Tag: LUMS

Lahore, May 30, 2022 (PPI-OT):The LUMS community was in for a treat with the latest Leaders at LUMS session held at the University on May 19, 2022. ‘Leaders at LUMS: Pakistan Pavilion Special’ brought together the masterminds behind the award-winning Pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 including Mr. Shahid Abdullah, Principal and founding partner of Arshad Shahid Abdulla (Pvt.) Ltd; Ms. Noorjehan Bilgrami, artist, designer and educationist, as well as the founding member of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture; Mr. Rashid Rana, award-winning artist and Mr. Abdul Razzak Dawood, Pro-Chancellor, LUMS. The session was moderated by Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, and LUMS.

The session kicked off with a video that gave the audience a glimpse of the vision behind the Pakistan Pavilion and what it was like walking through its different exhibits.

With its grand structure and mesmerising interior, the Pakistan Pavilion quickly gained international recognition and crossed the one million visitors mark in just five months. It also received the Silver Award for Best Interior Design and the BURJ CEO Award for the Best Pavilion Exterior Design.

Dr. Ahmad shared his thoughts on the Pakistan Pavilion and said, “I had the privilege of visiting the Pavilion twice and one can understand what an immersive, amazing experience it is for anyone from anywhere in the world, especially if you’re from Pakistan. The Pavilion made it to the top from amongst 192 countries.

That does not happen randomly, that happens by design, and one can see the designers in the panel in front of you.” He then introduced the guests and asked them about some of the challenges they faced during their journey at the Dubai Expo.

“I think the biggest challenge was how one pulls visitors in?” shared Mr. Abdullah. “We could make a beautiful pavilion inside but we know that when we go to an expo you don’t have time to visit more than six to seven pavilions in a whole day. We realised that whoever is coming to the Expo probably has a list of pavilions they would like to visit.

So, no matter how nice a pavilion you make, how on earth are you going to get these people inside Pakistan?” This is where, he explained, they brought Mr. Rana in, who then transformed the external structure into a work of art.

The entire external form was made from 24,000 unique panels; each a different colour, shape and size. Every panel had to fit the intricate pattern precisely to execute the intended look and feel of the structure.

Talking about his motive for joining the Pavilion’s creative team, Mr. Rana said, “I had never worked with the government before but I really wanted to do something to help change the perception of the country.

Art can be an elitist activity, whatever you do, you tend to remain in the confines of galleries and exhibitions. That is why I saw this as a great opportunity from the get-go. We could create something that could send a very different message to the world.”

Once people, attracted by the Pavilion’s exterior, walked in through the doors, curating their experience was a challenge of its own. Ms. Bilgrami knew right from the start how massive this undertaking was. “How do you represent Pakistan and bring its entire essence in a single place?

Where do you start? Everything starting from our history to our geography to our culture is incredibly diverse. How do you put all of it together, package it, in a simple minimalistic way?”

This led to a series of discussions, after which the team agreed on one theme for the Pavilion: ‘Pakistan – A Hidden Treasure’. Ms. Bilgrami explained, “We had eight spaces in the Pavilion for a visitor to walk through. From a visitor’s time of entry to his exit, it all had to be connected.

The experience needed to be seamless. I used music that was unique to each region. I used fragrances, colours, and films; there were so many layers. From a boat being made in Sukkur to craftsmen being called in from Punjab, every item in every part of the Pavilion was made in Pakistan and had a story behind it.”

All the panellists emphasised how the project was driven by the support and passion of countless people. Mr. Dawood elaborated on how all the different stakeholders came together to help execute the project. “It was for the first time, I think, a government and private sector project was executed in time and within budget.

The Prime Minister approved only five million dollars. We had to raise the rest of the money ourselves. I must give full marks to corporate Pakistan because all the major corporations in Pakistan contributed very generously.

That’s what made it happen. It was like a miracle, and everything fell into place. The Expo administrator said you can’t do it [in such a short span of time] but we took the risk. The creative team then did magical work and the Pavilion rose like a phoenix.”

