NEWS & VIEWS
March 2013
Higher Education Commission, Pakistan
CALL Course at
University of Malakand
PM's Entrepreneurial
Challenge at NUST
P-1 5
P-23
IRP Workshops on Research Methods
P-15
Chairperson HEC Visits BNU
P-19
Pakistani Scholar Selected for Innovact Campus Award 2013
P-16
GCUF Scholar Completes PhD from Germany
P-17
Table of Contents
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CALL Course at Self
Access Center,
University of
Malakand
2
Project Completed under Pak - US S&T
Cooperation Programme
10
HEC, Microsoft Strategic Academic
Alliance
15
IRP Workshops on Research Methods
for University/College Faculty
16
Pakistani Scholar Selected for Innovact
Campus Award 2013
20
SALU Conference on Computer and
Emerging Technologies
22
Workshop on Grounded Theory at IMS
Peshawar
Chairperson HEC
Visits BNU
IST Workshop on
Outcome Based
Education
News & Views is published every month. No part of
this publication may be reproduced in any form
without prior written permission of the publisher.
The views expressed by authors in the articles is
their sole responsibility and not of HEC. The
Commission would like to thank all the institutions
and individuals who contributed information and
photographs for this Magazine.
23 PM's Entrepreneurial Challenge at NUST
24
Int’l Conference on UN-NATO Exist from
Afghanistan
25 PIEAS Workshop on Coal Mining
26
PU, MoST Sign MoU for Research
Collaboration
27 VU Seminar on Quality Assurance
Editor
Aayesha Ikram
Graphic Designer
Raja Ahmad Nadeem
Reporter
Waseem Khaliqdad
Publisher:
Higher Education
Commission, Pakistan
News & Views
Project Completed under Pakistan - United States Science and Technology Cooperation Programme
SWEETER
BENEFITS FOR ALL
With Improved Sugar Cane Breeding
Project Title:
Enhancing sugarcane production in
Pakistan by modern breeding techniques
Research Project by:
Dr. Javed Iqbal
School of Biological Sciences
University of the Punjab, Pakistan
Dr. Yong-Bao Pan
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agriculture
Research Service, Sugarcane Research
Laboratory, USA
Dr. Javed Iqbal
2
News & Views
Tilling the soil - Introduction
The most economical and effective approach to enhance
sugarcane yield is to breed and release new varieties that
are resistant to diseases. In recent years, special varieties
resistant to ret rot and rust have been released in some
production areas. Nonetheless, the resistance seems to
break down within few years.
Sugarcane (Saccharum hybrids) is one of the most
important cash crops in Pakistan. Although Pakistan is
one of the largest sugarcane growing countries in the
world, per acre yield of sugarcane is Pakistan is among
the lowest, and in recent years the country has become a
net importer of sugar. There are several reasons for this
low yield, but the most important one is the lack of disease
resistant sugarcane. A few serious sugarcane diseases,
including red rot and rust, infect almost 100 percent of
sugarcane grown in the subcontinent. Red rot disease,
caused by the fungus colletotrichumfolcatum, caused the
greatest loss to sugarcane industry in Pakistan during
2003-2006. Another fungus, Puccininamelanocephla,
causes the brown rust disease in sugarcane.The
sugarcane yield loss due to brown rust in Pakistan has
New approaches involving modern breeding technology
need to be explored to develop new varieties resistant to
red rot, rust and smut. Before the initiation of this project,
no research had been conducted in Pakistan on molecular
marker identification for major diseases affecting
sugarcane. The collaborators on this project have
launched what they hope will be a long term cooperative
study to identify DNA markers that are closely linked to
resistant genes for red rot, rust and smut. This information
will be used to develop resistant varieties through
The project,
“Enhancing sugarcane
production in Pakistan
by modern breeding
techniques” aims to
improve the sugar
cane production in
Pakistan by introducing
new methods of breeding
that yield better crops and
better results
Bulk segregant analysis of rust resistant and susceptible cultivars
and development of a SCAR DNA marker
been estimated at 10% of the expected sugarcane yield
during 2005-2006. As sugarcane is propagated
vegetatively i.e. they are produced from the same plant
therefore they carry the same genetic vulnerabilities into
the next generation, meaning that plants affected by red
rot or brown rust can pass on the diseases from one
generation to the next.
recombinant DNA techniques to create ideal
combinations of DNA.
The project “Enhancing sugarcane production in Pakistan
by modern breeding techniques” aims to improve sugar
cane production in Pakistan by introducing new methods
of breeding that yield better crops and better results.
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News & Views
Objectives - A new variety of targets
Ÿ
To increase efficiency and allow profitable and
sustainable operation of the Pakistan sugarcane
industry in a competitive environment by reducing
the adverse impact of diseases.
Release of disease resistant
cultivars to sugarcane farmers will
enhance their economic condition by
increasing per acre yield.
A Research Analyst working on SSR marker-based
DNA fingerprinting Project
Ø
Ÿ
Ÿ
Identify germplasm with resistance to the major
diseases affecting sugarcane.
Identify molecular markers that are linked to genes
for disease resistance, priority was to find markers for
red rot, rust, smut and ratoon stunting disease.
Academic linkages for coordinated research
work between the School of Biological Sciences
(SBS) University of the Punjab, Lahore with the
following institute in USA:
i.
ii.
iii.
Ÿ
Linkages with Sugarcane Industry:
Ø
Ø
Ÿ
Amplification of a SCAR marker
Ø
Academic Linkages:
Ø
Ø
Launched a long term collaborative study to
identify DNA markers that are closely linked to
resistance genes of sugarcane diseases i.e. ret
rot, rust, smut, ratoon stunting and sugarcane
mosaic virus.
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While in Pakistan, the SBS is working closely
with Shakarganj Sugar Research Institute,
Jhang (a subsidiary of Crescent Group of
Industries) for the last seven years. This group
has a stake in number of sugarcane factories.
The coordinated research has helped to improve
sugarcane breeding programme of the institute.
Work Accomplished:
A healthy yield - Achievements
Ÿ
The USDA – ARS, MSA sugarcane
Research Lab at Houma, Louisiana,
Louisiana State University Sugar
Research Station St. Gabriel, Louisiana,
and
The American Sugarcane league of USA.
Inc., Thibodaux, Louisiana.
DNA has been identified that is linked with
disease resistance against rust, red rot, smut
and ratoon stunting disease and has been
worked out in elite sugarcane varieties of
Pakistan.
