All Answers: RE: [pakgrid] Suggestions,effectiveness of research

Dear Usman

I appreciate your concerns for the improvement of research and its overall effectiveness. But I have serious reservations on your inclusion and role of private sector in the research and especially categorizing institutes like LUMS in it . Although I belong to UET Lahore and remained a part of LUMS for a year or so as a research associate, I can really assure you that the quality research being done over there is amazing . I welcome you to come there anytime to see that yourself . The are people there who have published their work in prestigious journals like NATURE and I suppose that you would be aware of this journal as you are talking about research.

I have seen private universities in Pakistan and can assure you that their is no comparable to LUMS in quality of teaching and providing conducive learning environment. I would like to add over here a quote that " if education is expensive try ignorance" and lets not go into the debate that the constitution of Pakistan asks for free education. It also asks for alot many things.

As per the points you have raised, similar steps have been taken by HEC, although some variations are there. I also suppose that you will be aware of the ICT R & D Fund and its rules and regulations for research grants and projects.

Your points are more then welcome but they are already in pipeline. Wait for the results to come.

I would rather say that we all should focus more towards work rather than saying the word "cahiay". I would say "keroo" meray bhai tension na loo.

Ahmad Usman

(MSc- Electrical Engineering)

Associate Member - IET (UK)

Department of Electrical Engineering

School of Science and Technology

University of Management Technology (UMT)

Lahore, Pakistan

92-321-8450728

To: pakgrid@yahoogroups.com
From: rafiqusman@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:56:15 +0500
Subject: [pakgrid] Suggestions,effectiveness of research

Few things if not considered will keep us running in useless circles only wasting institutional energies without real tangible progress.

1. Separation of research institutes and academia, as both have separate goals and focus. Although there should be links between two.

2. Discouragmant of private higher education => Private sector is only concerned about money or making black money white or tax embezzlements. It can be manipulated by money donations

from foreign entities for society harm and penetration of foreign agenda (L*MS an example). Anybody can donate money to them and herd them like sheep. When academic institutes look

to society for money, they will work for society.

3. Understanding that research needs to be proactive. Anticipate possible scenarios and problems of future, and try to solve them now. Research is effective for future not about past.

4. Understanding that research is not something which will always bring results but it is a exploratory effort. Most innovations happen by accidents when people are working towards.

5. Collaboration and positive give n take between academia and industry. Each should keep interests and objectives of others in mind.

6. Arrange PHD scholarships only for last half of PHD studentship, so that people don't go to PHD only for money/safe way and are genuine curious minds with innate motivation to create

knowledge and solve problems.

7. An accountability law where people (in responsible positions in institutes) who create hurdles in projects that may be good for society, can be given severe punishment to set examples for

others . Nobody has right disturb good initiatives for personal or other reasons. Such persons should be declared traitors and punished severely.

8. An honest reward system for people whose efforts bring positive to society. Reward should be directed to person not position. i.e. not the head of department or boss but the actual person

who did the job. Protection of subordinated from their superiors taking credit of junior's work.

Well Wishes,

Usman Rafique

To: pakgrid@yahoogroups.com
From: anjum.research@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:55:41 +0500
Su

bject: Re: [pakgrid] About Siachen Disaster

Assalam o Alaikum,

HEC may play effective regulatory role to keep research on track to achieve national objectives. Following may be considered in this regard;

a) National need based research priorities may be defined
b) Research may be regulated by the board/authority (associated with HEC), having representatives from academia, industry, and government
c) Unnessary course work may be avoided
d) Activities of specific technical focus groups may be accelerated and integrated
e) Open research incubators and repositories may be established

(Thanks Dr. SMJR for good ideas)

Regards

On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 11:32 AM, Usman Rafique <rafiqusman@hotmail.com> wrote:

Seemingly these are foreign entities. Why research on disasters mitigation and response is not done in Pakistan? Where environmental disasters of every kind is a norm than exception?
If someone claim they have done something or doing something why they don't come to surface when the need comes?

Are right kind of people inducted in research? The universities administration don't have a clue how to help society in meaningful way? What is the source of failure? Institutional failure is also a norm in Pakistan. Is failure of universities related to (same causes) failure of other institutions in the country? Is it so that all good brains already gone to west and only garbage is left behind?

To: pakgrid@yahoogroups.com
From: qamar_mahboob@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:49:42 +0100

Subject: [pakgrid] About Siachen Disaster

Following are two groups that are working on probabilistic modeling of risks arising from avalanche and other natural hazards.

http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~adk/
http://www.era.bv.tum.de/index.php?id=5

One can download interesting presentations from their website, too. If one is interested in some of their wrok, please, leet me know.

Any way, it is time to start working on ''Risk-based decision making'' on engineering and natural systems.

Best Regards

Qamar Mahboob
(PhD student)
TU Dresden, Germany

Von: Syeda Umema Hani <umema_hani@yahoo.com>
An: "pakgrid@yahoogroups.com" <pakgrid@yahoogroups.com>; Usman Rafique <rafiqusman@hotmail.com>
Gesendet: 10:42 Mittwoch, 18.April 2012
Betreff: Re: [pakgrid] About Siachen Disaster

Nice email brother ! I hope our high fi universities could make some effort in utilizing their research work in real life insahAllah.

With regards,

Syeda Umema Hani,
Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering Department, www.ssuet.edu.pk,
PhD (Software Engineering) fellow, GSESIT, www.hamdard.edu.pk,
www.ssuet.edu.pk/~suhani, suhani@ssuet.edu.pk, ++92-21-111994994(STI department)

From: Usman Rafique <rafiqusman@hotmail.com>
To: pakgrid@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 17 April 2012, 23:11
Subject: [pakgrid] About Siachen Disaster

I wonder what technologies could have been used to save lives of soldiers of Giari Sector in Siachin. How far our society and specially universities will have to go to get into the position to help the nation in the time of need?

For example there is a chip that uses nanotechnology to have sniffing power (meeting or even exceeding) to those of dogs and can be programmed for specialized ordors. Since dogs cannot sniff humans at such height of snow rubble and pin point exact locations of bodies, such chip could have been used at bore head to go inside snow for sniffing of human bodies. Similary some ground based sonar or radar waves could have been used.

This time is gone but how in future we can develop capacity (proactively) to take swift action to be able to help society in such citicial events? It is useless to expect national level stuff from private universities as they are busy counting cash, so all hope is from public sector universities that they come ahead and demonstrate their impact on society.

Regards,
Usman Rafique