The
Pinnacle The Winds of Change
SHELL ECO MARATHON
Mukkaram Raza talks about his experience in Malaysia
Sept 2012
4th Edition
PNEC OF AN
OPTIMIST
HAMMAD
SHAHID Talks about MACS
Editor’s Note Dear Readers . Welcome to another edition of The Pinnacle. PNEC is going places, literally. From Malaysia to London to all over Pakistan; PNEC has geared up to leave a mark on this planet. The Pinnacle beams with pride as it sees the wonders of our young engineers. As PNEC celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, we are ready for a huge party this semester. Thus, I shall pray that our Admin lets loose and we get a chance to party hard. The Pinnacle witnessed a revolution in the previous semester. Chains were broken. Shackles were battered. An inside news report suggests a particular email that shook PNEC and its Admin. For those who are unaware of this conversation; all we can say is that you have ‘got to fight for your right to party’. For those of you, who have graduated, it seems only yesterday that you joined this university. Most of the graduates have already gotten jobs and are treading up the ladder of success. The rest of us were busy interning during the summers. In the previous semester , we saw students enduring grueling processes to attain internships at organizations such as P&G, Unilever and Engro. Congratulations to those who were selected and our wishes and prayers for the rest. For those who enjoyed this summer, we’d just like to say that it was definitely a wise move! In this edition, we will focus on the remedial solutions that the university has recently adopted. We discuss our tactics to live through the four years at PNEC and how we are able to appreciate the smallest things. To the freshmen, who have just entered PNEC, we would like to bring into notice a few important things that we suggested to the previous batch of freshmen too: Please get accustomed to the ragging. Your seniors are innocent souls who try really hard to ensure their dominance over you. Please do ensure that you grant them that pleasure by politely accepting their silly/unique/bossy/humble requests. Cheers!
2
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
Headlines BARI BARI KHUSHYAAN
T
HE awkward moment when the instructor finds out that his entire class is actually happy and satisfied on scoring a ZERO or marks closer to ZERO. Undoubtedly , ‘Relative Marking’ is a blessing , in disguise , for PNECIANS! One of the Bari Bari Khushyaan! INSTRUCTORS ALWAYS IN A SHOCK! RELATIVE MARKING FOREVER ROCKS! =)
A TRUTH REVEALED
O
n 8th of March’12, a concealed Truth’ 011 was revealed. Any idea what we are actually referring to? Well, it was on this day when Dr. Muhammad Ali KHAN found out that his students were just being too nice and wise by hiding an important fact from him. Sir, we assure you that we would have never called you Dr. MAKHAN (though your initials do make one!) but your amazing lecture slides and PNEC email address could not stop us from doing so. We wonder, exactly when did our admin became this creative? Really!
WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE FOLLOWING? FBoS: Final Barbadi of Students
ASME: Subha Hogayi Mamoo?!
CNS: Barray ABU
ASHRAE: Ash Tray
CSA: Certain Someone with Attitude
IEEE: Revenge of the Scavenger!
SONA: Sona Kitna Sona Hai (literally and yes, it is a song)
EASELS: Dead! (RIP) AVANT GARDE: Wo Bhi Kuch Hai???
MACS: BIG SHOW-OFFS!
S
OUR LOCAL TALENT
ometimes, one cannot help himself or herself from getting awed by the sheer
talent present in PNEC. Yes, we are referring to Syed Muhammad Kumail and Akbar Chaudry. These two are actually this amazing that after watching them perform, you walk away with an aching jaw, an elated mind and a temporary forgetfulness of the institution you study in. You can catch them along with their friends in shows arranged by Firefly Theater. So the next time they are performing, be sure to drop
by and LOL, literally! Akbar Chaudry has graduated and Syed Muhammad Kumail is in his 8th semester doing Mechanical Engineering. The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
3
Headlines FOR THE STUDENTS BY THE STUDENTS
A
PSS has started a very healthy trend of encouraging students to teach other students about softwares they themselves are proficient in. Mr. Faisal Tariq conducted ANSYS Structural Analysis and ANSYS CFD workshops and Mr. Najiullah conducted a SOLIDWORKS workshop. PNEC faculty is undoubtedly under a threat
since there are a lot of cheetahs, geeks and nerds who can replace them soon. Be proud to be a PNECIAN! =p
O
GO MACS! GO GREEN!
