International Conference on Technology Enabled Infrastructure Engineering and Management (TECH-IEM) was organized by NED University in December 2023.
In Pakistan, health monitoring of the infrastructure systems and decision-making will now be conducted with the help of the Internet of Things, virtual reality, laser scanning, and drones. This was stated by
Dr. Sarosh Lodi, Vice Chancellor NED University at the two-day TECH-IEM conference Organized by NED University of Engineering and Technology in collaboration with CPEC Academic Research and Development Unit (CARDU) of Higher Education Commission, in collaboration with the Institution of Engineers Pakistan Karachi Center, under its NED University Virtual Reality Center, collaborated by Neuro Computational Lab. The Conference was held at Mehmood Alam Auditorium, Ashraf Habibullah AV Hall, and Mechanical Hall. Patron-in-Chief of the Conference, Vice Chancellor of NED, Dr. Sarosh H. Lodi said that through the development of technology under the CPEC research project currently being conducted at NED, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, laser scanning, and drones will be used for health monitoring of the infrastructure system and its related decision making.
On this occasion, Pakistan’s Counselor to China for Science and Technical Affairs, Khan Muhammad Wazir highlighted the importance of technology for the construction and maintenance of vast CPEC-related infrastructure.
The keynote speaker of the conference was Dr. Naveed Anwar from the Asian Institute of Technology.
Chairman IEP Karachi Center, Engineer Sohail Bashir was guests of honor along with Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tufail and Dean CPL Prof. Dr. Asad ur Rehman. Focal Person/Co-Chair Conference Dr. Farrukh Arif emphasized the use of modern construction technologies during the construction and maintenance phase of the Infrastructure projects. Six technical sessions were conducted at the conference. Researchers from Australia, Spain, Italy, Turkiye, USA, and national experts presented their recent work on the subject of construction and technology. 28 papers were presented at the conference. In the closing session, Chairman Civil Engineering Professor Dr. Abdul Jabbar Sangi, keynote Speaker Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emre from the School of Construction and Design of America, and other experts gave examples of smart maintenance and operations, laser scanning, automatic robots, drones, virtual reality, 5G and Internet of things, and how these technologies can contribute to improving the infrastructure industry, and help in increasing efficiency. They emphasized that with the help of technology in modern times, the overall construction and maintenance projects can also be improved in addition to comparing the construction performance. Conference Secretary Dr. Shamsoon Farid thanked the experts and audience at the end.
“Forewarned is Forearmed: Construction Disputes Avoidance and Resolution”,
The International Seminar on “Forewarned is Forearmed: Construction Disputes Avoidance and Resolution”, was held in Decemer 2023 too at NED University.
Over 200 professionals from the construction industry and legal fraternity participated in the seminar.
The Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) Karachi Centre, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Pakistan Branch, Asian Civil Engineering Coordination Council (ACECC) Future Leaders Forum collaborated for the program. Prof. Dr. Asad Ur Rehman Khan, Dean of Civil and Petroleum Engineering, NED University welcomed the participants. This was followed up by the address of Barrister Mian Sheraz Javed, Chairman Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Pakistan Branch.
Engr. Nasir Khan MBE, Principal a HKA, UK and Chair of Construction Industry Council UK (liability panel) made a technical presentation on “FOREWARND IS FOREARMED – Anticipating Challenges, Mitigating Risk”, while Dr. Farrukh Arif. An associate professor at NED University presented his teams’ work regarding “Practices and effectiveness on arbitration as ADR mechanism in the construction industry of Pakistan.”
The technical session was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Engr. Sohail Bashir, Chairman IEP Karachi Centre, with Barrister Mian Sheraz Javaid, Engr, Nasir Khan MBE, and Ms. Navin Merchant from Merchant Law Associates as the panelists. The panelists deliberated ways through which Construction Arbitration became a successful ADR mechanism in Pakistan.
