June 2010

Workshop on Creating Synergy between BRAC and BRACU

A workshop on "Creating Synergy between BRAC and BRAC University" was held at the BRAC Centre Inn on Tuesday, June 01, 2010. BRAC Founder and Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed was present as Chief guest. 

Professor Dr Ainun Nishat, Vice Chancellor, BRAC University, senior teachers and high officials from BRAC and BRACU participated at the workshop. Professor Dr Golam Samdani Fakir, Pro-VC, BRAC University moderated the workshop. 

1st BRACU Inter-University Youth Festival

With the mesmerizing Fire Spinning Show in the evening, the eventful opening day of "1st BRACU Inter-University Youth Festival" ended with glee. The winners of Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Sangeet and Dance competition were seen celebrating joyfully. Although the second day of the Youth Festival started amid a rainy morning, it could not keep the participants from various universities from gathering in BRAC University campus to exhibit the skills they have honed till this day.

The second day's programs included competitions in Public Speaking, Freehand Sketching, Folk Song and Modern Song. The honorable Judges were- Nurul Kabir, Zasrina Haider and Mabrur Wasi for Public Speaking competition; Hamiduzzaman Khan, Nisar Ahmed and Rokeya Sultana for Freehand Sketching competition; Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, Nadera Begum and Bipul Bhattacharja for Folk Song competition; Fatema-Tuz-Zohra, Shammi Akhtar and Syed Abdul Hadi for Modern Song competition. Face Painting, Mehedi Designing, Game Shows, Food Festival, Film Show and Documentary Festival were also held throughout the day.

The Prize Distribution for all the competitions and the Closing Ceremony of this grand event will be held on 20th June, Sunday.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place holders in every event will get direct entry as participants of Bangladesh in the South Asian Universities Youth Festival (SAUFEST), to be hosted by BRAC University in October-November 2010. The SAUFEST will be participated by students from different Universities from home and abroad. 

BRACU Officials Attended UGC Training

Mr. Abdul Moghni Choudhury, Manager, Procurement and Mr. Md. Arifuzzaman, Assistant Registrar, Program attended a training program on "Procurement Management" held from June 20-25, 2010 at UGC auditorium, Agargaon, Dhaka. This extensive training program was organized by "Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP)", a project of University Grant Commission (UGC) funded by World Bank. A total of 26 participants from 13 universities (2 from each university) were present, among them 24 from
public universities and 2 from private university. BRAC University was the only private university attended the training. Engineer Mohammad Abul Hayat, Senior Procurement Specialist and Md. Alauddin, Procurement Specialist from HEQEP were the key facilitators. Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman, UGC distributed certificates among the participants while Mr. Rukun Uddin, Project Director, HEQEP gave concluding speech. UGC members were also present during the session.

ARC Update

ANGAN LECTURES

Ishita Alam Abonee, a fourth year student of Department of Architecture, spent a semester at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey through Erasmus Mundus mobility with Asia student exchange program in fall 2009. She shared her experience to the students and faculty on 01 June 2010. It was an event of the "Angan student lecture"

Architect Saif Ul Haq is Associate Professor, the College of Architecture, Texas Tech University, USA. He came for a short visit to Dhaka and gave a lecture at ANGAN, the forum for co curricular activities. He discussed the architecture of wide open space. The lecture was held on 08 June 2010. He focused on the point of view and attitudes of different architects about architectural space and form in the context of vast open space. 

On the following week, on 15 June, 2010, Dr. Enamul Haque was the guest speaker in ANGAN. He is the former Director General of the Bangladesh National Museum and was awarded D Lit (Honoris-causa) degree by Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata recently in recognition of his contribution to museology. The topic of his lecture was "An architectural journey through Bangladesh"

STUDY TOUR


Department of Architecture arranged a study tour named 'Expedition to Ancient North' for the students of 4th year 2nd semester, The two days long study visit was compiled with intense observation and identification in the Northern part of Bangladesh. 21 students participated in this event. ARC 327 History of Art & Architecture of Bengal executed on site an assignment, documentation, lectures and preliminary identification process of historical building. The Varind Track that is Pundrabardhan-Bogura, Paharpur-Nawgaon, Rajshahi, Choto Sona Mosque, Darasbari, Shah Niamatullah mosque complex at Shibgonj and Puthia Temple complex were the focal points of the site study tour. 

ARCHITECTURE GRADUATES BECOME FULL MEMBER OF THE IAB

Architecture graduates become full member of the Institute of Architects, Bangladesh. Two graduates of architecture, Shabbir Ahmed and Shoeb-Al-Rahe completed all the requirements to be eligible for full membership of the Institute of Architects, Bangladesh. They are the first two graduates of the Department to attain this status.

BBS Update

Inauguration Ceremony of BIZ TALK

BRAC Business School of BRAC University has introduced a new activity 'BizTalk' on June 1st 2010. The objective is to provide ample opportunities to students to practice spoken English. With this initiative BBS responds to suggestions made by teachers and potential employers. Although BizTalk has been initiated by BBS, students from other departments/institutes/schools are also welcome. BizTalk will be arranged on Tuesdays from 3.30 to 5 PM and be guided by Dr. Ahsan Habib, Assistant Professor, BBS. Students are encouraged to propose topics for discussion. They normally share their main conclusions at the end of each session. BizTalk welcomes speakers from other departments/schools/institutes who want to share their ideas on oral communication. It has plans to invite external experts as well. The motto of the initiative is TALK, TALK and TALK! In English.

The 2010 CIMA Global Business Challenge Case Competition

Two teams from BRAC University made it to the finals of the Bangladesh part of "The 2010 CIMA Global Business Challenge" case competition. BRACU teams competed with teams from various prestigious business schools in Bangladesh. Four teams have been selected for the final round, of which two are from IBA and two are from BRAC University. The finals are scheduled to be held on the 16th of July. The jury will consist of international panel of experts. The winner of the final will compete with winning teams from different parts of the world in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August this year.

BDI Update

PATHWAYS OF WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME, BDI

Presentation of research on "Social Transformation through Cultural Production in the Chittagong Hill Tracts"
Aanmona Priyadarshini gave a presentation titled "Pahari Nari o Media" on June 28, 2010, on findings from a research that investigated media productions by the Chakma community and media viewing in the Hill Tracts and identified policy recommendations that came out from this investigation. The presentation was based on the research "Social Transformation through Cultural Production in the Chittagong Hill Tracts" that was conducted as part of the Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme at BDI.

