consortium of Universities (Kabul, Nangarhar, Sheikh Zayed, Herat).

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NUSTNEWS / Highlights

Nrg Biofuels canada inks MoU with scMe

An MoU between NRG Biofuels, Canada and SCME was signed for scaleable and sustainable R&D and Commercialisation of biofuels, a renewable energy resource. Rector NUST was present on the occasion. It was discussed that the company will initially contribute research equipment worth Rs 5.0 M and also invest a further Rs. 10.0 M in design and indigenous fabrication of Super Critical Fluid Extraction plant, which comprises high tech gadgetry with automation / controllers capable of very fast response time to control the various process parameters. The established working relationship in due course should lead to the creation of a Centre of Excellence in Renewable Energy at SCME-NUST. According to the MoU, NRG Biofuels brings to the proposed working relationship expertise in evaluating the output for the economic commercialisation processes for the production of Biofuels and the implementation thereof with the necessary capital. PSO has agreed to partner in

the commercialisation of biofuels with complete buy-back guarantee. Dr. M. Bilal Khan, Dean, Directors Projects SCME and Co-Chair Chemical Sector CAC brought NRG Biofules on board in line with the CAC vision to energise the University Industry portal, so vital to realise the benefits of research for the common good and creation of wealth. The fabrication of plant locally with foreign investment will impart rich training to PhD students, capacity and confidence building of local industry besides saving valuable foreign exchange.

NUst signs MoU with ogra

A Memorandum of understanding was signed between NUST and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) as part of its Corporate Industrial Linkages on 3rd March 2011 at NUST campus. The main purpose of this mutual understanding is to highlight relevant research areas and prepare training programmes to enable the future leadership cadre of Pakistan to deal with the emerging issues of the Oil and Gas sector. Accordingly, NUST would arrange customised management/technical training programmes for capacity building of OGRAs officers, whereas, OGRA would also provide information regarding the sector-wise contribution in the Oil and Gas regulated activity. Rector NUST Engr. Muhammad Asghar emphasised the Universitys contribution towards commercialised research projects focusing on the role of research and development in a University.

earth hour celebrated at NcvI

NUST Environment Club arranged a small gathering to celebrate Earth Hour at NCVI on March 26. The aim was to encourage students to save energy in their daily lives and create a sustainable environment. For Pakistan, a country facing dire power shortages, the call to conserve energy is even more pressing. On the occasion, there was a general discussion on environmental issues, followed by screening of WWF Earth Hour 2011 Official video. At exactly 8:30 pm, most of the lights at the institute were turned off to officially embrace the Earth Hour. In the flickering light of candles, the enthused participants were provided with the opportunity to Write to the Earth.

fiction library set up at concordia-I

In order to generate interest in general reading among students, NUST Fiction Library was set up by NUST Publications Office (NPO) and later inaugurated by Rector Engr. Muhammad Asghar on March 8. On the occasion, the Rector was given a comprehensive presentation on the resources available in the library. Later, the Rector went around the library and evinced interest in the collection. The library comprises a large collection of both digital and printed books. The Rector in his comments said that the digital books should be accessible from anywhere in the University especially the hostels. Membership of the library has been open since March and already numerous students have become members and are enjoying the fiction collection.

Quarterly Newsletter

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Updates from schools

french scientist visits NcvI
As part of NUST Centre of Virology and Immunologys (NCVI) ongoing efforts to attract foreign scientists for capacity building of the biological sciences at NUST, Dr.Patrice Marche visited NCVI on March 27 and spent two weeks extensively with scientists at the Centre to develop futuristic Projects. He gave three open house lectures on Liver Immunology, Nanomedicine and retroviral disease. Dr.Patrice further discussed collaborative projects between his lab in France with those in NUST. Dr.Patrice Marche who has spent a good number of years in research has over 135 publications in international peer reviewed journals in the area of immunology and is now Head of Analytical Immunology of Chronic Diseases team at INSERM France, spoke at the occasion and said that he was very impressed at the facility created at NUST. He iterated that a large number of Infected people were an adversity which could be changed to an opportunity for good research since patient access in Pakistan was easier than in European countries. Later that day, Dr.Patrice Marche and other guests including those from Army Medical College, RCMS, CEMB, RVFC and University of Sargodha were taken on a tour of the centres lab facilities and they met with scientists and discussed research issues relating to ongoing projects at NCVI. Dr.Ishtiaq Qadri, Principal NCVI welcomed the visiting scientist and introduced the centres activities for the guests. He affirmed that international collaborations especially between Pakistan and France were at the heart of his mission in bringing a new culture of research to Pakistan.