UR famous PNEC Jauhar Auditorium turned into a stadium stand on 22nd March’12 when the Asia Cup Final was being screened. Two Bengali fans were also present among the ranks while shawarmas , popcorns , french fries and three 'Chacha Paksitanis' from the 2nd Semester helped the crowd go extracrazy. To the whistle-happy and the bottle-banging audience's great delight , the nail-biting encounter ended in Pakistan's favor , and more wacky celebrations followed. Go MACS! Go Green!
MUNS AND PNECIANS
S
YED Muhammad Ali Zaidi, after shining at Model United Nations Turkey 2011, attended Munster University International Model United Nations 2012, Germany. He was among those fortunate 14 scholars across the world who were actually sponsored by the organizing team. Zaidi, with his diplomacy at its best, became a star delegate. A short report was made on him and aired on German channels and an article (on him) was also published in a German newspaper. Zaidi, we’re so proud!
PNEC GEMS GLOWED AT PROCOM’12 Bilal Gauhar, Suleman Haroon, Abdur Rafay Sheikh and Rehan Iqbal competed against the Final Year Projects, with their joystick-controlled Pneumatic Mechanical Arm, at PROCOM’12. Despite of the tough competition, these IMEians, who were in third semester at the time of participation, secured the third position. PNEC truly produces gems. Good job people!
O 4
PNEC AT STAKE ! ur condolences to PNEC for losing a few important teachers recently. It seems that DHA Suffa University has used its immense powers to trap some of the most competent teachers at PNEC. Their absences will be felt greatly but we wish them all the very best for their future.
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
Headlines REMEDIAL METHODS:
I
t has come to our notice that the Admin has finally realized the true worth of uniforms and Musters. This last semester, we witnessed a new kind of punishment where students were actually forced to wear uniforms and attend the morning musters. No fine can be as gruesome as this one and thus the students had to mend their ways. This method really worked!
Class
Reason
Duration
IME-VI
Bunking Sir Tirmizi’s class
3 days
EL-II
Dress Code infringement + An- 45 days noying a teacher to an extent that she was forced to leave the class
ME-1
Dress Code infringement
14 days Muster+ Uniform till the last day
WELCOMING THE FRESHMEN! Like always, this time of the year brings about a sense of excitement and energy among the seniors! They know that the arrival of a fresh batch of juniors is imminent and with that the opportunity to satiate the burning desire of ragging! This time around though, things are a little different. With the seniors not only wanting to welcome the juniors in the “traditional” way, but also trying to make them feel at home. “Freshmen Friendly PNEC” is the name we’ve heard, They have their very own Facebook page and a website too! (see links below). Many PNECians have contributed articles to their blog and it seems the freshmen will be well informed of life in PNEC. We, at the Pinnacle, endorse of this initiative and wish team Freshmen Friendly all the best!
Freshmen Friendly PNEC: facebook.com/freshiefriendlypnec freshmenfriendlypnec.wordpress.com
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
5
Laugh it Off PNEC’s favorite places and words
shoday Muster Ground
“shashka!” “ “
” “shaitan chowk” ” “Sir”
“depression” “Relative” “GPA” “
Shahal Khan” “Sick Bay ”
Scenario during Schneider Electric’s presentation, in IEEE Career Counselling VI
6
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
Event Report Experience The unforgettable motorsport event! Bilal Gauhar IME V
F
ormula Student (FS) is a competition that challenges university students around the world to invent and create a single-seat racing car. This contest not only develops imagination, but also triggers team work among the students who have to perform their best in a given budget and time. When students participate in such a demanding competition, they experience the real life problems. Facing a great number of hurdles, they have to look and work for the possible solutions. This helps them to implement their bookish knowledge in reality, which is definitely a necessity of our field. The participating teams have to suppose as if a manufacturing firm has given them a task to build a single-seat race car model for autocross or sprint racing. The teams ought to keep in mind that the targeted customers for this product are not experienced racers but both, its performance and price, are their major areas of concern. With the beginning of a new academic year, university students start to work on the structure and design of their cars. The young innovators have to create a design keeping in mind the safety standards but the rules and regulations are not that strict and this encourages creativity. At the end of the year, the students are expected to develop a vehicle using the appropriate materials and ensuring the optimization of the design. The end of this competition takes place annually in July, at Silverstone, where a team of highly renowned judges from different industries get together to analyze and evaluate the performance of these students. The key evaluation criterion is the budget, feasibility of the design and most importantly, the strategies involved in the marketing and management