THE PINNACLE
Issue 3
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The Pinnacle “The Winds of Change”
“Winds FEB-MAR 2012of Change”
PAKISTAN NAVY ENGINEERING COLLEGE - NUST
Message from the Editors Dear PNEC! Carpe’ Diem, a Latin phrase which means “seize the day”. I’d like our readers to look at themselves, look at the people around them and the environment that they are surrounded by. Do you feel like you’ve achieved something today? Took hold of an opportunity? Or simply had a vision? Well, why not? You know that you can! This is what this issue of the Pinnacle is all about. We congratulate all those who took hold of a moment, took a chance and made an effort to achieve. We applaud all those who have contributed to the university and are making efforts to accomplish their goals. Hence, you will also find a feature on Rameez Qasim in this issue. We, at the editorial board, are striving hard to turn this newsletter into a reality. Not just in the virtual world, but in the real world too. So bear with us and try to adjust yourselves to changes for the betterment. We need your support and that is what will make us stronger. So go ahead, make a project, write a story, live your dreams and aspire greatness. Cheers!
All societies DISSOLVED!
is exaggerating) but we are genuinely concerned for the department :)
The World of MUN
There was once a time when there was hardly any society in PNEC. Students lurked in libraries, attended labs and studied. Fortunately, that is not the case anymore. Like it or not, student societies are brewing in PNEC. (We welcome PNEC AIR and the new ASHRAE branch to the club). However, with the formation of the Students Representative Council (SRC) and its clause to dissolve all the societies, the editorial board is worried again. Let’s just hope that the SRC doesn’t overcomplicate things for these societies. We know how tough it is to get an event approved. And now we have another hurdle. Well, good luck to all parties/societies/councils involved.
It is about time that we stop counting our merits (Ok, we’ll still mention the names of Ali Khan, Alamdar Raza and Rida Shazli for winning Best Delegate, Farhan Ali Cheema, Muhammad Saadi Aziz and Azfar Waseem for their Honorary Mention awards and Aqsa Sikandar, for winning Best Position Paper). So we like to brag a lot, but who cares?
IME Under Siege It seems that few of the teachers in the IME faculty have left us or have been ‘forced’ to leave. Ouch! Can this new, yet extremely, developed IME department withstand all these losses? The Postgraduate department, in particular, has lost quite a few of its staff. Let’s just hope that Dean IME has a plan to stop this debacle (well, of course the editorial board
Let’s get back to reality. If PNEC can manage Best Delegates, Honorary Mentions and Best Position Papers all the time, then why has PNEC failed to produce its own MUN?Alamdar, we know that you have great things planned for us. It’s time for an initiation. INTRA PNEC, may be?
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Shell Eco Marathon vs Formula NUST As engineers, we are all supposed to design, construct, build and innovate. But let’s face it. We hardly do this. In these grim circumstances, members of the SHELL ECO MARATHON and FORMULA NUST are working hard to design cars that are fast and efficient. Oh, and the Media attention that the two teams are getting is just praise worthy. However, nothing can be done without money (from the university and otherwise). And that’s where we get worried. In the race to get maximum sponsorship, the editorial board senses a COLD WAR between the two teams. To add a spark to the fire, we witnessed a little tension during a particular presentation which is sure to attract gossip mongers. Our suggestion: Both these teams should join forces (just like how they share a room for their office!) and take out chunks of money out of the administration’s pocket instead of bickering about it! We know they’ll perform brilliantly. Good luck!
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accidently said to He Who Must Not be Named (since we were not given permission to use his name we'll refer to him as that) “Inhe dekhain kaise tehelte hue class main aa rahe hain, ab attend karne ki koi zorurat nahi, aap class se chale jain.” With a rather annoyed look, he confirmed his status as a teacher at PNEC. Before leaving, he added that he can come whenever he wants to! We’re extremely sorry, Sir. But look on the bright side, you do look really young! Hint: He gives you a gazillion CAD drawings to make!