PNec holds award ceremony for high achievers

87 high achieving students from Pakistan Navy Engineering College received financial assistance cheques with values reaching as high as 36,000 PKR, while position holders were also awarded certificates for their persistent diligence throughout the semester. This, being the institutions customary way to appreciate and encourage students who secured GPAs of 3.5 or above, has always been a source of great financial assistance for the high achieving students. The event took place in the Bahria auditorium and the ceremony commenced with the customary recitation of Holy Quran, followed up by Commander Farooq Alis congratulatory address to the students. Efforts of students who had volunteered in the flood relief efforts conducted by PNEC were also acknowledged and they were awarded with certificates and cash rewards of Rs. 3,000/-. The ceremony concluded with Commandant Jawad Husains (SI) speech in which he acknowledged the efforts of the students.

seminar on threats from tsunami-hit Japanese nuclear reactors

CAMP arranged a seminar on Nuclear Reactors on 25th March at NCVI. The speaker of the seminar was Dr. Khalid Rashid, a visiting faculty member of CAMP. He has worked at Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) as senior and principal scientist. The title of his talk was How Safe Is Nuclear Power. The talk was basically about the current issue of the threats from the nuclear radiations from Japanese nuclear power plants due to recent earthquake and tsunami. The speaker also talked about Pakistani nuclear power plants. He discussed the harmful effects of use of sea water to get rid of nuclear waste in Japan. He said that the use of sea water for cooling (after the destruction of Japanese earthquake resistant cooling systems by tsunami) will ultimately affect the human beings by entering the food chains. After the talk, the audience asked questions about nuclear power especially the current nuclear crisis Japan and discussed what could be done to make nuclear power as safe as possible.

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NUSTNEWS / Updates from Schools

seecs & elixir technologies sign Nda

A landmark agreement/Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) between SEECS and Elixir Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, through Health Life Horizon (HLH) Project was signed on 8th of Feb. The signing took place in the office of Dr. Hafiz Farooq Ahmad (PDHLH Project, Associate Professor SEECS, Islamabad and various team members of HLH Project. The NDA was inked by Dr. Hafiz Farooq Ahmad and Mr. Khurram Javed (Business Development Manager), Elixir Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, Islamabad SEECS has strong interest to promote Information and Communication Technology (ICT) role in healthcare domain. NUST in collaboration with National ICT R&D Fund took the initiative to knit Pakistan as an HL7 affiliate in 2008. As a result of our continuous efforts in development of HL7 standard, HL7 International has approved the affiliate status for Pakistan in 24th HL7 Plenary Meeting on October 1st, 2010 at Cambridge, US. Elixir is in the business of software development and has developed a healthcare system for Holy Family Hospital, but their system is not HL7 compliant. Elixir is interested in making their system HL7 complaint and wants to use state of the art technology after availing services of the HLH team at

SEECS. At start, the laboratory test ordering and test results will be exchanged using HL7 v3.0. Later on, the solution will be extended to patient registrations and billings. The intended NDA was signed to exchange basic information of Elixir Health Management Information System (HMIS) system and propose solution for HL7 v3.0 compliance. It is through such confluence of government/industry and academia collaboration involving genuine stakeholders that a nation is able to achieve and consolidate real-term community goals.

dr. samar Mubarakmand lectures at cae

Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, renowned scientist and member Planning Commission of Pakistan, gave an enlightening and inspiring lecture on Self-Reliance is the Best Defense at PAF Academy Risalpur on 14th February. The lecture generated tremendous interest and enthusiasm among the audience and was followed by a question-answer session.

tree plantation drive kicks off at NUst

With the advent of spring, a tree plantation drive kicked off at NUST here on March 10th wherein Rector NUST, Engr. Muhammad Asghar inaugurated the ceremony held in this connection at the university campus and planted an olive tree to mark the occasion. Addressing the gathering comprising faculty and students, he said there was a need to promote horticulture in the country. Trees are the important gifts of nature and help maintain the ecological balance which is essential for the preservation of life on earth, he added. He lauded the efforts of the university administration for taking initiatives towards increasing greenery in the campus. He urged the students to take upon themselves the responsibility to save nature by planting trees in their respective areas. On the occasion, Director Administration gave an overview of the horticulture efforts being carried out at the university premises. He also briefed the audience about the plans for Spring 2011.