Participation in "Cultural Crossroads Conference" in Hong Kong
The Pathways of Women's Empowerment Programme at BDI participated in the "Cultural Crossroads Conference" in Hong Kong that took place at Lingnan University from 17-21 June, 2010. A panel on "Women and Popular Culture" was organized by the Pathways Programme to showcase the researches done within the Pathways Consortium. The panel featured the research on women watching television in Bangladesh, highlighted how women are negotiating with modernity, tradition and desire through media and religion in Pakistan and shared the interventions made into the representations of women in popular songs in Ghana. At the panel, Samia Afroz Rahim from BDI presented the paper "Watching Women Watching TV: Lessons from the Field". The conference was organized by the Association for Cultural Studies (ACS) and proved to be a good forum to connect with academics, researchers, practitioners and activists from the Asia-Pacific region. 

Mobilizing Resources workshop in Ghana
The Mobilizing Resources for Women Research being conducted by the Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme and The Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Netherlands organized a synthesis workshop in Ghana from 14 to 16 June 2010 to bring together the research on mobilising by women's organisations and the role of resources in the two countries. Findings form the case studies in the two countries as well as donor interviews in Ghana, Bangladesh and at the global level were discussed and next steps identified both at country level and at international level. A validation workshop will be held in Dhaka in August and an international conference on the research findings will be hosted by KIT Amsterdam in December 2010. 

Pathways Management Meeting and Consortium Advisory Group Meeting
Maheen Sultan, Coordinator of the Pathways Programme in South Asia, attended the Central Advisory Committee meeting and the Management Meeting of the Consortium held in the UK from 17 - 19 June 2010. Research findings were shared and strategies for influencing were mapped out. Future directions of the research programme were also discussed.

Article published on Digital Story-Telling workshop in Rangamati
The Daily Star Weekend magazine featured a write-up titled "Stories from the Hill Tracts" on 11 June, 2010 which describes the Digital Story-Telling Workshop organized by BRAC Development Institute (BDI) in Rangamati during 18-22 April, 2010. BDI has a focus on using innovative tools to conduct research and Digital Story-Telling is one of the tools it has employed. The workshop in the Chittagong Hill Tracts was held by the Pathways of Women's Empowerment Programme to engage participants of the researches taking place in those areas on security perspectives and media production by minority communities.
The article can be read at: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2010/06/02/education.htm 

BDI selected as a research partner by IT for Change
BDI's has been selected for the research grant under the Asia Research Program on 'Gender and Citizenship in the Information Society' administered by the organization IT for Change. BDI's research proposal titled "ICTs, Gender and Inclusive Citizenship: The Bangladesh Case" will be conducted over a period of one year and will look at the gender implications in technological interventions being brought about through three projects: community radio, information services provided through kiosks to rural citizens, and mobile technologies used in health-care systems. 

Qualitative Research ongoing on Empowering Work Research
The Empowering Work team members of the Pathways Programme at BDI went to Kurigram in June to conduct qualitative research on women's work and empowerment. In-depth interviews were taken of 15 women in order to understand the impact of paid work on women's lives. Transcription of a part of the interviews conducted have been completed. The team also spent time developing a bibliography on women's work and empowerment. 

CfL Update

A Presentation on how Logic Mills Help Grow Developing Minds

Shakil Ahmed, a teacher from a Singaporean School of Logic Mills, conducted a workshop with CfL faculty to exhibit how important critical thought and analysis is for growing minds. Logic Mills is an institution working with the Ministry of Education in Singapore, which is aiming at incorporating critical thinking in primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutes as well as in adult learners involved in managerial positions. The participants played board games designed to think critically, construct critical analysis and form effective and reflective feedback. There will be a follow-up workshop on Critical thinking next Semester where more teachers from BRAC University are expected to join. 

Cultural Officer of American Center visits CfL

Ms Joelle Uzarski, Regional English Language Officer, U.S. Embassy - New Delhi and Ms Catherine A Hallock, Secretary, Cultural affairs, US centre, Dhaka met Lady Sarwat Abed, the director of Centre for Languages BRAC University on the 29th of June 2010 at the conference room of the centre. Some senior faculty members of CfL were present in the discussion. They discussed matters of mutual interest and areas of future cooperation between the two friendly institutes. They also shared the understanding about the work CfL does in collaboration with the US centre Dhaka. 

Workshop on Engaging Students in Their Learning

A workshop on engaging students in their learning was conducted by Ms Ripha Begum, a BRAC Porishod Volunteer from UK, on the 24th of June, 2010. The workshop was chiefly for CfL faculty members; but, teachers from other departments of BRACU also attended. The workshop dealt with inspiring, motivating and empowering individuals to unlock their potential. The workshop also discussed some strategies to monitor and evaluate teacher performance and develop good practices within the classroom. It also argued that giving positive feedback was the best tool to motivate students in the class which would help unchain potential of learning in classrooms.

ESS Update

Participation of ESS Faculty in Seminars/Conferences/Workshops

Dr. Shahidur Rahman, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, attended a seminar on 19th of June organized by the CPD at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. It was a Budget-discussion and the Finance Minister responded to the issues pointed out by the lawmakers, economists, businessmen and NGO representatives. 

Dr. Farzana Munshi, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, participated at a dialogue on "State of Bangladesh Economy in FY 2009-10 and analysis of Budget FY2010-11" on June 19, 2010 organized by Centre for Policy Dialogue. She also attended a workshop on "Econometrics of Causal Analysis with Non-experimental Data" (presentar Dr. Shahe Emran, George Washington University) on June 23, 2010 organized by the Institute of Microfinance.

Nirvana Mujtaba, Lecturer, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, participated at a workshop on "National Budget and Accountability" organized by Oikos Dhaka held on June 5, 2010 at BRAC University. The day long workshop concentrated on the national budget making policies, issues and its accountability. 

Seminars/ Presentations

The Department of Economics and Social Sciences organized two seminars on June 21 and 24, 2010 titled "Financial Liberalization, Financial Restraint, and Entrepreneurial Development " and "Microfinance and Poor" respectively, presented by Dr. Shahe Emran, Assistant Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University. 

Publications

Sarah Salahuddin, Lecturer at the Department of Economics and Social Sciences (ESS), has co-authored two papers entitled, "Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health in Selected Northern Districts of Bangladesh - Findings from Baseline Survey 2008" and "Household Cost of Obtaining Maternal and Newborn Care in Rural Bangladesh: Baseline Survey". They have been published as Selected Research Publication of BRAC (2009, Dhaka: BRAC and Ipact, XV, 134p.) and RED Research Monograph Series 43 respectively.