Twenty five resistant genes, new for sugarcane
have been reported from this study. Fifteen of
these are of Saccharumsp. cv. HSF-240 partial
RGA gene 1-15 for kinase resistance and ten
from Saccharum hybrid cv. LCP 85-384 partial
News & Views
Benefits
By finding new and
more effective means of
sugar cane production, this study will
help make the Pakistan sugar cane
industry more competitive
Release of disease resistant cultivars to sugarcane
farmers will enhance their economic condition by
increasing per acre yield.
RGAs 1-4 also for kinase gene and 1-10 RGAs
for kinase resistance protein.
Ÿ
Conclusion
By finding new and more effective means of sugar cane
production, this study will help make the Pakistan sugar
cane industry more competitive and help sugar farmers
increase production and reduce losses.
Future Work:
Ø
Ø
The information generated from this work will be
utilized in developing resistant transgenic
sugarcane plants against rust, red rot and smut
diseases.
A major focus of sugarcane improvement
programme is to obtain high sugar yielding
varieties. The components of sugar yield are
stalk weight, stalk diameter and stalk number
and sugar content.
The present project has lead to the identification of DNA
markers closely linked to the genes of interest.
This study by finding new and more effective means of
sugar cane production will help to make the Pakistan
sugar cane industry more competitive and help to give
more benefits to sugar farmers as well as ordinary citizens
through greater production and reduced losses
Work is being initiated on the identification of molecular
markers linked to stalk weight, diameter and number of
selected varieties.
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News & Views
Project Completed under Pakistan - United States Science and Technology Cooperation Programme
SETTING
STANDARDS OF STUDY
Ethics in Research
Project Title:
Capacity Building in Research Ethics and for
Research in Ethics
Research Project by:
Dr. Asim Ahmad Arshi Faruqi
Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Dr. Adnan A. Hyder
Johns Hopkins (JHU) bloomberg
School of Public Health, USA
Dr. Asim Ahmad Arshi Faruqi
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News & Views
A new approach in research
The capacity building in research ethics and for research
in ethics is a combined project between Aga Khan
University (AKU) Karachi, Pakistan and Johns Hopkins
(JHU) Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA. In this
project, we had commitment to conduct six educational
activities for research ethics with a plan of training at least
120 healthcare professionals across the country. We also
had a commitment to train three faculty members (Al-Razi
fellowship) from AKU for research on ethics. The long term
goal of this project is that these trained individuals would
become resource persons in their respective institutes not
only for ethical review of research but would eventually
establish similar training programmes.
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ethical obligations - Objectives
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
To improve the ethical conduct of human subject
research in light of indigenous socio-cultural values in
Pakistan
To develop skills and capacity to conduct research in
ethics in Pakistan
Achieving ethical goals
Ÿ
Approximately 2000 healthcare and allied
professionals applied for the six educational
courses/workshops on research ethics across
The long term goal of this
project is that these
trained individuals
would become resource
persons in their
respective institutes
not only for ethical
review of research but
would eventually
establish similar training
programmes
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Pakistan and at the end of two years, this project has
trained and certified 152 healthcare professionals
across Pakistan in research ethics.
Three faculty members were selected for Al-Razi
fellowship (one year in duration) in research ethics
through this project and developed three proposals
(one each) with support of AKU and JHU faculty.
These Al-Razi fellows also visited JHU for six weeks
to further mature their research proposals and get
expert feedback from renowned faculty in research
ethics.
These six education courses/workshops and
fellowship were based on a principal of equal
opportunity and there was no discrimination for entry
based on gender, religion or ethnicity. Females and
minority groups were specifically encouraged to join
these courses.
The courses/workshops and the fellowship were
aimed for mid-career professionals from diverse
fields who play a direct or indirect role in health care
and who desired an in-depth knowledge of bioethics.
Thses included physicians, nurses, researchers,
pharmacists, hospital administrators, health ministry
officials, policy makers, lawyers, ethics committee
(ERC/ERB/IRB) members, social scientists and
others who wished to develop a fuller understanding
of research ethics were encouraged to apply. In
addition to the above-understanding of research
ethics were encouraged to apply. In addition to the
above-mentioned broad category, we also gave
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Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
would be able to play a role in research ethics; one of
the examples in their vital involvement in ethics
review committees in their institutions.
The courses/workshops were announced through
one of the leading newspaper of the country.
Applicants were encouraged to apply online where
possible however, alternatively submission through
post/fax was also available.
Courses/workshops were free to all participants.
Ethical research is a
subject that has never been considered
before in Pakistan, this project brought
the concept of ethical research to
the forefront and managed to
train professional researchers about the
role of ethics in any
form of research and thereby managed to
improve the local
capacity for ethical research
preference to individuals with the following criteria
while short listing candidates for selection: human
subject researcher, publication in peer reviewed
journals, potential to contribute in research ethics (from
an institutional standpoint), members of ethics
committees (ERB/ERC/IRB) and, postgraduate
medical trainees.
The project expectation was that after completion of the
courses/workshops and fellowship, these participants
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Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Travel funding was available for selected participants
from outside Karachi or Islamabad (locations where
the workshops were held).
During the time period, the following educational and
training activities in research ethics were conducted:
Research ethics workshop: August 4 to 8, 2007,
Karachi
Research ethics certificate course: April 1-30, 2008,
Karachi
Research ethics certificate course July 20- August 20,
2008, Karachi
Research ethics workshop for ethics review
committee members: August 21-22, 2008, Karachi
Research ethics certificate course: September 28October 10, 2009, Karachi
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Research ethics workshop for academicians holding
administrative responsibilities: October 14, 2009,
Islamabad
These courses/workshops had two components
A foundational module
Research
Conclusion
Ethical research is a subject that has never been
considered before in Pakistan, this project brought the
concept of ethical research to the forefront and managed
to train professional researchers about the role of ethics in
any form of research and thereby managed to improve the
local capacity for ethical research
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News & Views
March 2013 Update
HEC, Microsoft Strategic Academic Alliance
MSP Highlight
Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) Programme is part of the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan and
Microsoft Education Alliance Agreement. Microsoft Student Partner is selected for the tenure of one year
and acts as Microsoft Ambassador in the respective university. An MSP’s key duty is to arrange
technology sessions in collaboration with Microsoft in their campus. Each Microsoft Student Partner is
awarded a globally recognized certificate for his/her duties as an MSP, along with an
opportunity to be a part of several key training programmes which are delivered online
and a chance to take Microsoft certification examination for free. The month’s MSP
highlight comes from Mr. Ali Akbar from Mirpur University of Science and Technology
– MUST Mirpur AK. One of Microsoft web technologies expert, spoke on his campus
about HTML5 CSS 3 ASP. Net PHP, SQL and other Technology updates and future scope,
Mr. Ali Akbar
working with Microsoft from last year 2012.
