ISLAMABAD - The 14th biennial symposium on advanced materials ‘ISAM-2014’ commenced here on Monday with special focus on the materials technology in the economic development of the country.
Addressing the Inaugural ceremony as the chief guest, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani highlighted the scope of materials technology as unlimited which has led to a significant increase in the range and depth of research and development in the industrially advanced world.
He said: “Science is a key to success in modern day world and the pathway to progress. I think the programme, no wonder, has just been the other name of the successive revolutions in the evaluation of materials. My learned audience knows this fact very well and is, therefore, exploiting its energies to lead us all to the road to prosperity.”
Addressing the ceremony, the symposium chairman, Ejaz Ahmed Mukhtar, emphasised the role of advanced materials, saying: “Materials play a key role in the economic growth and development of any country that is why humanity has always measured its progress in terms of availability of new materials. The scientific breakthrough achieved by the developed countries in the field of super-conductors, ceramic gas turbine engines, magnetic materials and molecular devices bear a strong testimony to this fact”.
He said advanced materials are a demanding field. A proper understanding of the properties of any material is a key to new inventions. Robots, supersonic aircraft and space shuttles are just a few examples of technologies based on the science of materials.
Briefing on previous 13 symposia, of the symposium secretary, Dr Sara Qaisar, said holding symposia on advanced materials was a timely decision taken in 1989.
This biennial event, 14th in its series, has been held during the last 26 years.
He said the theme of these symposia has been to provide a common platform to the participants from abroad and within the country to exchange information, share their ideas, experiences, expertise on the materials that are being used across the globe. This event has become one of the prime international platforms at which materials engineers and scientists keep themselves well informed about recent technologies and new developments.
During the symposium, 23 keynote lectures, 64 oral presentations and 212 posters are to be presented by researchers. In all, 308 papers will be presented by 38 foreign and 178 local researchers.