Arshad S Malik INSIDE... Third Edition (Fall 2015) Message from the Chief Editor CIIT Ranked among Top 250 Asian Universities According to the 2014 QS University Ranking, CIIT ranks among the Top 201-250 universities in Asia while it ranks among the Top 301- 400 universities in the world in mathematics. Published annually since 2009, the QS Universities Rankings Asia highlight the 300 top universities in Asia, providing an overview of higher education in one of the world's most dynamic and rapidly developing regions. CIIT is one of the 10 Pakistani institutions in QS rankings. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology C-Gl bal Newsletter I am proud and privileged to share the 3rd edition of the C-Global which attempts to encapsulate the happenings of significance with international connotations which took place within the CIIT System during the first half of 2015. Like the previous two editions I sincerely hope that the current issue would also appeal to the readers and that it provides a good sense of what COMSATS Institute of Information Technology truly stands for and aspires to become! The International Office is in a continuous process of forging new and maintaining the existing international linkages and collaborations for the real benefit of the students, faculty and staff of the Institute. I am grateful to all those who help us make our initiatives a success with their whole hearted engagement, involvement and support. The year 2015 beyond a doubt has been one involving changes for the International Office in terms of its team members. To all those who have embarked on new ventures and avenues in their lives, we wish them all the best that life has to offer, and to those who have joined us in the past few months we extend a warm welcome with the hope that they shall prove to be an asset for the office as well as the Institute. Let me leave you to enjoy this edition of C-Global. Happy Reading! Team Chief Editor Dr. Arshad S. Malik Head International Office Editor Hala Sabri Sub Editors Sobia Bilal, Rafaqat A.Uppal www.comsats.edu.pk Rankings Our Commitment to Gender and Society .................... Creating Global Citizens ............ Awards and Fellowships ............. Our CERN Engagements ........... Developing Pak – Turkey Bridges ............................. International Students .................. Our Comings and Goings ........ 02 04 05 06 07 09 10
Transcript
Arshad S Malik
INSIDE...
Third Edition (Fall 2015)
Message from the Chief Editor
CIIT Ranked among Top 250 Asian Universities Accordingtothe2014QSUniversityRanking,CIITranksamongtheTop201-250universitiesinAsiawhileitranksamongtheTop301-400 universities in theworld inmathematics. Published annuallysince2009,theQSUniversitiesRankingsAsiahighlightthe300topuniversitiesinAsia,providinganoverviewofhighereducationinoneoftheworld'smostdynamicandrapidlydevelopingregions.CIITisoneofthe10PakistaniinstitutionsinQSrankings.
COMSATS Institute ofInformation Technology
C-Gl bal Newsletter
Iamproudandprivilegedtosharethe3rdeditionofthe C-Globalwhichattemptstoencapsulatethehappeningsof significance with international connotations whichtookplacewithintheCIITSystemduringthefirsthalfof2015.LiketheprevioustwoeditionsIsincerelyhopethatthecurrentissuewouldalsoappealtothereadersandthatitprovidesagoodsenseofwhatCOMSATSInstituteofInformationTechnologytrulystandsforandaspirestobecome!
The InternationalOffice is in a continuous process offorgingnewandmaintainingtheexistinginternationallinkagesandcollaborationsfortherealbenefitofthestudents,facultyandstaffoftheInstitute.Iamgratefultoallthosewhohelpusmakeourinitiativesasuccesswiththeirwholeheartedengagement,involvementandsupport.
Theyear2015beyondadoubthasbeenoneinvolvingchangesfortheInternationalOffice in terms of its teammembers. To all thosewho have embarked on newventuresandavenuesintheirlives,wewishthemallthebestthatlifehastooffer,andtothosewhohavejoinedusinthepastfewmonthsweextendawarmwelcomewiththehopethattheyshallprovetobeanassetfortheofficeaswellastheInstitute.
OnThursday18December2014,theSecretaryGeneralofthe African - Asian Rural Development Organisation(AARDO), Engineer Wassfi Hassan El Sreihin, visitedCOMSATSInstituteofInformationTechnology.Eng.WassfiwasaccompaniedbyDr.ZafarIqbalNadirwhoisDirectorGeneralofNationalCentreforRuralDevelopmentandhasbeforeremainedChairmanNationalDisasterManagementAuthority(NDMA).ThetwovisitorsmetwithRectorCIITaswellasHeadInternationalOffice.HeretheyweregivenabriefingregardingthescopeandvisionofCIITaswellasitscommitment to creating indigenous solutions to thenationalandregionalchallenges.
AARDOwas appreciative of not just CIIT's growth andachievements but also its commitment and looked toexplore collaborations that strengthen the African andAsian region through technological solutions for acomprehensiveapproachtosustainableruraldevelopment.Together, the organisations explored potential mobilityopportunities to generate an exchange of ideas andexpertise;aswellasdevelopanindividualbasedrelationshipforcollaboratinginappliedresearch.
Women Empowerment andLeadership Workshop
On February 19 Ð 20, 2015 a two-dayworkshopwas organised inLahoreonWomenEmpowermentandLeadership,inparticularinthearena of higher education. The organisers included CIIT LahoreCampusincollaborationwithourTurkishpartner,DuzceUniversity,whosepresidentDr.FundaSivrikayaSerifogluisanactiveproponentofwomenrightsandakeyresourcepersonfortheevent.Otherresourcepersons included academics fromFatima JinnahWomenUniversity,Punjab University, Beaconhouse National University; as well asentrepreneurs from Heartfile, Smileagain foundation and Rafi PeerTheatregroup.
Theaimoftheworkshopwastoassistwomenmanagers,academiciansand entrepreneurs who aspire to greater leadership roles in theircareer by developing their strategic thinking and negotiation skills,breakingtheglassceiling,overcomingself-limitinghabits,learningtheart of creatingwin-win partnerships, keepingwork-life balance andunlocking their true leadership potential all in a regional culturalcontext.
Exploring the Future of the Pakistani City OnMonday6April,2015,CIITIslamabadorganisedaseminaronÒTheFutureofthePakistaniCity.ÓTheseminarwasledbyDr.AmmarMalikwhoisavisitingResearchAssociatefromtheUrban Institute Centre on International Development and
Governance,WashingtonDC.
CIIT had recently established a Forum on Liveable Citiesbringingtogetherpolicymakers,engineers,architectsandcivilsocietyrepresentativeswiththeaimof:
Thespeakersdrewupontheresearchbeingconductedatthe
UrbanInstitute,Washington,DCandsharedthecausesand
consequences of global urbanisation including the spatial
structuresof cities, the political economyof public service
Collaborative Workshop with Community World Service Asia WhiletheentireCIITcommunityisalwaysavailabletorespond to the unfortunate conflicts and disastersPakistanhasfacedoverthelastdecade,CIITAbbottabadCampusinparticular,duetoitslocation,hasbeenpartofdisasterreliefformanyyears.Theyhavealsodevelopedathriving Department of Development Studies thatprovidesacademicinsightandresearchasalongtermstratagem for disaster prevention, while in the shorttermspearheadingthecampus'sdisasterreliefactivities.
