[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cI always had it in my mind that I would come back,\u201d said Danyal Aziz. In 2016 Aziz was among the first 18 students to participate in a U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water Exchange. Since its launch, the program has welcomed 131 visiting scholars, both faculty and students, to advance their water research at the University of Utah and Colorado State University. In 2017, Aziz finished his Master\u2019s degree at USPCASW partner Mehran University of Engineering and Technology and, after working for a year at the Global Change Impact Studies Center in Pakistan, he made good on the intention set years before and returned to the U as a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering last fall.<\/p>\n

When asked why he had set his sights on further study in Utah, Aziz points to the transformative experience and the mentorship he received during his time on Exchange. \u201cThe research environment was totally different. The faculty were always encouraging people and lifting people up.\u201d During his appointment as a visiting scholar, Aziz said he gained access to resources that supported his inquiry, faculty involvement that kept him challenged and writing instruction that helped focus and formulate his research methodology. He thanks his mentor, Dr. Tariq Banuri, former U Economics professor and now the head of Pakistan\u2019s Higher Education Commission. \u201cHis guidance and feedback on my thesis helped me to refine scientific communication skills.\u00a0Most of my thesis was developed during that Exchange,\u201d noted Aziz.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”nivo” interval=”3″ images=”10539,10538,10537″ img_size=”full” onclick=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Another USPCASW alum, Daniyal Hassan, echoes Aziz\u2019s enthusiasm for the Exchange experience and notes faculty support as the key factor in his decision to pursue a doctorate. \u201cIt was always my dream to get a Ph.D. at a reputable University,\u201d he said, but after graduate school, he felt torn about chasing a \u201cformal job\u201d or continuing his studies. \u201cDr. Steve Burian (Hassan\u2019s mentor and USPCASW project director) advised me to follow my ultimate goal,\u201d he said. With that encouragement, Hassan began submitting applications to his list of dream schools. He was accepted to most of his selections but calls his decision to continue his studies at the U \u201cdestiny. It\u2019s my second home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hassan is now hard at work on a NASA-funded project using remote sensing analysis of rainfall to inform drought management practices, while Aziz is focused on the sustainability of urban water systems amid future uncertainties of population and economic growth and climate change, including the supply\/waste systems in his current home of Salt Lake City. Aziz and Hassan are both also modeling Pakistan\u2019s Indus Basin water-energy-food nexus under the direction of Dr. Burian.<\/p>\n

The two scholars bring the total number of USPCASW grads studying in the U.S. to five, three of whom have decided to continue their studies at the University of Utah.<\/p>\n

The first student to blaze a trail back to Utah was Hammad Malik, a Ph.D. student in metallurgical engineering. Malik was mentored during his 2016 Exchange by Dr. Krista Carlson. Earlier this year, he brought the USPCASW experience full circle when he visited Pakistan, this time on a training mission to test the nanostructured water-purifying prototypes he has been developing with Carlson.<\/p>\n

Mentorship plays a key role in USPCASW programming. From student-faculty pairings to peer-to-peer faculty partnerships, formal mentorships offer growth opportunities, establish best practices and open doors for future collaborations. Burian stresses \u201cbuilding strong relationships was the foundation of the USPCASW project from the very start. We continue to emphasize this as a key outcome of the exchange program, mission training, joint research projects, and all USPCASW activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now well into his doctoral study, Malik is continuing the USPCASW tradition of building relationships. He has grown into a mentorship role of his own and now trains incoming batches of Exchange scholars who have a similar academic focus. \u201cI like to help because I know what situation they are in.\u201d He hopes to impart upon each visiting scholar the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity available at the U. \u201cI am fortunate to be here studying and taking courses that interest me. There are so many subjects. So many collaborations. You can\u2019t do that easily in Pakistan.\u201d He motions to his lab behind him\u2013the Crus Center\u2013 and mentions his work in the Utah Nanofab Clean Room. Words fail for a moment as he tries to explain what his time at the U means to him. \u201cThere is so much here that we can do,\u201d marvels Malik. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great journey.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cI always had it in my mind that I would come back,\u201d said Danyal Aziz. In 2016 Aziz was among the first 18 students to participate in a U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water Exchange. Since its launch, the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1861],"tags":[2542,2543,1879,2536,1867,2544],"class_list":["post-10535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-exchange-scholars","tag-further-study","tag-mehran-uet","tag-the-university-of-utah","tag-uspcas-w","tag-water-center-muet"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n