His key skill set includes HTML, CSS, MySQL, PHP, ASP.NET, Photoshop, Web Designing to
Development, Windows 8 App Development. He is actively pursuing Windows Phone Development
currently. He is active in HEC-Microsoft's online events, as well as his own campus workshops about
Microsoft latest technologies, Web technologies and entrepreneurship with new focus on online business.
With his flow and leadership skills, he is one of our most active and dedicated senior MSP with great work
experience and confidence.
Educational Alliance in Sindh Universities
To highlight the ultimate goal of HEC-Microsoft Educational Alliance – taking educational reach on new
technologies to the all over Pakistan, a training session was conducted on Windows Phone 8 in Mehran
University, Jamshoro and Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam on the 21st and 28th of March, 2013
respectively. Windows phone 8 is the most recent Windows Phone available on the market, due to which
has caught the centre of attention for most, if not all developer society. One of the core reasons for this
behaviour is the untapped potential of Windows Phone Marketplace. With the difference between
Android and Windows Marketplace Application number being more than 40 million, developers are
looking to capture the market by introducing as many new quality applications as possible. Interest in the
Windows phone development is one of the reasons why this new technology was introduced to the
students at these universities. The training session was
attended by more than 100 students, wherein the
students were given a brief demonstration of the
capabilities of a Windows phone device available at their
university, followed by an introductory training session
on Windows Phone development.
Miss Lubna Yar Khoso, MSP Sindh Agriculture
University was the trainer for the session delivered at
Sindh Agriculture Univeristy, and Miss Hira Noreen delivered the session at Mehran University. Both of
these sessions were conducted using Microsoft provided curriculum material on Windows Phone. The
student interest in this training encouraged us to plan and deliver further sessions on the same technology
in the universities.
Training session at Mehran University
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News & Views
Imagine Cup 2013 – Regional Finals
Higher Education Commission and Microsoft Pakistan Liaison Office is
working towards continuous value addition to the IT education landscape of
Pakistan. One of the Microsoft’s Academic initiate is Microsoft’s Imagine
Cup, Microsoft Imagine Cup (www.imaginecup.com) is the world’s most
prestigious student technology competition, bringing together student
innovators from all over the world. Great ideas for applications, come to life
through Imagine Cup. Imagine Cup which initiated in late 2012 reached its
climax this month with the regional finals taking place in Lahore, Karachi
and Islamabad simultaneously on March 28, 2013.
Judges panel discussing and
marking a project
This year, there have been more than 180 round one submissions of ideas ranging from computer
applications to intricate Kinect based games. More than 25 projects made it to the regional finals. The
judge’s panel comprised of Teachers, Industrial Experts and Marketing professionals to ensure that each
project that makes it to the final gets judged and marked on all three aspects. The diversity ensured that all
projects face fair trial and that each idea can be analyzed from every aspect and if it fails to impress one
side of the bench, it might have an opportunity with someone else from a different niche in the industry.
Up to nine teams will be selected from these 25 projects, and these teams will be participating in the
Imagine Cup National finals for a chance to win exclusive prizes. The national finals will be held in April
2013. Mr. Tahir, Developer Platform Evangelist group
manager Microsoft, said on the occasion that the actual
idea behind imagine cup is to promote the use of current
and new technologies in Pakistan, and to appreciate the
efforts of HEC In providing a sound technological eco
system for all universities to expand into, and to
highlight the efforts of students on a global platform.
More than 60 Judges participated in this evaluation
The judge's panel from Islamabad
from all three cities.
MSP Growth Programme – PC Bhurbun Meetup
One of the most popular programmes among students, under the HEC-Microsoft Educational Alliance is
the Microsoft Student Partner Programme. Students are nominated by their respective universities to be a
part of this opportunity wherein they have a chance to get recognized on a global platform depending on
their activities as a Microsoft Ambassador in their university. To highlight the efforts of our student
partners and to ensure stable growth of the programme in universities, Microsoft held a Student Partner
Meetup at PC Bhurbun Murree, on March 23, 2013.
The agenda of the meetup was to discuss the MSP Growth programme in universities, and how to develop
a tiered structure where students can start getting nominated into the MSP programme from there junior
most years, and have an opportunity to learn from the senior MSPs present in the university during the
time. MSP Growth programme will ensure that when an MSP reaches the final year, he is already properly
groomed to take up the activities from the Senior MSPs graduating.
Also, a session was delivered on Microsoft Visual Studio – Application Life Cycle management. This
discussion revolved primarily around the role of students in Industry and the experiences they are going
to have after graduation. The functionality of organizations was discussed, and the usage of Visual Studio
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in managing different aspects of a product life cycle was
highlighted. MSPs were given useful insight regarding
the productivity value of Visual Studio 2012 which was
widely appreciated by all MSPs. 55 Student partners
from Islamabad, Gujrat and Mirpur joined the
community meet up. Mr. Tahir Masood from Microsoft
Pakistan, along with the DPE team was also present
there. There was a general buzz of excitement during
the whole event and students highly appreciated the
effort and enjoyed the day long activity a lot.
Tahir Masood delivering a session on Visual Studio ALM
The whole group together
~ Activities Planned for May 2013 ~
Monday
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Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
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BOOTCAMP; IT Administrators; SharePoint 2013 & SQL BI - Khanaspur
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WORKSHOP; Faculty, IT Administrator; Windows 8/Office 365 - Karachi
WORKSHOP ; Faculty, IT Administrator; Windows 8/Office 365 - Lahore
WORKSHOP; Faculty, IT Administrator; Windows 8/Office 365I - Islamabad
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News & Views
NCRC Finalizes Draft Curriculum of Chemistry
The meeting of the National Curriculum Revision Committee
(NCRC) for Chemistry was recently held at HEC Regional Centre,
Peshawar, to finalize draft curriculum of Chemistry at BS and MS
levels and to make recommendations for promotion and
development of the discipline.
Dr. Munawar Ali Munawar from the Institute of Chemistry, Punjab
University and Dr. Islam Ullah Khan from Government College
University Lahore were Convener and Secretary of the meeting,
respectively. During the
proceedings, the Convener
stressed the need of
introducing new computer
based simulation techniques,
related to field of Chemistry, to
bring it at par with global
needs. The Committee
considered the inputs given by
different members and
incorporated their
suggestions.
After three-day deliberation,
the Committee unanimously
approved the curriculum of
Chemistry for BS and MS
levels, incorporated latest
reading and writing material
against each course.
