Daily Times

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Peshawar held a send-off ceremony today to celebrate the departure of 27 students and three faculty members to the US for sharing knowledge with their US counterparts at the Arizona State University (ASU) and finding solutions to Pakistan’s most demanding energy-related challenges.

This is the sixth batch of energy engineering students and faculty members travelling to the United States as part of the USAID-funded US-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E) program. The exchange program students and faculty will spend four-month at ASU where they will conduct research work at state of the art laboratories under the supervision of renowned American professors. The four-month stay at ASU will engage student and faculty in thorough research work in areas such as solar cells, energy conservation, batteries and energy management.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of UET Peshawar Prof. Dr. Iftikhar Hussain said, “This exchange program enables young energy engineers to address and find sustainable solutions to the energy crisis of Pakistan.” He valued the role and determination of United States in advancing higher education in Pakistan and encouraged exchange program engineers to utilize this opportunity to enhance their skills of applied research work.

The exchange program has benefited 61 students and faculty members from UET Peshawar that are presently contributing to the energy sector of Pakistan. The exchange program helps students improve their skills and explore new dimensions of energy management and sustainability while the participating faculty enhance their teaching skills and find opportunities of strengthening academic institutes through academia and industry linkages.

This academic exchange is supported through the USAID’s five-year, $127 million investment in the US-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies Program. The aim of the program is to find innovative and practical solutions to Pakistan’s energy and water related challenges.

Published in Daily Times, July 29^th 2018.