Izzat Ka Sawaal Hai! Having missed out on the first round of the Port Grand’s free entry Facebook poll, NUSTIANS were eagerly waiting for the next opportunity. It was no wonder then, in the second round, we managed to secure the second position. This made us win a free entry on our university cards to Port Grand. Thank you, Port Grand, but we are really not interested! We wanted a victory kyun k ye humaari izzat ka sawaal tha! :)
GP Free Area The Pinnacle brings you a little (or maybe a huge for some people) bad news in this edition. IME is no more a GP-FREE Area! Thanks to IME-II! Beware Guys! Jeans is, now, not even allowed in the IME Department! Recent fines: A particular student was fined for sitting cross legged.
The Teacher Student Dilemma All of us get confused when we see the oldies who study in our engineering classes, but it becomes creepy when our teachers look younger than students! It’s annoying for everyone. Members of the editorial board had the good fortune of attending a class when Ma’am Lubna
By the way, what was up with the boys, Akbar? Was it some sort of an unannounced stand-up comedy/skit?
Unannounced Standup Comedy Members of the Powerboyz were seen in sherwani’s on 23rd February 2012, sometime around noon. Were you guys going to a wedding? We don’t think so because of Akbar’s pink-colored glasses.
Anyways, all readers are requested to be a bit careful since, from now onwards, The Pinnacle’s eye is on everyone and everywhere!
To our dear Administration Dearest Administration, Exactly what were you thinking when this order was passed? "Please make some arrangement of lockers on urgent basis and disallow carrying mobile phone or any such gadget in class rooms. Irrespective of availability of lockers, anyone found in possession of mobile phone or any such gadget during exam, test or quiz will be considered as cheating. And for cheating students there is only one way and that is the main gate from which they will leave for good. VP, Deans and all faculty members are to ensure compliance" So much can be said about this but we will allow our readers to judge this. All that the editorial board can say is, WHY? And thank you for the laughs!
IME-VIII Does It Again! Congratulations to Asad Ahmed Memon, Talib Haider, Shaheryar Atta Khan, Muhammad Saad for making it to the top 5 in the Lipton Talent Hunt competition. The event is based on making a device to
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Here is an overview of the enthralling sports matches that took place at TIP
Naara’s Part: assist in making tea from tea bags. Congratulations are in order. You’ve made us proud!
What NOT To Write in Your CV Mr 4.0 Ali Asad (batch of 2010) needs no introduction. He’s the “chauka of the chaukas”. He was invited recently by IEEE to talk about; oh excuse me, rather thrash and bash our CVs in a session to discuss what not to mention in a CV. Key pointers to note are as follows:
We were amazing at irritating the opponent team’s supporters. With our loud chants of “TERROR TERROR, NUSTIANS TERROR”, we actually caused terror in their hearts. Eventually, an antaakshari of naaras initiated between us and the BIZTEKS (read Biscuits). We, undoubtedly, have loud voices and intellectual brains (since we were actually able to create amazing naaras right at that particular moment).
PhaddaPart: The BISKIT’s goalkeeper humiliated one of our Futsal’s team player, by hitting the ball on his face, during the game. How dare he? All the PNECIANS gathered on the ground to raise their voices AND of course, their hands against him. An immense phadda was expected but our kind Chief Sahab cooled down the matter for all. BISKITS should have been grateful to him as we were in no mood to spare them.
Yet another loss for the throw ball team:
• If you know MS office, please don’t mention it. Unless of course, you want to work as a receptionist.
Unfortunately, the girls’ throw ball team met another defeat. Now, the girls are used to losing. The only one who was disappointed at the loss was the team’s coach, S/Lt Ahsan. The coach, despite his illness (which was obvious since he kept on munching STREPSILS at the match) came to support the team. During the practices, he tried his level best to shape this vaguely talented throw ball team but alas his efforts went in vain.