NCRC Finalizes Mass Communication Curriculum
The final meeting of the
National Curriculum Revision
Committee (NCRC) in the
discipline of Mass
Communication was recently
held at HEC Regional Centre,
Lahore. The Committee
finalized the curriculum of
Mass Communication
reviewed in its preliminary
meeting held in October 2012.
Mr. Nazeer Hussain, Director,
HEC Regional Centre briefed
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the participants about
objectives of the meeting with
a particular focus on bringing
the curriculum at par with
international standards. Dr.
Mughees-ud-Din Sheikh from
The Superior University,
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Lahore and Dr. Muhammad
Ashraf Khan from Bahauddin
Zakariya University, Multan
were convener and secretary of
the meeting, respectively. The
Committee unanimously
approved the curriculum of
Mass Communication for BS
and MS/MPhil.
NCRC Meeting in Microbiology
The final meeting of the
National Curriculum Revision
Committee (NCRC) in
Microbiology was recently
held at HEC Regional Centre,
Lahore. The meeting finalized
the draft curriculum of
(Academics) HEC briefed the
participants about objectives
of the meeting. Dr. Nusrat
Jamil from the University of
K a r a c h i a n d a n d D r.
Muhammad Nazir Uddin
from Abasyn University,
Peshawar were convener and
secretary of the meeting,
respectively. After detailed
deliberation, the Committee
unanimously approved the
curriculum of Microbiology
for BS and MS/MPhil.
NCRC Finalizes Physics Curriculum
The final meeting of the
National Curriculum Revision
Committee (NCRC) in Physics
was recently held at HEC
Regional Centre, Peshawar.
Mr. Zaheer Ahmed Awan,
D i r e c t o r, H E C R e g i o n a l
Centre, Peshawar briefed the
participants about objectives
of the meeting. Dr. Iftikhar
Ahmed from the University of
Malakand, Chakdara was the
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convener for the meeting.
After thorough deliberation,
the Committee unanimously
approved the curriculum of
Physics for BS, MS/MPhil and
PhD.
News & Views
CALL Course at
Self Access Centre, University of Malakand
chief guest in the certificate distribution
ceremony. The main objective of this Centre is to
facilitate teacher training, especially in CALL and
Internet Mediated Language Learning (IML). It
will also enable teachers to use latest tools of
computer and internet in language classrooms
and help teachers and researchers to update their
knowledge about latest trends in language
learning and teaching.
The participants comprised faculty members of
colleges along with faculty members of English
Department, UoM, who received first-hand
knowledge of using different CALL tools to
ensure E-Learning.
The English Language Teaching Reforms (ELTR)
project of HEC, under its Phase-II, organized a
six-day workshop on Computer Assisted
Language Learning (CALL) at Self Access Centre
(SAC), University of Malakand.
The training focused on three-dimensional
Interface, blogging, Writing and Reading Skill
building, Oral-aural skill building, PLN Moodle,
teachers resources online and effective web
searches.
It was the first course organized at SAC which has
been established by ELTR funding and a
matching grant by the University. Dr. Johar Ali,
Vice Chancellor, University of Malakand was the
HEC-BC Collaboration
IRP Workshops on Research Methods for
University/College Faculty
The English Language
Teaching Reforms (ELTR)
project of Higher Education
Commission, under its Phase-
II, recently organized an eightmonth International Resource
Pe r s o n ( I R P ) c o u r s e o n
Research Methods, in
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collaboration with the British
Council. Dr. Simon Borg from
the University of Leeds
facilitated the course as
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International Resource Person.
The certificate distribution
ceremony was organized at
HEC Islamabad.
D r. M u k h t a r A h m a d ,
Executive Director, HEC was
the chief guest. Dr. Nils
Tommes, Director Education,
Wider South Asia, represented
British Council Islamabad.
The course comprised three
week-long training workshops
with a gap of four months
between each training.
The first workshop was
organized from May 21-26,
2012, second from October 1419, 2012 and the last workshop
was organized from March 1822, 2013.
The whole format of the course
was designed particularly
keeping in view the modern
trends in the area of research.
Eighteen faculty members of
different colleges/universities
from across Pakistan attended
the course. Most of them are
enrolled in MPhil and PhD
programmes.
An important feature of the
workshop was ELT based
research projects by all
participants under the
supervision of Prof. Borg.
ELTR project is also extending
support in terms of funds for
research projects.
The course covered a range of
research settings across
Pakistan and a range of
research approaches i.e.
ethnographic and
quantitative, without
neglecting action research. The
course mainly focused on the
modern techniques of quality
research in the field of English
Language and Literature.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad said that
in this changing world it
becomes mandatory to focus
on professional enhancement
and research aspect in
academics.
He appreciated the efforts of
ELTR project and British
Council to take initiatives
which are really helpful for
professional growth of
teachers and would help them
in their research work.
Pakistani Scholar Selected for Innovact
Campus Award 2013
Azhar is pursuing his
doctoral research studies on
“SMART SQUARE- Smart
Bi-directional Charging
Station Interface for EVs
with Market-based Energy
Flow Management
Ensuring Smart Grid
Stabilization.”
Mr. Azhar ul Haq, a young PhD Scholar at the
Department of Electrical Engineering, University
of L'Aquila, Italy recently presented his PhD
research project at INNOVACT Campus Award
2013 at Reims, France.
This European competition has been awarding
the most innovative and bold start-up projects
presented by French and European scholars
supported by the European Commission.
He is the first Pakistani PhD scholar, under the
age of 25 years, who has been selected for
presentation of his innovative research project at
European Union Technology Forum. He has been
working with the elite European group of
researcher- DigiPower s.r.l with collaboration of
University of L'Aquila, Italy.
The Innovact Campus Awards reflect the
business-mindedness, innovation, dynamism
and boldness of European youngsters today. The
selection jury consists of professionals from all
around Europe company managers, journalists,
scientists and professors.
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News & Views
HEC Scholar Publishes Research Article in JBC
L i f e S c i e n c e s , Ts i n g h u a
University, Beijing, China.
During his PhD studies, Dr.
Arshad joined an internationally
renowned research group in
China’s top university and worked on a new
protein, RNF13, and found out a novel role of this
protein in programmed cell death.
Dr. Muhammad Arshad, who is currently serving
as Assistant Professor in the Department of
Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, International
Islamic University, Islamabad has published his
PhD research work as first author in the Journal of
Biological Chemistry (JBC) which is a weekly
peer-reviewed internationally renowned
scientific journal. JBC is established since 1905
and published by the American Society for
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology covering
research in areas of biochemistry or molecular
biology.
His research work mainly focused on
investigating pathways by which cancer cells
resist chemo- and radiotherapies. Significance of
Dr. Arshad’s work is recognized and published as
first author in Journal of Biological Chemistry
(JBC).
