Smells like green spirit: Pakistani scholars win Green Talent Award in Germany

KARACHI: Pakistani scholars Dr Saifur Rehman and Dr Asad Mehmood were awarded with the Green Talent Award in Berlin, according to a press release issued by the Press Information Department.

The 31-year-old researchers were presented with the award by German Federal Minister of Education and Research Professor Johanna Wanka.

Both scholars were invited to participate in the two-week “Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development” program, during which they visited top locations for sustainability and research in Germany.

During the forum, the two learned about state-of-the-art technologies and exchanged ideas with the country’s leading experts in technology.

In her commemoration speech, Professor Wanka welcomed this year’s ‘Green Talents’ in Germany.

“This award is an internationally recognised prize for young researchers in the field of sustainability research. The global sustainability goals can only be achieved through scientific cooperation and the exchange of knowledge. This calls for personal meetings between young scientists across national borders. Therefore I warmly welcome this year’s Green Talents in Germany,” she said.

Dr Saifur Rehman is currently pursuing research projects in the field of Bio-energy and Environmental Engineering. He is one of the most promising and advanced technologies for sustainable fuel production is the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) from crop residue, forest wood, waste paper and municipal organic waste.

He is currently working as an assistant professor at the COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology in Lahore.

The Jury lauded Saif’s holistic approach to sustainable development research. His projects not only have direct practical applicability but also seek unidentified areas of synergy between hitherto separate production processes to form a more efficient and altogether more sustainable process.

Dr Asad Mehmood is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. He is working on advances in fuel cell technology.

“Fuel cells are one of the advanced clean energy systems that use hydrogen-based fuel and deliver considerably higher electrical efficiency in comparison to conventional energy conservation systems," he explains.

The jury lauded Asad’s commitment to this important new technology. They are convinced that participation in the Green Talents Forum will help Asad meet his goal of comparing his research methodology with that of other young scientists and German experts in order to make it more efficient and productive.