Community World Service Asia is a regional non-governmental organization which implementshumanitariananddevelopmentactivitiesinAsiawithaspecificfocusondisastermanagement;education;health;livelihoods;peaceandgovernance;water,sanitation,andtheenvironment;andqualityandaccountability.
The workshop had an open audience but specificallyaimed towards faculty members from DevelopmentStudiesandManagementSciences. CommunityWorldService Asia introduced the Sphere Project and howinduction of Sphere standards can help improve thecurriculaofdisasterrelatedcourses.
OnThursday18December2014,theSecretaryGeneralofthe African - Asian Rural Development Organisation(AARDO), Engineer Wassfi Hassan El Sreihin, visitedCOMSATSInstituteofInformationTechnology.Eng.WassfiwasaccompaniedbyDr.ZafarIqbalNadirwhoisDirectorGeneralofNationalCentreforRuralDevelopmentandhasbeforeremainedChairmanNationalDisasterManagementAuthority(NDMA).ThetwovisitorsmetwithRectorCIITaswellasHeadInternationalOffice.HeretheyweregivenabriefingregardingthescopeandvisionofCIITaswellasitscommitment to creating indigenous solutions to thenationalandregionalchallenges.
AARDOwas appreciative of not just CIIT's growth andachievements but also its commitment and looked toexplore collaborations that strengthen the African andAsian region through technological solutions for acomprehensiveapproachtosustainableruraldevelopment.Together, the organisations explored potential mobilityopportunities to generate an exchange of ideas andexpertise;aswellasdevelopanindividualbasedrelationshipforcollaboratinginappliedresearch.
Women Empowerment andLeadership Workshop
On February 19 Ð 20, 2015 a two-dayworkshopwas organised inLahoreonWomenEmpowermentandLeadership,inparticularinthearena of higher education. The organisers included CIIT LahoreCampusincollaborationwithourTurkishpartner,DuzceUniversity,whosepresidentDr.FundaSivrikayaSerifogluisanactiveproponentofwomenrightsandakeyresourcepersonfortheevent.Otherresourcepersons included academics fromFatima JinnahWomenUniversity,Punjab University, Beaconhouse National University; as well asentrepreneurs from Heartfile, Smileagain foundation and Rafi PeerTheatregroup.
Theaimoftheworkshopwastoassistwomenmanagers,academiciansand entrepreneurs who aspire to greater leadership roles in theircareer by developing their strategic thinking and negotiation skills,breakingtheglassceiling,overcomingself-limitinghabits,learningtheart of creatingwin-win partnerships, keepingwork-life balance andunlocking their true leadership potential all in a regional culturalcontext.
Exploring the Future of the Pakistani City OnMonday6April,2015,CIITIslamabadorganisedaseminaronÒTheFutureofthePakistaniCity.ÓTheseminarwasledbyDr.AmmarMalikwhoisavisitingResearchAssociatefromtheUrban Institute Centre on International Development and
Governance,WashingtonDC.
CIIT had recently established a Forum on Liveable Citiesbringingtogetherpolicymakers,engineers,architectsandcivilsocietyrepresentativeswiththeaimof:
Thespeakersdrewupontheresearchbeingconductedatthe
UrbanInstitute,Washington,DCandsharedthecausesand
consequences of global urbanisation including the spatial
structuresof cities, the political economyof public service
Collaborative Workshop with Community World Service Asia WhiletheentireCIITcommunityisalwaysavailabletorespond to the unfortunate conflicts and disastersPakistanhasfacedoverthelastdecade,CIITAbbottabadCampusinparticular,duetoitslocation,hasbeenpartofdisasterreliefformanyyears.Theyhavealsodevelopedathriving Department of Development Studies thatprovidesacademicinsightandresearchasalongtermstratagem for disaster prevention, while in the shorttermspearheadingthecampus'sdisasterreliefactivities.
Community World Service Asia is a regional non-governmental organization which implementshumanitariananddevelopmentactivitiesinAsiawithaspecificfocusondisastermanagement;education;health;livelihoods;peaceandgovernance;water,sanitation,andtheenvironment;andqualityandaccountability.
The workshop had an open audience but specificallyaimed towards faculty members from DevelopmentStudiesandManagementSciences. CommunityWorldService Asia introduced the Sphere Project and howinduction of Sphere standards can help improve thecurriculaofdisasterrelatedcourses.
OnWednesday10June,CIITAbbottabadandNorwegianUniversityofLifeSciences(NMBU)heldaworkshoponthetopic of Understanding Gender, Human Security andDevelopment inPost-Conflict Swat,Pakistan: ImplicationsforPolicyandPractice.
Theobjectiveofthisworkshopwastosharethefindingsofafiveyearcollaborativeresearchprojectbetweenthesetwoinstitutions.Thisprojectwasstartedin2010whenSwatwasstillsufferingfromconflict,asituationthatwasaggravatedbythefloodsof2010.Theprojectteamaimedtoexploreindepththeimplicationsofthisconflictandlackofsecurityandshape models for development and progress that now,shouldbetranslatedintopolicy.TheResearchCouncilofNorwayandHUJRA,alocalorganisation,providedsupportinmakingthisprojectpossible.
Theworkshop commencedwith an introduction of theprojectbytheleadresearchersDr.IngridNyborgfromtheDepartmentofInternationalEnvironmentandDevelopmentStudies,Noragric,atNMBUandDr.BahadarNawabHeadofDevelopmentStudiesDepartment,CIIT.
Thekeynoteaddresswasaptlymadeby localexpert,Dr.FazalMabood,whohelpedprovideasketchofthesituationoftheSwatregionprevalentboththenandnow.TheGuestofHonorwasMr.LarsNordrum,ChargeAffairandActingHeadof theRoyalNorwegianEmbassy in Islamabad.Theproject teamexpressedtheirgratitude to theNorwegianEmbassyfortheirsupportinmarkingthispossible.
Workshop on Developmentin Post-Conflict Swat, Pakistan
04
Launch of UN Corner Competitionand MoU Signing CIIThasworkedincollaborationwithUnitedNationsInformationCentrePakistan(UNIC),severaltimesinthepastyearonissuesofdevelopment goals and climatechange . However , on 23February2015, thispartnershipwascementedwiththelaunchofa significant design competitionfollowed by the signing of anMoU.
The design competition, whichwaslaunchedattheArchitectureDepartmentinfrontofavariedandinterdisciplinaryaudience,bringstogetherstudentsfromacrossthe campus to develop aworkingmodel for a ÒUNCornerÓ, aphysical set up providing access to global UN reports andpublications.ThewinningdesignwouldbeproducedbyUNICandinauguratedatCIIT.
Mr. Vittorio Cammorata, Director UNIC was present at thecompetition launch where he shared his vision behind the UNCornerandencouragedstudentstoparticipatewithenthusiasmandvigour.
Following the launch of the competition, a Memorandum ofUnderstandingwassignedbetweenUNICandCIIT,representedbyMr. Vittorio Cammoarata and Dr. Arshad S Malik, HeadInternationalOffice.WehopethisMoUwillmakeCIIToneoftheleadingacademicpartnersofUNICinPakistanthroughwhichwewishtochampionandintegratetheglobalhumanrightsvaluesthatUNpromotes,withinallourcampuses.