Dr. Arshad received PhD Scholarship from the
HEC under scholarship scheme for China in 2007.
He completed his PhD in 2011 from the School of
GCUF Scholar Completes PhD from Germany
environment concerning laser
sensor. His PhD thesis was about
intuitive human robot interaction
by intention recognition. The
focus in PhD was to design and
implement a model that
generally a robot (industrial robot) can interact
with the human intelligently.
Muhammad Awais, Lecturer at the Government
College University, Faisalabad has successfully
completed his PhD in Computer Science from
Germany under the faculty development
programme for weaker universities. Before
leaving for Germany, he completed the German
language course in Lahore. He was also admitted
in a German language course in Germany funded
by DAAD. He completed his Masters from the
University of Freiburg and afterwards moved to
University of Bayreuth for PhD.
He completed his research with distinguished
researchers and visited different conferences to
present research papers. He is thankful to HEC
for providing him the chance to carry out research
in a developed country.
His Masters thesis was about the localization
problem for mobile robots. The focus in the MSc
thesis was to model the glasses in the
PhD Scholar Wins Best Presenter Award
Muhammad Naveed, a PhD scholar has won Best Presenter Award at
colloquium of International Conference on Entrepreneurship,
Management and Technology (COMET 2013) recently organized by
University Technology, Malaysia. Naveed, who has also worked as a
Project Manager in HEC’s R&D Division, is currently doing PhD at
UTM. The title of his paper was “A Study on Capital Structure:
Financial Behaviour of Pakistani listed Companies across Sectors.”
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News & Views
Dr. Bushra Mateen Awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz
Prof. Dr. Bushra Mateen, former Vice Chancellor,
Lahore College for Women University (LCWU),
Lahore was awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for her
remarkable contributions in the field of higher
education. She received her award from
Governor Punjab Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood
at a ceremony held recently.
Dr. Mateen's distinguished career spans over four
decades. A doctorate from Queen Mary College,
London as well as an old Ravian, she retired as
Vice Chancellor, LCWU in December 2010 after
serving the institution as its head for eight years.
activities was internationally recognized by
award of ISESCO/UNESCO Chair Woman in
Science in Asian Region since 2005 through
which she pioneered research in “Arsenic in
ground water in various regions in Pakistan.”
Despite her administrative commitments, she
always managed to retain a strong link to
teaching and research. Her excellence in research
Dr. Marwat Awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz
He has supervised
numerous MPhil, MS
and PhD scholars.
Dr. Khan Bahadar Marwat, Vice Chancellor,
University of Agriculture, Peshawar has been
conferred Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the President of
Pakistan, in recognition of his excellence services
in teaching, research and educational
administration.
He introduced Weed
S c i e n c e
a s
independent
discipline in the country. He has more than 200
publications, with more than 50 in Impact Factor
Journals.
Dr. Marwat is a Weed Scientist of international
fame, having two PhD degrees, one from Pakistan
in Botany and other from USA in Weed Science.
Rana Qamar Masood of DUHS honoured with
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz
The award was presented to her by Dr. Ishrat-ulEbad Khan, Governor Sindh. She has also to her
credit establishment of the first Liver Centre of
Pakistan in 2004 as SZLC and than National
Institute of Liver and GI Diseases (NILGID) in
2008. Besides, she played a key role in the
establishment of Dow International Medical
College.
Prof. Dr. Rana Qamar Masood
of the Dow University of
Health Sciences (DUHS),
Karachi has been honoured
with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the
President of Pakistan, in recognition of her
services and continuous hard work for the fast
development of Dow University.
18
News & Views
Chairperson HEC Visits BNU
Dr. Javaid R. Laghari, Chairperson HEC recently
visited Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
where he met Mrs. Nasreen M. Kasuri,
Chairperson, BNU Board of Governors, Mr. Sartaj
Aziz, Vice Chancellor and deans including Dr.
Gulzar Haider, Dr. Mehdi Hassan, Prof. Salima
Hashmi, Dr. Hafiz A. Pasha, Dr. Ruhi Khalid, Dr.
Khaver Zia and other members of the
administration. The Chairman was given a
presentation on BNU’s achievements. He
appreciated the progress BNU has made in the
past two years.
The deans gave him proposals on HEC’s ranking
and evaluation criteria and brainstormed ways to
improve the criteria especially for institutions
offering degrees in Visual Arts, Design and
Architecture.
City University Peshawar Holds 7th Convocation
The 7th Convocation of the City University of
Science and Information Technology, Peshawar
was held recently. Engr. Shaukat Ullah Khan,
Governor KPK was the chief guest. A total of 536
degrees were conferred in Management Sciences,
Computer Sciences, Education, Mathematics,
English and Engineering.
Twelve students were decorated with gold
medals. Congratulating the graduates, the chief
guest told them that this day has put a new
responsibility on their shoulders. Dr.
Muhammad Asrar Khattak, Vice Chancellor, City
University highlighted the role and achievements
of the University in the uplift of the education
sector in Pakistan. He urged the graduates to
continue striving for a better future.
FUUAST Seminar on Clinical Research
A seminar cum workshop on Clinical Research
Importance and Pharmacovigilance was
organized by the Department of Microbiology,
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and
Technology (FUUAST), Karachi.
In his lecture, Mr. Sikandar Sherwani, a
renowned microbiologist, emphasized that there
is a dire need of strong linkage between academia
and industry. Prof. Zafar Iqbal, Vice Chancellor,
congratulated the Department for organizing a
scientifically stimulating seminar in the
University. Prof. Arif Zubair said that science has
many areas and avenues and clinical research is
one of them which has high demand everywhere.
Mr. Khurram Zaki introduced with the audience
the concepts and science of Pharmacovigilance.
19
News & Views
SALU Conference on Computer and
Emerging Technologies
The three-day International
Conference on Computer and
E m e r g i n g Te c h n o l o g i e s
(ICCET-2013) was recently
held at Shah Abdul Latif
University, Khairpur. The
Conference was organized by
University's Department of
Computer Science.
Syed Javed Ali Shah Jillani ExMNA was the chief guest in the
inaugural ceremony. Speaking
at the occasion, he said that we
are confronted with multiple
challenges in human
development.
“Despite heavy investment by
public and private sectors,
there are serious issues of
unemployment and inflation.
We clearly understand that
given the current international
scenario, it is imperative to
remove impediments that
impede growth. There is no
alternative as we have to face
competition in the global
knowledge economy. We need
to learn from the experiences
of world's fastest economies.”
D r. Pa r ve e n S h a h , Vi c e
Chancellor SALU said this
conference is in sequel to the
previous two international
conferences.
