February, 2021
Volume V, Issue III
Spring XXI
EMBA students win big at international business competition Samin Mahmud Khan Journalist Sakib Ahmed, Abu Sifat Mahmud, and Md Abrar Ul Hoque of Team Roots are Brac University EMBA students who made their names known by becoming the first runners-up in the 2014 HULT prize (On-campus). Now, they have taken it a step further, by winning the Disrupt to Sustain (D2S) 2020 pitch competition. D2S, hosted by The Bard MBA in sustainability (the world’s leading green MBA program), is a business competition that encourages pragmatic ideas from entrepreneurial rebels, with the objective of solving the globe’s most alarming issues. Team Roots, with its three former BracU undergraduates and EMBA students, continued their past project on early childhood education (ECE) in Bangladesh’s slums and cemented themselves as first place winners in New York on December 13th, winning USD 1500. Their participation in this global event was induced by BracU’s recent engagement with the Open Society Network University (OSUN). The social entrepreneurship practice, co-taught by the German Associate Professor Dr Sebastian Groh in cohesion with other professors from abroad, all helped guide Team Roots through their victorious run. The team’s journey all started when the three friends conducted field visits to lay the foundation of their project. Now, after countless day-long pitching sessions, they stand as victors among the 25 international teams. “Picking the right team member is crucial along with determination when pursuing such competitions,” said Sifat when asked about their success story. Sakib encouraged more BracU students to participate in these competitions as he stated, “We had to participate in a lot of competitions to get our first big break. BracU students are as competitive globally as they are domestically”. Another team, MEDIQ, from BracU also qualified for this competition.
Team Roots
School of Law wins International Competition Khwaja Zohura Zanzabil Journalist The BRAC University moot team won the Champions Trophy at the Second International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition 2020. The virtual contest took place from December 18th to December 19th and was organised by the Network for International Law Students (NILS) Bangladesh and the Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice, Liberation War Museum. With judges and 29 teams from both Bangladesh and abroad participating in the competition, the event was inaugurated by Mr. Justice Iman Ali, Honourable Justice of Appellate Division, with Madame Justice Naima Haider attending as the chief guest in the closing ceremony. The Brac University moot team consisted of Sanjida Haider Suha (Senior, SOL), Islam Ahmmed Chisty (Senior, SOL), and Sadat Uddin Ahmed (Senior, SOL), with Assistant Professor Md Mostafa Hosain as the team’s coach and guide. Out of the 29 participating teams, Brac University made it to the penultimate round alongside North South University (NSU). In the final round, the BRAC University team earned high scores from all three judges and defeated the NSU team to become the victors of the competition, with Sadat Uddin Ahmad being awarded as the third best researcher.
OSUN courses for Brac University Imrul Chowdhury Journalist Open Society University Network (OSUN) is an international network of academic institutions that combines both learning and development of knowledge, concentrating in social sciences, humanities, sciences, and arts. The expansion of this network is for both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across countries all over the globe. Courses range from different topics like Law and Human Rights, Anthropology, Literature, History, Environmental Studies, Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. Central European University’s Summer University has recently started taking applications from OSUN students, faculty, staff, and community partners for its 2021 online summer courses. These courses will be offered online during the month of June and July, and are going to be conducted by international teams of scholars and practitioners. Several courses are developed and will be jointly taught as OSUN partnerships globally, and contribute to current on-going initiatives and affiliations as well. It is to be mentioned that these online courses are tuition-free for institutions that are OSUN partners and affiliates. Brac University joined OSUN as an inaugural member, since BracU’s vision to be the international University of Bangladesh connects with the idea of OSUN to build global academic partnerships. Recently, BracU offered its students to take OSUN courses as this will work as a supplement to university learning. These OSUN transcripts and certification will to the academic profile of the participating students; it will be showing that they have engaged in systematic study through an international university network.
From Left to Right: Jonathan Becker, Leon Bostein, Vincent Chang
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CAMPUS NEWS
Engineering Helping Lives
BRIEFS Webinar on Addiction Awareness
Mushfique Ahmed
Deera Mahasin Journalist
BRAC University Counselling Unit organised a webinar titled, “Glimpses of Self Discovery- Awareness on Addictive Behaviors” on February 6th. This webinar focused on the various addictive changes that affect our mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as screen time, relationships, drugs etc. Additionally, it aimed to increase awareness about addiction to safeguard our future. Eminent psychotherapist and the advisor of BracU’s counselling unit, Professor Mehtab Khanam, participated as the keynote speaker.
