ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST) in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Islamabad organised here two-day 13th International Conference on Emerging Technologies (ICET).
Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC was chief guest on the occasion, while Dr Mansoor Ahmed, Vice Chancellor CUST, Prof Aamer Iqbal Bhatti, General Chair ICET and a large number of faculty members and students were also present.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed stressed the need for translating the opportunities created by new technologies into reality while ensuring positive use of advanced gadgets. He said HEC is committed to facilitating universities and encouraging research activities.
“We need to conduct research that casts positive impact on society and mitigates the miseries of humanity,” he underlined.
He pointed out that water and food security will become very vital issues to be dealt in the near future. He emphasized that solution to all social ills including terrorism, poverty and unemployment lies in promotion of education.
“It is the era of knowledge economy and no nation can make progress without promoting education,” he stated.
He said the universities are responsible for imparting education, creating knowledge and integrating it with society. He urged the faculty to pay special attention to training of students, as training is imperative for a peaceful society.
Shedding light on the achievements of HEC during the last 15 years, the Chairman said HEC set off on its journey when Pakistan had only 59 universities, adding that the number of universities in the country has now reached 188.
He maintained that HEC has been putting strenuous efforts to promote ICT in the country. Pakistan has one of the best ICT setups of South Asia, he informed. He said HEC plans to establish centres of excellence in big data and artificial intelligence. He emphasized that the youth need to be given a skill set that is in conformity with the modern needs.
Sharing the background of conference, Prof Aamer Iqbal Bhatti said the first international conference on emerging technologies was held in 2005. He said CUST lays great emphasis on applied research and the 13th ICET is a testimony to that fact. He appreciated the role of HEC and IEEE Islamabad for collaboration to organize the conference.