On this occasion, Mr. Justice Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, Honourable Judge of Sindh High Court was the Guest of Honour, and Honourable Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Mr. Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Engr. Sohail Bashir, Chairman IEP, Karachi Centre, formally welcomed the distinguished guests and provided an overview of the objectives of the seminar. Dr. Sarosh H. Lodi, Vice Chancellor NED University in his address highlighted the efforts of NED University to provide and upgrade quality human resource capacity in the area of construction engineering law. He specifically highlighted the integration of construction law courses in Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering degrees at the undergraduate level, while providing insights into M.Engg. (Civil) Construction Engineering Law degree being offered by NED University and its impact on the profession being the only construction law program in Pakistan. In his address, Honourable Mr. Justice Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, stressed the efforts to improve arbitration practices, ways to strengthen the arbitration regulations, and the importance of intellectual property and professional ethics in the construction law profession.
On this occasion, an MoU was also signed between NED University and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Pakistan Branch for collaboration in education, research, and professional development in the area of Construction law with CIArb recognizing the M.Engg. The Construction Engineering Law program, being offered at NED University as its qualifying requirement for direct associate membership grade.
NUST unveils Heydar Aliyev Auditorium
The National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) proudly unveiled the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium, a tribute to the visionary national leader of Azerbaijan, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth. Distinguished guests, including Ambassador Khazar Farhadov of Azerbaijan, diplomats from various nations, government officials and esteemed university faculty and students gathered for the official inauguration ceremony at NUST Business School (NBS).
The event, hosted by the Embassy of Azerbaijan, highlighted the life and diplomatic contributions of Heydar Aliyev, emphasizing his exceptional role in safeguarding and advancing Azerbaijan’s independence.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Farhadov expressed gratitude for the enduring friendship between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, acknowledging the unwavering diplomatic support from the people and government of Pakistan, particularly during the Karabakh war. He emphasized the historic ties between the two nations, noting that Pakistan was the first country to recognize Azerbaijan, fostering historic public relations. The Heydar Aliyev Auditorium stands as a testament to the strong bonds between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, symbolizing the shared commitment to education, culture, and diplomacy. Dr. Rizwan Riaz, Pro-Rector Research, Innovation & Commercialization (RIC) NUST, also highlighted the significant partnership between the two countries and the role of NUST in building multiple avenues of collaboration across universities in Azerbaijan and Pakistan. He was confident that the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium would serve as a focal point for cultural exchange and educational collaboration, embodying the enduring legacy of the great national leader for decades to come.
Applications and Techniques of Computational Biology
In order to comprehend biological systems and relationships, computational biology uses data analysis, mathematical modelling, and computer simulations. The area has roots in applied mathematics, chemistry, and genetics and is a nexus of computer science, biology, and big data. Biological computing, a branch of computer engineering that applies bioengineering to the construction of computers, is distinct from it. An in silico experiment is one that is carried out on a computer or through computer simulation in biology and other experimental sciences. Pseudo-Latin for “in silicon,” the phrase alludes to the silicon found in computer chips. It was first used in biology in 1987 as an allusion to the Latin terms in vivo, in vitro, and in situ. The latter expressions refer to trials carried out on live things, apart from living things, and in natural settings, respectively.
Building computer models and visual simulations of biological systems is referred to as computational biomodeling, and it is one of the expanding research disciplines enabled by the collection and analysis of huge datasets. In order to ascertain whether a system can “keep their state and functions against external and internal perturbations,” researchers can utilise this information to forecast how such systems would respond to various settings. While present methods concentrate on tiny biological systems, scientists are developing strategies that will enable the analysis and modelling of bigger networks. The study of the genomes of cells and other organisms is known as computational genomics. Computational genomics includes, as one example, the Human Genome Project. In this effort, the entire human genome will be sequenced and converted into a set of data. Once fully deployed, this might make it possible for medical professionals to examine a patient’s genome. This creates the opportunity for personalized medicine, which would involve treating patients according to their unique genetic profiles. The genomes of all living things, including bacteria, plants, and animals, are being sequenced by researchers.
The random forest algorithm, which employs many decision trees to train a model to categorize a dataset, is a popular supervised learning technique. A decision tree is a structure that serves as the foundation for the random forest and seeks to categorize or label a piece of data using certain well-known attributes of that data. A medical application of this would be the use of genetic information to determine a person’s propensity to develop a particular disease or cancer. The method checks the dataset at each internal node for exactly one feature, in the previous example a particular gene, and then branches left or right based on the outcome.