of this project. After being a part of this competition in July 2012, I feel I have gained a lot. Undoubtedly, it was an amazing experience. I was honored to walk the circuits of Silverstone; the home of many great motorsport icons! From meeting Motorsport stars to getting a chance to talk to the representatives of the world’s leading automotive players including Jaguar, Lotus, Range Rover, Mercedes, Nissan, Honda and THE BLOOD HOUND; I have immeasurable experiences. Frankly, we never expected this competition to be of these high standards and demands. Therefore, we lacked in quite a lot of technical areas. You can never get to know the depth of the ocean without actually jumping into it. Despite the humble beginning, our car managed to meet three fourth of the standards. The team didn’t manage a trophy we were highly appreciated for being the first team ever from Pakistan. We tried our very best but we have greater hopes for the 2013’s competition. We’ve realized our flaws and have started working on them already. We know the aspects that are crucial and how the best teams in the world are solving them. In short, we know what to do and so, we see PNEC shining at Formula Student 2013. Inshaa-Allah. The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
7
Features AN ENCOUNTER WITH HAMMAD SHAHID
W
ith a huge towering physique and a heavy voice, he may sound like a villain/hero of a video game or a movie but being really humble and down-to-earth, Hammad Shahid shall always be remembered by many. Having tons of determination, he brought a change in the atmosphere of PNEC by introducing and arranging a number of social events which are not a usual thing at PNEC. Recently, Zohaib Shahid had a little talk with him to know more about this fellow.
ZS: What skills , do you think , you have gained while being at NUST-PNEC? HS: My home away from home, the lighthouse guiding my personal and professional ascent, the apex of knowledge, fun and fond memories- for me, PNEC is all that! The institution, with its distinguished faculty coupled with well-rounded academic and co-curricular atmosphere, not only imparts technical knowledge; it, more importantly, provided numerous platforms that helped me discover and hone my potentials. As President of MACS and NSR Hostel, I developed invaluable leadership skills that are a great asset in my current professional life.
ZS: Recall anyone of the memorable events or times you have had at PNEC? HS: There have been countless fond memories during my stay at PNEC but if I have to pick one event, it will be the first social event, organized by MACS, the “Karaoke Night 2010�, a very challenging and unique experience, not only for me but for the whole team of MACS. An event, of such great magnitude, never happened before in the history of PNEC and being the first event organized by MACS, it is very close to my heart. The effort that was put in by all the individuals turned the event into one of its kind. It really made us feel that such social events can be a part of PNEC. Bands from different universities were invited to perform on the night. Moreover the best part was the local talent that we discovered during a week-long period of auditions that were held all over PNEC, extending from the canteen to NUST boys hostel, and finally the response we got, after the event, was overwhelming and, most importantly, it laid the foundation for future social events held in the campus and established MACS as the leading society of PNEC.
8
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
Features ZS: What inspired you to make MACS and where do you see it in the future? HS: As we all know that there were not many social and extracurricular events that were being held in PNEC prior to MACS. Active society culture, in the campus, was always the need of the hour so MACS was the creative idea of Hamza Shams who came to ask about my opinion. To me, the idea was very exciting and as a senior student, I always felt responsible for providing the best of platforms to the students of PNEC so they could exhibit the enormous amount of talent they have. So Lt Cdr Attaullah, Raheel Saleem, Hamza Shams and Hammad Abid and I formed the structural framework of the society and after tons of meetings and presentations, given to the administration, we were finally able to convince them to form this society. As far as the future of the society is concerned, I strongly feel that MACS is the most progressive, structurally organized and active society of PNEC and the credit surely goes to the hardworking members of the society. Despite a lot of restraints, they continue to provide students of PNEC with unlimited platforms to capitalize and enhance their abilities.
ZS: Any advice for your juniors at PNEC? HS: My message to juniors and most importantly to the freshies is: Start owning PNEC as it is your parent institute. If you will own it and respect it, you will surely have a wonderful time out here and in no time, it will become your “home away from home”. It’s been a year since I graduated and I still cherish the nights spent on Shaitan Chowk and at the Boys Hostel, which were truly the pinnacle of a time spent with friends, which I’m sure, will stay with me for a lifetime. For the direction and discipline I acquired from PNEC, I will always remain indebted, fortunate and grateful.