Professor VincentChang meets the Education Minister
Adiba Jahan Payel The vice-chancellor of Brac University, Professor Vincent Chang had recently visited the honourable Education Minister of Bangladesh, Dr. Dipu Moni. While appreciating BracU’s initiatives amidst the pandemic, she also shared the themes of the 2018-2030 strategic plan for higher education and highlighted the university collaborations. Professor Chang additionally shared our educational activities and provided insights about the development of the new campus. Among several other aspects, educational transformation with a blend of online learning and technological revolutions was discussed as well. BracU’s registrar Dr. Dave Dowland was also a part of this meeting.
Brac University invests Tk 37.9 crore in research
Congratulatory poster for the IEEE 2nd Cansat competition
The National CanSat Competition and Satellite Expedition Contest were two of the most prestigious events organised in 2020 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS). The IEEE AESS is a society (of the IEEE) that engages youthful students, learners and professional researchers to widen their profundity of information in the field of Aerospace and Large Scale Integrated Electronic & Embedded System Design. The two contests began
on November 5th and were coordinated in a joint effort with the Laboratory of Space System Engineering and Technology (LaSSET) and in partnership with UNICEF Bangladesh and UNICEF Global. The National CanSat Competition 2020 challenged the participants to showcase their abilities in making a 3D prototype of small-scale satellites generally known as CanSat. A total of 16 groups took part in the competition from all over the nation. The
honourable judges for this competition were Raihana Shams Islam Antara and Md Mojammel Haque Shourobh. Right before the competition, an important workshop was additionally coordinated by IEEE BRACU AESS SBC to aid the members in the concept of CanSat. The workshop was conducted by Abdulla Hil Kafi and Raihana Shams Islam Antara, both of whom were the pioneer of the Brac Onnesha-nanosatellite group. The winning team was “Team MiscMation”, who were rewarded with trophies and certificates. The Satellite Expedition Contest 2020, on the other hand, motivated undergraduate students to evolve with nano-satellite mission ideas along with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It urged participants to use their knowledge of engineering to address the social or community issues and aid in the betterment of people’s lives. A total of 10 groups from all over the nation took part in the contest. The winning team was “Team UlyssesSAT2”, and they received a monetary reward along with trophies and certificates. The two contests, lasting for almost two months, finally concluded on January 21st with celebrative announcement of the prize winners.
Workshop on legislative research by School of Law Fariea Sultana Journalist
Adeeba Noor Alam Academic research, despite being an undeniably important aspect of education remains grossly underfunded in most of the institutions across Bangladesh. However, in 2019, Brac University sauntered to the top of the list of all private and public universities with the highest research budget. According to the University Grants Commission, BracU spent 9.25% of their total expenditure on research, and produced 179 publications. The vice-chancellor of BracU, Professor Vincent Chang has aimed to “foster knowledge creation, uphold human values and promote sustainable development”, and conduct research activities focused on public health, environmental conservation and humanitarian efforts.
On December 12th, Brac University’s School of Law mutually organised a workshop titled, “Legislative research People’s Republic of Bangladesh” in collaboration with the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, at BCDM, Savar. The day-long event was inaugurated with a welcome speech by the chairperson of the event, Dr. Mohammad Mohiuddin, Project Director of Legislative Research and Reform Project. Md. Mostafa Hosain, Legal Expert of Package-III and Assistant Professor of School of Law at BracU, presented their report at the event. The workshop was conducted in two sessions, moderated by K.
M. Shazzad Mohashin, Associate Professor, Department of Law and Justice of Jahangirnagar University and Mr. Fowzul Azim, Chief Research Officer (Senior District and Sessions Judge), Law Commission of Bangladesh. A group of the delegation accompanied by Joint Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries from the legislative and drafting division also participated in the sessions. All the stakeholders shared their views and concerns about bringing changes in the laws. Stakeholders from various organisations, NGOs, corporations, legal practitioners, academicians, researchers, and representatives from other forums participated in the event as well. The event was anchored by Barrister Sazeeda Johora Thakur, Lecturer, School of Law, BracU. Professor K.
Legislative Research: Workshop by BRACU SoL Source: Daily Star
Shamsuddin Mahmood, the team leader of package-III and esteemed Dean of BracU’s School of Law, offered the statement of gratitude towards resource persons of the legislative and parliamentary affairs division of the Law Ministry along with all the participants.
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OPINIONS & ACADEMICS
Public Speaking Competition- A Platform Encouraging Talent
Nusrat Kamrul Zarin Journalist
Winners of BUCLC Public Speaking Competition- Taraji Sheikh, Aurchi Komolika and Shaikat Majumder.