gIkI and NUst-Mce collaborate

NUST faculty members and officials from MCE visited Ghulam Ishaq institute (GIKI) on 9th Feb for collaboration in Research & development(R&D) specifically and generally in terms of information sharing. Faculty members and officials including Lt. Col Faisal Mubarak Shabbir, Lt. Col Tariq Masood, Maj.Dr. Qudus, Maj. Dr. Muhammad Bilal, Maj. Dr. Shahid and Maj Dr. Manzoor exchanged information and sealed participation in future for improvement in the field of research and development. The collaboration is significant as it will lead to better academic standards in both institutes.

Quarterly Newsletter

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Iese Builds Partnership with hattar Industries

A one-day training workshop entitled as Engineering Solutions to Environmental Problems was organised by the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE), March 12. Silver Lake Food Industry Hattar Industrial Estate facilitated the workshop at its premises. IESE faculty, PhD scholars and representatives of various industries participated in the workshop. The major objectives of this workshop were to initiate partnership between IESE-NUST and Hattar Industries, and to provide industry cost-effective solutions to their environmental problems. Ishtiaq Kiani ,GM-Silver Lake Food Industry explained the format of the workshop to the participants. In the first session, Dr Zahirrudin Khan (HoD IESE) explained the main objectives of this workshop and gave format of IESE-Industries Partnership. Later, Prof Dr Ishtiaq Qazi (Associate Dean, IESE) highlighted institutional capacity of IESE-NUST and elucidated different projects executed by the IESE. In next session, Dr Khan delivered a comprehensive lecture on cleaner production application for improving environmental and economical

performance of an industry. The session was followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. In last session, Dr Zahirrudin Khan highlighted typical approaches to industrial waste management. Besides, representatives of industries shared their real-time environmental issues and problem faced by them in industry. PhD student showed keen interest in knowing real-time environmental problems and also discussed solutions to the participants. Representative from Silver Lake Foods, Volta and Osaka Batteries, Ghani Glass Ltd, BIAFO Industries Ltd, Dewan Cement Ltd and Farid Steel, among many others participants in the training.

seminar on Migration to IPv6

The IP Technology Centre of Excellence lab at SEECS-NUST is working on IPv6 deployment and testing. The research and implementation team comprises Dr. Adeel Baig, Dr. Adnan Kiyani, Mr. Imran Chaudhry and Mr. Ajmal Farooq. The centre is an academia partner of IPv6 Task Force. The centre is also collaborating with Ministry of IT and Telecom for establishment of IPv6 test facility at SEECS, with HEC for establishment of IPv6 PERN enabled connectivity among Pakistani Universities and with Cybernet and Pakistan Software Export Board for IPv6 enabled connectivity and services. The ACM students chapter at SEECS and IP tech lab organised a seminar on Migration to IPv6 on March 21. The speaker for the seminar was Mr. Kashif Ul Haq, CEO CORVIT Networks. Mr. Kashif is a veteran in the ICT industry of Pakistan. With over 14 years of experience as a technologist and an entrepreneur, he is also a member of National Speakers Association USA and Global Speakers Federation. The event was attended by 130 participants. Students and faculty members were present at the session representing different universities. Professionals that attended the event came from diverse companies and organisation including PTCL, Mobilink, Telenor Pakistan, Ufone, China Mobile Pakistan, NayaTel, Qubee WiMAX, Wi-Tribe, Cyber Internet Services, Delta Technologies, Teralight, OGDCL, MoIT and NESCOM among others. The session included interactive discussion on need of transition from IPv4 to IPv6, transition challenges and techniques of smooth transition. Mr. Kashif gave very simple and elaborative examples that justified the need for transition. Mr. Kashif used his extraordinary speaking skills to explain tunnelling and protocols such as NAT-PT. The questions raised by the audience were answered in comprehensive manner by the speaker. At the end Dr. Arshad Ali, Principal SEECS, presented souvenir to Mr. Kashif for his efforts. Dr. Arshad Ali also emphasized on formation of active forum of discussion between academia and industry professionals. the video recording for seminar can be viewed at

http://www.youtube.com watch?v=acf8utBJW3y

guest talk at sada

On 9th March, School of Art Design and Architecture organised a presentation talk for the students of B.Architecture programme. Ms. Uzma Iffat Karim, senior structure engineer in SMK Associates, Karachi was invited to share her expertise and knowledge with the students. She discussed architectural structures and also explained the constraints that maybe applicable.