Towards the end of the session, the floor was opened for questions. Many of the audience members appreciated the panellists for their hard work and commitment to representing Pakistan and its hidden treasures on the international stage.

Dr. Parvez Hassan, Member, LUMS Board of Trustees, who was also present in the audience, commented on how selecting the creative team on merit was the reason for the success of the Pavilion. “The lesson out of this whole thing is that if the process is right, the result is good. This is what needs to be highlighted more than anything.”

A common sentiment among the audience and the panellists was that now that the Expo is coming to an end, efforts need to be made to bring the Pavilion in some form or another to Pakistan so that Pakistanis can also visit the exhibits and feel proud of their country’s art, culture and heritage.

For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk

Lahore, July 05, 2021 (PPI-OT):LUMS has won the global Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Platinum Award 2021 in the ‘Best Practices in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ category for its National Outreach Programme (NOP). The CASE Platinum Awards recognise the world-class programmes and practices in educational advancement.

“The power of intentionality rippled through this entry like a rock tossed in still water. This programme’s ability – through disciplined outreach and coordination—to identify talent from all parts of Pakistan is impressive. This entry displayed sustainability and growth, and could be a model for organizations and universities globally, if willing to be intentional and make the financial investment. We appreciated the varied layers of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging expressed in the students served,” noted the CASE Platinum Award Judges.

CASE is a prestigious not-for-profit organisation dedicated to educational advancement with global institutions who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society. LUMS was selected from among nearly 300 entries submitted from across the world for the eight award categories. LUMS represented the Asia-Pacific region in the international round of this competition, as it was selected as a regional finalist earlier this year.

Speaking about this achievement, Founding Pro Chancellor, LUMS, Syed Babar Ali said, “It is a moment of great pride for us and we feel immensely gratified for this recognition. This award belongs to everyone who played a role in refining individual aspects of this programme and shaping a broader path in making quality higher education accessible to more and more students from underserved areas of the country.”

The NOP is LUMS’ signature initiative to make quality education accessible to all and is underpinned by the University’s philosophy of ‘Learning Without Borders’. The programme exemplifies the values of merit, diversity, inclusion, and equity. For the past two decades, LUMS has remained committed to the National Outreach Programme, and has offered full scholarships to one out of 10 students from the most disadvantaged areas of Pakistan. To date, nearly 1,200 students from 136 cities and small towns across Pakistan have been a part of this celebrated initiative.

“Through the NOP, LUMS creates an infinite multiplier through scholars, who become change agents for their families, the broader communities and the country. The impact is transformational at all levels,” said Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arshad Ahmad.

Graduates develop knowledge, skills, and values to go on to graduate schools in top universities worldwide; they raise their own standards of living, and almost all give back to their communities. The broader impact of NOP students on the rest of the student body is equally profound. Programme scholars demonstrate an exceptional work ethic and perseverance, and bring languages and micro-cultures that truly enhance the diverse learning environment at LUMS.

For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk

Lahore, July 05, 2021 (PPI-OT):A workshop on ‘Mathematical Introduction to Reinforcement Learning’ was organised by the Department of Mathematics, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE), from June 9-11, 2021. The speakers at the workshop were Dr. Andreas Daniel Matt, IMAGINARY, Berlin and Dr. Jonathan Shock, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

The workshop was attended by national and international students, researchers and professionals. The work used theory mixed with simulators and interactive applets to introduce Reinforcement Learning (RL) to every participant so they could relate RL to their own context. The discussion and ideas stemmed from various exciting areas of applications such as the use of RL in automating investment portfolios, flight/boat navigation, logistics and transport routing, etc. The event was a first of its kind to open an interactive floor for people to meet and talk about RL, and the future of RL.

Selected participants of the workshop will be working closely with faculty members at the Department of Mathematics at SBASSE. The event has paved a way for mathematicians to work with engineers, programmers, and skilled professionals. The event highlighted the need of incorporating Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Reinforcement Learning into the future activities of Pakistan, especially in the teaching, research, business, and IT sectors.

For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk