LAHORE: A two-day international conference “Innovative Biological and Public Health Research (IBPHR-2017)” began at the GC University, Lahore, on Wednesday under the auspices of its Zoology Department, Higher Education Commission, Punjab Agriculture and Research Board (PRBA) and Punjab Higher Education Commission. According to a press release, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Syed Raza Ali Gillani chaired the inaugural session. GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah, Dr James D Harwood from Qingdao Agriculture University, China and Dr Muhammad Ashfaq from University of Guelph, Canada, also addressed the event. Dr Tahir Ali, the conference chairman, said that besides eminent zoologists from within the country, the professors from Sri Lanka, Turkey, Canada and UK were also participating in the IBPHR-2017 where 101 research papers were scheduled to be presented in technical sessions. He said that the conference focused the contemporary public health issues. Syed Raza Ali Gillani asked the university students to always aim high in their life, and never hesitate from asking questions. He called upon the students to plan to become entrepreneurs instead of job seekers. He lauded the huge participation of woman speakers and participants in the conference. Prof Hassan Shah said that IBPHR-2017 was the fourth international conference at GCU, Lahore, in the last four weeks. He said that the conferences paved the way for scientific cooperation. He said that the subjects like botany, zoology and environmental sciences had got a special significance in this era where human interventions had threatened the existence of many species of plants, animals and fungi. GCU Faculty of Science and Technology dean Prof Dr Islam Ullah said that the Zoology Department of GCU was the oldest seat of learning and had produced many eminent scientists, including Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed, Prof Dr Naseer-ud-Din and Prof Dr Ramzan Mirza.