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
9
Features The Journey to Shell Eco-marathon ASIA 2012
S
hell Eco-marathon is an international event which is held annually in three parts of the globe including Asia, Europe and the Americas. Our brilliant PNECIANS formed up two teams and decided to compete against the Asian countries in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2012. These two teams participated in two different categories; the Gasoline Urban-concept and Prototype. Mukarram Raza, one of the members of the Urban-concept Team, was being interviewed to let our readers know about their experiences, journey and achievements.
Pinnacle: You were a part of the Urban-concept category. How would you define your team? MR: I would say it was a very well-balanced, brisk and quite a fanatical team. People with skills in distinct domains came together to form an equally poised team. Each and every member contributed in the best possible way to steer the team forward and to achieve the set targets.
Pinnacle: Anything that you would like to mention about the Prototype team? MR: No thank you; just kidding J. Diligent, quite determined and exuberant. They had a bit of bad luck run down their way but on the whole, they were simply fantastic.
10
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
Features Pinnacle: We all know that arranging sponsors is a difficult task. What would you say in regards to this specific task? MR: A very difficult task indeed! You put aside the whole project on one side and arranging sponsors on the other, and still one would find the latter task a lot more intricate. It is a remorseful fact that there aren’t many organizations in the corporate world which actually prefer to support such kind of constructive activities. It was a cumbersome task to make them understand what we were up to and even tougher to convince them to sponsor us. Even if someone intended to do so, their first gesture was like “Acha aap hamain pehlay gari bna kar dikhain phir hum kuch sochain gey!” Now, one would ask them “Oh Bhai! Gari kahan se banain jab paise hi nahi hain?” We consider ourselves extremely fortunate since we were able to arrange adequate sponsors at the right time and we made it to the actual event too.
Pinnacle: We know about the teams becoming a ‘star’ in Pakistan. Please highlight your achievements with respect to the media coverage, blogs and magazines. MR: Well, I don’t really see it as an achievement since all the media campaign that was carried out in the due course was an integral part of our communications’ plan. The only aim was to create maximum awareness about Shell Ecomarathon across all over Pakistan. Although, we covered various TV and radio channels, newspapers, blogs and magazines but no such fame or anything like becoming a ‘star’ was desired out of it.
Pinnacle: The event took place in Malaysia, from 4th to 7th of July 2012. How would you describe the event days? MR: It is really hard to narrate the whole event in detail but I’d say that it was very hectic, arduous, yet quite exciting and enjoyable. Waking up as early as 6 am; finishing breakfast by 7 am; catching the first shuttle to the track; attending mandatory briefings at 8 am and then, a continuous grinding till 6pm without any pause, without any rest. I still remember the last two days of the event; we skipped breakfast so that we could reach the track as early as possible and we missed our lunch just to make sure that our vehicle makes to the track. It was truly “work, work and only work.” No doubt Malyasia sounds very pleasing but trust me, all that glitter was not gold :P
Pinnacle: What were the achievements of both the teams at Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2012? MR: Alhamdulillah, there are a few things worth mentioning over here. It was the first time ever when both the vehicles actually managed to clear all the phases of technical and safety inspections, and were given access to the track too. Bolt was the only car to represent Pakistan in the official Flag-off ceremony. Members of Team Urban-concept comprehensively outdid team from India to clinch Shell Fuel Save Quiz Competition. Team Urban-concept was the only team from Pakistan which was shortlisted for all the off-track awards’ nominees that they participated in. Also, it was the runners-up team for the Communications’ Award too. Bolt successfully completed all four laps and was ranked 10th out of the 42 participating vehicles in Gasoline Urban-concept category. Team Prototype was nominated for the Best Team Spirit Award.
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
11
Features Pinnacle: Which moment do you consider as the best one at SEM Asia 2012? MR: Best moment? There are a couple of moments that made us feel extremely good and I would like to mention a few of them over here. The singing of the National Anthem in front of quite a thick gathering at Shell Fuel Save Quiz Competition was indeed a very proud moment for us and arguably the best moment at Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2012. Winning the competition served as an icing on the cake. Later on that day, I still remember, we were enquired about the competition by a Shell representative who wasn’t there at that time. After hearing the stats, her remarks were “Oh my God, you guys thrashed India! Today Pakistan Ruled.”