á TheprinciplesoftheUnitedNationsandthehistoryofitsfoundingasabodydesignedforglobaldevelopment
á TheroleoftheUNinPakistanandthenewOneUNProgramme
á Pakistan'ssignificantcontributionsinthehistoryoftheUN
á UN's70thanniversary
05
Pakistan through Photography Agroupof25studentsfromthedepartmentofArchitectureandDesign,CIITLahoreCampus,wereinvitedtotheopeningceremonyofaphotoexhibitionÒUnitedNationsforPakistanPeopleÓon16April,2015atLahoreCityHeritageMuseum,TollingtonMarket.
Theundergraduatestudentshadtheopportunitytonotjustwitnessthe power of digital story telling but also to interact withprofessionals who are using art to integrate responsible, socio-economicstatementsintostructuraldesignanddŽcor.
Dr.HabibBukhari,Professorat the Department ofBiosciences, Is lamabadcampus won the Horizon2020grantforhisproposalinthefieldofbio-informatics.
The Horizon2020 is acollaborativeEuropeangrantandtheprojectisdevelopedwith the help of manypartnersincludingUniversityofCamerinoandUniversityofMilano-Bicocca,ItalyandCambridgeUniversity,UK.
This research will significantly contribute to CIIT inlaboratorial procedure and capacity building with thediscoveries possibly helping in themanufacture of a newgenerationofordinaryfacilities,ascleaningagents,biofuelsandgreentechnology.
CIIT Wins Horizon 2020Research Grant Edinburgh Summer School
Bursary TheUniversityofEdinburgh,UKisamongstthemostprestigiousuniversitiesofthecountryandeveryyearoffersanacademicallyand culturally rich summer school program. Summer schools,popularinEurope,bringtogetheradiversestudentbodyfromacross the world for a memorable month long learningexperience.
The bursary allows Samavia to travel to the beautiful city ofEdinburgh inAugustand takepart inamonth longeconomicscoursewithboardingandlodgingattheuniversity.
TheUnitedNationshasasignificantpresenceinPakistanand CIIT has developed strong relationship with theUnitedNationsInformationCentre,Pakistan,whichwascementedinthespringsemester.
Creating Global Citizens
Communication Workshopfor Students UNIC conducted a provincial CommunicationWorkshopatTheUniversityofCentralPunjab,Lahoreon14April,2015designedforundergraduatestudentsfromselectuniversitiesacrossLahore.
from national and international recognition of standingacademics,aswellasfellowshipsfornurturingfuturepotential.
Dr. Imtinan Elahi Qureshi is theE x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r f o r t h eCommi s s ion on Sc i ence andT e c h no l o g y f o r S u s t a i n a b l eD e v e l o pm e n t i n t h e S o u t h(COMSATS),theparentbodyofCIIT,aswellasamemberoftheBoardofGovernorsofCIIT.
In Februaary Dr. Qureshi wasunanimously conferred the title ofÒScienceAmassadorEmeritusÓinthefieldofScienceDiplomacybythe22COMSATSmembercountries.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr.ImtinanElahi Qureshi said, Òthe genesis ofCOMSATSisbasedonthepremisethatScience andTechnologyplays a centralrole in socio-economic developmentagenda.Therefore,itfollowsthatpolicy-makers indevelopingcountrieshavetobe sensitised about the importance ofS&T capacity-building as a fulcrum ofdevelopmentstrategy.Ó
ACU Centenary Awards The Association of Commonwealth Universities offers 40earlycareeracademicgrantstoallowyoungacademicswithlimitedinternationalexposuretotraveltoconferencesandsymposiumsinotherCommonwealthcountries.
Thisyear,CIITfacultymembers,Dr.SaddamHussainHeadofManagement Sciences Department CIIT Attock and Mr.HassanQayyumDepartmentofChemicalEngineeringCIITLahoresecuredtwooftheseawards.ThisvoteofconfidenceintheCIITfacultyisamatterofgreatpridefortheinstitution.
Capacity Building through ACUTitular FellowshipTheAssociationofCommonwealthUniversities,abodyofwhichCIITisanactivemember,publicisesannualtitularfellowships.Thisyear,Mr.AmmarZiaudDinQazi,whoisDeputyRegistrarattheVirtualCampuswontheJackyMaclearAward.TheawardenableshimtotraveltoaUKhighereducationinstitutionwhereMr.Qaziwillhaveachancetoworkwithhiscounterpartsandlearnfromtheirchallenges,experiences,systemsandbestpractices.
OnWednesday10June,CIITAbbottabadandNorwegianUniversityofLifeSciences(NMBU)heldaworkshoponthetopic of Understanding Gender, Human Security andDevelopment inPost-Conflict Swat,Pakistan: ImplicationsforPolicyandPractice.
Theobjectiveofthisworkshopwastosharethefindingsofafiveyearcollaborativeresearchprojectbetweenthesetwoinstitutions.Thisprojectwasstartedin2010whenSwatwasstillsufferingfromconflict,asituationthatwasaggravatedbythefloodsof2010.Theprojectteamaimedtoexploreindepththeimplicationsofthisconflictandlackofsecurityandshape models for development and progress that now,shouldbetranslatedintopolicy.TheResearchCouncilofNorwayandHUJRA,alocalorganisation,providedsupportinmakingthisprojectpossible.
Theworkshop commencedwith an introduction of theprojectbytheleadresearchersDr.IngridNyborgfromtheDepartmentofInternationalEnvironmentandDevelopmentStudies,Noragric,atNMBUandDr.BahadarNawabHeadofDevelopmentStudiesDepartment,CIIT.
Thekeynoteaddresswasaptlymadeby localexpert,Dr.FazalMabood,whohelpedprovideasketchofthesituationoftheSwatregionprevalentboththenandnow.TheGuestofHonorwasMr.LarsNordrum,ChargeAffairandActingHeadof theRoyalNorwegianEmbassy in Islamabad.Theproject teamexpressedtheirgratitude to theNorwegianEmbassyfortheirsupportinmarkingthispossible.
Workshop on Developmentin Post-Conflict Swat, Pakistan
04
Launch of UN Corner Competitionand MoU Signing CIIThasworkedincollaborationwithUnitedNationsInformationCentrePakistan(UNIC),severaltimesinthepastyearonissuesofdevelopment goals and climatechange . However , on 23February2015, thispartnershipwascementedwiththelaunchofa significant design competitionfollowed by the signing of anMoU.
The design competition, whichwaslaunchedattheArchitectureDepartmentinfrontofavariedandinterdisciplinaryaudience,bringstogetherstudentsfromacrossthe campus to develop aworkingmodel for a ÒUNCornerÓ, aphysical set up providing access to global UN reports andpublications.ThewinningdesignwouldbeproducedbyUNICandinauguratedatCIIT.
Mr. Vittorio Cammorata, Director UNIC was present at thecompetition launch where he shared his vision behind the UNCornerandencouragedstudentstoparticipatewithenthusiasmandvigour.
Following the launch of the competition, a Memorandum ofUnderstandingwassignedbetweenUNICandCIIT,representedbyMr. Vittorio Cammoarata and Dr. Arshad S Malik, HeadInternationalOffice.WehopethisMoUwillmakeCIIToneoftheleadingacademicpartnersofUNICinPakistanthroughwhichwewishtochampionandintegratetheglobalhumanrightsvaluesthatUNpromotes,withinallourcampuses.
