4th Batch of MS and PhD joins USPCAS-W MUET

A welcome and orientation ceremony for the fourth batch of MS and Ph.D.students’ spring session 2018starting at the U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro was held on Monday.Speaking at the ceremony, Project Director MUET Water Center Prof. Dr. Bakhshal Khan Lashari said that importance of water is global and there is dire need of high-quality professionals to tackle the water issues faced by today’s world in general and Pakistan in particular. He said that water sector plays an important role in the economy of Pakistan whereas due to the diminishing of this natural source, owing to rapid growth of populations,exposes to the need of efficient and critical management of the sector in the country. He elaborated that USPCAS-W is educating and training the next generation of scientists, engineers, and policymakers through innovative academic and research programs crucial for Pakistan’s development in the water sector.

He said that the  United  States Government  through the United  States  Agency  for  International  Development (USAID) and Government of Pakistan through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had partnered together to create the state of the art centers for advanced studies in energy, water and agriculture and food security sectors of the country by partnering the universities from the United States.  Dr. Lashari said that USPCAS-W is one of the leading academic and research institutes of excellence in water sector of Pakistan, technically assisted by the University of Utah, Colorado State University, City University of New York, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

He further said that Center has four disciplines i.e. Hydraulics, Irrigation and Drainage (HID) Engineering, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Environment Engineering (Env.Eng.) and Water, Sanitation and Health (WaSH) Sciences, which deals in improving water quality and quantity, water governance’s, water policy and law, environment and sanitation issues.He emphasized on the enrolled students to work hard, be punctual and get the maximum benefit from the well-equipped laboratories of the center for their research work. Prof. Dr. Rasool Bux Mahar, Deputy Director (Academics and Research) while speaking in the ceremony said that the Center is also contributing to the global issues related to water through the applied research. He further noted that the students of this center have to think about their research topics from the day one which makes this center difference from others academic institutes.

Dr. Kamran Ansari, Director Career Counseling andP lacement gave a presentation on the policies and laws for the students to adhere strictly. He further said MUET Water Center obligates all students enrolled at the Center to make tangible efforts to contribute to safe, clean and healthy learning experience through the clean environment. Dr. Ansari also facilitated the students for the faculty introduction and informed about the criteria for the exchange visit to the United States.

The students further divided into the groups and toured different sections and laboratories of the USPCAS-W MUET.In total 63 students including 24 females were successfully enrolled in the spring session whereas five are among them got admission in the Ph.D. program. The entrance test for this course was held in November 2016 in which 432 candidates including 51 female appeared in five different cities of Pakistan includes Islamabad, Multan, Quetta, Peshawar, and Jamshoro, simultaneously.On this occasion, the participants of the ceremony were presented the printing and promotional material of the Center. MS Students Soomal Baloch and Shane Zehra facilitated the welcome and orientation ceremony.