Sailing ahead

HOD SERIES

Storing hundreds of specimens and monitoring research data collected over a period of 50 years at Marine Reference Collection and Resource Centre (MRC&RC ) - the oldest marine biodiversity research centre in Pakistan -has not been an easy task for Qadeer Muhammad Ali, a Marine Zoologist and in charge of the MRC&RC.

Us had an insightful conversation with Qadeer Muhammad Ali who reflects on what it is like to study Marine Science at University of Karachi (UoK).

What’s the scope of Marine Science?

This subject is extremely important in the current situation. We can clearly see that due to climate change, urbanization and other human activities, we are losing our biodiversity rapidly. When species disappear, the habitat is also destroyed. This is an alarming situation and that is why people are concerned about preserving it. Oceans are one of the priorities!

However, there are many people who are simply unaware of the changes taking place in our environment.

Thankfully, we have maintained loads of information related to marine life in our department. The kind of records and preserved species we have here you can’t find anywhere in the world.

As a research institution, we discover the biodiversity and see what was there in past and what we have now and how things will change over time. This makes the subject quite interesting and meaningful.

DHA Phase 8 in Karachi was a mangrove forest until 1987. Right from the waterfront to the Gizri hills, we had 30-40 feet long mangrove trees! It was kind of a protection wall for the residents of that area and a carbon sink eight times more efficient than a terrestrial forest. Unfortunately, it was destroyed. We even have samples from that forest in our repository. Similarly, we lost many other natural resource sites to urbanization. Mai Kolachi bypass was also a mangrove forest. We don’t realize this now, but in the long run, we will see adverse effects of our actions.

What’s your vision?

We aim to revive the culture of research in UoK and encourage students, teachers and other professionals in the field to collaborate and learn from each other.

I just wanted to emphasize that research can’t be done in isolation; we have to share our ideas and constantly look out for feedback from our peers and supervisors to produce reliable research studies.

What facilities are available for the students?

We publish a scientific journal and a newsletter regularly which is the only one in Pakistan. Conferences, workshops, trainings are also conducted to keep teachers and students engaged.

Moreover, if students want to take courses in other departments like Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization or Institute of Environmental Studies, we definitely encourage them to do so.

We have a repository, a wet laboratory where we conduct research on live specimens.

We visit sites regularly for collecting samples of various species of marine plants and animals; students bring them to the lab for study purposes and then preserve them.

How do you maintain the performance of students?

First of all when students come for the entrance test and interview we make sure they are genuinely interested in the subject. We have set the bar high for the candidates because they come to us after earning their Masters degree. When they show us their synopsis and tell us what research topics they want to explore, we are able to judge exactly if they will be able to conduct research in the field successfully.

During the course of the study, we are always interacting with the students through group discussions, presentations and meetings.

Does your department take part in community services?

Education and community service go hand in hand. We can’t develop a project in a certain locality until and unless we engage with the people living over there. Recently, we were working on beach cleaning and reforestation projects; for that, we had to talk to the communities residing in coastal areas. They are the people who will be most affected by climate change so they need to be educated about why sea level is rising, why storms are more frequent now or why they’re not able to find fishes in the ocean. And not just this, we also train people so they could handle undesirable situations on their own.

What do you think the biggest challenges that this department faces?

Lack of funds is definitely a challenge. Scientific research is an expensive endeavour. Since people don’t see immediate benefits of research in their everyday life, they tend to neglect it.

Polarization is also affecting us; personal conflicts should not corrode our institutions.

Do you think UoK is keeping up with the trends?

When I got admission in UoK in 1984, professors used to be the authority. They had command over their subject and were well connected with professionals around the world. But now things are different! When we ask students about their research plans, they just come up with cliched topics. I advise them to think outside the box and select something that’s more relevant in our current times. It’s teachers’ responsibility to teach students to think critically and not just completely depend on the information stated in the books.

And also there is a shift in focus; for example, instead of focusing more on the real thing that is research, the university is more interested in evening programmes!

How would your students describe you?

I can say they would describe me as a teacher who is interactive and engaging.

They would say I don’t bore them with bookish lectures and encouraged them to push their limits.

But yeah, then there are also students who say that my sessions are not exciting.

Would you rather be liked or respected?

People can like you; it’s no big deal! But respect is earned for which a teacher has to be a model for his/her students.

I remember meeting Dr. Rupert (a famous Marine Science professor), everywhere I went around the world. Everyone I got a chance to interact with was his student! Dr. Rupert was present everywhere in the form of his students. I want to be a role model for my students and would surely want to be respected.

About Marine Reference Collection and Resource Centre

MRC&RC was founded in 1967 as an Invertebrate Reference Museum by renowned marine scientist of the country Prof. Dr. Nasima M. Tirmizi (late), who was also founder director of the first Institute of Marine Science in Pakistan. MRC&RC has been providing excellent facilities to the marine science community of Pakistan and regional countries. It supports marine biodiversity research through comprehensive taxonomic data on marine fauna and flora, and is one of the unique research and training facilities in the region with a mission emphasizing taxonomic research, conservation and education.

MRC&RC has a preeminent museum dedicated to inspiring curiosity and learning about the invertebrate fauna through its remarkable collections, exhibits and research.

Several research projects have been accomplished and hundreds of research publications are a credit to the centre including illustrated keys, monographs, books, etc.

Since it’s a research institute, only MPhil and PhD degrees are offered here.