NUST Launches Climate Action Plan to Curb Climate Change

National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) hosted the first Partnership for Climate Action (PCA-2023) conference in Pakistan on 14-16 February 2023. The conference, titled Science for Sustainable Development, was held in collaboration with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Red Cross, the Pakistan Red Crescent, the International Federation of Red Crosses, the International Relief Committee and the World hunger Help.
‘s main goal was to bring together and network young people, academics and other stakeholders to build meaningful partnerships to tackle the challenges of climate change. The conference was also an opportunity for NUST to showcase its climate-resilient technologies for potential deployment and commercialization, and to work closely with government and development stakeholders to accelerate progress towards a sustainable future.

In his welcome speech, Dr. Rizwan Riaz, NUST Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Commercialization, that the university takes its social responsibility seriously and has aligned all its functions with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.More importantly, he said, NUST is actively involved in developing innovative technologies and devices to address the challenges of climate change. He also stressed the importance of the Partnership for Climate Action, a platform to share best practices, collaborate on new initiatives and leverage shared resources to drive progress. He added that the NUST climate action plan is an important step towards real impact.

The three-day event included a climate policy simulation, youth activities, panel discussions, a conference and an exhibition, followed by the presentation of the climate action plan and the signing of a memorandum of understanding. Climate Action Plan formulated by the NUST Research Directorate – includes a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions inside and outside the university and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Two large rounds of talks on the second day provided information on the national and international causes of climate change, measures to meet the challenges through the promotion of renewable energies, energy efficiency and sustainable transport. The first panel, moderated by Anam Zeb from the German Red Cross, focused on building partnerships for climate action, the importance of raising public awareness of the urgency of the climate crisis and the actions needed to mitigate its impact. Among the
speakers were Dr. Imran Khalid, Director Policy & WWF Governance, Ali Shah, Member of the NUST Climate Panel, and Maheen Zahra, Oxford Policy Management Institute. The second panel, moderated by Ms. Ameera Adil, NUST, focused on the role of science in relation to climate resilience and sustainability, the importance of green spaces, the adoption of energy efficiency measures, zero waste on campus and the implementation of a plan for renewable energy generation . Speakers were Prof. Dr. Salman
Atif, Member of the Climate Panel, IGIS NUST, Mr. Waqar ul Shams, Innovation and Information Coordinator of AnthroInsights, Prof. Sustainable Development (CCCS).

The event ended with the presentation of the NUST Integrated Policy and Action Plan for Climate Resilience. dr Hamood-ur-Rahman, Director of Research, NUST, and Ms. Ameera Adil, AD Sustainability NUST, illuminate a plan that recognizes climate change as a key future development issue and develops a recovery strategy to create a sustainable future for us and our communities as well posterity.

The NUST Advancement Office, in cooperation with the US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Energy Studies at NUST and the Pakistan Renewable Energy Coalition, organized a dialogue on Monday March 6 entitled “Solving the energycrisis through digitalization and innovation” on the energy crisis in Pakistan 2023

The event brought together experts from the energy sector, policy makers and representatives from different sectors to discuss the challenges of the sector and possible solutions through digitization and innovation.

USPCAS-E Director Dr. Adeel Waqas delivered the keynote speech and underlined the importance of dialogue to solve the current challenges in the energy sector. A noted economist and director of the School of Social Sciences & Humanities Dr. Ashfaq Hasan Khan, who shared his insights on politics, and Ms. Sadia Dada, Communications Director of K-Electric, who presented EC’s operational changes through innovation and digitization of
.

The event also included a panel discussion with representatives from many industries including Amer Zia, Director of Sales at KElectric; Noorul Arfeen Zuberi, Senior Advisor, China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Limited; Naveed Qaiser, Senior CFO of CAPP; and dr Kashif Imran, Associate Professor at USPCAS-E NUST.

The event was attended by students who actively participated in the discussion and asked relevant and substantive questions. The dialogue stressed the need for more such actions in the future to address energy sector challenges and foster innovation and digitalisation.

“We are pleased with the outcome of the dialogue and hope that it will help solve the crisis in Pakistan’s energy sector through digitization and innovation,” said RIC Vice-Chancellor Dr. Rizwan Riaz during the closing speech and presentation. Shields for the guests.

AI TechVerse 2023, the National Artificial Intelligence Center’s annual flagship event at NUST, ended Thursday.The aim of the three-day event was to offer existing AI students, researchers, spin-offs, start-ups and industries a platform to connect, network and present their AI-supported ideas and prototypes. Highlights of the opening ceremony included Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Special Initiatives and retired Lieutenant General. Closely. Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Chancellor of NUST, while His Excellency Rashid Abdul Rehman Al Zamar, UAE Pakistan Affairs Officer, was the main guest honoring the closing ceremony. A large number of AI enthusiasts, tech entrepreneurs, investors and AI startups from around the world gathered at the NUST campus in Islamabad to share their knowledge and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies and applications exchange.

The federal minister noted that NCAI was one of his favorite initiatives and said he was very happy that it was thriving. He said Pakistan is a country facing many challenges and to address them we need to foster a culture of technological innovation and growth.He argued that NCAI is helping create a new generation of thought leaders equipped with the skills and knowledge to propel our nation forward in the digital age. The minister added that the world is changing at an unprecedented pace and that we must keep pace with this rapid transformation in order to keep up with the times. To achieve this, we must create an environment conducive to innovation, creativity and advanced technologies.

In his welcome speech, Prof. Dr. Yasar Ayaz (Pride of Performance) said NCAI AI TechVerse is more than just an AI research and development center; This is where our brightest minds come together to harness the power of artificial intelligence for the benefit of our society. He said NCAI actively participates in policy development of national and international bodies on artificial intelligence and related technologies.Its AI-powered systems have had a significant impact. The center has also developed AI-based robots like Chotu for autistic children in Karachi, providing personalized support and help. In addition, Mediam.AI’s media analytics system has helped media companies analyze and monitor the accuracy and credibility of content, contributing to the development of media literacy. In addition, he said that NCAI has made significant progress in expanding its reach across Pakistan with the establishment of nine laboratories and plans to open
centers in the UK, AJK and Balochistan.

The NCAI Startup Challenge was the highlight of the event as it received a whopping 130 entries, of which only 21 startups made it to the finals. The winning startup LYNXINFOSEC (Pvt) Ltd (Project: AI-Powered Feast) was awarded a cash prize of PKR 1 million after passing a rigorous audit.