lecture on Psychiatry organised by c3a

On the 8th of February 2011, C3A invited an eminent psychiatrist Mr. Shakil Malik, Clinical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist Sussex Patnersby, UK who delivered an engaging lecture at Army Medical College on Psychiatric consequences of trauma; the need for social engineering. The lecture was attendant by postgraduate students, trainees and members of the faculty.

For psycological counselling visit C3A at SADA

11

NUSTNEWS / Updates from School

A lecture on Unmanned Air Vehicles in the TechTalk series was held on the 24th of March at SCME, and arranged by NUST Science Society. The lecture was given on unmanned Aerial Vehicle, aimed to enhance an understanding of current technology that features largely in our everyday lives. Two design engineers, Ms. Amina Malik and Mr. Fahad Aman Khan from SATUMA were invited to talk on the subject. Mr. Fahad Aman Malik talked about the differences between unmanned space vehicles and drones, highlighting the importance of this by referring to the current controversy surrounding drones. He talked about the different applications of such vehicles and their different sizes. Ms. Amina Malik, during her presentation, explained the different components of an Unmanned Air Vehicle System and the differences in their payloads. She went on to describe the relation of the movement of the UAVs with the curvature of the earth, what features are taken under consideration while designing such vehicles and different propulsion techniques. The line of sight of the UAVs was discussed to be a major limiting factor. It was

techtalk at scMe

also suggested during the course of the lecture that UAVs were cheap alternatives to satellite communication. Several videos were shown throughout the presentation in order to make the lecture more interactive.

NUst launches business plan competition

dIscover
NUST Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) launched a Business Plan Competition, entitled DISCOVER. Discover launched its first event on 22nd Feb, 2011 in NBS. It included information booth for NUST Business Plan Competition, archery, paintball, student stalls, food stalls, surprise prizes and much more. The Competition is supported by private businesses, public sector organizations, universities, media groups and non-profit organizations. The competition will be conducted at a national level from 17th Feb to 19th June. Numerous student teams from 30 universities of the Pakistan, including NUST are going to compete. The students will also have vantage access to over 100 experienced mentors, successful entrepreneurs and business-men from the corporate and industrial world. The stages of this challenge would require developing solutions to existing local as well as national level problems in Healthcare, Mobile and Telecom, Energy, e-Government, SME-

Chemical, SME-Mechanical Engineering, SME-Agriculture ,etc. Products and services developed to address selected issues may involve value addition, market expansion, productivity and yield enhancement, waste and cost reduction, import substitution, social uplift and overall economic growth in their local or national environment. The winning teams would be awarded up to 500,000 to encourage the students and open new vistas for entrepreneurship. http://www.discover nustbpc.info/Pages/Schedule.html

evaluation of cellulose based stone Mastic asphalt on a test section in Pakistan. by Lt. Col. Kashif was published Quantify the consequences of hastened & deferred interventions written by Maj. Dr Muhammad Bilal from MCE was presented at annual conference of Transportation Research Board (TRB) at Washington D.C ( U.S.A). a research paper by Maj. dr. Muhammad Irfan (2nd author) was accepted for presentation at the 90th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., January 23-27, 2011 and publication in Transportation Research Record Journal.