á TheprinciplesoftheUnitedNationsandthehistoryofitsfoundingasabodydesignedforglobaldevelopment
á TheroleoftheUNinPakistanandthenewOneUNProgramme
á Pakistan'ssignificantcontributionsinthehistoryoftheUN
á UN's70thanniversary
05
Pakistan through Photography Agroupof25studentsfromthedepartmentofArchitectureandDesign,CIITLahoreCampus,wereinvitedtotheopeningceremonyofaphotoexhibitionÒUnitedNationsforPakistanPeopleÓon16April,2015atLahoreCityHeritageMuseum,TollingtonMarket.
Theundergraduatestudentshadtheopportunitytonotjustwitnessthe power of digital story telling but also to interact withprofessionals who are using art to integrate responsible, socio-economicstatementsintostructuraldesignanddŽcor.
Dr.HabibBukhari,Professorat the Department ofBiosciences, Is lamabadcampus won the Horizon2020grantforhisproposalinthefieldofbio-informatics.
The Horizon2020 is acollaborativeEuropeangrantandtheprojectisdevelopedwith the help of manypartnersincludingUniversityofCamerinoandUniversityofMilano-Bicocca,ItalyandCambridgeUniversity,UK.
This research will significantly contribute to CIIT inlaboratorial procedure and capacity building with thediscoveries possibly helping in themanufacture of a newgenerationofordinaryfacilities,ascleaningagents,biofuelsandgreentechnology.
CIIT Wins Horizon 2020Research Grant Edinburgh Summer School
Bursary TheUniversityofEdinburgh,UKisamongstthemostprestigiousuniversitiesofthecountryandeveryyearoffersanacademicallyand culturally rich summer school program. Summer schools,popularinEurope,bringtogetheradiversestudentbodyfromacross the world for a memorable month long learningexperience.
The bursary allows Samavia to travel to the beautiful city ofEdinburgh inAugustand takepart inamonth longeconomicscoursewithboardingandlodgingattheuniversity.
TheUnitedNationshasasignificantpresenceinPakistanand CIIT has developed strong relationship with theUnitedNationsInformationCentre,Pakistan,whichwascementedinthespringsemester.
Creating Global Citizens
Communication Workshopfor Students UNIC conducted a provincial CommunicationWorkshopatTheUniversityofCentralPunjab,Lahoreon14April,2015designedforundergraduatestudentsfromselectuniversitiesacrossLahore.
from national and international recognition of standingacademics,aswellasfellowshipsfornurturingfuturepotential.
Dr. Imtinan Elahi Qureshi is theE x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r f o r t h eCommi s s ion on Sc i ence andT e c h no l o g y f o r S u s t a i n a b l eD e v e l o pm e n t i n t h e S o u t h(COMSATS),theparentbodyofCIIT,aswellasamemberoftheBoardofGovernorsofCIIT.
In Februaary Dr. Qureshi wasunanimously conferred the title ofÒScienceAmassadorEmeritusÓinthefieldofScienceDiplomacybythe22COMSATSmembercountries.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr.ImtinanElahi Qureshi said, Òthe genesis ofCOMSATSisbasedonthepremisethatScience andTechnologyplays a centralrole in socio-economic developmentagenda.Therefore,itfollowsthatpolicy-makers indevelopingcountrieshavetobe sensitised about the importance ofS&T capacity-building as a fulcrum ofdevelopmentstrategy.Ó
ACU Centenary Awards The Association of Commonwealth Universities offers 40earlycareeracademicgrantstoallowyoungacademicswithlimitedinternationalexposuretotraveltoconferencesandsymposiumsinotherCommonwealthcountries.
Thisyear,CIITfacultymembers,Dr.SaddamHussainHeadofManagement Sciences Department CIIT Attock and Mr.HassanQayyumDepartmentofChemicalEngineeringCIITLahoresecuredtwooftheseawards.ThisvoteofconfidenceintheCIITfacultyisamatterofgreatpridefortheinstitution.
Capacity Building through ACUTitular FellowshipTheAssociationofCommonwealthUniversities,abodyofwhichCIITisanactivemember,publicisesannualtitularfellowships.Thisyear,Mr.AmmarZiaudDinQazi,whoisDeputyRegistrarattheVirtualCampuswontheJackyMaclearAward.TheawardenableshimtotraveltoaUKhighereducationinstitutionwhereMr.Qaziwillhaveachancetoworkwithhiscounterpartsandlearnfromtheirchallenges,experiences,systemsandbestpractices.
06 07
Director General CERN Visits CIIT
ProfessorDr.Rolf-DieterHeuer,DirectorGeneral,CERNalongwith Dr Rudiger Voss visited CIIT on 20th December, 2014.DuringhisvisittoCIIThewasshownthefacilitiesattheNanotechnologylaboratory,RadiationLab,RFlabandtheALICEgridinthe department of Computer Science to assure the DirectorGeneralofthestandardofCIIT'sparticipatoryequipmentandthecommitmentoftheresearchersandtechnicians.
Following the visit, in ameeting with the CIIT leadership, theDirector General highly appreciated the professionalism andquality of the work being carried out by CIIT researchers, atestamenttoPakistaniingenuityandability. HealsoextendedallCERN's support and expertise to CIIT, promising to providevaluable servers and hardware equipment to further build ourcapacitylocally.
The delegation met Dr.Heuer and Dr. Fabiola Gianotti whosucceedsthecurrentDirectorGeneralin2016.
Themainobjectiveofthevisitwastoformalizethehandingoverofthe High Performance Computing equipment which has beendonatedbyCERNtoCIIT.
CIIT is an Associate member of CERN and receives valuablesupportfromthereputedorganization,bothprofessionalandinterms of funding forHumanResourceDevelopment.CIIT hasstartedbuilding teams forundergoing trainings, internshipsandworkpositionsandparticipationinconferencesespeciallyACAT.
OnbehalfofCIIT,Dr.JunaidZaidialsorequestedCERNthatitslaboratoriesbemadeaccessibletotheundergraduatestudentsofcomputer science, physics and engineering. This step willundoubtedly serve as a nursery for the budding scientists oftomorrow.Inaddition.Dr.JunaidZaididiscussedthepossibilitiesof organizing a summer school at CIIT where it can hostparticipantsfromEuropeancountries.
Mevlana Exchange UndertheMevlanaExchangeprogramoftheTurkishgovernment,CIIT and partner Turkish universities can exchange faculty andstudentsforsupplementlearningandteachingexperiences.
In addition six students from Computer Engineering andMathematicswillalsobespendingFallSemester2015intheabovementioned Turkish institutions. All students are from CIITIslamabadCampus.
Dr.MuhammadJunaidMughal,Professor,EE(Islamabad)
Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Zahid, Assistant Professor,ManagementSciences(Wah)tovisitDuzceUniversity.
Visit of Yasar UniversityDelegation On10June2015a3memberdelegationfromYasarUniversity,Izmir, Turkey, comprising of Ms. Patricia Turkmenoglu,DirectorInternationalOfficeandMr.EfeCarlik,InternationalEducationOfficer,visitedCIIT.
