Events

Date: 10^th March 2022

Time: 12:00 pm – 14:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time

Background:

Open Science is about global scientific collaboration. This collaboration needs to be conducted under the principles of trust, equity, transparency and responsible research conduct at a global scale. It is an enabler of collaboration without borders.  It involves both human values and technological considerations.

This collaboration is achieved and facilitated by sharing the outputs of research, which should be open and freely accessible. Sharing is performed either directly – by accessing and reusing the outputs, or indirectly – when reuse adapts these outputs to produce knowledge in domains not imagined by those who produced them, maybe decades later. Global collaborators come from many cultures,  speak thousands of languages and live and work under a wide variety of administrative, legal and financial frameworks. In the open science ecosystem, science knows no borders – geographical, temporal nor cultural.

Target Audience:

The webinar is open to students, researchers, young scientists, and academicians from the OIC member states and other countries.

Profile of the Speaker: Detailed profiles are attached.

Prof. Dr. Zabta Khan Shinwari : Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Prof . Dr. Shahbaz Khan: Director and UNESCO Representative to the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea.

Prof. Dr. Claudia Bauzer Medeiros: Institute of Computing, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil and Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), Brazil

Flyer of webinar:  Attached

Register at : https://forms.gle/kqjauapbmsmdvRJW8

Zoom link for participation will be shared selected participants.

Address: COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 
Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Email: Khazima@comstech.org ; maham.yamin@comstech.org ;comstech@comstech.org

Date and Time: 28^th February 2022
15:00pm- 16:00pm Pakistan Standard Time

COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ute Römling, PhD

Professor of Medical Microbial Physiology

Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology

Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

flyer

Speakers Profile: Attached here

Registration:  at https://forms.gle/4LWLDUPUkYqVWn5i7

• Join us in Person (for residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi only)

COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 

• Virtually through Zoom Meeting

Registration outcome will be shared through email, therefore, pl. give your valid email address.

Participants will receive E-certificates.

Contact persons:

Ms. Khazima Muazim                                      Ms. Maham Yamin
Programme Manager                                       programme Officer

COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad     
E-mail: khazima@comstech.org
E-mail: maham.yamin@comstech.org

By Prof. Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal

Chairman of Department of Land and Water Management, Pakistan.

Director ORIC at Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan.

23^RD Febraury, 2022 (03:00 – 04:00 PM PKT)

Abstract: Indus delta, a declared Ramsar wetland, is shrinking and degrading at an alarming rate. Due to natural and anthropogenic activities, the active Indus Delta has shrunk from 13000 sq. km in 1833 A.D. to only about 1000 sq. km in 2018 (92% reduction). Thus, the flora, fauna, estuarine environment and ecosystem, agriculture, deltaic infrastructures, and coastal communities are highly threatened. The common questions which arise in our minds about Delta are: How much shoreline of the Indus delta has been altered, i.e., moved landward or seaward? How much land area has been taken by the sea? What is the impact of surface and subsurface seawater intrusion on soil salinity, mangrove population, and coastal communities? How can we revitalize the Indus delta under available freshwater resources and changing climate scenarios? Thus, looking at the gravity of the problem, the present study was conducted using field and satellite data and geospatial tools to answer the above questions. The long-term coastal erosion and deposition rates were calculated using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS 4.3) software integrated with ArcGIS 10.3. The analysis of results revealed that the net inland shift in the shoreline of the Delta from 1972 to 2018 was about 85092 m. My talk will focus on the degradation of the Indus delta and suggest different measures for its revival.

Target Audience: This webinar is open to academicians, scientists, and general public from all the member OIC states and beyond.

Profile of the Speaker: Prof. Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal is currently working as a Chairman of the Department of Land and Water Management and the Director of ORIC at Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan. He has also served for five years at the U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology Jamshoro. In 2011, he got Endeavour Research Fellowship funded by t h e Australian Government for Postdoctoral Research on ‘Soil Water and Crop Environment’ at CSIRO-ATSIP, Townsville, Australia. Dr. Siyal was also awarded Fulbright Fellowship to conduct Post-Doctoral Research on ‘Subsurface Irrigation Simulations’ at the University of California and the USDA-ARS Salinity Laboratory in Riverside, the USA, during 2007-8. He got his Ph.D. in 2001 from the Cranfield University, the United Kingdom (UK) on ‘Maximising salt leaching efficiency of aggregated clay saline soils’ under the Quaid-e-Azam Merit Scholarship funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan. He earned his Master’s degree in Irrigation & Drainage in 1998 and Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1990 from the Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Sindh, Pakistan.

