HYDERABAD: An orientation ceremony for the fifth batch of Master of Science (MS) was held on Tuesday at the begging of fall session 2018 at U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro.
Addressing the ceremony, Project Director USPCAS-W, Dr. Bakhshal Lashari highlighted the significance of water in the economic development of a nation and said that water scarcity now emerges as a global challenge and the countries like Pakistan face acute shortage of water.
The significance of water sector further enhanced owing to diminishing precious natural resource and rapid growth of population, he noted and said the situation required efficient and critical management of the sector in the country.
He said after four-year negotiating, the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Pakistan through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had established the state-of-the-art centres for advanced studies in water, energy, agriculture and food security sectors of the country by partnering the universities from the United States.
He informed that MUET Water Centre was one of leading regional centers of excellence in water in South Asia technically supported by the University of Utah, USA, which is the Partner University of the Centre and other American universities in its consortium.
He elaborated that USPCAS-W was educating and training the next generation of scientists, engineers, and policymakers through innovative academic and research programs crucial for Pakistan’s development in the water sector.
“The Centre with its best performance will emerge as one of the global centers in the water sector,” he said and added, “No compromise on the quality education,”.
Dr. Lashari congratulated the newly enrolled students at MUET Water Centre and said that they were the luckiest to be part of the Centre and will contribute for the sustainable solutions to the water challenges faced by Pakistan.
He emphasized on them to work hard, keep themselves well-disciplined and fully involved in the water research. Addressing the Ceremony, Dr. Jeffery Layton Ullman, Associate Research Professor at the University Utah (UU), USA and the technical advisor to the Centre said that USPCAS-W was committed to change the academic culture of Pakistan through the partnership, which also encompasses curriculum development, teaching, mentoring, research and establishment of new laboratories.
Dr. Ullman said USPCAS-W offers scholarships of higher studies and research in the water sector, while the University of Utah provides technical support to produce water leaders in the country. “The University of Utah is eager to provide technical support, education and modern applied research techniques for the water sector in Pakistan,” he added.
The Deputy Director (Academics and Research) Dr. Rasool Bux Mahar while sharing academic guidelines and research process said that research plays a vital role in post-graduation studies.He noted that the graduates of the Centre through acquired advanced research skills would contribute to the global water challenges at large.
A total of 86 including 25 female students have been enrolled in different MS programmes including Hydraulics, Irrigation and Drainage (HID), Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Environmental Engineering (Env.Eng) and Water, Sanitation and Health (WaSH) Sciences at MUET Water Centre.