ThedelegatesweredesirousofpursuingcollaborationswithCIIT and through extensive discussions and meetings withvarious concerned individuals they agreed on potentialcollaborations that would help bring the two institutionstowardsanMoU.
Yasar University is a private/foundation university, in Izmir,TurkeyandthroughcollaborationswiththemCIIThopestoenhanceitsresearchinfoodsecurityandveterinarysciences.CIITisalreadytakingonthemandateofeconomicupliftandpromotionofentrepreneurshipthroughestablishingCubators,a tangiblecooperationbetweenYASARUniversityandCIITcouldprovetobehighlyrewardinginthefuture.
CIIT is fortunatetobeanon-goingpartner inCERNresearchprojects, the only one from Pakistan. Our leadership andresearchersremaincommittedtonurturingthispartnershipasit
which are translating into the academic arena, in particularthroughtheannualViceChancellorsForumthatCIIThosts.
Leading Turkish UniversitiesVisit CIITIn mid February 2015 a ten-member delegation of facultymembers representing leading Turkish instructions visitedCIIT.Theseuniversitiesincluded:GedizUniversity,Izmir;IpekUniversityAnkara;ZirveUniversity,Gaziantep; InternationalAntalyaUniversity,Antalya;MeliksahUniversity,Kayseri;IpekUniversity,AnkaraandMevlana(Rumi)University,Konya.
Thedelegates,comprisingofeducationists,internationalofficeofficialsandfacultymembers,tookkeeninterestinCIITanditsengagement with Turkey and expressed their desire tocollaboratewith leadinguniversities fromaroundtheworld,including Pakistan. They felt that Turkish universities, withEnglishasateachinglanguage,areaptlyplacedtobeaglobalmeltingpotforacademicideas.
ProfessorDr.Rolf-DieterHeuer,DirectorGeneral,CERNalongwith Dr Rudiger Voss visited CIIT on 20th December, 2014.DuringhisvisittoCIIThewasshownthefacilitiesattheNanotechnologylaboratory,RadiationLab,RFlabandtheALICEgridinthe department of Computer Science to assure the DirectorGeneralofthestandardofCIIT'sparticipatoryequipmentandthecommitmentoftheresearchersandtechnicians.
Following the visit, in ameeting with the CIIT leadership, theDirector General highly appreciated the professionalism andquality of the work being carried out by CIIT researchers, atestamenttoPakistaniingenuityandability. HealsoextendedallCERN's support and expertise to CIIT, promising to providevaluable servers and hardware equipment to further build ourcapacitylocally.
The delegation met Dr.Heuer and Dr. Fabiola Gianotti whosucceedsthecurrentDirectorGeneralin2016.
Themainobjectiveofthevisitwastoformalizethehandingoverofthe High Performance Computing equipment which has beendonatedbyCERNtoCIIT.
CIIT is an Associate member of CERN and receives valuablesupportfromthereputedorganization,bothprofessionalandinterms of funding forHumanResourceDevelopment.CIIT hasstartedbuilding teams forundergoing trainings, internshipsandworkpositionsandparticipationinconferencesespeciallyACAT.
OnbehalfofCIIT,Dr.JunaidZaidialsorequestedCERNthatitslaboratoriesbemadeaccessibletotheundergraduatestudentsofcomputer science, physics and engineering. This step willundoubtedly serve as a nursery for the budding scientists oftomorrow.Inaddition.Dr.JunaidZaididiscussedthepossibilitiesof organizing a summer school at CIIT where it can hostparticipantsfromEuropeancountries.
Mevlana Exchange UndertheMevlanaExchangeprogramoftheTurkishgovernment,CIIT and partner Turkish universities can exchange faculty andstudentsforsupplementlearningandteachingexperiences.
In addition six students from Computer Engineering andMathematicswillalsobespendingFallSemester2015intheabovementioned Turkish institutions. All students are from CIITIslamabadCampus.
Dr.MuhammadJunaidMughal,Professor,EE(Islamabad)
Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Zahid, Assistant Professor,ManagementSciences(Wah)tovisitDuzceUniversity.
Visit of Yasar UniversityDelegation On10June2015a3memberdelegationfromYasarUniversity,Izmir, Turkey, comprising of Ms. Patricia Turkmenoglu,DirectorInternationalOfficeandMr.EfeCarlik,InternationalEducationOfficer,visitedCIIT.
ThedelegatesweredesirousofpursuingcollaborationswithCIIT and through extensive discussions and meetings withvarious concerned individuals they agreed on potentialcollaborations that would help bring the two institutionstowardsanMoU.
Yasar University is a private/foundation university, in Izmir,TurkeyandthroughcollaborationswiththemCIIThopestoenhanceitsresearchinfoodsecurityandveterinarysciences.CIITisalreadytakingonthemandateofeconomicupliftandpromotionofentrepreneurshipthroughestablishingCubators,a tangiblecooperationbetweenYASARUniversityandCIITcouldprovetobehighlyrewardinginthefuture.
CIIT is fortunatetobeanon-goingpartner inCERNresearchprojects, the only one from Pakistan. Our leadership andresearchersremaincommittedtonurturingthispartnershipasit
which are translating into the academic arena, in particularthroughtheannualViceChancellorsForumthatCIIThosts.
Leading Turkish UniversitiesVisit CIITIn mid February 2015 a ten-member delegation of facultymembers representing leading Turkish instructions visitedCIIT.Theseuniversitiesincluded:GedizUniversity,Izmir;IpekUniversityAnkara;ZirveUniversity,Gaziantep; InternationalAntalyaUniversity,Antalya;MeliksahUniversity,Kayseri;IpekUniversity,AnkaraandMevlana(Rumi)University,Konya.
Thedelegates,comprisingofeducationists,internationalofficeofficialsandfacultymembers,tookkeeninterestinCIITanditsengagement with Turkey and expressed their desire tocollaboratewith leadinguniversities fromaroundtheworld,including Pakistan. They felt that Turkish universities, withEnglishasateachinglanguage,areaptlyplacedtobeaglobalmeltingpotforacademicideas.
Scholarship OpportunitiesCIIT offers a variety of scholarship opportunities tointernational students from different countries. Detailsavailableonww3.comsats.edu.pk/International tudentss
Mr.MamnoonHussain,PresidentofPakistanandPatronofCIITinavisittoAzerbaijaninMarh2015,announcedalargenumberofscholarshipstenableatCIITforgraduatestudyinPakistanbyAzerbaijanistudents.Thisisanimportantstepinseeing greater participation by Azerbaijani educationalinstitutionsintheregionofSouthAsia.
RectorCIIT,Dr.S.M.JunaidZaidi,extendedtenMasterlevelscholarshipstotheGovernmentofKenyaasagestureofpromoting Pakistan-Kenyan academic relationships. HisExcellency,Prof JuliusKibetBitokHighCommissionerofKenyatoPakistan,hastakenapersonalinteresttoensurethe fruition of this gesture and we hope to welcome aconsiderablenumberofKenyanstudentstoCIITinFall2015Semester.