• Do NOT add a picture unless you want the interviewee to select you on the basis of your looks. Yes Ali Asad, we will file a case of sexual harassment if you select us on the basis of how ‘hot’ we look in our pictures.
Our suggestion to this team: Concentrate on your looks, may be you might actually win this way. Message to Rida from the team: Quit the torturous practice sessions. They’re not worth it. Message to the coach from the team: Cheer up; we know that all the guys at the hostel will torture you for a while.
• Always bold out your GPA. But what if we have a ‘CRAPPY’ GPA? You still want us to mention it?
Announcement regarding the Basket Ball team: “Hum chottay hain, tum baray ho tau kya hua! Humare chottay khilaari tumhare paaun k neechay se nikal jayainge.”
• Write about your projects. But wait we haven’t made any yet! Back to the drawing boards!
TIP’s commentary during the match:
Announcement regarding the Volley Ball team: “TIPs walon ko NUST walon se “tips” lene ki zuroorat hai! Professionalism ho tau NUSTIANS jaisa!”
Scores: Basket Ball - NUST loses to NED
30-25
Volley Ball - NUST loses to SIR SYED 2-0 Throw Ball -NUST loses to AFID
2-1
Futsal - NUST loses to BIZTEK
2-1
Naarabazi - NUST beats All Others 100.37- 7.65 (Only victory which came NUST’s way, but we won’t trade it for any other )
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OPEN HOUSE FALL 2012 Heard the word FYP? Of course, yes! Do you find it intimidating? If yes, then let me tell you that actual FYPs are far more intimidating than this word and you will not agree with my statement until and unless you attend any of the Open Houses of PNEC. Any idea what kind of a house am I talking about? Well, it is the event in which the hardworking final-semester students get an opportunity to demonstrate their Final Year Projects (FYPs) to their juniors, faculty and the invited companies. A lot of interesting projects were once again exhibited on the grounds of PNEC in the Open House of Fall 2012. The former chairman of HEC, Dr. Atta-urRahman was also invited and he was, undoubtedly, impressed to see the amazing engineering projects of brilliant PNECIANS. If you have missed this one, then make sure you attend any of the future ones before it is actually your turn to showcase an FYP.
INVEST SMALL, GET BIG! Invest Small, Get Big! Really? Is that even possible? Of course, it is! MACS, along with IEEE, got this query answered by inviting Ali Abbasi, from Ali Abbasi Securities Ltd., for an interesting guest lecture on this topic. We call it interesting since PNECIANS (both PG and UG students) actually managed to stay awake for the entire session (yes, it is quite an overstatement). Plus TCO didn’t really have to force the freeroaming people, on the campus, into the auditorium like the previous times. Hence, it was a definite success.
BRANDYOU Who says Brand Marketing is not suitable for engineers? We, at PNEC, learnt not to brand products, but we actually branded ourselves. Isn’t this cool? ASME invited the Firefly Theatres for a workshop on Brand You. A lot of excited faces, including the outsiders and PNECIANS, were seen in the Jauhar Auditorium on the day of the workshop. Why outsiders were present, we get it! But where did the enthusiastic PNECIANS came from? ASME, hats off to you!
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AN ENCOUNTER WITH RAMEEZ QASIM Having a brilliant and creative mind, and crazy about robotics and gadgets, RameezQasim, a student of Electronics Engineering, is one unique individual who stands out of the crowd. He is the pride of NUST-PNEC. Our reporter ZohaibShahid catches up with the prodigy and investigates the story behind his love for robots.
ZS: What is the reason behind your inspiration in robotics? RQ: Since childhood, I watched T.V shows of robotic competitions and videos based upon robots and their manufacturing with great interest. I used to observe my cousin who used to study, work and experiment with robots. The zeal for robotics has been instilled in me by the fact that the practical applications of robotics are numerous. Robotics is something which you can observe and study clearly.