Research Cell Update

As part of the Academic Partnership Program (APP), BICF in collaboration with the IFC, UKAid, and European Union arranged the Inter-University Investment Climate Debate Competition among its five partner universities (AIUB, BRAC U, EWU, IUB and NSU). The competition was held on the June 10, 2010 at La-Vita Ballroom, Hotel Lake Shore and June 12, 2010 at Hotel Westin Ballroom.

The ESS Research Cell in coordination with the BRAC University Debating Club (BUDC) nominated a team for the competition. The debating team members were: Sumaiya Mahabub and Sarah Tabassum from the ESS department and Arghya Dev Biswas from the EEE department. 

The first round was a knockout round, where BRAC U faced AIUB. The next round was round table round where the participants were from AIUB, BRAC U and NSU. Two teams qualified for the final - BRAC U and NSU. The debate team from BRAC University defeated NSU in the finals and became the Champion of the Inter-University Investment Climate Debate Competition. 

ENH Update

Bookshop visit by students of Eng 115

On 5th June, the students of Eng 115 visited a number of bookshops located at New Market and Elephant Road. Among the shops were Friends Book Corner, Prothoma and Pathok Shomabesh. This visit is part of the course which is aimed at orienting the students to the vast world of English literature and the book suppliers. 

Guest lecture in literature courses

On the 15th of June, 2010, Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam was invited to deliver a special lecture for the course ENG217: Shakespeare. His talk centered on the conventions of a revenge tragedy by focusing on Shakespeare's famous play, Hamlet.

On the 21st of June famous Bangladeshi poet, Professor Kaiser Hamidul Haque delivered a special lecture to the students of ENG 355: Survey of American Literature II. He spoke about the American poet Walt Whitman with special emphasis on the poem Song of Myself.

Professor Firdous Azim Presents at an International Conference

The "Crossroads" Conference held every two years by the Association of Cultural Studies took place in Lingnan University, Honk Kong from June 17th to June 21st 2010. Professor Firdous Azim made a "spotlight" presentation in the conference entitled "Institutionalising Cultural Studies in Bangladesh." In the paper she drew on her experiences in designing the "Culture and Media" stream taught at ENH, as well as her experience in researching cultural studies. She also chaired a session entitled "Women and Popular Media." 

Guest lecture in Eng 333

On June 26th, Saturday, Tanim Ahmed, a news editor in BDnews24 came to talk to the students of 'Globalization and Media' and shared his thoughts on 'the economics of globalization' with them. He spoke about the complexities of today's global economy, reflecting upon its power dynamics and politics. The students got a detailed understanding of the World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), Multi-fiber Agreement (MFA) and the Ready-made Garments Industry (RMG) and their interrelations from his lecture. 

IGS Update

The Institute of Governance Studies (IGS), BRAC University in collaboration with Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of the Government of Bangladesh and UK based the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), designed a comprehensive course on procurement for the government officers of Bangladesh. Being part of this program, IGS will be delivering the CIPS programmes in Bangladesh, with the first group of 20 participants in 4 July, 2010. IGS and CIPS in this regard have arranged ToT from 11-19 June at the JATRI venue at Karwan Bazar, Dhaka. This one week extensive training workshop covered five important modules at level-4 diploma on purchasing and supply issues. Initially twenty six participants attended the training program. After a rigorous test and evaluation process twenty trainees have been finally selected for delivering lectures for the CIPS Level four courses in Bangladesh. 

IGS conducted a pilot study in June 2010 on the Local Governance Support Project (LGSP) of LGD, Ministry of LGRD & Cooperatives titled, "Community Awareness and Participation in LGSP". The government implementing 5-year (Jul. 2006 - Jun. 2011) LGSP project in all 4498 unions in phase by funding direct bloc grants to union parishads aiming decentralization of power by ensuring peoples participation. IGS studied the awareness of people about the project, quality, extent of participation, leadership and management, transparency in the process, information disclosure, outcomes, challenges and way forward for the project. During the study, IGS conducted nine FGDs and eight in-depth key informant interviews with UP members and chairmen, cross-section of people, and civil society members in four unions under Naogaon district.

Journalism Training and Research Initiative (JATRI) of IGS organized a roundtable discussion titled 'Role of Women in Local Governance from Media Perspective' on 13 June, 2010 at JATRI conference room. Ajoy Das Gupta, Chief, Editorial Section, The Daily Samakal presented a survey result which was conducted on elected women representatives of 329 upazilas among 481 upazilas of the country. Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs was present at the discussion as the chief guest and Dulal Chandra Biswas, Director General, Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) was present as the special guest. Addressing as the chief guest, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury stressed the importance of women participation in local government. The program was moderated by noted media personality Muhammad Jahangir, and Jamil Ahmed, Head of Program, JATRI, inaugurated the session. Dr. Sanaul Mostofa, Director, BRAC School of Business, Moqbul Ahmed, Director NIMCO, Gazipur and Savar upazila vice-chairman Rina Parveen and Rokeya Haq also spoke at the roundtable. Journalists, academics, researchers, representatives from civil society also took part in the open discussion. 

The Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in South Asia Region (ANSA-SA) based in IGS & the Global Partnership Fund (GPF) organized a workshop on 'Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation for Good Governance and Social Accountability projects' in Jaipur, India from June 1-3, 2010. The workshop was hosted by CUTS International, a partner of ANSA. Around 40 delegates from eight countries participated in the workshop. 

Director of IGS, Barrister Manzoor Hasan, visited Maldives from June 15-16 2010 in order to provide technical assistance to the Maldives government regarding their assessment on the compliance and gap analysis on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). During this period he provided methodological support from the experience of the Institute during such an assessment done by the government of Bangladesh and the Institute of Governance Studies jointly in 2007-2008.

The Director of IGS also visited Katmandu, Nepal on invitation from the Centre for Constitutional Dialogue (CCD) (Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal - SPCBN), UNDP, from 20 to 24 June 2010. The purpose of the visit was to (I) participate as a resource person in a number of workshops organized by CCD (ii) meet with SPCBN staff on the future of CCD and (iii) review certain documents on Nepal's transition towards a federal system of government. The visit was organized in view of developing a longer term relationship between the Institute of Governance Studies and the CCD and identifying possible contributions to the process of transition and implementation of the new constitution and the establishment of a federal state structure.

