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Thursday March 28, 2024

HEC chairman stresses engineers and scientists role in research & development

By our correspondents
October 17, 2017

Islamabad :The five-day 15th International Symposium on Advanced Materials-2017 (ISAM-2017) began here on Monday.

The biennial event has become one of the prime international platform at which materials engineers and scientists keep themselves up-to-date with recent technologies and new developments.

During the symposium, 36 keynote lectures, 144 oral presentations and 167 posters are to be presented by researchers. In all, 347 papers will be presented by 65 foreign and 282 local researchers.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, chairman Higher Education Commission highlighted the scope of materials technology as unlimited which has led to a significant increase in the range and depth of research and development in the industrially advanced world.

He appreciated Pakistani scientists and engineers who with meagre funds made this country a proud nation and reiterated that engineers and scientists should be involved in Research and Development (R&D) work to bring positive change in human life; we should do constructive work and not destructive in nature.

He said until now we have spent huge amount of money on R&D for destructive humanity. “Had 20% of that huge amount be spent on African countries; they would have been transformed into modern Europe,” he said.

He informed the audience that due to HEC important and an active role we have managed to establish 188 universities in the country presently. He said  this year more than 12000 research papers has been published which is considered an important achievement and appreciated by the advanced countries.

Chairman of the Symposium, Ejaz Ahmed Mukhtar emphasised the role of advanced materials saying that Advanced Materials is a field of great intellectual challenge. “We are living in the world of imaginative creativity; the fiction is being converted to fact; the Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak is becoming a reality,” he said.

He pointed out that now a days, one can find some of the military uniforms treated with chemicals to reduce the infrared signatures.

He said that Stealth technology based on dielectric composites and metal fibers containing ferrite isotopes, known as the Radar Absorbent Material (RAM) is being used to cloak the aircrafts, frigates and submarines from the enemy.

He said that Graphene is an emerging material that is about 200 times stronger than the strongest steel and Graphene Super Capacitors have emerged as energy storage alternative to traditional electrolytic batteries; having advantages like, longer life span, faster charging and more environmentally friendly production. It has globally stimulated the development of a wide range of portable electronic devices as well as the hybrid vehicles resulting in saving of gasoline.

Briefing about the previous 14 symposia, the Secretary of the Symposium, Dr. Muneeb said that holding the symposia on Advanced Materials was a timely decision taken in 1989. 15th in its series, so far, this biennial event has been held from the last 18 years. He informed participants that the theme of the symposia has been to provide a common platform to the participants from abroad and within the country to exchange information, share their ideas, experiences, expertise on the materials that are being used across the globe.