Seventh cohort of exchange scholars departs for U.S.

On January 4, 2019, officials from Arizona State University (ASU), the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and the University of Engineering and Technology (UET-P) Peshawar joined senior officials from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Islamabad for a send-off reception for U.S.-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies in Energy students and faculty departing to ASU and Oregon State University (OSU) for the spring semester exchange program.

Over the life of the project, more than 200 graduate students and faculty from NUST and UET Peshawar will spend a semester each at ASU and OSU to carry out energy-related research at state-of-the-art laboratories under the U.S.-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E) project. The exchange program provides an opportunity for faculty to enhance their pedagogy and corporate-partnering skills, and the students to enhance their research skills and industry awareness.

The event kicked off with NUST’S Pro-Rector Dr. Asif Raza. He stressed the importance of the event saying, “I feel proud to be in this ceremony and congratulate the sixth cohort of the exchange program. The successful completion of the previous five cohorts is a sign of consistent support of U.S. Government for the capacity building of energy engineers [in Pakistan] as per the international standards.”

Dr. Irfan Mufti, Dean, Faculty of Engineering at UET Peshawar, and ASU representative Mr. Ahmad Saeed shared remarks during the ceremony. Two exchange students from previous cohorts shared their experiences with the departing exchange scholars followed by an interactive team-building session with the students from both NUST and UET Peshawar.

The ceremony concluded with an address by HEC advisor Dr. Mahmood ul Hasan Butt’s. He said, “This exchange program is an opportunity for the students to learn at their maximum and return to Pakistan with the hope of doing something extraordinary for Pakistan’s energy crisis.”