MNS Update

Seminar

A seminar entitled "AC Magnetic Characterization of Nanocrystalline Ni0.50-xCuxZn0.50Fe2O4 prepared by Combustion Technique" was held on Thursday, 10 June 2010, in the Conference Room (UB 1521) of the MNS Department. The seminar was presented by Muhammad Lutfor Rahman, Teaching Assistant of Physics in the Department of Mathematics & Natural Sciences (MNS). The discussion highlighted the preparation method of soft magnetic materials of nanocrystalline Ni-Cu-Zn ferrites. Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite is used in the development of high quality filters and multi layer chip inductor (MLCI).They have technological applications in radio frequency ranges. The particle sizes of these soft magnetic materials are 22 nanometer to 74 nanometer. The materials have constant initial permeability over a wide range of frequency which can be used in switching devices in the telecommunications field. The presentation was based on the experimental study of Muhammad Lutfor Rahman for his M. Phil. in Physics from the Bangladesh University of Science and Technology (BUET). Faculty members, including the Chairperson, of the MNS Department and some students attended the seminar.

10th Science Council of Asia Conference

The National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) through the auspices of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and along with the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) hosted the 10TH SCIENCE COUNCIL OF ASIA CONFERENCE On 13 - 16 June 2010 at SOFITEL Philippine Plaza, Pasay City. Manila, the Philippines. The theme of the Conference was Meeting the Health Challenges in the Asia Pacific Region: Responding through an Integrated and Multidisciplinary Approach in Science and Technology Professor M Shamsher Ali, President, BAS and Professor Naiyyum Choudhury, participated in the Conference at the invitation of the Science Council of Japan, Tokyo. The Science Council of Japan has been hosting the Asian Conference on Scientific Cooperation (ACSC) in Tokyo since 1993 with the aim of promoting cooperation in scientific research among Asian countries. Leading scientists from Japan, China, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in the Conference and discussed urgent science-related issues common to Asian countries, including population problems, medical care, food, water, energy, and science education. The ACSC completed its mission at its Eighth Meeting held in May 2000, when representatives from the ten countries established a new scientific organization named the Science Council of Asia (SCA). Mongolia joined the SCA as the 11th member country in 2004. The first SCA conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2001. The annual SCA conference is held on a rotational basis so that each member country can actively participate in and contribute to the SCA. The annual conference consists of a General Assembly, a Management Board Meeting, and a Symposium which provides for discussions among scientists, engineers, policymakers and students from Asia. During the Conference, simultaneous scientific sessions were held on Climate Change and Health, Culture and Health, and Technology and Health. World-renowned researchers from across the globe were invited to share their experiences and breakthroughs on the aforesaid topics. In parallel sessions, the eleven member countries continued to discuss on-going projects on water, natural disasters, open data and knowledge environment, and a Special Session on pop culture. Bangladesh will become a Member of the SCA in 2011 during the Annual Conference in Monogolia.

BRACU MS Biotech Students Visit BCSIR

A group of 10 MS biotechnology students of BRAC University visited BCSIR (Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) on June 24, 2010. The team was led by Md. Riajul Hossain, Lecturer in Biotechnology. Dr. Shamima Begum, former Senior Scientific Officer of the industrial Microbiology Section, IFST (Institute of Food Science and Technology) currently working as Assistant Professor of Jagannath University guided the whole team throughout the visit. Dr. Shamima Begum herself demonstrated the production process of various products developed by BCSIR industrial Microbiology Lab, some of which have already been commercialized. The students were provided with a brief description of the production processes of a few products. "The BCSIR worked for about nine years to optimize the production process of soy sauce in terms of aging and nourishing with salt loving microorganisms"-Dr. Shamima Begum told the students. After the Industrial Microbiology Lab, the team was taken to the Food Microbiology Lab-1, which was located just beside the Industrial Microbiology Lab. In this lab, both basic and applied work was being carried out .This included work on probiotics with Lactobacillus as the desired microorganism, various microbiological assessments etc.

Then the students visited the newly established Food Microbiology Lab-2 which is doing food analysis, risk assessment, molecular characterization of various food related agents such as toxins some of which are extremely harmful for our poultry and veterinary industry are regularly analyzed. The lab introduced the culture collection system for the first time in Bangladesh. The students were curious about the Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) Cabinet which was yet to be installed. Biosafety Level-3 Cabinet deals with highly pathogenic microorganisms which are destroyed inside the cabinet after working with that to prevent unwanted release of a threatening microorganism which could be a potential biohazard for the environment. Last but not the least the students visited the Spirulina Lab and the Spirulina Pilot Plant under the Biological Research Division where spirulina is produced commercially by BCSIR. Our visiting team came to know about the history of spirulina production in Bangladesh and the nutrient composition, food value and the various health effects of spirulina in human. Although the very first variety used in the spirulina production was imported from outside but now local varieties of spirulina developed by the BCSIR are used for commercial production. It is reported that 10 gm of spirulina intake per day can treat arsenicosis within 4 months time. With all these information from the spirulina lab and production plant, the BRACU Biotech team ended their BCSIR visit. The visit was planned and organized by Professor Naiyyum Choudhury, Coordinator, Biotechnology Programme in consultation with Chairman, BCSIR and his former student, Dr. Shamima Begum. 

6th Meeting of National Council of Science and Technology

The 6th Meeting of the NCST was held in Dhaka at the Meeting Room of the Prime Minister's office, Tejgaon on 27 June 2010. Hon'ble Prime Minister presided over the Meeting. Professor Naiyyum Choudhury, a member of the ECNCST attended the Meeting at the invitation of the Ministry of Science and ICT, GOB. Professor Choudhury was requested to report on the present status of the National Science and Technology Policy, 2010, Science and Technology Building and Science and Technology Promotion Trust Fund. It may be mentioned that a Committee has been formed by the MOSICT to review the draft NST Policy 2006 with Professor Choudhury as the Convener. The policy document has been updated and distributed to all the ministries and different universities and R&D organizations. Comments from 22 different ministries and other organizations were received up and incorporated in the policy document as far as possible. Professor Choudhury requested the Meeting to circulate the document to all the members of the NCST for comments, and then to hold a day long workshop with selected participants from the universities, research organizations, NGOs, private sectors, policy makers and news media personnel before finalizing the policy document. The NST Policy may be seen at the website of the MOSICT. The recommendations were approved by the Meeting. Regarding the Science and Technology Building, Professor Choudhury informed the Meeting that late Dr. Wazed Miah was the Founder Project Director of this project Professor Choudhury was made the Project Director after retirement of Dr. Wazed Miah. A piece of land was allocated for this project and the MOSICT paid the price of the land to the Ministry of Works. However, the allotment was later cancelled. He requested the Hon'ble Prime Minister to permit the MOSICT to start the project on Science and Technology Building. Hon'ble Prime Minister approved the project and told the MOSICT to go ahead with implementation of the project. Regarding the Science and Technology Promotion Trust Fund, the Meeting approved the proposal of the Ministry to activate the Trust Fund and make it operational through the Board of Trustees formed by the ministry.

