ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
SCEE (NICE) students as well as the faculty are very competent in winning the achievements and awards that make their institute proud on national and international levels.
- Signatory to Washington Accord
Pakistan has become the final signatory to Washington Accord on June 21, 2017, and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) was one among the three scientific and research Institutes that were selected and visited by the Washington Accord team. NUST Institute of Civil Engineering (NICE) being an institute of the said University, has the honour to accomplish a major keystone.
- 1st Prize in 3rd Engineering Capstone Expo 2022
The 3rd Engineering Capstone Expo was held in Islamabad in January 2022. The event was organized by the Pakistan Engineering Council. A group of students of SCEE (NICE) comprising, Sikandar Ali Khokhar and Touqeer Ahmed, won the 1st Prize for the best final year Project. A cash award of Rs. 100,000/- was also awarded to them. The students were supervised by Dr. Rao Arslan Khushnood and Dr. Fawad Ahmed Najam. Shows the students with the prize.
- ACI Concrete Solutions Spring 2022
A group of students of entry batch 2018 from NUST Institute of Civil Engineering (NICE) comprising, Sikandar Ali Khokhar and Touqeer Ahmed, secured 2nd Position in “ACI Concrete Solutions Spring 2022” in American Concrete Institute (ACI) concrete convention 2022. The team was supervised by Dr. Rao Arsalan Khushnood and Dr. 137 Fawad Ahmed Najam. The students presented their research related to “Advancements in material and structural designing of bendable concrete for its commercial implementation” and their project was regarded as the second-best project among 80 teams from 53 countries. Figure 5.5 shows the Students participated and won the 2nd prize in ACI concrete Solutions 2022 competitions.
- Prominent participation in 1st International Housing Expo
NUST Institute of Civil Engineering (NICE), NUST participated in 1st International Housing Expo held from 8-10 December 2022 at Jinnah Convention Centre, Islamabad. Notable housing-related innovations from SCEE (NICE) were showcased in the entrance lobby of the convention centre. President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and other representatives from construction industry visited SCEE (NICE) stalls and appreciated the key innovations made by SCEE (NICE) faculty and students for construction industry. The key projects showcased included: Indigenously made 3D concrete printer, Sustainable recycled plastic bricks, Bendable concrete, mimAr studios, BIM-BOQ and many more. Additionally, Dr. Abdul Waheed, Assistant Professor, SCEE (NICE) moderated a panel discussion on Affordable Housing Need: Realities, Options and Actions was also organized on 10 December 2022. Dr. Muhammad Usman, Associate Professor and HoD 138 Structures SCEE (NICE) was a member of the panel. Figure 5.6 shows some of the highlights of the event.
- Winner of FICS at NUST
SCEE (NICE) students of entry batch 2018 Sikandar Ali Khokhar and Touqeer Ahmed along with Maria Irshad Khan from NBS won 3rd Position in “FICS 2022”. The team was supervised by Dr. Rao Arsalan Khushnood and Dr. Fawad Ahmed Najam. The students presented safe and cost-effective solution for earthquake resistant construction with an innovative material called Bendable concrete. Expertise in the complex designing procedure of Bendable concrete were developed during their final year project at SCEE (NICE). Now they are transferring this technology in Pakistan and converting their idea into a sustainable business at NSTP as a ” BENDCRETE ENGINEERING SERVICES” via Hatch 8 pre-incubation program. Figure 5.7 shows a glimpse of the award ceremony.
- Winner at 1 st National Competition on Sustainable Design of Large Span Buildings
A team of SCEE (NICE) students from Entry batch of 2018 secured the 1st position in 1st National Competition on Sustainable Design of Large Span Buildings organized by NED UET Karachi. A total of 30 teams from 12 different universities participated in this competition. The design and simulation results submitted by the NUST team were declared the most cost-effective, resilient, and sustainable under the given environmental excitations including seismic and wind hazards. Figure 7.3 shows the award ceremony at the event.
- SCEE (NICE) Student selected as a member of ACI Committee 544
NUST UG student from SCEE (NICE) batch 2k18 “Sikandar Ali Khokhar” become an associate member of American Concrete Institute’s (ACI) committee 544 (Fiber Reinforced Concrete) on June 20, 2022. ACI 544 is working on developing standards of novel type of construction material termed as Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC).
- Students of SCEE (NICE) developed Pakistan’s 1st 3D Concrete Printer
A group of 4 students, Raja Dilawar Riaz (Group Leader), Usama Majid, Ammar Ali, and Muhammad Faizan, developed “Pakistan’s First 3D Concrete Printer” under the supervision of Dr. Muhammad Usman. Recently, the team participated at the Pakistan Innovation Funding Forum and won a grant of 20 million PKR/- from the Federal Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Pakistan to start working on the largescale concrete printer. They were also awarded a research grant by Bestway Cement Pvt Ltd and Zaraj Group Builders for this technology. Their home department even recognized their project and was awarded as Best Industrial Project Award for UG 2019. They also hold a design patent for this technology and various publications on this topic. Figure 5.9 shows the developed concrete printer.