Engineering tomorrow: Big brains gather from across Pakistan at NED exhibition
SENTEC 2011 attempts to bring together industry and academia.
KARACHI:
Given Karachi’s electricity crisis, it was small wonder that curious visitors orbited a solar power generating system created by students from Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology for an exhibition that opened on Monday.
The NED University of Engineering and Technology inter-varsity event attracted the finest brains from across Pakistan. Up to 68 engineering projects were presented. “We primarily wish to promote and encourage these brilliant ideas presented by our local engineers,” explained Azharuddin Kazi, the president of SENTEC 2011 that was set up by NED students in 1994. “The sole purpose of this event is to bridge the gap between the academia and industrial globe.”
And indeed, industry should be interested in what these students have to offer: robotics, embedded systems, analog and digital system designs, image processing, control system designs, PC interfacing, power and alternate energy.
For example, a group of NED students is aspiring to compete in Formula SAE — an international competition between engineering students involving the design and manufacturing of an open-wheel race car. They are going to participate in this year’s competition in Melbourne, Australia in December. Team leader Babar Mughal said that the project budget was Rs3 million out of which they have Rs2 million from sponsors. Next to them was the SSUET Solar Power Generating System, which team leader Junaid Nawazish Ali said aimed to overcome the shortage of electricity and reduce global warming by replacing the use of fossil fuels with solar energy.
There was plenty of fun and games too, with prizes to go around. In the auditorium, students from universities in Karachi formed 44 teams for a quiz on Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Each question had a 10-second time limit. A cash prize of Rs35,000 would be distributed among the three winning teams in the order of Rs20,000 to the winning team, Rs10,000 to the runners up and Rs5,000 to the participants that come third.
The pressure was so intense that contestants started stuttering. “North Atlantic Treaty Organisation!” yelled out an audience member after one group on stage struggled to answer what Nato stood for. But then, perhaps engineering students can not be faulted for not knowing international relations questions.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2011.
Given Karachi’s electricity crisis, it was small wonder that curious visitors orbited a solar power generating system created by students from Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology for an exhibition that opened on Monday.
The NED University of Engineering and Technology inter-varsity event attracted the finest brains from across Pakistan. Up to 68 engineering projects were presented. “We primarily wish to promote and encourage these brilliant ideas presented by our local engineers,” explained Azharuddin Kazi, the president of SENTEC 2011 that was set up by NED students in 1994. “The sole purpose of this event is to bridge the gap between the academia and industrial globe.”
And indeed, industry should be interested in what these students have to offer: robotics, embedded systems, analog and digital system designs, image processing, control system designs, PC interfacing, power and alternate energy.
For example, a group of NED students is aspiring to compete in Formula SAE — an international competition between engineering students involving the design and manufacturing of an open-wheel race car. They are going to participate in this year’s competition in Melbourne, Australia in December. Team leader Babar Mughal said that the project budget was Rs3 million out of which they have Rs2 million from sponsors. Next to them was the SSUET Solar Power Generating System, which team leader Junaid Nawazish Ali said aimed to overcome the shortage of electricity and reduce global warming by replacing the use of fossil fuels with solar energy.
There was plenty of fun and games too, with prizes to go around. In the auditorium, students from universities in Karachi formed 44 teams for a quiz on Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Each question had a 10-second time limit. A cash prize of Rs35,000 would be distributed among the three winning teams in the order of Rs20,000 to the winning team, Rs10,000 to the runners up and Rs5,000 to the participants that come third.
The pressure was so intense that contestants started stuttering. “North Atlantic Treaty Organisation!” yelled out an audience member after one group on stage struggled to answer what Nato stood for. But then, perhaps engineering students can not be faulted for not knowing international relations questions.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2011.