RS Update

1st CfL Weekend
On June 12, 2010, the first CfL weekend activities were held. CfL faculties led the co-curricular activities for the students at the Savar Residential Campus. The activities included creative writing, quiz, debate, wall magazine, spelling bee etc. Beside their academic courses students actively took part in these co-curricular activities. In addition to that CfL has also offered Chinese Language course in this semester which is run twice on week days.

Social Learning-Lab Exercises
The second and third phase of Social learning-Lab of the Residential Semester was conducted on June 05 and 19, 2010 respectively. In the second phase 127 and third phase 126 students took part in this unique exercise. The students performed the duties of the TARC officials and staff starting from the Campus Superintendent down to cleaners and laundry persons. The exercise created a good deal of enthusiasm among the students and the exercise was conducted successfully.

Museum Visits

Around 213 Residential Semester students of Bangladesh Studies (DEV101) visited Bangladesh Muktijoddho Jadughar (Liberation War Museum) on June 05 and 19, 2010. Students visited different galleries of the museums and took part in a quiz competition organized by Liberation War Museum. Four students were awarded prizes. The visit was organized by the Brac Development Studies (BDI), which offers the Bangladesh Studies course for all Residential Semester students to acquaint students to the history, society, culture, traditions, archaeology, and art of Bangladesh. House Tutors and Course Instructors of Bangladesh Studies and CfL accompanied the students during the visit.

Village Visit

To make the students familiar with the village life of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Studies (DEV 101) arranged a village visit for 214 students on June 05 & 19, 2010. The students were divided into eight groups and went to different villages named Kakabo, Akran, Kumkumari, Khagan and Shamar near Savar Campus. House Tutors and faculty members of Bangladesh Studies accompanied the students. The students collected information from the villagers. Students also submitted a report to their course teachers on the basis of their visit.

Cultural Program

1st cultural program on the 13th June, 2010 was organized by the brilliant boarders of Residential Semester Students. The program was held at MARKULI HALL. The students performed dance, songs, drama, fashion show, etc. The rest of the students, teachers, staff of RS, and TARC staff were also present as audience and enjoyed the cultural programs.

Midterm Exam
Mid term exam was held at Savar Campus on 28th and 29th 2010. After midterm Savar Campus was closed for three days. 

RS Day

The RS Day of the semester was held at MARKULI HALL on June 24, 2010. Professor Ainun Nishat, Vice Chancellor was the Guest of Honor. Dr Md Golam Samdani Fakir, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Syed M Hashemi, Director, BDI, Faculties, Staff of bracu and brac were also present in the function.In the session the semester secretary received the guest of honor by welcome speech. Before the speech of guest of honor he distributed the VC's and Dean's certificates among the students. After the speech of the guest of honor, Mahfuzul Bari Choudhury, campus superintendent, concluded the session by thanking the guest and others. The Sports Secretary facilitated the session. 

SECS Update

A Visit to BTCL Head Office

A group of 25 ECE students of BRAC University who are enrolled in the course Telecommunication and Switching System (ECE 330), under the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, visited the head office of BTCL (Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd. Moghabazar Telephone Bhaban) on 23rd June, 2010. The team was led by Supriyo Shafkat Ahmed and Md. Shamsul Kaonain, Lecturers of the School of Engineering and Computer Science. The whole team was guided by the officials from BTCL throughout the visit.

The students were exposed to the different types of telephone exchanges BTCL has; mainly the local exchange and the international exchange. Moreover the students got some practical experience about real world problems. The students had a lot of interaction with the BTCL officials and in return they earned a lot of experience about how the telephone calls are actually being made from one phone to the other. The field trip was organized for the sole purpose of relating the subject's theoretical knowledge with the practical knowledge. The students who participated in the tour will have to do a follow up presentations in order to the exchange their ideas and experience.

EEE Seminar on Performance Study of Photovoltaic Solar Panel and it's Application

An internal seminar was held on June 21, 2010 at the seminar room of MNS department. The seminar was focused on "Performance Study of Photovoltaic Solar Panel and its Application", which was presented by Mr. Shariful Islam, MSc student of department of physics, University of Chittagong. He was supervised by Professor Nurul Islam, University of Chittagong and later on sent to BRAC University to be additionally supervised by Dr. AKM Abdul Malek Azad, Associate Professor of Department of EEE. Mr. Sharif had conducted his MSc thesis research with the help of CARG (Control and Applications Research Group) renewable energy project resources.

Seminar on "Role of Electronics in Modern Warfare" by Honorable Registrar

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in collaboration with BRAC University Electrical and Electronic Club (BUEEC) organised a seminar titled, "Role of Electronics in Modern Warfare" on 13th June, 2010 in GDLN Conference room. Mr. Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, Registrar, BRAC University was the keynote speaker. Students and faculty members from different departments, schools were attended in the interesting and informative seminar. 

The speaker focused on the advancement of the weapons with the use of electronics, increasing accuracy of these modern arms, and the declining rate of loss of innocent lives with this development. It was interesting to learn about various jet planes those are used during war in different time, how they are traced by RADAR and how they manage to deceive them. The seminar ended with a very interesting and interactive question answer session.

Activities of Control & Applications Research Group (CARG)

In June, 2010, the CARG project "Automatic Solar Hot Water Heater" had a major progress in its development. The water heater will be used for heating water to a desired temperature automatically using solar power. The system will use electric power only in the unfavorable weather conditions (insufficient sunlight: rainy, foggy days). The heater tank will be heating the water and transfer automatically to reserve tank which is capable of maintaining the desired water temperature for 72 hours. The control system is used for automatic switching from solar to electric power. The heater tank, the reserve tank and the other accessories were installed as per the project plan. A control system had been integrated with the system to make the entire unit automated and currently experimental data are being taken for cost and efficiency analysis and other research purpose. The entire automatic solar hot water heater unit had been installed at the roof-top of BRAC University. 
CARG (http://carg.bracu.ac.bd/) saw the joining of Tanvir Sobhan and Raquib Ahmed as "Research Associate" last month. They have been working with CARG in different projects based on FPGA and renewable energy and later on two papers had been published on reputed conferences. Raquib Ahmed had worked previously with renewable energy resource along with Raied Hasan, the newly joined project engineer, who is in charge of constructing "Automatic Solar Hot Water Heater" project.