Dr. Siyal has expertise in Remote Sensing Applications, GIS, Climate Change, Environment, Water Resources Engineering & Management, Irrigation and Drainage, Soil Salinity, Land Reclamation, Wetlands, and CoastalFflood management. He received training on ‘GIS and Remote Sensing Applications for the Water Sector’ from UNESCO-IHE, Delft Netherlands, under Netherlands Fellowship Program (NFP). He also got different trainings in GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring & Management of natural resources from the University of Maryland USA, under Borlaug Fellowship, NASA, and from SUPARCO, Pakistan. He has published more than 60 research articles in International Journals and wrote many articles on water, agriculture, and environment-related issues printed in local and national newspapers. He worked for Irrigation Department under the WSIP project and produced two study reports. He was also a consultant for Sindh Government on “Micro Irrigation Methods”. He has also been a “Flood and Coastal Management” consultant for Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the “Sindh Coastal Resilient Project”.

Poster of webinar:  Attached

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/83Pj7epGHb3VtVvW8

Procedure to join:

Zoom link for participation will be shared with selected participants.

Address: COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 
Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Email: Khazima@comstech.org ; comstech@comstech.org

Hosted by: Professor Ute Römling  Karolinska Institutet and Dr Nick Brown Uppsala University

Date and Time: Monday February 14th 2-4.30 pm CET

Zoom: https://ki-se.zoom.us/j/64540821968

14:00 – Introduction Ute Römling and Nick Brown

14:05 – Status of Research in Pakistan, Prof. Iqbal Choudhary, ICCBS, Karachi University

14:40 – Biological effects of honey bee products, Prof. Hesham El-Seedi, Uppsala University

15:00 – Translational 3D cell culture models, Prof. Volker Lauschke, Karolinska Institutet 

15:20 – Exploitation of natural products to treat diabetes, Prof. Humera Jahan, ICCBS, Karachi University

15:40 – Molecular mechanisms of bone health, Dr. Farasat Zaman, Karolinska Institutet

16:00 – Detection of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, Prof. Zahra Hassan, Aga Khan University, Karachi

16:10 – Antimicrobial resistance in Ethiopia, Dr. Tsegaye Sewunet, Karolinska Institutet

16:20 – Discussion on antimicrobial resistance in low income countries, Discussion leaders: Prof. Christian Giske

  and Prof. Carl-Eric Nord                                                                                                                                                            Dr. Naeem Anwar

Date:- Thursday, August 04, 2022

Venue: COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Organized by SPCAI, PAF-IAST and COMSTECH

For More Details: Click Here

Professor Dr.  Ehmke Pohl

Biophysical Sciences Institute at Durham University

Durham, United Kingdom

Date: February 2nd, 2022

Time:  3:00 PM Pak time

Flyer attached

Our Programme

NTDs (neglected tropical diseases) are a major health and economic burden in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states. The control and elimination of NTDs requires both a scale-up and integration of global mass treatment programmes, along with new tools and technologies to tackle these diseases.  COMSTECH, in collaboration with A Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (known as the NTD Network, https://ntd-network.org/), is launching a virtual lecture series.  for researchers across the Moslem world and beyond.  Our programme draws upon expertise from both networks, and offers opportunities to gain or enhance researcher knowledge, skills and connections, all of which help to grow our shared global capacity to tackle these rapidly growing NTDs. 

• The NTD Network, funded by UKRI’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), is a consortium of academic researchers from South America, Asia, and the UK, seeking new therapeutic solutions to leishmaniasis and Chagas disease
• Both COMSTECH and the NTD Network aim to promote global scientific cooperation and build researcher capacity to find new and better therapeutic solutions for NTDs

This online programme is the first of many COMSTECH-NTD Network joint activities via the COMSTECH platform. 

Target Audience:

This webinar is open to academics, scientists and the general public from all OIC member states.  The content is most relevant to scientists interested in NTDs research, and specialised in Microbiology, Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, and Pathology. 

Speakers Introduction:

Professor Ehmke Pohl graduated in Chemistry (Diplom) at the University of Göttingen, and finished his PhD in 1994 with a thesis on bioactive peptides with Prof. G.M. Sheldrick. He continued his training in protein crystallography as Ernst-Schering Fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. In 1999 he joined the EMBL Outstation in Hamburg as independent scientist and Team leader. In 2004 he took up a post as principal beam line scientist at the Swiss Light Source responsible for the Max-Planck Society/Novartis/Hoffmann La Roche beam line. In 2007, he moved back to academia to take up a position as Reader in a joint appointment by the Departments of Chemistry and Biosciences at Durham University. In 2015 he become Co-Director of the Biophysical Sciences Institute at Durham University where he pursues his interests in combining biophysical and structural methods with structure-based drug design to combat infectious diseases.

Register with us to attend this meeting:
Register at: https://forms.gle/ppVtofLdn4GzvBca7

Contact us for further details:
khazima@comstech.org;  comstech@comstech.org

Prof. Dr. Rana Dajani

Professor of Biology and Biotechnology at Hashemite University, Jordan

Date: 25 January 2022

Time: 3:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time

Abstract

This talk is about the intricate relationship between trauma and resilience from a biological point of view. Theory and practice of conducting research within the humanitarian context of refugees in Jordan will be shared. Outlining a journey of discovery from basic surveys to bio markers and beyond.

