IEEE Pakistan Student, GOLD & WIE Congress 2013 (PSGWC'13)

IEEE Pakistan Student, GOLD & WIE Congress 2013 (PSGWC'13)

by Prof Dr. BS Chowdhry

Mehran University of Engineering& Technology (MUET), Pakistan in collaboration with IEEE Karachi Section and IEEE Communications Society - Karachi Chapter organised a three day mega event IEEE Pakistan Student, GOLD & WIE Congress (IEEE PSGWC'13) at its campus in Jamshoro betweenOctober 23-25, 2013.The theme of the congress was "Engineering: A sustainable future for Pakistan".

In his welcome address, Chief Organiser for IEEE PSGWC'13, Prof Dr BS Chowdhry  said that IEEE is the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology. He continued that the IEEE community is mandated to serve professionals involved in all aspects of the electrical, electronic and computing fields and related areas of science and technology that underlie modern civilisation.  He was pleased to mention that the congress attracted more than 400 participants from all over Pakistan. These participants included students, graduate engineers and experienced professionals from the industry. Prof. Chowdhry also announced that soon a petition will be filed to form a new subsection (IEEE Jamshoro subsection) under IEEE Karachi Section. This, he said, will bring many advantages to the students of universities in the vicinity of Jamshoro.

Prof. Dr. BS Chowdhry delivering his welcome address at the inauguration of the congress.

Engr. Parkash Lohana, Vice Chair of IEEE Karachi Section, highlighted the learning opportunities provided by IEEE within engineering sciences, research, and technology. The goal of the IEEE education programs, he said, is to ensure the growth of skill and knowledge in the engineering-related technical professions and to foster individual commitment for continuing education among IEEE members, the engineering and scientific communities, and the general public.

Prof Dr MA Uqaili, the Chief Guest of the inauguration ceremony,who is also the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of MUET, eulogised the role of IEEE as one of the leading standards-making organisations in the world. He said that through the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), IEEE performs standards making and maintaining functions. These standards affect a wide range of industries including: power and energy, biomedical and healthcare, Information Technology (IT), telecommunications, transportation, nanotechnology, information assurance, and many more. He also said that just in 2013, IEEE has over 900 active standards, with over 500 standards under development. He said the MUET authority  will extend all the cooperation needed for organizing IEEE activities.

The Chief Guest at the inauguration ceremony, Prof. Dr. Aslam Uqaili, addressing the participants.

As the event got started, it included 11 seminars, 4 technical lectures, 9 competitions, a panel discussion and 2 keynote talks from highly distinguished speakers.The seminars topics were IEEE SIGHT, IEEE TISP, IEEE EPICS, IEEE Academic,IEEE RDPP, Technical Report Writing, Career Planning, Leadership and Blogging amongst others.The technical lectures covered topics from the fields of telecommunications, electronics and electrical engineering. Meanwhile, the competitions included Project Competition, Matlab Programming Competition, Networking Competition, Innovative Ideas Competition, Poster Competition, Programming (general) Competition, Gaming and Videography Competitions amongst others. The panel discussion was tabled by Mr. John White  of USAID Power Distribution Program, Engr. Tufail A. Shaikh, Dr Faisal Karim Shaikh, Engr. Parkash Lohana, and Prof Dr MR Abro and they discussed the what the country requires from its engineers so that it can progress. They also took questions from the audience.

Prof. Dr. Tariq Durrani addressing the participants through Skype from Glasgow, UK.

The keynote speech on Day 1 was delivered by Prof. Dr. Tariq Durrani, who is an eminent research professor affiliated with the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. Prof. Durrani was also the IEEE President Elect candidate for 2013. In his speech, Prof. Durrani highlighted the importance of volunteering and participating in extra-curricular activities, especially for engineers. He said that "engineering" can really be the key to development forPakistan and discussed the role Pakistani engineers will have to play in this regard.

Dr. Stefano Bregni addressing the participants through Skype from Milan, Italy.

The keynote speech on Day 2 was delivered by Dr. Stefano Bregni, who an associate professor at Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. Apart from holding various other portfolios within the IEEE, Dr. Bregni is currently the IEEE Communications Society Vice President for Member Relations. In his speech, Dr.Bregni talked about the role played by IEEE Communications Society in the development of telecommunication standards globally. He also talked about the benefits of attending such events and participating in competitions. At the end, he encouraged students participating at the congress to take part in IEEE Communications Society's"Communications Technology Changing the World" competition, which he said was designed to provide exposure to students working in the field of communication engineering and related technologies.

One of the speakers at the congress, Engr. Parkash Lohana, talking about the IEEE EPICS initiative.

At the concluding ceremony, the Chief Guest Mr. Jam Khan Shoro, the Minister for Live Stock and Fisheries, Government of Sindh congratulated organisers from MUET on the success of IEEE PSGWC'13. He further said that it is good to know that the PSGWC’13 congress aimed at bringing together a wide spectrum of national and international experts to facilitate a creative environment for the promotion of collaboration and knowledge transfer under the umbrella of IEEE.He called upon the young generation of engineers and researchers to come forward with zeal and zest to provide beacon light to solve the problems that the country faces due to lack of appropriate  technology, data and information.While commenting on the high ranking of MUET amongst engineering universities in the country, he said that it makes the Sindh government proud to know that institutions within the province do not lag behind in the field of engineering and technology.

Participants of the congress inside the auditorium at MUET.

Dr AQK Rajput, Vice Chancellor of MUET mentioned that it is due to the appreciation of merit within the university and the highly qualified faculty, MUET has taken lead in imparting quality engineering education for less privileged people of the region coming from remote areas. He said that MUET produced first PhD in engineering in the country and faculty members here are taking maximum efforts in empowering students to build their careers, and giving back to society. He along with Dr MA Uqaili also appreciated the tireless efforts of organising committee of the event.

IEEE R10 representative, Engr. Om  Batra (from Australia) addressing the participants at the concluding ceremony.

IEEE Asia Pacific Region 10 Student Activities Committee Chair Engr. Om Perkash Batra, who travelled all the way from Australia to attend the congress, motivated students to work hard, arm themselves with latest technology and get maximum benefits by taking part in IEEE professional development activities.

The Vice Chancellor of MUET, Prof. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Rajput, addressing the participants at the concluding ceremony.

At the end Chief guest awarded shields to guest speakers, judges and organising committee members. He also distributed cash awards to winning teams who took part in competitions. The event was sponsored by IEEE Karachi Section, higher education commission Pakistan, ICT R&D Fund Pakistan, and IEEE Communication Society - Karachi Chapter. Also the event was cosponsored by Jublee Corporation, Ideal distribution Line, Paktech Instruments and Rastek Technologies Karachi.

The Chief Guest at the concluding ceremony, Mr. Jam Khan Shoro, addressing the participants.