Pakistani engineering students and faculty depart for exchange visit to ASU

Islamabad, January 5, 2018 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Pakistani officials recognized 24 students and seven faculty members from National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (UET Peshawar) who will spend a semester at Arizona State University (ASU). During their U.S.-sponsored exchange program, they will conduct energy research that will help them to address Pakistan’s most pressing energy challenges.

This is the fifth cohort of energy engineering students and faculty members traveling to the United States under the USAID-funded U.S.-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E) program. During their four-month stay, the students and faculty will conduct energy research at ASU under the supervision ASU faculty. They will visit Arizona-based companies to learn more about power systems and power generation in the United States.

Speaking at the ceremony, USAID Mission Director Jerry Bisson said, “This exchange program focused on energy research is a symbol of the partnership between the United States and Pakistan for developing strong educational institutions.” He encouraged the students to use this opportunity to hone their skills in energy research under the supervision of senior professors at ASU.

A total of 111 students and faculty members from NUST and UET Peshawar have successfully completed exchange programs in the U.S. as part of the USPCAS-E program and are currently working on energy research projects or in industry. These exchange visits provide Pakistani faculty an opportunity to enhance their teaching skills and to learn how to build successful partnerships between academia and the corporate sector.