Conference Publication

Conference Publications from School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS):

[1].Nahid-Al-Masood1, Mehdi Z. Sadi,Analyzing the Impact of Temperature on Electrical Load. The 4th International Power Engineering and Optimization Conf.PEOCO2010), Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA: 23-24 June 2010

[2] Nazmus Saquib, Md. Sabbir Rahman Sakib, Apurba Saha and Mustafa Hussain, "Free Space Optical Connectivity for Last Mile Solution in Bangladesh", Accepted in ICETC 2010 - The Second International Conference on Education Technology and Computer, Shanghai, China. (June month)

[3] Apurba Saha, Md.Sabbir Rahman Sakib, Nazmus Saquib and Mustafa Hussain,"Planning of an Agro Call Center and Impact on Agricultural Growth", accepted to The 2nd IEEE International Conference on Information management and Engineering (IEEE ICIME 2010).

IEEE BRAC University Student Branch

Seminar on Outcome Based Engineering Education

The IEEE BRAC University Student Branch members attended the seminar on Outcome Based Engineering Education which was arranged on June 28, 2010. With an endeavor to make the emerging Engineers or to-be Engineers conscious about "Outcome Based Engineering Education", IEEE BUET Student Branch developed the concept of a Seminar, conducted by one of the prominent figures in engineering field Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of West Florida. Dr. Rashid is actively involved in teaching, researching, and lecturing in power electronics and has published 16 books and more than 130 technical papers. His books are adopted as textbooks all over the world. Dr. Rashid is a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE, UK) and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE, USA). He was elected as an IEEE Fellow with the citation "Leadership in power electronics education and contributions to the analysis and design methodologies of solid-state power converters." He lectures and conducts workshops on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) and its implementations including assessments. His presentation at BUET identified the desirable academic learning compacts leading to academic learning outcomes. The components of the outcome-based education for achieving the program learning outcomes and also the measurement of the achievement level are described.

Technical Documentary Show on "When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions"

From the Earth to Universe, the engineers have been showing the courage to conquer them all for the last few decades. And it is been long since they first went beyond the Earth. The greatest ever expedition in human history is documented in "When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions." On 23 June, IEEE BRACU Student Branch organized a technical documentary show based on its 1st episode which is "Part 1: Ordinary Superman". It documented the start of the Space Race and the flights of the Mercury program, including John Glenn's historic flight Friendship 7 and the potentially fatal problem with the heatshield that occurred during the second orbit. The documentary also featured interviews from astronauts as well as NASA officials. The motive of the technical show was to clarify the vagueness of the students regarding NASA's mission and also to encourage the interest of various individuals. 

SPH Update

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
MPH PROGRAM

Courses

The MPH course Health Economics & Health Care Financing (MPH 531) was taught by Dr. Prea Gulati, Romana Akhter and Shafiun Nahin Shimul; and Nadia Ishrat Alamgir Senior Research Associate, JPGSPH, was the Teaching Assistant. The course took place froom May 30-June 10, 2010. 

The MPH course Health Systems Mangament (MPH 530) was taught by Dr. Anwar Islam; and Owasim Akram, Research Associate, JPGSPH, was the Teaching Assistant. The course is taking place from June 13-July 8, 2010. 

HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR SERIES

Dr. Khairul Islam the present country representative of WaterAid Bangladesh have presented before the MPH students on the June 9, 2010 as a guest speaker at the Savar BRAC University campus.

Arthur Garson, Jr, the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Virginia and the Robert C. Taylor Professor of Health Science and Public Policy has presented about the GRAND-Aid in Bangladesh. The seminar was held at Savar campus on the June 29, 2010.

CENTRE FOR HEALTH SYSTEMS STUDIES

PAY for Performance (P4P) Approach to increase Utilization of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services in Bangladesh

JPGSPH team has attended the national and district level workshops and provided intellectual support to UNICEF and Population Council. The team has accomplished the facility assessment in three districts (Nilphamary, Gaibandha and Jamalpur). 
Additionally, the team is working on the materials required for 24 teambuilding workshops at three districts during the month of July 2010. As the baseline survey by Population Council is demanding more time than it has been presumed, the schedule for teambuilding workshops has been shifted from June to July. 

CENTRE FOR GENDER, SEXUALITY AND HIV/AIDS

Psychological Debriefing for Researchers
A psychological debriefing session for research assistants and researches was held on June 14, 2010 by by Nuzhat Chowdhury, Research Associate, who is also a trained psychologist. The research teams from GBV and CREA participated in this session.

GFATM PROJECT - 913

Agreement signing with Save the Children Federation Incl. for HIV and AIDS prevention project under Global fun RCC 

An agreement has been signed between Save the Children Federation Incl. and James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), BRAC university consortium for implementation of the project titled "Building and strengthening the technical and institutional capacities of government, NGOs, and implementing partners" under Global fund, RCC (Rolling Continuation Channel). This agreement confirms the continuation of the project from December, 2009 to January, 2012. Subsequently, the JPGSPH has started signing the agreement with its associate partners for implementation of the planned activities. The partners of the consortium are Population Council, NIPSOM, Concerned Women for Family Development (CWFD) and PIACT Bangladesh.
The James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH) provided technical support to PIACT Bangladesh, one of the partners of JPGSPH in establishing District AIDS Committee (DAC). The Program Implementation Specialist and Documentation and Communication Specialist of JPGSPH attended the DAC formation meetings and orientation on TOR of DAC and HIV and AIDS. They provided technical support in facilitating the orientation and clarified the questions raised by the participants including DC, SP and Civil Surgen. A total of five DACs have been established in the month of June/10. With these five, a total of fifteen DACs have been established till June, 2010. The formation of DAC in the district level is initiated for the first time by BRAC University consortium through its partner PIACT Bangladesh under GFATM fund (AIDS). 

ACADEMIC STUDY GROUPS (ASG)

District Investment Case Analysis
Dr. Farah Mahjabeen Ahmed, Senior Lecturer & Coordinator of CEP gave a talk on 'District Investment Case Analysis' (DICA) on June 10, 2010. 

Air Pollution
Asif Kashem, Research Associate, presented a research proposal on indoor air pollution on June 23, 2010. 

FACULTY NEWS

Taufique Joarder, Research Associate from SPH, successfully completed the Diploma Course in International Health and Policy Evaluation from Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands. The course was jointly organized by International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague; Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam and Institute of Health Policy and Management, Rotterdam. He scored highest marks among 20 students participating from different countries. His final project titled 'Community based sustainable nutrition project: Integrating students, women, men, religious leaders and the providers' had been awarded the vitual one million dollar for the best project by the jury.

Nasima Selim, Lecturer II, participated in a Workshop on "Ethical Issues in Bio-Medical Research: Principles and Practices" from June 1-3, 2010. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Richard Cash, Harvard School of Public Health, USA; Dr. Amar Jesani, Coordinator, Centre for Studies in Ethics & Rights (CESR), India; and, Dr. Mala Ramanathan, Additional Professor, AMHSS, SCTIMST, India. Organized by the Training & Education Division, ICDDR, B. 