Pro-RectorCIIT,Dr.HaroonRashid,atthe18thCOMSATSCoordinatingCouncilMeetingheldfrom12Ð13May2015in Colombo, Sri Lanka, announced five post doctoralfellowshipstoalleligibleyoungresearcherscomingfromthe22COMSATSmembercountries.
Get to Know our Commonwealth ScholarThisyearCIITwelcomedanACUScholarintoitsfold, who is a MasterÕs student from aCommonwealthcountrybeingsupportedbytheAssociationofCommonwealthUniversities.
His name is Mahmood Hassan Dalhat. HisProgramofStudyisMSBiosciences(BiochemistryandMolecularBiology).HispreviousdegreewasBsc. Biochemistry at Usmanu DanfodiyoUniversity Sokoto, Nigeria. His professionalinterest is in Human Genetics research withBioinformaticsapplications.
CIIT bid its farewell to its first graduatinginternationalstudentswithanIftardinnerduringthe month of Ramadan in July 2015. Allinternational students were invited to thefestivities which took place off-campus in acongenialenvironmentladenwithfondmemories
Scholarship OpportunitiesCIIT offers a variety of scholarship opportunities tointernational students from different countries. Detailsavailableonww3.comsats.edu.pk/International tudentss
Mr.MamnoonHussain,PresidentofPakistanandPatronofCIITinavisittoAzerbaijaninMarh2015,announcedalargenumberofscholarshipstenableatCIITforgraduatestudyinPakistanbyAzerbaijanistudents.Thisisanimportantstepinseeing greater participation by Azerbaijani educationalinstitutionsintheregionofSouthAsia.
RectorCIIT,Dr.S.M.JunaidZaidi,extendedtenMasterlevelscholarshipstotheGovernmentofKenyaasagestureofpromoting Pakistan-Kenyan academic relationships. HisExcellency,Prof JuliusKibetBitokHighCommissionerofKenyatoPakistan,hastakenapersonalinteresttoensurethe fruition of this gesture and we hope to welcome aconsiderablenumberofKenyanstudentstoCIITinFall2015Semester.
Pro-RectorCIIT,Dr.HaroonRashid,atthe18thCOMSATSCoordinatingCouncilMeetingheldfrom12Ð13May2015in Colombo, Sri Lanka, announced five post doctoralfellowshipstoalleligibleyoungresearcherscomingfromthe22COMSATSmembercountries.
Get to Know our Commonwealth ScholarThisyearCIITwelcomedanACUScholarintoitsfold, who is a MasterÕs student from aCommonwealthcountrybeingsupportedbytheAssociationofCommonwealthUniversities.
His name is Mahmood Hassan Dalhat. HisProgramofStudyisMSBiosciences(BiochemistryandMolecularBiology).HispreviousdegreewasBsc. Biochemistry at Usmanu DanfodiyoUniversity Sokoto, Nigeria. His professionalinterest is in Human Genetics research withBioinformaticsapplications.
CIIT bid its farewell to its first graduatinginternationalstudentswithanIftardinnerduringthe month of Ramadan in July 2015. Allinternational students were invited to thefestivities which took place off-campus in acongenialenvironmentladenwithfondmemories
HisExcellencyAndreiErmolovich,theAmbassadoroftheRepublicofBelarusvisitedCIITIslamabadonMarch17,2015.Amongtheattendeeswere two international faculty members, Professor Dr. MaisSuleymanov and Dr. Khusiniddin Olimov, from Azerbaijan andUzbekistanrespectively.Alongwiththeselectedseniorofficials,fouryoungstudentsfromtheEngineeringandPhysicsDepartmentswerealsopresentinthemeeting.Asystem-widepresentationwasgivenbythe Head IO, which was followed by discussion in a relaxedenvironment.TheAmbassadorwhilegivingdetailedinformationabouttheBelarusianuniversitiesinformedthatexcellentopportunitiesexistforcollaborationinthefieldsofInformationTechnology,AutomotiveEngineering,HighEnergyPhysics,Biology,etc.HeextendedhisfullsupportinfacilitatingcooperationbetweenCIITandtheBelarusStateUniversityandBelarusNationalTechnicalUniversity.
UK Alumni Dinner
His Excellency, Philip Barton, HighCommissionerofU.K,accompaniedbyMr.Jim Booth, Director Programmes, BritishCouncilvisitedCIITonMonday,the10thAugust,2015foradinnerhostedbyPro-Rector,Dr.HaroonRashid.TheAlumniofthe British Universities in CIIT includingsenior officials were also present at theauspicious occasion. Earlier, a workshopwas held with young CIIT faculty whograduatedfromtheUniversitiesofU.K.Themain purpose of the worship was tonetworkwiththefellowcolleaguesandtoexplore opportunities with British andother Universities for academic andprofessionalcollaboration.
Our Comings and Goings OverthecourseoftheacademicyearCIITreceivedmanyinternationalvisitorsandofcourse,ourfacultyandstudentstravelacrosstheglobeaswell.We'vehighlightedafewofourhighlyimpactfulmobilitiesbelow!
Visit of H.E. Andrei Ermolovich,Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus
Seminar by Chief Executive Officer of Fusion Genomics Group, Canada FusionGenomicsGroup is based in Vancouver,Canada andworkstowardsresearchandleadershipinthefieldofmoleculardiagnostics.TheCEO,Dr.MohammadAQadirisarenownedzoologist turned entrepreneur who gave a lecture at CIITIslamabadon16February2015ondetectionofearlychildhoodcancer.
The lecture was very well attended by students and facultymembersfromtheDepartmentsofBiosciences,ManagementSciencesandComputerScience.Thetalkcombinedscientific
know-how with entrepreneurial education and life skills,impressinguponstudents theneedto think inan innovative,interconnected manner across disciplines. Dr.Qadir alsostressedupontheaudiencetheneedtopromoteandnurtureacademia-industryrelationships.
Visit of Otto-von-Guericke University DelegatesA delegation from Otto-von-GuerickeUniversityMagdeburg, Germany, visitedCIIT Islamabad in April 2015. Thedelegation comprised of ProfessorAndreas Nuernberger, Dean ComputerScience, Mr. JubranRajub, Delegate forforeign students recruitment and Mr.AzeemLodhi, Scientific Staff, Faculty ofComputerScience.
TheSchoolofComputerSciencesattheuniversity has a large number ofinternationalstudentsoutofwhom10%a re Pak i s t an i . Hence P ro f e s sorNuernbergerhadbeenhighlymotivatedto meet with top Pakistani academicinstitutions for forming multi-facetedcollaborations,beingalreadyawareoftheindividualqualityofPakistanistudents.
ThedelegationmetwiththeCIITDeanofInformation Science and Technology,
Dr.Saj jadMohsin, as wel l as HeadInternationalOffice,Dr.ArshadMalik,anda variety of other faculty members andadministrators,totrulygraspthecultureand goals ofCIIT. They expressed theirconfidence in the CIIT infrastructure,laboratoriesandotherfacilities,aswellasthehumanresourceandweareconfidentthatthiswillbethestartofinteractionofCIITwithyetanotherprestigiousGermanuniversity.
A three member delegation from Macquarie University, led by Mr. MattMonkhouseRegionalDirectorAsia,visitedCIITonApril15,2015.HeretheymetwithvariousstaffandfacultymembersaswellasMacquariegraduateswhoarecurrentlyworkingwithCIIT.