She said that research and
learning is a lifelong process,
and some of the most
important ideas, habits of
mind and traits of personality,
which ensure good and
abundant life, are acquired
only through the never ending
process of research and
education. Scholars from UK,
UAE, Vietnam, USA, China,
Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Iran
and Serbia attended the
conference.
A panel discussion was
organized on “The Role of ICT
and Consumer to Mitigate
Energy Crisis in Pakistan”.
Mr. Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui,
Director, Sukkur IBA was the
chief guest in the concluding
ceremony. Dr. Irfan Hyder,
Vice President, PAF-KIET was
the guest of the honour on the
occasion.
Minister Lauds GIK Institute Arts festival
Syed Aqil Shah, KPK Minister
for Sports and Youth Affairs
has lauded the students'
society of Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Institute of Engineering
Sciences and Technology for
their ideal endeavours to
organise All Pakistan Arts
Festival.
The three-day festival was
organised by GIK Institute
Naqsh Arts Society. Students
and arts lovers of various
universities/institutes from all
over the country participated
in the colourful festival. Mr
Shah said that the festival and
arts competition had enabled
20
the participants to convert
their inner feelings into
painting, displaying their
creativity with great skill.
Shields were given to those
who exhibited skills and won
positions in different
categories of the competition.
News & Views
IST Workshop on Outcome Based Education
The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC), Institute of
Space Technology (IST) recently organized a
workshop on “Outcome Based Education”.
Dr. Abdul Wahid Usmani, Consultant and Head
of Quality Planning Unit at King Saud University,
Saudi Arabia was the resource person for the
workshop.
student centered approach focusing on “What is
learnt and not on what is taught”. He mentored
the participants to focus on the following
questions during curriculum design and
teaching: What do you want the students to
learn? Why do you want them to learn a
particular course/topic? How can you make
students learn it in the best way? How will you
know what they have learnt?
The workshop was specifically designed for
faculty members and the members of Quality
Enhancement Cells (QECs). Nearly 15 QECs of
universities joined through video conference,
apart from the faculty of IST.
The workshop aimed to update faculty members
and QECs about “Outcome Based Education”
(OBE) Approach, make them able to improve the
programme and course design process, examine
the current syllabi of their programmes and
courses and use OBE approach in teaching. Dr.
Abdul Wahid emphasized the importance of
Moreover, outcome based curriculum, outcome
based learning and teaching and outcome based
assessment was explored during the session.
Greenwich University Holds Convocation 2013
Greenwich University held its ninth convocation
recently. The Vice Chancellor Ms. Seema Mughal
presided over the ceremony. Degrees were
conferred to 147 Undergraduate and 129
graduate students in the disciplines of Business
Administration, English and Mass
Communication.
occupies a unique position among universities of
the country. The University last year celebrated its
Silver Jubilee. She said that the University was
adopting concrete measures to provide quality
education as well as facilities at the campus as per
HEC laid down instructions.
The convocation was largely attended by
students, parents, faculty members, industry
representatives and Government officials.
In her address, Ms. Seema Mughal, Vice
Chancellor said that Greenwich University
21
News & Views
Workshop on Grounded Theory at IMS Peshawar
A two-day international workshop was recently
organized at the Institute of Management
Sciences, Peshawar, in collaboration with HEC,
University of Southampton, UK, and Riphah
International University, Islamabad. The purpose
of the workshop was to introduce Grounded
Theory as a sound qualitative research
methodology in Social Sciences.
The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Ian A
Harwood of the University of Southampton
through video conferencing and Dr. Shakir Ullah
of the Institute of Management Sciences through
training sessions. The participants of the
workshop were university professors, lecturers
and MS and PhD students.
Int’l Seerat Conference at IUB
The 5th international Seerat Conference was
organized by the Seerat Chair, Faculty of Islamic
Learning, Islamia University of Bahawalpur in
collaboration with HEC. The theme of this year’s
moot was “Contemporary social issues and their
just solution in the light of sacred life of the Holy
Prophet (PBUH)”.
guidance for achieving everlasting success in this
world and hereafter.
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Mabrook of Islamia
University, Madina, highly appreciated the role
of IUB for conducting such conferences
frequently to promote Islamic teachings.
Eminent religious scholar, Director, Ali Hajweri
Chair, Punjab University, Lahore, Dr. Zahoor
Ahmed Azhar and the Dean, Faculty of Islamic
Learning, IUB, Dr. Saleem Tariq Khan, Dr.
Muhammad Bin Ahmed Al-Sharqavi of Islamia
University Madina, Dr. Fazal-ur-Rehman, ex
Professor, Aligarh Muslim University, India, Dr.
Abdul Aziz Al-Awafi of Islamia University,
Madina and Dr. Muhammad Ishaq Zahid from
Kuwait also spoke during the conference.
Renowned Seerat scholars from Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Bangladesh, India USA and Pakistan
participated in the three-day event spanning over
seven different sessions.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Muhammad
Mukhtar, Vice Chancellor IUB said that the best
way to spend one’s life is to follow the teachings of
the Holy Prophet (PBUH), because it gives us
FUI Holds Sports Gala
The annual sports gala of Foundation University
Medical College (FUMC) was held at Pasban
Sports Complex Rawalpindi. Maj. Gen. (R) Gul
Muhammad, Rector FUI was the chief guest.
Principal FUMC, Maj. Gen. Dr. Nasim-ul-Majeed
HI(M) (Retd) was also present.
The events included cricket, football, basketball,
table tennis, 400-meter relay, 100-meter race, 60meter race, spoon race, chatti race, 3-legged race
and tug of war. Rector FUI distributed shields,
trophies and medals among winners of different
competitions.
22
News & Views
PM's Entrepreneurial Challenge at NUST
The Centre for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (CIE),
National University of
Sciences and Technology
(NUST) successfully
culminated the grand finale of
the second Prime Minister's
Entrepreneurial Challenge,
DISCOVER - Prosperity
through Entrepreneurship.
Spanning over six months, the
competition came to end with
a group of seasoned panelists
deciding on five teams to be
termed winners of the second
episode of the grand event.
These included Boondh, Coal
Ash Brick, Futureon
Engineering Technology,
Nanocides and Zarai Otaque.
Rector NUST Engr
Muhammad Asghar
distributed certificates among
the winning teams. Over 1600
students from 55 universities
of Pakistan participated in the
competition to showcase 376
brilliantly conceived ideas.
In the Grand Finale, the top ten
teams, presented their
innovative ideas before a jampacked audience. These
included business plans
related to biotechnology,
electronics, power generation,
agriculture, transport, health,
food, education, plantation,
alternative energy etc.