Tisa Muhaddes, Research & Communication Officer, participated in a Workshop on "Ethical Issues in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research" from June 6-7, 2010. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Richard Cash, Harvard School of Public Health, USA; Dr. Amar Jesani, Coordinator, Centre for Studies in Ethics & Rights (CESR), India; and, Dr. Mala Ramanathan, Additional Professor, AMHSS, SCTIMST, India. Organized by the Training & Education Division, ICDDR, B.

School of Law

Faculty Research Paper Publish

Three faculty members of the School of Law published research papers on the International War Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 and various aspects of war crimes related to the 1971 War of Liberation. The faculty members were Dr. Tureen Afroz, Dr. Saira Rahman Khan and Mr. Bahzad Joarder. Sanjeeb Hossain, a former student of the School of Law also published a research paper with them. The research papers can be found in the book "Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in Bangladesh: Trial under International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973", edited by Dr. Tureen Afroz and published by the 'Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971', on 18 June 2010.

Workshop on Energy Laws and Energy Policies

The School of Law, in Collaboration with the Institute for Governance Studies organised a two-day workshop on 23 and 24 June and a one-day seminar on 30 June on energy laws and energy policies at the Westin, Dhaka. The workshop was inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Ainun Nishat. Papers at the Seminar on 'Synchronising Energy Laws and Policies' were presented by Dr. Tureen Afroz of the School of Law, BRAC University, Dr. Ridwanul Hoq of Dhaka University and Dr. Abdullah Al Farooque of Chittagong University. Mr. K. Shamsuddin Mahmood, Head of Undergraduate Programme gave the welcome note and Dr. Saira Rahman Khan gave the brief overview and expected outcomes of the seminar.

SoL Hosted Lecture on Climate Change

The School of Law hosted a lecture on Climate Change and its Effects in South Pacific Islands, by Associate Professor Jane McAdam, Director of Research, School of Law, Faculty of Law,University of New South Wales, on 16 June.

Students Affairs Update

Workshop on National Budget & Accountability held at BRAC University 

A day long workshop on National Budget & Accountability held on June 05, 2010 at BRAC University. Oikos Dhaka, a student body of BRAC University, organized the workshop supported by PROGOTI and USAID. The objective of this event was to enhance awareness amongst students from various universities on the budget formulation process with emphasis on the role of parliament.

A number of learning sessions have followed up by parallel sessions where participants were asked to express their thoughts and opinions.

Dr. Akbar Ali khan, former advisor of the Bangladesh government, was the guest of honor in this event. Md. Golam Samdani Fakir, Pro-VC, BRACU, Mr. Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, Registrar, BRACU, Professor Dr. Enamul Haque, Economics Department, United International University; Dr. Taibur Rahman, Professor, Department of Development Studies, Dhaka University, were present at the workshop.

Mr. Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury Inaugurated the workshop. The whole workshop had four sessions. First session was taken by Dr. Enamul Haque. He talked about the budget allocation in different sector of the country. Second session was a parallel discussion of four different topics which was conduct by the facilitators, third session was run by Dr. Taibur Rahman, he discussed the role of parliament in the budget making process. 

The concluding session started with presentations of the suggestion of group discussion followed by the speech of guest of honor. Dr. Akbar Ali khan was formally welcomed by Md. Golam Samdani Fakir. Dr. Akbar Aki Khan said that every paisa of the budget should be utilized properly and by that our country can reach to her goal.

EM. Yeeasinur Rahman Tahin, President of oikos Dhaka, gave a vote of thanks at the end of the workshop. The whole workshop was a very much helpful for the students and after attending the workshop they have a much better conception about our national budget and it's implementation in national level. 

BUDC becomes champion at Investment Climate Debate Competition 

BRAC University Debating Club (BUDC) has won the 1st Inter-University Investment Climate Debate Competition that was held from June 10-12, 2010.

The competition was organized by BICF (Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund), in collaboration with the IFC, UKAid, and European Union. American International University, Bangladesh (AIUB), BRAC University (BRACU), East West University (EWU), Independent University Bangladesh (IUB), and North South University (NSU) were participated in the competition. AIUB, BRACU and NSU moved to the semi finals and the final was between NSU and BRACU.

TLC Update

On 10th June, 2010 BRACU Counseling Unit, TLC arranged a workshop on "Orientation on counseling services" at Savar Campus, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm for residential students. All the students (334) of residential Semester were presented at that seminar. A renowned Psychologist Farida Akter and Mahbuba Naznin Sani, lecturer and senior counselor of ESS conducted the workshop. At that workshop Anjuman Ara Eva, Shahenour Akter and Majumdar Arifa Ahmed Counselors of BRAC University were present. The general objective of the workshop was to help the students for better coping with the campus life and making them aware about the counseling support. The workshop was started by candle passing exercise with melodious song 'alo amar alo �' where the candle was the symbol of enlightenment. At the workshop, students were explored the positive changes occurring during the residential semester like, they became independent and more responsible; develop assertiveness and learn how to share with others, finding many good friends, following queue, early riser, more disciplined etc. They also talked about the challenges they are facing during the residential semester. On that part they talk about their loneliness, homesickness, adjustment problem with roommate, etc. A discussion was carrying on how to cope with the challenges or what will be the probable source to cope with the challenges. At the workshop a discussion was going on what is counseling and what is not counseling and when we need to seek professional help.

Shahenour Akter and Mojumdar Arifa Ahmed, Counselors of Counseling unit, TLC, attended at the workshop on 'Personal Development: Habits of High Performing People' on 12th June, 2010. Renowned Psychologist and Consultant of Counseling Unit Farida Akter and Lecturer (Dept. of ESS) and Senior Counselor Mahbuba Naznin Sani were presented there as an observer. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People had written by Stephen R Covey (1989) represent many of the fundamental principles of human effectiveness. Covey defined habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire.