Pinnacle: What was the worst moment at SEM Asia 2012? MR: Oh, please don’t ask that. It is hard to overlook what happened over there. Team Urban-concept was the top contender for the Communications’ Award. We were comprehensively leading the list; we had our one hand on the trophy. All we had to do was to complete a track run in order to register an official mileage result. Due to various reasons, we got late in completing the task and by mere 3 minutes’ delay, we lost that award along with 1000 USD. We stood on the second place eventually. It’s said “Better late than never” but “Never late is always better”.
Pinnacle: Any message for the future PNEC teams, who would be participating in Shell Eco-marathon? MR: Just play fair. People around here take Shell Eco as “Oho international trip lagay ga, maza aeyga, and blah blah!” They fail to justify the real demands of it. Please don’t do that. This thing is quite more than just an assumed recreational trip. Positive attitude is required to fully comprehend all the attributes of Shell Eco-marathon. And to all the people who think Shell Eco-marathon is fun, trust me you are regretfully mistaken. We are grateful to Mukarram Raza for enlightening us with his and the teams’ experiences. None can deny the efforts of these two teams and all the juniors, now, have an example to follow. We hope to see Shell eco-marathon as a regular activity at PNEC and The Pinnacle’s team wish all the very best to the future teams.
12
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
Features PNEC of an Optimist Hammad Saleem EE II Congratulations to Mr Hammad Saleem for winning the Pinnacle writing competition and giving us a positive and thrilling article on PNEC.
T
houghts rushed through my mind about how the world was going to react. The only line that supported my decision was “It’s my life; I don’t care about the world”. But deep inside, an intrinsic fear of the unknown harassed me throughout 24 hours of Daewoo . I made sure that I had collected some solid reasons, for leaving SEECS and joining “KARACHI wali NUST” or “Navy something” (as I called it then), which I branded as “Family Reasons :P “. I was all ready … ready to face it only and only as an “OPTIMIST”. This was it. I read Pakistan Navy Engineering College after a long walk and smiled convincingly seeing NUST above it. The guards almost succeeded in convincing me that I was actually a terrorist, faking my identity. However, it felt good knowing about such a fool proof security for the students. And then, I entered a carbon-absorbing world. Many things missing though, everything that was there at this eco-friendly place was at its place. It delineated the strict discipline observed at PNEC. That is one thing that continuously hounds the students. Nevertheless, I am sure that we will have to face equally serious behaviors from our bosses. Isn’t it a perfect training? Who cares about having a disciplined life? All we want is fun and that too without cooking it up. Just a ready-made platter of events to fulfill our youthful desires! This attitude would have dragged PNEC to an even lower level. Luckily, there are a bunch of stupid people. I called them ‘stupid’ because that’s what the students who are least interested think they are. However, these are the only people who put in the effort to get something going at PNEC every now and then. But the response that they usually receive is too low to take their efforts to the next level. And to talk about talent at PNEC, it has got some serious brains. In the light of the recent achievements of PNEC students, no one can deny this fact. Also, we seem to now have learnt the art of negotiation with our administration, the result of which is the relaxation on muster and uniform thingy. If everything seems to be almost right, if every other constituent of NUST has equal demerits in quantity, if not the quality, why do we, the PNECians, cry about it all the time? Initially, whenever I used to tell someone that I got myself transferred from SEECS, I heard only one phrase in return, the POGO translation of which is ‘WELL THAT’S FANTASTIC’. But with the passage of time, I realized that the only thing that made the place HELL was the fantasizing approach towards UNI LIFE. Take your fantasizing specs off and wear the realistic ones to make the remaining period of PNEC more like heaven.
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012
13
Photo of the month
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it - Confucius
Team Pinnacle Director Publications: Cdr. Dr. Akmal Atta Ullah Editor-in-chief: Rida Shazli Editor: Aqsa Sikandar Design and Layout: Asim Ahmed Reporters: Sarim Haq , Zohaib Shahid , Ali Qamber Contributions by: Hammad Saleem & Bilal Gauhar Special Thanks: Mukarram Raza & Hammad Shahid Photo Credits: Ablazed Studios & Ali Qamber
Your contributions, originalities and suggestions are more than welcome at macs.infodesk@gmail.com
14
The Pinnacle - Sept 2012