Software Exhibition at Jinnah University
The Department of Computer Science and
Information Technology, Jinnah University for
Women, Karachi recently organized the Software
Exhibition 2013. The event brought together
projects developed by undergraduates students,
reflecting their talent and potential.
Exhibition 2013 outstripped the preceding year’s
exhibition in both scale and participation.
The projects were related to various walks of life,
including Learning management system,
Recruitment system of JUW, Access management
and analysis system and mobile based
applications. Mr. Hafiz Saqif - CEO of TradeKey
was the chief guest of the event.
The exhibition attracted around 26 professional
companies and academic folks. Software
NCE Physical Chemistry Holds Open Day for
Prospective MPhil/PhD Students
In order to provide an opportunity for
prospective MPhil and PhD scholars to come to
the National Centre of Excellence in Physical
Chemistry, University of Peshawar and to see
themselves the research facilities offered at the
Centre, an Open Day was arranged. Invitations
were sent to all universities at Peshawar and other
in the province to inform their MSc and BS (fouryear) students about the Open Day.
research across all fields of Physical Chemistry
inside research laboratories and showed working
of sophisticated scientific equipment.
Different research projects carried out at the
Centre were also explained with the help of
posters. Currently enrolled students and Staff of
the Centre discussed everything from enrolment
to academic courses offered, research
requirements and scholarships and other
financial assistance available from HEC or
Centre’s own resources.
Faculty and senior students conducted
demonstrations on interesting and innovative
23
News & Views
Int’l Conference on UN-NATO Exist from Afghanistan
A two-day International
Conference on “US-NATO Exit
from Afghanistan: Challenges
and Options Beyond 2014”
was held at National
University of Modern
Languages, Islamabad. The
conference was arranged by
the Department of
International Relations,
Conflict and Peace Studies,
NUML.
Addressing the Conference,
the US Ambassador Richard
Olson stressed the need to
promote peace and
reconciliation in Afghanistan.
He said his country and
Pakistan are partners in
promoting peace and curbing
terrorism in Afghanistan. He
expressed the hope that
Afghanistan will be able to
preserve gains and maintain
stability after the withdrawal
of US-NATO forces. The
Afghan Ambassador
Mohammad Omer Daoudzai
highlighted Pakistan’s role in
promoting peace in
Afghanistan. He said
A f g h a n i s t a n b e l i e ve s i n
establishing good relations
with all regional countries.
forward to restoration of peace
and normalcy in Afghanistan.
He dispelled the fear being
expressed by certain circles
that Taliban might overrun
Afghanistan after the
withdrawal of US-NATO
forces.
D r. M u k h t a r A h m e d ,
Executive Director HEC said
the education was a key to
promoting peace and
reconciliation in Afghanistan.
He said HEC has offered a
large number of scholarships
to Afghan students and would
like to offer more to help that
country in its pursuit of social
progress.
Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas
Jilani said that Pakistan has
been working closely at
bilateral, trilateral and
multilateral levels to support
intra-Afghan reconciliation.
Pakistan is keenly looking
Maj. Gen. (R) Masood Hasan,
Rector NUML, said that the
University holds such
conferences on vital issues to
promote intellectual culture of
the University and contribute
to national consciousness.
News in Picture
The opening ceremony of InterVarsity Badminton (Women's)
Championship 2013 was recently
held at PSB Coaching
Centre/Gymnasium, Qayyum
Sports Complex, Peshawar. The
championship was organized by
Sarhad University of Science and
Information Technology, Peshawar.
Mr. Syed Aqil Shah, Provincial
Minister for Sports and Culture, KPK
was the chief guest on the occasion.
The Minister presented a souvenir to HEC, which was
received by Mr. Shafi-ur-Rahman, Assistant Director, HEC
Regional Centre, Peshawar.
24
News & Views
PIEAS Workshop on Coal Mining
Pakistan Institute of
Engineering and Applied
Sciences (PIEAS) recently
organized a workshop on coal
mining, which focused on
knowledge exchange between
relevant people in Pakistan
and experts from the
University of Leeds, UK to
develop a modern coal mining
industry in Pakistan.
The workshop was organized
under the International
Strategic Partnership in
Research and Education INSPIRE and Strategic
Partnership Extension in
Knowledge Exchange - SPEKE
project funded by the British
Council, Islamabad and the
Higher Education
Commission, Pakistan. Three
specialists participated in the
workshop. Bill Birch was the
main facilitator of the
workshop. He looks after his
own small mining enterprise
after retirement from the
University of Leeds, UK.
T o b y W h i t e w a s
complementing Bill Birch. He
is a Geologist and faculty
member at the University of
Leicester, UK.
The main points emphasized
by the speakers were project
planning and project
organization, technical plans
(geology, methods, machines
etc.), financial plans (highlevel to knee-pad level),
entrepreneurial approach for
business success, and
thorough exploration before
exploitation.
The two-day workshop was
inaugurated by Dr.
Muhammad Aslam, Rector
PIEAS.
The participation from
varsities in Pakistan and Coal
Mining Industry was
complemented with the
presence of Coal and Energy
Development Department,
Government of Sindh and
Engro Powergen Ltd. who are
in a joint venture to exploit the
technology of surface mining
in Thar coal field.
News in Picture
The officers and staff of HEC
Regional Centre, Peshawar
arranged a sendoff in honour
of Mr. Ghulam Nabi, Deputy
Director Finance HEC who has
recently left HEC and joined
the Government College
University, Faisalabad.
Those who attended the
ceremony were Mr. Ghulam
Mujtaba Kayani, Adviser
Finance, Dr. Mazhar Saeed,
Director General R&D, Mr.
Farmanullah Anjum, Director
General Academics, Mr. Fida
Husain, Director General
A t t e s t a t i o n , M r. Z a h e e r
Ahmed Awan, Director, HEC
Regional Centre, Mr. Ejaz
Hussain, Director P&D, and
25
Mr. Nasir Shah, Deputy
D i r e c t o r, H E C R e g i o n a l
Centre.
News & Views
PU, MoST Sign MoU for Research Collaboration
University of the Punjab, Lahore and the Ministry
of Science and Technology recently signed a
Memorandum of Understanding at a ceremony
held at University’s Institute of Bio-Chemistry
and Bio-Technology.
Dr. Mujahid Kamran, Vice Chancellor and Mr.