NUst providing training to sMes in Pakistan

PDC-NUST has signed an agreement with IFC-World Bank on February 15, for providing trainings to SMEs in Pakistan in different management areas. Two of the NUST faculty members Mr. Kamran Khalid from NBS and Mr. Imtiaz Ahmed from PDC have already been trained by IFC and they are getting ready for conducting management training. Both of the trainers have also been selected as Assessors of IFC World Bank Trainers. ). Some of the trainings conducted from January 2011, are on MS Project 2007 MVRD, Improving Service Quality, Six Sigma Quality Management, Construction Claim and Dispute Resolution, Legal Studies for Scientists and Engineers, Project Management for PMP Certification and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

research & Publications

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co-curricular corner
Inter-city declamation at aMc
An Inter-city Bilingual Declamation contest was held at the Army Medical College (AMC), Ayub Auditorium on 9th February. The event was organised by the AMC Debating and Literary Society (ADLS) and was themed Sapientia et Eloquentia (Wisdom and Eloquence). The event was held to honour the memory of AMCs first principal, the late Lt. Gen. M. Ayub Khan, affectionately referred to as Baba by the AMCOLIANS. The hall was packed and the atmosphere expectant as the chief guest, former principal AMC, Major General (retd) Masood Anwar, took his seat. Among the audience were guests from participating colleges, the Principal of AMC Maj. Gen Shahida Badsha HI(M) and Vice Principal Maj Gen Ziaullah. The judges for the English debate were Principal, SLS senior branch, Shaista Qamber; school coordinator Beaconhouse, Mobeen Shahid and Senior Journalist Ms. Ishrat Hyatt. Mr. Talib Bukhari; Air Commodore (r) Qadeer A. Hashmi and Brigadier Waqar Azeem judged the Urdu debate. Teams from Rawalpindi Medical College, Islamic International Medical College, etc participated in the event. Opening the house for AMC Jawaad Qureshi spoke with conviction on the topic One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic, while Farah Bano had everyone in stitches on the topic Dil tau bacha hai, ji. Junaid Arif of MCS bagged second position. In the Urdu category, Waqas Ahmed of MCS grabbed the first position and won accolades from the audience for his wonderful Urdu humorous speech. The proud winner of the beautiful crystal trophy was MCS.

lUMs olympiad 2011

LUMS Olympiad is one of the most prestigious annual event in the calendar at University level, where talented students from all over Pakistan come to participate and compete for the honors, to be the Best in Pakistan in their respective fields. Held from 23rd March till 25th March 2011, this year NUST for the first time participated as one central team. Team NUST comprised of 27 Members from all over NUST H-12 Campus. Out of the total 20 separate events on offer at the Olympiad, team NUST competed in four of them. Out of these four, they were able to grasp Victory in two and got honorary mention in one. NUST Students exhibited their talent by Winning the Speed Filming and Movie Trivia competitions. Movie Trivia comprised of a questioning contest about the Movies and its History, both of present and from the past. Whereas, Speed Filming comprised of making a short Video 5-7 minutes long as per the directives and parametric demands of the organisers. Our Team of Five in this category worked tirelessly to come-up with a video that stole the show from the lights of GIKI, FAST, NAC, KU etc. The EME delegate consisted of 28 students in teams of 8 were honored with the winning trophy. Heads of the EME delegation, namely, Mohsin Mukhtar, Ikram ul Haq, Meraj Hasan and Arslan Khalid were called upon the stage to receive the Winning trophy.

gIkI Media fest 2011

On February 2011, a 22 member NUST Team participated in MediaFest 11 an annual media and short film oriented all Pakistan student competition at GIKI University at Topi, near Swabi. The NUST team was organised under the banner of NUST Media Club. Our teams participated in a number of events, from On-Spot Commercial Making to On-Spot Photography. NUST Teams provided some of the most unique and innovative ideas in the competition; their creations were widely acknowledged and appreciated by the crowd and the judges respectively. The competitions were held in very healthy and friendly but equally competitive atmosphere. Teams from NCA, LUMS, PU-CAD, FAST etc. competed for the honours. Our Team from IESE-SCEE brought the honours home by grasping a very hard-fought 2nd place finish in Punjabi Tottay category.

13

NUSTNEWS / Co-Curriculars Corner

NUst shines in rock climbing competition

NUST Adventure Club (NAC) participated in All Pakistan Open Rock Climbing Competition for Boys from 5th March till 8th March 2011. The event was organised by Adventure Club Pakistan in association with the Danish Embassy. NAC Team of 9 climbers competed for pride at the Saidpur Village Rock Climbing Pitches. 6 members of the team managed to set their personal best times and hence qualified for the final round. NUST Climbers glorified the day by securing All Top Five positions in the competition. This remarkable performance is evidence of the talent that our climbers have, and speaks highly of the professionalism of our Team when it comes to NUST honour. This extraordinary performance also earned the Club NAC and the climbers, words of appreciation from the Rector NUST and also special offer course from the Adventure Club of Pakistan.