Target Audience

The webinar is open to students, researchers, young scientists, and academicians from the OIC member states and other countries.

Profile of the Speaker:

Palestinian-Jordanian molecular biologist, professor of biology and biotechnology at Hashemite University.

Member of the United Nations Women Jordan Advisory Council

Recipient of the Jordan’s Order of Al Hussein for Distinguished Contributions of the Second Class.

Recipient of Library of Congress Literacy Award Best Practices

Recipient of A Stars Impact Award,

Recipient of The Synergos Arab World Social Innovators award 2009

Recipient of A WISE Award

Flyer of webinar:  Attached

Register at : https://forms.gle/wyod85b3TtVmZjRm6

Zoom link for participation will be shared selected participants. Address: COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 
Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Email:Khazima@comstech.org ; maham.yamin@comstech.org ;comstech@comstech.org

Date: February 9-10, 2022

Venue: COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Introduction to the Field of Neuroscience:

Neuroscience is one of the most important components of science which covers structure and functioning of the whole nervous system. The field of neuroscience includes basic scientists, neuro-immunologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrist, neuropsychologists, neuro-radiologists, neuro-rehabilitation, and so forth. There are more than 5 million neuroscientists across the globe, mostly located in developed countries. Furthermore, neurosciences contribute to 10% of all research and 20% of all health sciences research; hence, making it a key area of focus.

Objective:

The OIC region is vast and diverse, comprising of many developing and under-developed countries which are still in need of skills and knowledge in scientific research for the healthcare sector. This international conference of Neuroscience aims to build capacity of health professionals in neurological care, and to promote networking among experts of OIC countries especially the least developed African countries.

Target Audience:

Scientists, researchers, academicians, graduate students, neuroscientists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrist, neuro-psychologists, neuro-radiologists from the OIC countries are encouraged to participate.

Key topics to be covered:

The workshop will cover the following thematic areas:

1. Stroke
2. Epilepsy
3. CNS infections
4. Environment and brain
5. Diagnosis and approach to neurological diseases
6. OIC collaboration for research network

Registration Process:

1. Registration for virtual participation: https://forms.gle/M4neTYtg9wjjtneg8  
2. Read instructions in the application form carefully and submit a properly filled form.
3. Selected candidates will be notified through email; hence, applicants are required to check their emails.

List of Speakers:

The tentative list of speakers will be uploaded shortly.

Technical Focal Person:

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Wasay

Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine

Agha Khan University

Karachi, Pakistan.

Workshop Coordinators:

Muhammad Haris Akram

Program Manager, COMSTECH

Tel: +92-51-9220681-3

Email: haris@comstech.org

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad

Program Officer, COMSTECH

Tel: +92-51-9220681-3

Email: haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org

Date and Time: January 24, 2022, from 14:00-16:30 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Venue: International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Pakistan.

Overview

Low and middle income countries comprise 70% of the global population. Whereas, these countries countribute to 80% of world stroke population with stroke being one of the most important causes of death and disability. Importantly, majority of the OIC countries especially the African region falls in this category. However, stroke outcomes could be improved by awareness, training, research and advocacy. This seminar will discuss strategies on decreasing stroke burden, improving stroke care and outcomes in low and middle income countries.

Target Audience:

This seminar is open to students, researchers, young scientists, neuroscientists, healthcare personel, and academicians from the OIC member states, and other countries.

Registration Process:

1. Registration for Physical Participants: Registration is closed for physical participants.
2. Registration for Virtual Participants: https://forms.gle/7bMYjxoGGBtCnn4C9
3. Read instructions in the application form carefully and submit a properly filled form along with your CV. Foreign participants must submit a scanned copy of passport.
4. Selected candidates will be notified through email; hence, applicants are required to check their emails regularly

Travel & Local Hospitality:

Travel support will be provided to the speakers/resource persons only. Participants are expected to get their travel funding from their parent organizations/country of origin. Please note that no accommodation will be provided at ICCBS for the said event.

Venue:

The seminar will be held at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), (www.iccs.edu), in the business hub of Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan along the beautiful coast of Arabian Sea.

Tentative List of Speakers:

1. Prof. Dr. Mohammad Wasay
   Professor
   Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine
   The Agha Khan University, Pakistan.
   Title of Talk: Burden of stroke in low and middle income countries
2. Prof. Dr. Arshad Majid
   Professor of Neurology
   Sheffield, UK.
   Title of Talk: Antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapies in stroke prevention
3. Prof. Dr. Ashfaq Shuaib
   Professor
   University of Alberta
   Canada.
   Title of Talk: Strategies to promote stroke care in LMIC
4. Dr. Maria Khan
   Rashid Hospital
   Dubai, UAE.
   Title of Talk: Stroke in women

Seminar Coordinators:

1. Muhammad Haris Akram
   Program Manager
   COMSTECH, Islamabad.
   Email: haris@comstech.org
   Phone: +92 51 9220681
2. Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
   Program Officer
   COMSTECH, Islamabad.
   Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
   Phone: +92 51 9220681