All three interdisciplinary approaches to the life sciences—computational biology, bioinformatics, and mathematical biology—draw on quantitative fields like information science and mathematics. In contrast to bioinformatics, which uses information science to comprehend complex life-sciences data, computational/mathematical biology is defined by the National Institutes of Health as the application of computational/mathematical approaches to address theoretical and experimental questions in biology.
Although they share a name, the concepts of computational biology and evolutionary computation should not be conflated. Evolutionary computation, in contrast to computational biology, does not model or analyse biological data. Instead, it develops algorithms based on theories of interspecies evolution. The study in this area, which is also known as genetic algorithms, has applications in computational biology. Although computational evolutionary biology is a subfield of computational biology, evolutionary computation is not always a component of it.
Pakistan, Saudi recruitment firms sign pacts to recruit Pakistanis for ongoing projects in Kingdom
Pakistan has signed agreements with multiple Saudi recruitment agencies for the recruitment of Pakistani professionals for ongoing mega projects in the Kingdom.
The pacts were signed during Pakistan prime minister’s aide on overseas Pakistanis Jawad Sohrab Malik’s visit to Saudi Arabia, aimed at fostering collaboration and exploring employment opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in the Kingdom, according to the ministry of overseas Pakistanis.
The visit is focused on major mega development projects that are set to open vast employment avenues for unskilled professionals in general and for skilled professionals in particular from Pakistan.
The agreements were signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s The First National Company (FNRCO), Maharah Human Resources and other firms last month.
Malik said another letter of intent (LoI) was signed with Maharah Human Resources in Riyadh this week.
“InShaAllah there will be enhanced employment opportunities for Pakistani workforce. All gratitude to the KSA for enhancing our participation for the Saudi ‘Vision 2030’.”
During the visit, the PM’s aide held a detailed exchange of views with Saudi employers and highlighted the importance of human resource development as per requirements of the Saudi market and economy, according to the ministry of overseas Pakistanis.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have deep cultural, defense and economic ties, deeply rooted in history and religion. The Kingdom is home to over two million Pakistanis, making it the largest contributor to remittance inflows into the South Asian country.
Malik’s visit aimed to align Pakistan’s workforce with Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation program under Vision 2030, a strategic development framework intended to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil, and foster a strong partnership for mutual benefit, according to the Pakistani ministry.
It also aimed to enhance crucial remittances, contributing to the stability of Pakistan’s economy and supporting the economic well-being of families that rely solely on these financial inflows.
Smart Net Pvt Ltd forges fiber lease deal with One Network, Cybernet
Islamabad-SmartNet Private Limited, the technology arm of Capital Smart City and a key entity in the HRL Group of Companies is pleased to announce a groundbreaking Fiber Lease Agreement in collaboration with One Network and Cybernet.
This partnership enables SmartNet to deliver terabytes of data every second to Capital Smart City, Lahore Smart City, and affiliated projects on motorways. The high-speed connectivity strengthens Capital Smart City’s position as a technological leader, enhancing capabilities in IoT, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and advanced technologies.
In addition to supporting Silicon Valley connectivity and motorway projects, SmartNet aims to contribute significantly to Digital Pakistan, promoting technology exports.
The establishment of an incubation centre demonstrates a commitment to fostering innovation and technological entrepreneurship. “We are excited to embark on this transformative journey with our partners, One Network and Cybernet,” said Brig (retd) Arshad Kayani, CTO, SmartNet Private Limited. “This collaboration emphasises our commitment to advancing smart solutions and fortifying infrastructure for seamless integration of communication technologies, including 5G and Wi-Fi 6+.”
The Fiber Lease Agreement positions One Network, SmartNet, and Cybernet at the forefront of the revolution in digital infrastructure and urban development. “We believe this collaboration will enhance the technological landscape of Capital Smart City and contribute significantly to broader digital transformation in urban development,” added General Manager Technology, M Shahzad Khalil.