From December 9th to December 14th, BRAC University Communication and Language Club (BUCLC) hosted the “Public Speaking Competition”. Open for all Brac University students, this speaking competition is the signature event of the BUCLC. This year it was different as the competition was held online for the first time. The event consisted of two rounds: in the first round the participants were given a specific topic and asked to make a small video presentation of around three minutes. Following this, on December 13th , a shortlist was announced based on the presentation videos submitted by the participants. The second and final round then took place on 14th December, where qualified participants appeared on the Virtual Final and presented their ideas. Based on their final presentations, the top three speakers were selected by the judges. All the participants were provided with participation certificates and winners received monetary rewards. Even with the ongoing situation, many students showed enthusiasm and took part in the competition. This goes to show how the competition successfully created a platform for the students who want to express their ideas verbally. Not only that, but it also helped students overcome their fear of public speaking and served as their creative outlet.
New year, New GenEd Courses Priyong Sabastini Journalist For those studying under Brac University’s curriculum, the General Education (GenEd) courses have been foundational to their learning. These courses have always encompassed a balanced mix from all facets of academia: be it humanities, natural sciences, physical sciences or even social sciences. GenEd seeks to provide its students with a holistic education. In her message to the BracU students, Professor Dr. Samia Huq, the Dean of General Education, states, “GenEd courses not only help develop us for our major-specific courses, but they help nurture and produce honourable, analytical and industrious individuals.” As BracU continues to improve upon itself whilst climbing the global higher education ladder, it has started to introduce new GenEd courses as of this Spring semester. The courses being introduced come under a completely new stream for GenEd called “Communities, Seeking Transformation”. This stream brings with it a total of five new courses, which are as follows: For the Love of Food (CST301), The Pursuit of Wellbeing (CST302), Law for Life, Peace and Justice (CST303), Demystifying Documentaries: Truth, Ethics and Storytelling in Non-Fiction Filmmaking (CST304) and Inhabiting and Building our World (CST305). In addition to the existing GenEd courses, the aforementioned courses are aimed towards further expanding the student’s breadth of knowledge, as they magnify aspects of life beyond the typical parameter of traditional academia. As of the Spring 2021 semester, CST303 and CST304 are currently underway, with the remaining courses to be offered soon in the coming semesters.
Online Advising and Pre-advising: A New Normal Farheen Chowdhury Journalist Since Summer 2020, a new era of online advising has emerged. The advising process has been made completely online due to the pandemic, thus reducing the hassle of waiting in long queues. Now, with the mailboxes of teachers being flooded with queries and requests, students are taking turns to rush through virtual mazes of advising slots. There have been quite a few changes that resulted from this shift in systems. Instead of running to and from different floors and buildings in the BracU campus, students are now doing their advising sitting at the comfort of their own homes, scrolling through the list of available courses and choosing desired ones. Undoubtedly, interaction between the advisors and students are limited in certain aspects due to the procedure being completely online, but it has been just as, if not more, responsive and effective during the online sessions. Though, as the saying goes – the more things change, the more they stay the same. As the advising process has gotten more focused and streamlined during its online tenure, the grief of students for not getting their desired courses is, for instance, still the same. Though there was a certain charm to waiting in line with fellow students during advising sessions and talking (venting) about one’s circumstances, what is not missed is the rather tedious process of having to go through the waiting to begin with. As freshers and continuing students start adapting to this new procedure, one cannot but help but wonder if this just one of the many things we will be adding to the “new” normal. Only time will tell.
Is online advising the new normal? Photo Credit: Malihah Maqsud
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February, 2021
SPECIAL FEATURE
February, 2021
SPECIAL FEATURE
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OFF CAMPUS
Student and Lecturer of BRAC University win Iranian Geometry Olympiad Fardin Alam Journalist A student and a lecturer of Brac University have won Silver and Bronze awards respectively at the Bangladesh round of the 7th Iranian Geometry Olympiad (IGO). The Olympiad was held on October 30th at Brac University - with the help of the BRAC University Computer Club (BUCC), faculty members of the School of Data and Sciences of BracU and representatives of Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad - under strict health and safety regulations. The awardees were Ryan Jamil (Freshman, MNS) who is also a Sir Abed Scholar of BracU, and Mirza MD Tanjim Shorif Mugdho, a lecturer at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of BracU. The Olympiad consisted of five geometric questions under four categories that carried eight points each. Although the questions were designed to test knowledge about geometry, participants were free to be as creative as possible to solve the assigned problems using methods of their choosing.