Womens week at fatima Jinnah University

Fatima Jinnah Women University organised a Womens Week from 8th to 10th Mar 2011. The Womens Week included exciting events like debating, painting, photography and software programming. Nine students from MCS participated in the event and bagged prizes. Hamda Ajmal and Samia Ahmed bagged first and second prizes in the software programming category and Manahil Zahid stood second in the photography competition.

Mcs shines in inter-varsity declamation

Military College of Signals won an Inter-university Declamation Competition held at PIEAS, Islamabad on March 20. Participants from 22 universities and institutes took part in the competition including those from Fast, College of EME, SEECS, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Hamdard University, Foundation University, Bahria University etc. An MCS team performed exceptionally well and was awarded the Declamation Competition Trophy. Hamza for English (Serious) and Waqas for Urdu (Humorous Zahra for English (Serious) and Nauman for Urdu (Humorous) Maria for Urdu (Serious) and Qasim for English (Serious) bagged prizes.

Position Holders: Zaki ud din Kazmi SCEE NICE Waseem Abbas SCEE IESE Muhammad Faizan SCME Aneeq Ahmed SCME Kamal Mustafa SCME

chenab rock climbing competition

On February 18th 19th, NUST Adventure Club (NAC) took its female climbers to Chenab rock climbing competition for Girls, held at Chenab Rocks near Chenab Nagar. NAC Team comprised 6 climbers and 2 officials. The competition was held in very competitive atmosphere with climbers from several other national adventure clubs participating in the event. Overall performance of our female climbers was applaudable, with Hafsah Waheed of NCVI managing to secure 2nd place in the finals. This performance speaks highly of the talent and professionalism of our female climbers, giving an equally tough fight to the male climbers.

Quarterly Newsletter

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sports News
Intra-NUst basketball competition
SCEE arranged Inter School Basketball (Men) Championship from March 07th to 14th at Razi-1 Hostel, H-12 Campus. Teams from NBS, SMME, SCEE, SCME, SADA and NCVI participated in the competition. After the pool matches, NBS, SMME, SCEE and SCME qualified for the semi-finals which were played on Mar 1st. NBS and SMME beat their respective rivals to qualify for the final. The final, played on March 14th, proved to be a thrilling contest but in the end NBS came out as the winners. The chief guest Professor Riaz Ahmad, acting Principal SMME, awarded the winners trophy to the NBS team.

Intra-NUst table tennis championship

A thrilling match of Inter School Table Tennis (Men) Championship was held from February 26th to 28th at SMME. Teams from SEECS, SCEE, NBS, SMME, SCME, SADA, NCVI and CAMP participated in the competition. NBS and SEECS played the final on Feb 28. After an interesting match NBS won the competition. Final matches (Women) Championship was played between NCVI & SMME. After an interesting match NCVI won the competition. Prizes were awarded to the champion team by the chief Guest Dr. Abdul Ghafoor, Principal SMME.

Inter-hostels cricket competitions

The Sports Branch arranged an Inter Hostels (Boys) Cricket Competitions from 5th to 6th March at SCEE Cricket Ground, H-12 Campus. Teams from Ghazali-I & II, Hostel Staff, Razi Hostel-I, Rumi Hostels (I,II & III), Isra Apartments participated in the competition. Ghazali-II and Hostel Staff played the final on March 6th and after an interesting contest Ghazali-II came out victorious.

15

NUSTNEWS / Sports News

seecs sports gala

Recently a 3-days session of sports, named Sports Gala 2011, was organised at Jinnah Stadium Islamabad. Students enthusiastically participated in different games, and their interest and response to the event compelled the Universitys administration to make this event a part of the official calendar. Not only undergraduate and postgraduate students showed their talent by participating in the gala, but staff and faculty members also contributed in making this event successful. The PG students were divided in two groups, Qasim House (Purple) and Tipu House (Light Blue), while the UG students were divided in four groups, Liaqat House (Red), Iqbal House (Blue), Jinnah House (Green), and Sir Syed House (Yellow). Ehmad Zubair performed live with his electric guitar singing Doob raha. The spectators and the supporters of their respective houses chanted lively slogans, clapped and made a lot of noise to support their teams. The participants of games like tennis, table tennis, cricket, football etc, did their best to entertain the spectators and to lead their respective houses toward success. Arsalan Tufail was nominated the player of the Gala for the following achievements 100m race (gold)11.25 sec 100*4 relay (gold) 400*4 relay (silver) Long jump (gold) 18ft 4 inch 1600m race (silver) Foot ball runner up (GREEN house) During the closing ceremony, medals and trophies were distributed among the athletes. The winners went around the gymnasium holding up the trophies and waving their house flags. The ceremony was followed by an impressive show of fireworks.

