Institution news
Event Summary
The engagement value of the event was lifted by speeches from Executive Committee members and two keynote speeches from the industry and academia. Over 45 IMechE members and volunteers from all over Pakistan, attended the online event.
Opening Address and Group Presentation
Hosted by Mr. Hafiz M Muddassir CEng MIMechE (Hon. Secretary, IMechE Pakistan Group) with introductions by the Chair of IMechE Pakistan Group, Mr. Hassan G Ansari, CEng FIMechE. He briefed the attendees about the vision of Pakistan Group and pledged to decrease the gap between industry and academia through IMechE platform and implored the aspiring members to develop skillsets in relevance to the issues faced by the industry. His address was followed by a Group presentation by Mr. Hafiz M Muddassir, CEng MIMechE. After briefing the audience about the strategic objectives of the group, he discussed the comparative increase in the number of members since last year. He briefed about key initiatives of Pakistan Group during 2020 despite the crippling impact of COVID-19. He also highlighted the benefits of IMechE membership and the efforts of Pakistan Group in engaging members, students and youth.
YM Panel Presentation
The Acting Chair of the Young Member's Panel, Mr. Saad Shabeer, gave a presentation describing some of the highlights of the year including the Photography Challenge 2020, AKDC Challenge 2020, Speak Out for Engineering 2020 and UAS Challenge 2020.
UAS Airworks Team Presentation
Following the YM panel presentation, the UAS NUST Airworks team leads briefed the attendees about their experiences during the UAS challenge. Being the Grand Champions of UAS Challenge UK in 2019, they continued their efforts to be among the top teams as Runner up of UAS Virtual Challenge 2020 despite facing limitations due to COVID lockdowns. They pledged further technological improvements in their Unmanned Vehicle for the next year’s challenge.
Treasurer’s Report and Election Results
The Treasure’s Report of Pakistan Group for the fiscal year of 2020-2021 was presented by Mr. Hafiz M Muddassir. He elaborated on the proposed budget, actual inflow and spending for the fiscal year. Next came the announcement of the 2021 executive committee election results by Eur. Ing. Sarfaraz Ahmed FICE, who acted as the independent election supervisor for Executive Committee Elections 2021. He expressed his continued trust in the democratic election process of IMechE Pakistan Group.
First Keynote Speech
The first keynote speaker Mr. Tahir Jawaid, Ex. CEO of HUBCO Power Services Limited, presented his valuable opinions on the Future of Work. He took examples from the human history to elaborate on the impact of technological progress on the skill requirements of the industry. He put emphasis on unlearning the old ways of work and adapting to the technological change brought through by Industry 4.0.
He also gave the attendees to look out for the impact of AI and automation in terms of decoupling as productivity increases and wages fall. He emphasised that we need to understand the need for adaptability in the fields related to STEM, Social and Medical Sciences, and be ready to shift jobs as the need arises. He concluded that the key skills required for the new age are “learnability”, “adaptability” and “flexibility”.
Second Keynote Speech
The second keynote speaker Dr. Riaz Uddin, Director ORIC at NED University of Engineering and Technology presented a technical lecture on the topic of “Indigenous design and development of mechatronics products for industry and healthcare applications”. He talked in detail about the process of new product development indigenously from concept to a usable consumer product.
As examples, he presented the two products he had developed at the HHRCM lab at NED UET. The NED-ventilator and surgical suture testing machine are among those that have received attention on national and international media platforms. He detailed the certification process and regulatory approval process of such healthcare equipment as well. He concluded with a brief overview of other significant projects in the field of haptics, control and robotics that his lab is currently working on.
Patron’s Address
Dr. M Uneeb CEng FIMechE, Member IMechE Pakistan Group took over for Mr. Sikandar M. Khan CEng FIMechE, who is Chairman of Millat Group and Patron of IMechE Pakistan Group. He gave appreciation to the efforts of the Pakistan Group volunteers. He also observed that the Group had a brighter future ahead by playing a key role in closing the gap between industry and academia within Pakistan and other international regions.
Closure
By the end of the event, the Vice Chair Dr. M Tufail concluded the ceremony by charting the course for future and how greater benefit to corporate members and young researchers will be of prioritised focus. He encouraged the members to benefit from the volunteer opportunities offered by IMechE Pakistan Group. He also encouraged the guests from the academia and industry to take advantage of the IMechE platform and pledged that IMechE Pakistan Group will always be open to any proposals that positively impact the growth of engineering in Pakistan.