Iranian Geometry Olympiad
Iranian Geometry Olympiad Logo
The results of top scorers in each category were later sent to Iran for final evaluation after being assessed by local examiners. The event was categorised into four different segments namely the Elementary (Class 7-8), Intermediate (class 9-10), Advanced (Class 11-12) and the Free Level category (undergraduate and postgraduate). Winners in each category received prizes divided into three components of Gold, Silver and Bronze. The student and faculty member winners’ of BracU both received their respective
awards under the Free Level category. Beginning their journey in Iran in 2014, IGO initiated to expand the competition worldwide by allowing international participation the following year. In spite of ongoing pandemic, IGO successfully organised the competition online to include several countries where safety procedures would be difficult to arrange. They aim to arrange more competitions like these to encourage people to be more enthusiastic about geometry and logical thinking.
Spearheading a more inclusive era Priyong Sabastini Journalist Brac James P Grant School of Public Health ( JPGSPH) has commenced this year having made history. Despite their extensive admission process, transgender women, Ho Chi Minh Islam and Tashnuva Anan Shishir have passed each criterion and received scholarships for the Master for Public Health (MPH) programme. Prior to her enrolment, Ho Chi Minh was a practising nurse at Square Hospital. As of yet, no specific healthcare service exists for transgender women, even though they require specialised treatment. Ho Chi Minh hopes to use the skills she acquires to cater to said needs of members of her community. Tashnuva Anan meanwhile is
a performer and an activist for the transgender community. She feels that due to prejudice, those in her community are hindered from attaining sufficient education, herself included. In attending classes at JPGSPH, she says that she is slowly gaining a wider perspective. She wishes to utilise her education and work for her community to address the social issues that continually persist. The JPGSPH has always aimed towards creating innovative public health leaders, and Ho Chi Minh and Tashnuva are a testament to this. Their admission sparks a new era of a more diverse and inclusive education within BracU’s ecosystem.
Ho Chi Minh Islam (left) and Tashnuva Anan Shishir (Right)
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SPORTS NEWS
Life Without Sports at BRACU Aryan Rahman Sports Editor
Halima Hasin Mohaimenul Solaiman Nicholas Journalists Sports is one of the many parts of our lives that have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At BRAC University, sports have consistently played an integral part to the overall experience for a student. Its competitive aspect aside, these activities have been a proponent of friendship, laughter and countless memorable experiences at the Residential Campus (RS) and also at the Indoor Games Room at Mohakhali. In this piece, we take a moment to reminisce about Sports at BRACU and what its absence means for certain individuals who find it difficult to separate themselves from it. Football “One of the major reasons for joining BracU (for me) was to play football but due to the pandemic, the Football Club of BRAC University (BUFC) is not able to arrange any of its yearly events. I miss playing sports on campus a lot and I miss playing with my friends, juniors and seniors,” states Taufique Md. Noor ( Junior, ESS). Taufique’s sentiments were echoed by many others who felt similarly distraught at missing out on their favorite activity. Fahim Muhammad Bakhtiar ( Junior, CSE) has also expressed his dissatisfaction of not being able to wear the badge of BracU during tournaments. He claims that football is a sport at BRAC University that brings together students from all batches and creates a great environment for bonding. Now, not only is that opportunity being missed out on, but a lot of old members are also leaving the club as they are on the verge of graduating. As bleak as it may seem though, Fahim still cannot help but have high hopes for the future BUFC. Change is never predominantly a bad thing after all.
Basketball We can see the same longing for basketball from BracU students as well. Muhammad Tahsin Amin (Senior, CSE) says “Basketball is a labor of love. Playing with my teammates is something that has become a habit during my university life.” Most students get their first taste of basketball from RS but cannot continue because of the lack of a basketball court. Still, the students have managed to build a team and participate in inter-university tournaments. Tahsin also expressed his sorrow of not being able to be a part of what he believes is the most cherished part of his BracU experience. Cricket Students who play cricket are similarly feeling the gloom of university closure. “I may forget many things from my university life but I will not forget the part of cricket at Brac University at any moment because it is close to my heart” said Safayet Ahmed (Senior, BBS). Even amidst challenges, the BracU Cricket team persevered. For Safayet, representing BracU was a matter of pride and not a moment passed playing cricket that did not give him enjoyment. He also says that in these trying times it is important to be safe with family so that everyone can come together again in the future.
Table Tennis “I usually struggle to put in effort in most things, but when it comes to sports it happens naturally.” Having found a sense of enjoyment in football and table tennis unlike in other activities, Mehran Hossain ( Junior, CSE) decided to continue playing at university. To him, it is not just about competitions, medals or glory; rather it provides him with “a sense of accomplishment” while helping him “learn genuinely” and with interest. The absence of this thrill from his life fills him with much regret about not playing more when he had the chance to. Onez Chowdhury (Senior, CSE) has been playing table tennis since childhood and later professionally since 2014; he reminisces the time he spent playing at the university and says “I badly miss playing Table Tennis with my university mates. Indoor games room was a great bonding place for students and faculty members, since everyone was present in the afternoon to play table tennis.” He tries to make up the void left by the absence of getting to play in university by visiting nearby clubs during the weekends.