Akhlaq Ahmed Tarrar, Federal Secretary MoST
signed the MoU. Kaukab Mohayuddin,
Managing Director STEDEC, Dr. Syed Shahid
H u s s a i n , E x e c u t i ve D i r e c t o r, M o S T
Commercialization Cell, Dr. Taqi Zahid Butt,
Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology,
senior faculty members and a large number of
students were present on the occasion.
currently being faced by academia, research
institutions and industry. Mr. Tarrar said that
previously academia had no access to modern
laboratories of research institutions and other
installations of MoST.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr. Mujahid Kamran
lauded the efforts of the Federal Secretary for
cooperation in research and MoU in science and
technology. He said that the joint research
ventures would now help resolve many problems
He said that University of the Punjab would
benefit from the resources of MoST and we would
also approach industry for commercialization of
our research products, which would help
strengthen our economy.
QAU Community Relations Initiative
Four-day Workshop for College Teachers
The Department of Animal Sciences, Quaid-iAzam University (QAU) in collaboration with the
University’s Community Relations Initiative,
organized a four-day workshop on teachers
training entitled “Laboratory Methods in
Biology”, with an aim to enhance the capacity of
science teachers at the college level.
The activity was sponsored by the Higher
Education Commission and Pakistan Science
Foundation. The one-week intensive training
workshop was basically a refresher course in
laboratory methods for faculty members
involved in the teaching of Biology at BSc, BScHons and MSc levels. Thirty-five participants
26
News & Views
representing 22 different educational institutions
o f Pa k i s t a n , 1 4 f e d e r a l c o l l e g e s , s i x
colleges/universities from Sindh and two colleges
from KPK attended the workshop. Addressing
the concluding ceremony, Dr. Masoom Yasinzai,
Vice Chancellor QAU said that Quaid-i-Azam
University is not only committed to expanding its
outreach programmes but also we feel the
responsibility to strengthen our affiliated
institutes and engaging our community. “In order
to achieve this objective, QAU has decided to
launch Community Relations Initiative (CRI)
believing that University and the communities
are essentially linked and the success of both is
vital to the social and cultural development in the
building of societies.”
Dr. Sajid Malik, Associate Professor, Department
of Animal Sciences (QAU), highlighted the
importance of practical laboratory methods for
comprehension of theoretical concepts of science
subjects.
Dr. Bushra Wins ISESCO Award
e l i m i n a t i n g t h e i r
marginalization, and
reorienting their socioe c o n o m i c s t a t u s t o wa r d s
achieving social and economic
gender equality in rights and
duties in the member states.
Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO) Women in Science Chair
has been awarded to Dr. Bushra Mirza,
Chairperson, Department of Biochemistry,
Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad.
Dr. Bushra did her PhD from the University of
Cambridge UK and post-doc from the University
of North Carolina USA in the field of Plant
Molecular Biology. The purpose of the ISESCO
Women in Science Chair is to extend facilities and
resources to women scientists of member states to
collaborate and jointly work in empowering
women in scientific and technological fields,
Keeping in view the tradition
of up-gradation and quality
enhancement policy of higher
education, Virtual University
of Pakistan recently organized
a seminar on “Quality
Assurance in Higher
Education”.
The seminar focused on the
challenges being faced by
researchers, academicians and
institutes in dissemination of
higher education in the
country. The keynote speakers,
Dr. Rasheed Kausar, Director
QEC UMT and Dr.
In this regard an inauguration ceremony of the
chair was held at QAU. Dr. Samina Amin Qadir,
Vice Chancellor, Fatima Jinnah Women
University, was the keynote speaker. Dr. Masoom
Yasinzai congratulated Dr. Bushra for her success
and for bringing the prestigious chair to QAU.
VU Seminar on Quality Assurance
Muhammad Nawaz, Advisor
QEC VU highlighted major
hurdles faced by higher
education. Dr. Naveed A.
Malik, Advisor Academics VU,
27
briefed participants about
p a r a m e t e r s f o l l o we d b y
Virtual University to promote
quality of education in the
country and abroad.
News & Views
Student Week at Newports Institute
Newports Institute of Communications and
Economics (NICE) recently organized the
Student Activity Week. The entire week was
marked by co-curricular activities including
seminars, guest lectures, and interactive sessions
by leading dignitaries from government,
corporate sector and academia. Few of them were
Dr. Abuzar Wajidi, Dean, Faculty of Management
and Administrative Sciences, University of
Karachi, Dr. Aquil Burney, Meritorious Professor,
Department of Computer Science, University of
Karachi, Mr. Shoeb Siddiqui, Secretary, Youth
affairs, Government of Sindh, Mr. Zubair Chaya,
Chairman, Korangi Association of Trade and
Industries, Mr. Shamim Firpo, Vice President,
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries,
Mr. Mallick Khalid Mehmood, CEO, United Arab
Logistics, Mr. Shoeb Khan, HR Director, Merck
Pharmaceuticals, Ms. Saima Khan, HR Head,
Samba Bank etc. The week also included field
trips to leading national and multinational
companies for gaining practical exposure of the
work environment. The chief guest of the
inaugural session was Dr. Farooq Sattar, Federal
Minister for Overseas Pakistanis while, Mr. Zahid
Hussain Dharejo, Director, HEC Regional Centre,
Karachi was the guest of honour.
Conference at Federal Urdu University, Karachi
A two-day science conferece was organized by
the Department of Botany, Federal Urdu
University of Arts, Science and Technology,
Karachi. The topic of the conference was
“Climatic Change and bioresources of Pakistan”.
p a p e r s a n d
collaborated in this
conference. Dr. Zafar
I q b a l , V i c e
Chancellor, FUUAST
appreciated the
organizers, teachers
and volunteers of the Department for organizing
the conference on an important issues. Dr.
Mudassir Asrar, Chairperson PCST offered his
support and cooperation for such occasions.
Dr. Moinuddin Ahmed was the chief organizer of
the conference. Experts of various organizations
like Sindh Coastal Development Authority, Sindh
Forest Department, Marine Collection,
University of Karachi, presented their research
Book Launch at SZABIST
SZABIST recently held the
launch ceremony of “Back
from the Brink: India-Pakistan
Relations Revisited”, a book
edited by Dr. Riaz Shaikh,
Head of Social Sciences
Department SZABIST. The
speakers at the event were Mr.
Najmuddin A. Shaikh, Dr.
Pervez Hoodbhoy, Brig. A. R.
Siddiqui, Ghazi Salahuddin
and Prof. Dr. Syed Jaffar
28
Ahmed who shared their
views regarding the book.
Prof. Dr. Savita Pande of
Jawaharlal Nehru University
also participated in the
discussion from Delhi through
video conferencing. Dr. Saqib
Rizavi, President, SZABIST,
Dr. Amanat Ali Jalbani, Vice
President Academics
SZABIST, faculty, staff and
students were present during
this ceremony.