NSEC’17 underway at SSUET

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)  

The 32nd IEEEP National Engineering Students Competition-2017 was inaugurated on February 22 by the chief guest, Dale Sinkler, Chief Generation and Transmission Officer, K-Electric, who called upon the upcoming engineers to utilize their engineering talents to make Karachi a smart city through their innovative projects. 

The event is being organized by the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEEP) in collaboration with the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) at the main campus of the university. 

The NSEC’17 is in continuation in series of IEEEP All Pakistan Students seminar held each year and this year it has been organized in collaboration with SSUET. The competition includes final year engineering projects competition and Hack Town, the theme for smart city. 

Dale Sinkler, while referring to present day condition of Karachi city, said that it’s high time for upcoming engineers to come out with innovative ideas to transform Karachi into a smart city. 

“Step out of the box and look outside to bring the desired change. There would be no change when you don’t want to look forward to bring the change,” he said adding that they would make a different by bringing a change through their innovative ideas. 

“This is your city. You have to plant the first seed to make fruit to come,” he pointed out while stressing the student participants to step out of the box, do different things and they would get different results in relation to ‘Hack Town’ concept. 

He said that if we look at our city and take it as a reality, then there would be no chance of change unless they focus on this concept and look outside the cave. 

“The education you have and have the desire to make it a better city,” he reckoned, believing that the only thing which was stopping us from make Karachi a smart city is ourselves. 

Earlier in his keynote address, Arif Hasan, an eminent architect, described the topic a very important subject which, he said, concerns the future of the world. 

He shared his views and concerns about ‘Hack Town’ concept and observed that the results will remain unachieved unless the planning broadly consists of a number of closely inter-connected subjects like demography, social and physical infrastructure and management, economy, environment, ecology and now environment of the citizens. 

He was of the opinion that biggest problem had been coordination between the organizations that develop and manage these ingredients of urban planning and they are not aware of each other. 

In this regard he cited the example of University Road. He stated that in the Karachi Development Plan 2000, an attempt was made to link the Karachi Master Plan department with KMC, KESC and SSGC but it failed because there was lack of use of technology, training of staff while trained staff left. 

Earlier the SSUET Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Jawed H. Rizvi, welcomed the chief guest and participants and described the event a high profile thematic subject concerning every one. 

He hoped that the participants of the competition would utilize their mettle to come up with innovative ideas to achieve the desired results. The inaugural session ended with vote of thanks presented by the SSUET Registrar, Syed Sarfraz Ali. 

On the occasion the Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jawaid H, Rizvi presented shields to the chief guest Dale Sinkler, the keynote speaker Arif Hassan and others. 

Earlier, the Convenor of the event Mona Kanwal, gave an introduction of the theme and topic of the event and explained that both competitions in final year projects and the theme of smart city concept was inter-related and the decision of judges decision will be final and binding to all participants.