CSO Update

Workshop on Personal Development

A series of workshops have jointly been designed by The Teaching & Learning Centre (TLC) and Career Services Office (CSO) of BRACU based on Stephen R. Covey's article, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

BRACU Officials(Batch-2)

The first was titled Personal Development: Habits of High Performing People which was held on the 12th of June, 2010 for all administration and staff members. The sessions were conducted by Professor Md. Golam Samdani Fakir, Pro-Vice Chancellor, BRACU. The other facilitators were Mr. Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, Registrar, Sabrina Shahidullah, In-Charge, CSO and Ms. Samina Anzum Chowdhury, Jr. Lecturer, TLC. The objective of the workshop was for all participants to be able to rediscover their personality and to define the concepts of habits and effectiveness. The program started with an Introduction session followed by socialization of all the participants. The next session was on how to gain private victory, (ie. being proactive, to begin with the end in mind, to put first things first). Next the code of conduct expected of the staff of BRAC University was discussed by Mr. Ilahi. The next session was on gaining Public Victory: Journey towards Interdependence (which consists of Think win-win, Seek first to Understand than to be Understood and Synergize). The session ended by a reflection on the workshop and finally an evaluation of the workshop.

BRACU Students, House of Volunteers (HOV)

The 2nd part of this series was titled Personal Development: Habits of High Performing Students workshop for House of Volunteers (HOV). It was a daylong workshop organized for BRACU students from the club House of Volunteers (HOV) on June 19, 2010. 26 students participated in the workshop. Professor Md. Golam Samdani Fakir, Pro-Vice Chancellor was the lead facilitator of the workshop. Ms. Sabrina Shahidullah, In-Charge, CSO and Ms. Samina Anzum Chowdhury, Jr. Lecturer, TLC were also part of the facilitation team. The workshop focused on how effectiveness can be practiced by students in their academic life. 

BRACU RS Students

The 3rd workshop was designed for the students of Residential semester, BRACU, in Savar TARC, titled Personal Development: Habits of High Performing Students on 20th June, 2010. While the earlier workshop was planned keeping the administration staffs' needs in mind, this was implemented especially for students growth. The main focus of this workshop was the personal development of students. This workshop was facilitated by Professor. Md. Golam Samdani Fakir Pro-VC, BRAC U; Mahbuba Naznin Sani, Lecturer, Economics Department, Sabrina Shahidullah, In-Charge, Career Service Office, and Samina Anzum Chowdhury, Jr. Lecturer, TLC. There were a total of 360 students and the workshop was divided into a total of eight sessions. Each facilitator took 2 sessions of 1hour and 30 minutes. All these workshops were met with highly positive feedback from the participants. 

Career Seminar by Jobsbd.com 

A career seminar with Jobsbd.com has been organized by the Career Services Office (CSO) on June 09, 2010. The key presenter was Mr. Aslam Parvez, Operation Manager, jobsbd.com. A number of 24 students were participated for this seminar. Mr. Pervez proactively conducted this interesting session by giving many real life examples to the students. He clarified the common questions of interview boards as well as some other topics about grooming necessities for the interview. The seminar concludes with an interactive question and answer session.

Seminar by BRAC EPL 

A seminar with BRAC EPL has been organized by the Career Services Office (CSO) on June 13, 2010. Mr. Aminul Haque, Head of Capital Markets, BRAC EPL was the key speaker of the seminar. Ms. Sabrina Shahidullah, In-charge, Career Services office inaugurate the program with a welcome note and handed over the floor to Mr. Aminul. An insight on the capital markets has been given and explained to the participants. The seminar also covered the career prospects in this field. A number of 15 students participated in the seminar. The seminar ended with an interactive question and answer session.

Job updates, June 2010
1. Md. Hasan Sajib | IDLC | Probationary Officer 
2. Jannatul Marfua | GMG | HR Executive
3. Iftekharul Karim | GTZ | Asst. to Deputy Country Director
4. Rajin Haque | Robi | Executive, Customer Care
5. Samiul Haq Chowdhury | Citycell | Executive, Product Development

Internship Placement Summary Summer 2010 (BBA)
Organization wise Internship Placement List of BBA students (BUS400) 
Sl. | Name | Placed by | Placed Organization Sector
1 Mehjabin Tanjila CSO Aarong FMCG
2 Nasiha Mahazabeen CSO Aarong 
3 Tasnim Hossain CSO Aarong 
4 Md. Robin Miah CSO Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. 
5 Md. Ashfikul Islam CSO BATB 
6 Sayma Ahmed Self Reckitt Benkiser 
7 Kazi Anower Sadat CSO Partex Beverage 
8 Jannatul Marfua CSO GMG Airlines Airline
9 Syeda Maria Hossain Self Biman Bangladesh Airline Limited 
10 MD. SAIFUR RAHMAN Self Grameenphone Telecom
11 Md. Harun-Or-Rashid Self Grameenphone 
12 Asif Faisal Rumy CSO Robi 
13 Md. Salim Sarker CSO Robi 
14 Jannatul Rafia CSO HSBC Bank
15 Lulu Mahzabin Samira CSO HSBC 
16 Nadia Ahmed CSO HSBC 
17 Radiah Noor Ahmed CSO HSBC 
18 Imtiaz Saadruddin Mahmood CSO Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) 
19 Syeda Sirajum Munira CSO Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) 
20 Tauseef Islam CSO Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) 
21 Fatema Ferdoushi CSO Arab Bangladesh Bank Limited. 
22 Sadia Mazid CSO Marcantile Bank Ltd. 
23 Shahjabeen Ahmed Self Marcantile Bank Ltd. 
24 Tusmin Sultana CSO National Bank Limited 
25 Fatema Begum Self One Bank Limited 
26 Shaba Mumtahena CSO BRAC Bank Limited 
27 Farhan Hoq Self Eastern Bank Ltd. 
28 Mariana Mohsin CSO EXIM Bank Limited 
29 Sayda Hoque Self EXIM Bank Limited 
30 Mohammad Nazmul Ahsan Self ICDL Others
31 Mirza Shah Noorie CSO Barger Paints Bangladesh Limited 
32 Mohammad Salman Ahmed Self Barger Paints Bangladesh Limited 
33 Sabrina Nigar Self Premier Cement 
34 Mu. Nazmus Shakib Self Hidelburg Cement 
35 Md. Rifat Hasan Kanak CSO TNT Express 
36 Tamzid Bin Ahamed Self Transcom Electronics Limited 
37 Nasif Md. Adnan Mazumder CSO Ayesha Abed Foundation 

Sector Wise Placement Details
Sector | Number of Students| Placed %
Bank 16 43.2
FMCG 7 18.9
Telecom 4 10.8
Airline 2 5.4
Others 8 21.6
Total 37 100

Placed by Statistics
Placed By | Number | %
CSO 24 65
Self 13 35
Total 37 100

Top Eight Star Employers
SL | Internship Organization | Number of Students
1 HSBC 4
2 Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) 3
3 Aarong 3
4 Grameenphone 2
5 Robi 2
6 Mercantile Bank Limited 2
7 EXIM Bank Limited 2
8 Barger Paints Bangladesh Limited 2