Duringtheirvisit,MacquarieUniversityandCIITagreedupondevelopingacollaborative doctoral program split between the two countries ensuringquality PhD education at a low cost and with local human resourcedevelopment. The Macquarie team also announced a competition for thestudents on the theme of ÒStudent Perception about Employability.ÓParticipatingstudentsweretowriteanessayonthegiventopicwiththeprizeconfermenttobemadebyMacquarieUniversity.
While earlier forays have been made to pursue Pakistan-Australianrelationships in the field of higher education, thiswill be amongst the fewconcretepartnershipswithatopclassAustralianuniversity.
Macquarie University, Australia Visits CIIT
University Technology Petronas,Malaysia at CIIT A two-member delegation from the Department of Electrical Engineering,University Technology PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia comprising Dr.AamirSaeedMalik,Director,MissionOrientedResearch(BiomedicalTechnology)andDr.IbrahimFaye,AssociateProfessorvisitedCIITonFebruary18,2015.
Malaysiaisanemergingvenueofexcellenceinthefieldofhighereducation,inparticularAsia,andthereareover100CIITfacultymemberscurrentlygainingtheir doctoral and post doctoral training at various Malaysian universitiesincludingUTP.
ThevisitorspresentedtheongoingresearchonbrainandcanceratUTPforwhichtheywereinterestedinfindingmoreinterdisciplinarypartners.InviewoftheincreasingBio-InformaticsandBio-SciencesexpertiseavailableacrosstheCIIT system, amutualwillingness for project sharing for funding and jointsupervisionbetweenthetwoinstitutionswasagreedupon.
CIIT Engages USFulbright Specialist CIITestablishedaVirtualCampusin2012 to provide remote access tohigher education. Thiswas deemednecessary to provide nontraditionalopportunities to the marginalizedyoungcommunitieswhichmaynotbeable to attend routine universitycoursesduetoanumberofreasons.
TheVirtualCampushasanemergingLeadership Management systems aswellasablendofonlineanddistance
learning platforms. However, senioracademicsfelttheneedtodevelopfurtherresources and capacity for which theysought training from internationallyacclaimed and established experts in thisfield. In this connection, under the USFulbright Specialist program, Dr. JohnTashner of Appalachian State University,NorthCarolina,USA,wasengagedbyCIITVirtualCampus.
Theprojectspannedoverafewmonths,themajority of which was done online. Dr.Tashner engaged with Virtual CampusfacultymembersoverSkypetounderstandthe local context and challenges andconducted a thorough needs assessmentwhile familiarising Virtual Campus facultywiththevariousonlineplatformsusedbyAppalachianStateUniversity.
InearlyJanuary2015,Dr.JohnTashnerthenvisited Islamabad for a period of threeweekswherehehadindepthinteractionswiththevariousstakeholdersandclientsoftheVirtualCampus.Togethertheprojectteamidentifiedandexploredissuesrelatingtostudentengagement,quality,assessment,aswellasteachingmethodology.
TheVirtualCampusofcoursetreatedDr.Tashner to a complete cultural programwithout which no visit to Pakistan iscomplete!TheFulbrightSpecialistenjoyedtherich,localculinaryexperienceaswellasvisitstolocalculturalandheritagesites.
Following Dr. Tashner's departure, talkshavecontinuedbetweenAppalachianStateUniversityandtheCIITVirtualCampustotake full benefit of on-line learning bydevelopingcollaborativelearningprogramsbetweenthetwoverydistantinstitutions.
10 11
HisExcellencyAndreiErmolovich,theAmbassadoroftheRepublicofBelarusvisitedCIITIslamabadonMarch17,2015.Amongtheattendeeswere two international faculty members, Professor Dr. MaisSuleymanov and Dr. Khusiniddin Olimov, from Azerbaijan andUzbekistanrespectively.Alongwiththeselectedseniorofficials,fouryoungstudentsfromtheEngineeringandPhysicsDepartmentswerealsopresentinthemeeting.Asystem-widepresentationwasgivenbythe Head IO, which was followed by discussion in a relaxedenvironment.TheAmbassadorwhilegivingdetailedinformationabouttheBelarusianuniversitiesinformedthatexcellentopportunitiesexistforcollaborationinthefieldsofInformationTechnology,AutomotiveEngineering,HighEnergyPhysics,Biology,etc.HeextendedhisfullsupportinfacilitatingcooperationbetweenCIITandtheBelarusStateUniversityandBelarusNationalTechnicalUniversity.
UK Alumni Dinner
His Excellency, Philip Barton, HighCommissionerofU.K,accompaniedbyMr.Jim Booth, Director Programmes, BritishCouncilvisitedCIITonMonday,the10thAugust,2015foradinnerhostedbyPro-Rector,Dr.HaroonRashid.TheAlumniofthe British Universities in CIIT includingsenior officials were also present at theauspicious occasion. Earlier, a workshopwas held with young CIIT faculty whograduatedfromtheUniversitiesofU.K.Themain purpose of the worship was tonetworkwiththefellowcolleaguesandtoexplore opportunities with British andother Universities for academic andprofessionalcollaboration.
Our Comings and Goings OverthecourseoftheacademicyearCIITreceivedmanyinternationalvisitorsandofcourse,ourfacultyandstudentstravelacrosstheglobeaswell.We'vehighlightedafewofourhighlyimpactfulmobilitiesbelow!
Visit of H.E. Andrei Ermolovich,Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus
Seminar by Chief Executive Officer of Fusion Genomics Group, Canada FusionGenomicsGroup is based in Vancouver,Canada andworkstowardsresearchandleadershipinthefieldofmoleculardiagnostics.TheCEO,Dr.MohammadAQadirisarenownedzoologist turned entrepreneur who gave a lecture at CIITIslamabadon16February2015ondetectionofearlychildhoodcancer.
The lecture was very well attended by students and facultymembersfromtheDepartmentsofBiosciences,ManagementSciencesandComputerScience.Thetalkcombinedscientific
know-how with entrepreneurial education and life skills,impressinguponstudents theneedto think inan innovative,interconnected manner across disciplines. Dr.Qadir alsostressedupontheaudiencetheneedtopromoteandnurtureacademia-industryrelationships.
Visit of Otto-von-Guericke University DelegatesA delegation from Otto-von-GuerickeUniversityMagdeburg, Germany, visitedCIIT Islamabad in April 2015. Thedelegation comprised of ProfessorAndreas Nuernberger, Dean ComputerScience, Mr. JubranRajub, Delegate forforeign students recruitment and Mr.AzeemLodhi, Scientific Staff, Faculty ofComputerScience.
TheSchoolofComputerSciencesattheuniversity has a large number ofinternationalstudentsoutofwhom10%a re Pak i s t an i . Hence P ro f e s sorNuernbergerhadbeenhighlymotivatedto meet with top Pakistani academicinstitutions for forming multi-facetedcollaborations,beingalreadyawareoftheindividualqualityofPakistanistudents.