Carrom at Indoor Games Room, Mohakhali
Carrom For Tamim Hasan Turjo ( Junior, EEE) Carom has transcended from a sport played in one’s spare time to something that makes up a major portion of his life experience. Since the beginning of his university life, he has been visiting the Indoor Games room to play carom while participating in all the tournaments the club would organise. He deeply misses his treasured bonds with his seniors who have always been supportive and welcoming.
Tahsin Amin, Basketball
There is really no alternative to physically being there and enjoying a match of cricket or badminton. Watching your friends play table tennis or carrom, and laughing together, might also seem like a far-off dream. Even though we have still found ways to connect and have fun with our friends during this pandemic through a lot of online activities, it still cannot match the experience of being less than 3 feet apart and playing sports together. In the end, we must stay safe and follow official directives if we want to get back to the much desired “normal” times and hopefully, we can all meet on the field again!
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Food for the Soul
Jujutsu Kaisen: A new frontrunner
Asmita Roy Journalist
Rusafa Hussain Journalist Taking notes of pre-established trends of its predecessors, Jujutsu Kaisen stands out as a shounen by placing its own spin on tropes— combining familiarity with originality— thereby appealing to the horde of fans it has garnered. Set in modern-day Japan, Yuuji Itadori becomes entangled in the underground world of occult when circumstances cause him to turn into a vessel hosting an ancient deadly curse. Taking up the mantle of “Chosen One”, he joins a group of talented pupils under training at a school of sorcerers, setting in motion a plot chock-full of magical hierarchies, political conflicts, moral dilemmas and outstanding battle sequences. When it comes to action animation, Jujutsu Kaisen takes the crown, with animation that is jaw-droppingly effective at every frame. Heroes and villains both are immediately intriguing, and avoid the trap of Jujutsu Kaisen being overbearing or clichéd. Most impressively, the show has moments of profound introspection, poignantly reflecting on themes of death, grief and mortality with philosophical contemplation. Despite mass acclaim, the anime is not without its flaws, having failed to deliver on one key area that is strong friendship. Strong bonds are undoubtedly the staples of shounen, where witnessing characters grow and overcome hurdles together, but friendships in Jujutsu Kaisen are glaringly unconvincing comparatively, as character dynamics in groups lack chemistry. However, demanding perfection from any anime is perhaps too great a task, though hopefully the shortcomings of Jujutsu Kaisen will be rectified in later seasons.
Set around Joe Gardner, an African American middle aged man with a dream and passion about jazz, and 22, a precocious soul in line to be born on Earth after meeting multiple requirements; Soul is filled with philosophical moments about life and living. Soul follows the framework of any other Pixar movie Soul (2020) which to an observant watcher might appear redundant. However, “to live in the moment” attitude as opposed to the glorified “a search for purpose” notion gives the movie a fresh outlook. One might however argue that the theme of the movie is amiably relatable to the adult watcher, but to the younger target audience it might be hard to connect with. The movie is a treat for both the eyes and ears with its earthy warm colour palette during moments of revelations, and blues and purples for moments of intense emotions. The original scores of jazz music add a unique flavour to the story, altogether producing a well-polished and wholesome movie which is perfectly sweet for watching with the family on a lazy evening.
Paranormal: something more than your average horror story Abidur Rafi Hassan Journalist Paranormal is an Egyptian supernatural-horror drama series, and while it is not a show that will glue you to your seats and compel you to binge it all in one go, the slow-paced and seemingly unrelated individual plots from each episode builds into a grander, more satisfying story which makes it well worth the watch. Although the majority of the screen time is focused on just the main character, the show does a wonderful job of bringing a complex personality to life on-screen. Even in the bits of the show where other people and plot points are being explored, it does not cease to build up the eerie world of this story - where a man of science is thrown into situations that force him to overcome his skepticism and come to terms with the realm he so stubbornly denied on the basis of science. Paranormal does not rely on jumpscares, but is instead invested in gradually making one’s blood run cold with atmospheric build-up. It will also have you chuckle slightly at the subtle humour and have you feeling sympathy for its characters. It does a commendable job of mixing the themes of the supernatural, horror, romance, and mystery into a memorable first season that is reminiscent of The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Lead actors Samaha (left), Amin (centre) and Jammal (right) in character
Board Members
Executive Panel
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