August 2010 - Higher Education Commission

University News
Workshop on
Nanotechnology at QAU
A five-day Pak-US Workshop on “Applications of Nano-
Technology” was held at the National Centre for Physics (NCP),
Quaid-i-Azam University Campus, Islamabad. It was jointly
organized by the US-National Science Foundation, the National
Centre for Physics and the Magnetic Nano-structures Group of
the Physics Department, Quaid-i-Azam University.
Prof. Massimo Bertino of the Virginia Commonwealth University
and Prof. S. K. Hasanain, Project Director of the Nanostructures
Project were the Directors of the workshop, which was
inaugurated by Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad, Adviser Science and
Technology/Minister of State Planning Commission, Government
of Pakistan. The workshop focused on the current trends in
Fabrication, Characterization and Applications
of Nano-materials and was attended by seven
US and over 100 Pakistani scientists and
research students hailing from different parts of
the country. A total of 25 lectures were
delivered by both the US and Pakistani
scientists. These lectures covered topics
ranging from Nano-materials Physics and
Chemistry to imaging techniques at the Nanolevel.
The speakers identified various
applications of their materials in the areas of
Electronics, Medicine and Environmental
Control. The workshop was the initiative of the
Magnetic Nanostructures Group whose
research laboratories were established at
Quaid-i-Azam University under a project funded
by the Government of Pakistan through the
Higher Education Commission.
As a part of this project, facilities have been
developed for the fabrication of magnetic
nanostructures through a pulsed laser
deposition system (PLD). Some of these
facilities for nano-research are the only ones of
their kind in Pakistan.
UAF Training on Fruits and
Vegetable Processing/Preservation
“The University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad (UAF) has taken the
initiative to outreach its research
outcomes through organizing short
courses and workshops at grass
root level of the province and
become an impact creator on
society and rural economy.” This
was stated by Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad
Khan, Vice Chancellor, UAF while
addressing participants of training
of trainers programme on “Fruits
and Vegetable Processing/
Preservation Techniques” jointly
organized by National Institute of
Food Science and Technology
(NIFSAT) and Pakistan Horticulture
Development and Export Company
(PHDEC) recently.
Dr. Iqrar A Khan apprised the
participants that UAF management
was vigorously pursuing the
agenda of a community building by
conducting various training
programmes for trainers, rural
farmers and new entrepreneurs.
“Though in Pakistan 45 per cent
labour force is engaged in
agriculture which contributes 25
per cent to national GDP, hence
there is a tremendous potential and
need to transform an inefficient
agriculture system into an efficient
fashion by equipping the rural
population with state-of-the-art
techniques of handling, processing,
p a c k i n g , s t o r a g e a n d
transportation.”
Dr. Iqrar hoped that the training
participants would train the
f a r m e r s a b o u t h a n d l i n g ,
processing, packaging, storage and
transportation. He expressed his
dismay over the limited share of
Muslim countries in exporting the
Halal Foods, adding that out of 400
billion $ Halal Food trade, 75 per
cent exports are being made by
Brazil and Argentina followed by
Malaysia, Australia and Thailand.
Mr. Razzaq A. Malkana, Manager
PHDEC, said that Pakistan is fourth
largest country in producing date
and fifth largest mango producer
but due to low quality handling,
processing and storage practices
the country could not harness the
potential. “By launching a massive
campaign of equipping the youth
with latest tools and techniques,
the country can capitalize the
opportunities of fruit and vegetable
exports,” he said.
Prof. Dr. Faqir Muhammad Anjum,
D i r e c t o r G e n e ra l , N I F S AT
highlighted the objectives of the
TOT training course. He said that
Pakistan is bestowed with immense
natural as well as human resources
and the climate is conducive to the
growth of wide range of fruits and
vegetables in all seasons across the
country.
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