ThedelegationmetwiththeCIITDeanofInformation Science and Technology,
Dr.Saj jadMohsin, as wel l as HeadInternationalOffice,Dr.ArshadMalik,anda variety of other faculty members andadministrators,totrulygraspthecultureand goals ofCIIT. They expressed theirconfidence in the CIIT infrastructure,laboratoriesandotherfacilities,aswellasthehumanresourceandweareconfidentthatthiswillbethestartofinteractionofCIITwithyetanotherprestigiousGermanuniversity.
A three member delegation from Macquarie University, led by Mr. MattMonkhouseRegionalDirectorAsia,visitedCIITonApril15,2015.HeretheymetwithvariousstaffandfacultymembersaswellasMacquariegraduateswhoarecurrentlyworkingwithCIIT.
Duringtheirvisit,MacquarieUniversityandCIITagreedupondevelopingacollaborative doctoral program split between the two countries ensuringquality PhD education at a low cost and with local human resourcedevelopment. The Macquarie team also announced a competition for thestudents on the theme of ÒStudent Perception about Employability.ÓParticipatingstudentsweretowriteanessayonthegiventopicwiththeprizeconfermenttobemadebyMacquarieUniversity.
While earlier forays have been made to pursue Pakistan-Australianrelationships in the field of higher education, thiswill be amongst the fewconcretepartnershipswithatopclassAustralianuniversity.
Macquarie University, Australia Visits CIIT
University Technology Petronas,Malaysia at CIIT A two-member delegation from the Department of Electrical Engineering,University Technology PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia comprising Dr.AamirSaeedMalik,Director,MissionOrientedResearch(BiomedicalTechnology)andDr.IbrahimFaye,AssociateProfessorvisitedCIITonFebruary18,2015.
Malaysiaisanemergingvenueofexcellenceinthefieldofhighereducation,inparticularAsia,andthereareover100CIITfacultymemberscurrentlygainingtheir doctoral and post doctoral training at various Malaysian universitiesincludingUTP.
ThevisitorspresentedtheongoingresearchonbrainandcanceratUTPforwhichtheywereinterestedinfindingmoreinterdisciplinarypartners.InviewoftheincreasingBio-InformaticsandBio-SciencesexpertiseavailableacrosstheCIIT system, amutualwillingness for project sharing for funding and jointsupervisionbetweenthetwoinstitutionswasagreedupon.
CIIT Engages USFulbright Specialist CIITestablishedaVirtualCampusin2012 to provide remote access tohigher education. Thiswas deemednecessary to provide nontraditionalopportunities to the marginalizedyoungcommunitieswhichmaynotbeable to attend routine universitycoursesduetoanumberofreasons.
TheVirtualCampushasanemergingLeadership Management systems aswellasablendofonlineanddistance
learning platforms. However, senioracademicsfelttheneedtodevelopfurtherresources and capacity for which theysought training from internationallyacclaimed and established experts in thisfield. In this connection, under the USFulbright Specialist program, Dr. JohnTashner of Appalachian State University,NorthCarolina,USA,wasengagedbyCIITVirtualCampus.
Theprojectspannedoverafewmonths,themajority of which was done online. Dr.Tashner engaged with Virtual CampusfacultymembersoverSkypetounderstandthe local context and challenges andconducted a thorough needs assessmentwhile familiarising Virtual Campus facultywiththevariousonlineplatformsusedbyAppalachianStateUniversity.
InearlyJanuary2015,Dr.JohnTashnerthenvisited Islamabad for a period of threeweekswherehehadindepthinteractionswiththevariousstakeholdersandclientsoftheVirtualCampus.Togethertheprojectteamidentifiedandexploredissuesrelatingtostudentengagement,quality,assessment,aswellasteachingmethodology.
TheVirtualCampusofcoursetreatedDr.Tashner to a complete cultural programwithout which no visit to Pakistan iscomplete!TheFulbrightSpecialistenjoyedtherich,localculinaryexperienceaswellasvisitstolocalculturalandheritagesites.
Following Dr. Tashner's departure, talkshavecontinuedbetweenAppalachianStateUniversityandtheCIITVirtualCampustotake full benefit of on-line learning bydevelopingcollaborativelearningprogramsbetweenthetwoverydistantinstitutions.
CIIT Students Experience Morocco Morocco is a historic country famedfor the richness of its architecture,traditional bazaars andof course thecultural interpretation of art whichrunsthroughthecustomarymedia,aswell as the unconventional such ascuisine,sciencesandeducation.
AdelegationofCIITstudentshadtheopportunity to experience this firsthand when they partook in aneducationaltriptoMoroccofromApril24 Ð May 5, 2015. The 20 students,bothmaleandfemale,werefromthedepartment of Architecture at CIITLahore and Islamabad, and wereaccompaniedbyfivefacultymembers.
The visit included tours to theInternationalUniversityRabatandAl-AkhwaynUniversity,Ifranewheretheyfamiliarised themselves with thecurriculum and teaching and learningmethodologyofbothuniversities.
TheCIITvisitorsinadditionpresented
a Pakistan Cultural Show at bothuniversities to introduce our richnational heritage to their Moroccancounterparts.
Aside fromRabat thedelegationalsohadanopportunitytovisittheCityofFez and Casablanca where theyexperienced the cities aswell as thevariousmuseumsandartgalleries.
The students returned to Pakistanexcitedandinspired.Intheupcomingacademic semester they will also bemaking general presentations abouttheirexperiencestotheirpeers,whilstmaintaining artistic exchange at inindividual level with their peers inMorocco.
University Presidents Forum 2015 TheUniversityTechnologyMalaysia(UTM)isapremierresearchuniversityinEngineeringandTechnologyandholdsanannualUniversityPresidentsForuminconjunctionwiththeuniversity'sconvocation.
The purpose of the Presidents Forum is to identify common issues andopportunitiesforresearchuniversitiesthatwouldfurtherstrengthentherolesandrelevanceofhighereducationinthemodernworld.
Strengthening FinancialGovernanceCIIT leadership is committed to improving andstrengthening best practices in higher educationmanagement as they are an essential, if invisible,supportingpillarofaninstitution.
Inthiscontext,asstaffdevelopment,Mr.AzharulHassan, Assistant Treasurer, attended a trainingcourseonPublicFinancialManagement from26-29 January 2015 in Doha Qatar. Participantsincluded professionals from diverse nationalitiessuch as Sri Lanka, Qatar, Maldives, Morocco,Somalia,Singapore,Tunisiaetc.
Ensuring Food SecurityThrough Bio-Technology From8Ð9June2015,aninternationalconferenceon ÒAgriculture, Food Security and Bio-TechnologyÓwasheldinCairo,Egypt.Thisessentialconference, highly relevant to the future of themodernworld,amongstwhoseorganiserswastheCOMSATS Headquarters and hosted by theEgyptianCOMSATSCentreofExcellence.
Dr. Tayyaba Yasmin, from Department of Bio-Sciences,representedCIITattheconference.Dr.Yasmin presented her research work to theinternationalaudience,followingwhichshereceiveda significant amountof interest and anMoUwassignedwithCIITforaninternational,jointresearchproject on ÒBio-technological Approaches toImproveWheatLinesProductivity.Ó
This project will not just strengthen the CIITportfolioforresearchonsustainabledevelopment,but also develop linkages between CIIT and theNational Research Centre, Egypt which plays apivotalroleinnationalandregionalresearch.
