Ready, set, ignite!: Offering knowledge at lightning speed, Ignite comes to Karachi

AKU hosts worldwide geek event on Monday.


Our Correspondent September 23, 2014

KARACHI:


“Enlighten us, but make it quick!”


That’s the motto of Ignite, a worldwide geek event that made its way to the Aga Khan University (AKU) Auditorium on Monday. Offering knowledge via short, interactive presentations, it gives its young audience no time to get bored, even with the shortest attention span - a change from the lengthy lectures and informative sessions that are the norm.

“The ‘igniters’ - the speakers - share their ideas and their passions using 20 slides in only five minutes,” said AKU medical college dean Dr Farhat Abbas while talking to The Express Tribune. “This lets them connect with the audience as well as motivate them.”



The 10 igniters at the event included people from a range of walks of life, including doctors, students, creativity specialists and managers. AKU human resources assistant manager Amna Yusuf suggested ways to improve the hospital’s emergency room after losing her father there. “Teamwork, responsiveness, respect and caring are essential,” she said.

Meanwhile, journalist Mahnoor Sherazee shared statistics on child abuse and explained way to stop the prevalence of this, insisting that the least parents could do was to talk to their children and keep an eye on their behaviour.

Not only were the presentations time-saving and fascinating, they were also informative about new technologies. “Write, publish, share, repeat!” said research associate and medical blogger Rakhshinda Mujeeb. “Doctors should come forward and write blogs, sharing their knowledge with patients and other doctors.”

Amna Khalid, a student attending the event, was excited about the inventive platform for sharing information. “It was informative and the time management was excellent,” enthused another AKU student. “We didn’t get bored at all.”

Explaining why AKU decided to host Ignite, Dr Abbas said that innovative ideas should always be promoted, and Ignite has a positive approach towards the better future and greater involvement of the youth.

Having been held in over a 100 cities worldwide, including New York, Paris and Dallas, since its initiation in 2006, this is the first time Ignite has come to Pakistan. “This is the pilot episode, but Lahore and Islamabad are also in the line to be part of this idea,” said AKU public relations officer Fabeha Pervez.

“Our plan is to hold Ignite thrice a year, with the next chapter expected in January 2015,” AKU associate professor, Dr Asad I Mian, who also organised the event, told The Express Tribune. “Everyone from our society is invited to share their ideas and knowledge with us at the event.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2014.

COMMENTS (1)

Dr.A.K.Tewari | 9 years ago | Reply

Good effort .

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