14th International Symposium on Advanced Materials concludes

Islamabad
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said that field of advanced materials holds immense potential for economic development of the country.
He was speaking at concluding ceremony of the 14th International Symposium on Advanced Materials-2015 (ISAM-2015) here at National Centre of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University.
Eminent scientists, engineers and researchers from all over the world presented 308 papers and shared their findings and research in the field of advanced materials. Apart from this, an industrial exhibition has also been arranged in which leading manufactures and vendors participated.
Ahsan Iqbal said that metals and materials that have been important to humanity for millennia still hold the same pivotal position in human development as they enjoyed in the days of early ancestors. “The initial developments were made when man first discovered ‘native metals,’ learnt to extract others from their ores and found ways to fashion them into crude tools, coins, ornaments and weapons,” he said.
He also pointed out that developing sustainable forms of energy production and usage is a challenge to researchers worldwide saying that Pakistan has ample potential sources including hydro-electricity, solar energy and wind energy.
However, he said this important sector also requires support form of advanced materials of a wide variety.
He added that the constant, unhindered and ensured water supply in sufficient quantity for domestic, industrial and agricultural consumption is yet another burning issue. “While mega projects are in consideration to add to agriculture supply and set up water reservoirs, the field offers immense potential for engineers and metallurgists to come up with alternative engineered materials, specifically designed for this purpose,” the minister said.
While addressing at this event, chairman of the symposium, Ejaz Ahmed Mukhtar said that advanced materials are an area that holds immense potential for economic development, especially for developing countries like Pakistan. “Since Pakistan is richly endowed with mineral resources, there is a pressing need to explore this avenue for sustainable economic development,” he said.
He said that Pakistani scientists need to work in close collaboration with the world of materials scientists’ community to find effective solutions to our design and engineering problems. It is with this spirit that we have been organising this symposium for the last more than two decades.
The foreign and local delegates were also invited to share their views about symposium. They showed their satisfaction on the standard of research papers and suggested some proposals for making this forum more effective.
Secretary of the symposium, Dr. Sara Qaisar informed that the prime objective of this symposium was to provide a common platform to eminent material scientists from abroad to discuss in detail, work out plans and exchange ideas with local counterparts in their respective fields. He expressed his gratitude to the participants as well as the organising committee for making the symposium, a success.