Education single means to ensure socio-economic development: Rana Tanveer

Islamabad

Best research paper, best young research scholar, best innovator and best book received awards at the fifth HEC Outstanding Research Award ceremony held in Higher Education Commission (HEC) secretariat.

Federal Minister of Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain graced the ceremony as chief guest. Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed and Executive Director HEC Dr. Arshad Ali along with Vice Chancellors were also present on the occasion.

The awards were given in four categories including best research paper, best young research scholar, best innovator, and best book in eight disciplines including Basic and Applied Sciences, Biological Sciences, Pure Engineering, Computer Science/Engineering, Social Sciences, Management Sciences, and Arts and Humanities.

Speaking on the occasion, Rana Tanveer Hussain said that education is the single means to ensure socio-economic development of a country, as it provides skilled human resource to the society. Appreciating the contribution of HEC to promotion of research culture in the country, he said that HEC spearheaded research excellence in Pakistani universities and promoted indigenous research environment. He stressed the need for harmonizing research activities with the national needs.

“We have to focus on need-based research so that it could deliver to the society and its practical utility could benefit our economy.”

The minister urged the researchers to focus on areas which could play remarkable role in the country socio-economic development. He said that the role of HEC has been widely acclaimed and international recognized owning to its programmes for promotion of higher education in the country. He congratulated the award recipients and encouraged them to work for progress of the country.

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed briefed the Minister on HEC initiatives to ensure quality of education and research. He said that the HEC, while promoting a research culture in the country’s universities, is focusing on the relevance of research so that it could meet the national needs. He said the number of publications in impact factor research journals has increased considerably since a meagre 800 in 2002 to over 10,000 in 2014-15 as the HEC has provided researchers with an enabling environment. “HEC has been ensuring provision of necessary infrastructure to universities,” he said.

Dr. Mukhtar gave an overview of the initiatives HEC offers to promote research which include travel grants, research grant, patent filing support and offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialization and Business Incubation Centres established by the HEC in universities that are promoting innovation and commercialization. HEC has launched collaborative research projects with different countries including the United States and France, UK and Germany while three Centres of Excellence in energy sector, water and food security have already been established in Pakistan. Work to set up another Centre on climate change in the next financial year is already in progress. He also shared HEC’s proposed measures for technology transfer with focus on various fields like electronic, nanotechnology and automobiles with support from South Korea.

Congratulating the awardees on their remarkable research work, the Chairman said, “Researchers need to shift their concentration from the impact factor to the impact of research on society so that their hard work could benefit humanity.”

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Arshad Ali stressed the need for hard work to keep pace with the world in educational and technological development. He said that 15 Technology Information Support Centres are being established in the country with the collaboration of World Intellectual Property Organization to research on patents and enhance their functionality.

He said a Steering Committee will also be formed to examine the commercial and economic viability of research in the country.

He said Pakistan has been blessed with talented youth that needs to be guided to become productive and solution providers for society. He also shared measures being taken to identify and work on projects for uplift of the textile industry, dairy and livestock and other sectors through research in the areas.

The awardees of Best Research Paper Awards including Dr. Adeela Saeed, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, the Women University, Multan; Dr. Shahid Saeed Qureshi, Assistant Professor, Government Post Graduate College, Jhelum; Dr. Tasneem Gul Kazi, Professor, National Center of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro; Dr. Asghari Gul, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad; Dr. Muhammad Najam-ul-Haq, Professor, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan; Dr. Fariha Khan, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi; Dr. Akhtar Nadhman, Assistant Professor, Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences (CIRBS), International Islamic University, Islamabad; Dr. Asad Jan, Associate Professor, Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, the University of Agriculture Peshawar; Dr. Amjad Ali, Assistant Professor, Atta ur Rehman School of

Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, NUST, Islamabad; Mr. Majid Hussain, Lecturer, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Haripur, Haripur; Dr. Tariq Aziz, Associate Professor, Institute of Soil & Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; Dr. Sher Muhammad Shahzad, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha; Dr. Hafiz Azhar Ali Khan, Assistant Professor, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore; Dr. Amna Sahar

Assistant Professor, Department of Food Engineering, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan Majeed, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha; Dr. Sajid Butt, Assistant Professor, Department of Material Sciences & Engineering Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad; Dr. Ahmad Ahsan Nawaz, Assistant Professor, SMME, Biomedical Engineering Department, National University of Science & Technology, Islamabad; Mr. Rahim Jan, PhD Scholar, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology, H-12, Islamabad; Dr. Muhammad Rehan, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad; Engr. Muhammad Abubaker, Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal; Dr. Adnan Nadeem, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology, University Road, Karachi; Dr. Adeel Mumtaz, Manager NESCOM, Islamabad; Safdar Ali, Deputy Chief Scientist, Directorate General National Repository, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Islamabad; Dr. Maqsood Hayat, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan; Dr. Muhammad Kamran, Assistant Professor, COMSATS Institute of Technology Wah

Cantt; Dr. Syeda Shahida Batool, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Government College University -GCU, Lahore; Dr. Tahira Jibeen, Assistant Professor, Humanities Department, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore; Dr. Shameem Fatima, Assistant Professor, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore; Dr. Zulfqar Khan Professor & Head of Dept. of Strategic Studies, National Defence University, Islamabad; Dr. Muhammad Khalid Bashir, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Policy Chair, USPCAS-AFS, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; Dr. Muhammad Abbas, Assistant Professor, FAST School of Management, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences – FAST-NU, Islamabad;  Dr. Masood ul Hassan, Chairman, Department of Commerce Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan; Dr. Wazir Payo, Assistant Professor, Govt. Postgraduate College Kohat; and Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Professor and Chairman, Department of Media and Communication Studies, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

In the Best Young Research Scholar Awards, awards were given to Dr. Noreen Sher Akbar, Assistant Professor, DBS&H, CEME, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad; Dr. Muhammad Imran Qadir, Assistant Professor, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan; Dr. Muhammad Farooq, Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; Dr. Muhammad Rehan, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, PIEAS, Islamabad; Dr. M. Usman Akram, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of EME, NUST, Rawalpindi; Dr. Arab Naz, Associate Professor, University of Malakand; and Dr. Muhammad Abbas, Assistant Professor, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences – FAST-NU, Islamabad.

In the category of Best Innovator Awards, Dr. Riaz Ahmad Mufti, Professor, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad was awarded.

The Best Book Awards were clinched by Prof. Dr. Moinuddin Ahmed, Professor, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology, Karachi; Dr. Ilhan Niaz, Assistant Professor, Department of History, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad; and Prof. Dr. Khaliq Dad Malik, Professor & Chairman, Department of Arabic,  University of the Punjab, Lahore.