Intervarsity hockey zonal championship

Intervarsity Hockey Zonal Championship for Zone C was organised by Bahria University, Islamabad from March 31st to April 2nd under the auspices of Higher Education Commission. The participating universities included NUST, NUML, COMSATS, UET, Bahria Univeristy and Quaid-i-Azam University, Bahria being the winners of the tournament. Ms.Rubina, DD Sports at NUST was a source of constant support for the students.NUST, though remained runners-up, has qualified for the finals for the third time, a remarkable achievement on its own.

Quarterly Newsletter

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faculty & student achievements

student develops gIs application
Mr. Usman Jamil student of MS GIS & RS has successfully published and presented the paper entitled Customer and network care solutions for telecommunications using GeoInformatics in the International Conference on Information & Systems Engineering, Dubai, United Arab Emirates in January 2011. Under the supervision of Dr. Javed Iqbal, Mr. Usman developed a GIS-based stand-alone application that incorporates GIS functions with a convenient- to-use graphic user interface to help network operations and customer relations in the analysis of the network geographically and respond to customer queries more effectively, to increase their satisfaction. The GIS application will assist them in dropped calls detection, integration of the trouble ticket system, customer routing to the nearest facility, gap analysis, base station outages and intelligent spatial expansion of the existing network.

Professor dr.shamshad ahmed lectures at Workshop in africa

Prof. Dr. Shamshad Ahmed from SCME at NUST Participated as International Resource Person in Technology Foresight Workshop at Abuja (Nigeria) on 23rd Feb that was organised by ISESCO- NOTAP. He presented three papers; Innovative radiation technology at the service of humanity, Adaptable best practices in technology foresight, process lessons for Nigeria from other nations and Technology Foresight: Factors for promotion of industrialization in developing countries in general and Nigeria in particular. These lectures were very well received and in recognition of distinctive presentations, the speaker was given a special award.

dr Qadri awarded research grant

Dr. Ishtiaq Qadri, Principal NUST Centre of Virology and Immunology has recently received a joint grant of USD ($) 358,906 from the HEC, USAID and Ministry of Science and Technology under the US Bioengagement Programme, to conduct research on Hepatitis B Virus. This is the second time that Dr. Qadri has won the PakUS research grant under Pak-US Bio-engagement Programme which is a highly scrutinized and competitive award. It is also worthwhile to note here that Dr. Ishtiaq Qadri has also recently been granted membership of the European Society of Virology, which is a professional society comprising imminent scientists contributing to the field of Virology by peer-reviewed publications to foster ties among leading research groups in Europe and across the world.

soil moisture sensor developed

Mr. Sibghatullah, an MS student at IGIS-SCEE, has developed a prototype Soil Moisture Sensor under the supervision of Dr. Javed Iqbal and Dr. James M. Mckinion, USDA-ARS, USA. The title of his research is Development of Low Cost Soil Moisture Sensor and Wireless System Network for Crop Irrigation in GIS. The objectives of the study are design and development of indigenous low cost soil moisture sensor, development of a wireless system network for site-specific water application through sprinkles and designing a decision support system in GIS.

achievements at IgIs facutly

A paper entitled Assessment of Consumptive Use of Water in Rainfed Environment through Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land by Ms. Bushra Naseem, Lecturer-IGIS-SCEE has been accepted by Pakistan Journal of Botany. This is an internationally reputed journal with an impact factor of 0.50. The study focused on the crop water requirement in rainfed (barani) area on the basis of calculating net radiation budget, soil and sensible heat fluxes. During year 2010, Lecturer Muhammad Adeels research work has won two international research awards. One of these awards was granted by The Academy of Sciences for Developing Countries (TWAS) and the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre or South-South Cooperation (ISTIC). He was invited at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (Penang, Malaysia) from 1 -8 September 2010 to present his research at the ISTIC-TWAS Workshop on Innovations in Science and Technology in Developing

Countries, and participated in ISTIC Training Workshop on Technopreneurship for South-South Countries. Secondly, Lecturer Muhammad Adeel was selected as Young Planning Professional by International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) to participate in Young Planning Professionals Workshop. He presented his paper entitled Role of Land Use Policy for the preservation of rural lands of Islamabad at the 46th ISOCARP International Congress during 1523 September 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya.