ZS: What were the previous and current projects of robotics you are working on? RQ: During my 2nd semester, I worked with a team on a Line Following Robot and participated in the NERC 2009. Although there were no winnings but I learned a lot from my first experience. Then I was selected in the university team which participated in the Robocon ABU in 2010. In the same year, I took part in ‘Rise of the Machines’ (NUSTPNEC), with a 4-legged robot. I had worked on the electronic control of that robot. In 2011, I was selected in the team which was going for ShellEco Marathon 2011. I was the only person on the team from electronics and I worked on the electronic control of our hybrid car. I participated in the Robowars with a team from PNEC. With a class fellow, who was also in the team, I worked on the Wireless Control of the robot which took part in the ‘Robowars’. With another team, we won the 2nd prize with the same robot in ‘Gears of War’ (PAFKIETS in 2011). In another competition at FAST, Karachi in 2011 and ‘RoboNival’ (NUST-EME in 2012), we won the 1st position. Right now, I am working, with Formula NUST, on the Engine Control Unit of our hybrid car.
ZS: How successful, do you think, your workshops on robotics have been? RQ: In the workshop, which I conducted last year, 2 robots were made by students from 3rd semester. In the workshop conducted recently, about 5 to 6 robots are being worked on by students who are in teams which will be participating in NERC this year. I think that the workshops have been more successful than my expectations.
ZS: Any message or guidance for students who are into robotics? RQ: You can start, right from your home, with robotics. There are loads of videos and tutorials on the internet which give you an introduction to robotics and its related projects. Watch and learn from them. Most of the materials which are required for building a robot can be taken from metal scrap and junk so there are no big issues of cost. Take help from your seniors, who are working on projects of robotics and pass the knowledge, which you gain, to your juniors. You can manage your studies properly, with robotics, equally well. Concentrate more on improving your grade in hourly tests and finals.
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One Down, SEVEN MORE to go! Sayed Asim Ahmed, now in Sem II EE, shares his views on the first semester he experienced at NUST-PNEC Ask any painter and he’ll tell you the importance of a good primer coat before the actual painting, likewise is the importance of a good first semester at any college. Anyways, let us not bore ourselves with useless jargon because we’ll all do that in class anyways! How was the first semester? FANTABULOUS is what it was. From the amazing reception all freshmen got (including the “Fresher’s week”), to those intimidating walks to the cafeteria, at a time when every freshie dreaded being ragged! And then there were those who fell prey to GP Shoib’s prying eyes for one reason or the other. All of the muster fines may have seemed harsh at first, but they gradually made sense (all for the better!). First semester is usually always about discovering the new place, familiarizing with the environment; and boy did PNEC not cater for that! From the all too mysterious ‘ShaitanChowk’ (mind you, quite a misleading name it is :) ) to the ever buzzing cafeteria. Most adventurous of all seemed to be taking the ‘shortcut’, up the hill, towards the mess and the basketball court, for the thrill was nothing short of those experienced by mountaineers scaling Mount Everest! (Okay maybe not, but it got the fittest of us gasping for air). Finals provided an opportunity for the ‘theetas’ of the class to formally announce themselves as the new ‘chaukas’, ready to take over the reins from the seniors and already start dreaming of the cash prizes lined up for next year. For those who were slightly less fortunate and felt the aftershocks of the theta-quake, there is the age old adage that they should take comfort from: ‘one may be down, but
there are seven more to go!’
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For sponsorships and contributions please contact macs.infodesk@gmail.com The Pinnacle is a monthly newsletter by the Media Affairs and Communications Society (MACS)
The Team: Patron in chief: Ltd Cdr Dr Akmal Atta Ullah Editor in Chief: Rida Shazli Editors: Aqsa Sikandar, Zohaib Shahid, Faizan Azher Design Illustrations: Sayed Asim Ahmed, Osama Mumtaz Photo credits: Level O8 studios, Ablazed Studios PNEC TIPS: Nabeel Mughal, Moazz Khan
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