16th biennial ‘International Symposium on Advanced Materials’ starts

ISLAMABAD, Oct 21 (APP):The 16th International Symposium on Advanced Materials (ISAM-2019) started here on Monday, which would provide a common platform to the participants to exchange information, and share ideas, experiences and expertise on the materials being used across the globe.

During the symposium, foreign and local researchers will present 300 papers on the latest technologies, techniques and developments in the engineering sector.

The ISAM-2019, organized by the Pakistan Advance Materials Forum (PAMF), is the biennial event that has become one of the prime international platforms where material engineers and scientists keep themselves up-to-date with recent technologies and new developments, a press release said.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Chairman Jawed Saleem Qureshi termed the scope of materials technology ‘unlimited,’ which achieved a significant increase in the range and depth of research and development in the industrially advanced world.

“The material development today is now much closer to engineering science than in the past,” he said, adding the engineer’s ability to translate that science into application was now approaching the level of atomic and molecular design.

“The availability of new analytical and computational techniques has enabled engineers to take the study of material properties to new heights, and holds tremendous potential for the future.”

The PEC chairman said, “Pakistan is a developing country, and is rich in material resources. We also have some of the best manpower but unfortunately our resources remain untapped and our expertise finds few avenues to flourish because we utterly lack the infrastructure and the sophisticated technology of minerals processing, alloy development, melting and zone refining, fabrication and forming techniques etc.”

Symposium Chairman Tahir Ikram emphasized the role of advanced materials, saying “Advanced materials for the twenty first century need material experts. Developments in the design of advanced materials are required to meet the increasing demands in the fields of aircraft, aerospace, automobile, marine, electronic and allied industries and many other non-engineering areas which include medical and bio-medical fields. These depend on the availability of novel and advanced materials which are having features like responding actively to changes in its environment.”

He said,“Advanced materials effectively fill our progress landscape and are already predicting our future. Pakistan simply cannot afford to stay behind as the progress of industry and infrastructure depends upon the adoption, promotion and invention of new materials. We have to work in close collaboration with the world materials scientists’ community to search for effective solutions to our design and engineering problems.”

Briefing about the previous 15 symposia, Secretary of the Symposium Dr Muneeb Asim said holding the symposia on advanced materials was a timely decision taken in 1989.

He said the 16th in its series so far, the biennial event was being held for the last 30 years.

He said the theme of the symposia had been to provide a common platform to the participants from abroad and within the country to exchange information, and share ideas, experiences and expertise on the materials being used across the globe.