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NUSTNEWS / Faculty & Student Achievements

community service Initiatives

school renovated in rawalpindi
Development of schools has become crucial in urban areas; let alone education-related issues in villages. It is a great pity to notice that even in big cities the condition of schools is deplorable. Construction of new schools and rehabilitation of old ones remain at the core of NUST community service projects. In a recently completed project, Government Pehlvi High School, Rawalpindi was renovated and upgraded by NUST authorities. A survey had brought to light the schools dilapidated condition speaking volumes of the apathy on part of its management. At the first sight, it gave a look of a dumping yard as every inch of the floor was littered with waste and ankle-deep water had pooled all over the premises. The walls had many crevices in them while the broken windows made the building look like an archaeological site. Needless to say, the furniture was mostly broken; stationary and other basic facilities were insufficient. The residents of the locality are pleased with the work NUST has done and have expressed their gratitude to the University for providing their children with a friendlier and more comfortable school environment.

NUst to provide solar power to fata villages

NUST signed an agreement with FATA Development Authority for carrying out feasibility for installation of Solar Home Systems in 450 villages and Solar Pumping Systems in 250 villages plus implementation of 2 pilot projects related to one each for Solar Home System & Solar Pumping Systems. NUST has completed feasibility study in 300 villages & work is in progress for rest. FATA is one of the most energy deficient and backwards regions of Pakistan. A large number of remotely located villages in FATA are without electricity. The conventional energy system such as liquid fossil fuels & grid electricity are mostly out of reach for people in FATA. Based on feasibility study NUST is also preparing PC-Is, the first PC-I is presently in implementation phase that is Solar Home Systems, Solar Pumping System & Solar Street Lights will be installed in the first batch of 23 villages. This project will bring considerable improvement in the lifestyle of villagers of FATA area through provisioning of basic necessities of life such as light and potable water at their door steps. It is a 22 million bidding project which is underway.

NUst constructing girls school in darya khan, Bhakar

NUST has started building a primary school for girls in Basti Awan at the Bhakkar District. Spread over an area of 4 kanal land provided by the locals, the school is to have two classrooms for girls and a room for ladies vocational centre along with washrooms and a staff room with the capacity to expand in the future. At this stage, 3 teachers and a caretaker will be employed and other necessary books and stationary provided to start their education. The project is estimated to cost 2.15 million and is likely to be completed in approximately 3 months. The money raised for the flood relief fund will be utilized in this project.

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Community Service Initiatives

Quarterly Newsletter

18

In a snapshot NcvI hosts World cup semi-final screening

The 2011 Cricket World Cup was celebrated with fervour on 30th March at the NUST Centre of Virology and Immunology, as the NCVI Arts and Culture Society screened the semi-final match between Pakistan and India at the NCVI Auditorium.

field trip to centaurus

line tracking contest at e&Me

aero-modelling club

19

NUSTNEWS / In a Snapshot

spring at NUst
Now every field is clothed with grass And every tree with leaves Now the woods put forth their blossoms And the year assumes its gay attire. Virgil

Eid Milad-un-Nabi Naat competition

hQ-NUst won the Intra-NUst chess competition

sketching competition at aMc

astronomy Night at scMe

An Astronomy Night organised by the NUST Science Society was held on 7th of January, 2011 here at the School of Chemical and Materials Engineering. It comprised a lecture by renowned aeronautics and astronautics expert Dr. Sarwar Naqvi, and a telescope viewing session.

Quarterly Newsletter

20

No winter lasts forever: no spring skips its turn.

Hal Borland

National University of sciences & technology sector h-12, Islamabad, Pakistan

tel: +92-51-90851368 fax: +92-51-90851362 email: nustnews@nust.edu.pk Website: www.nust.edu.pk
Published and Distributed by NUST Publications