International Symposium on advanced materials kicks off
By Adnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD—The 10th international Symposium on Advanced Materials opened here, with a firm resolve from the world’s scientific community to foster closer ties for the progress and development to humanity.
The four-day moot, being attended by 33 foreign scientists and researchers from more than 20 countries, besides some 200 local participants, is being organized by KRL.
Inaugurating the Symposium, Mohammadmain Soomro Chairman Senate, called for a close networking and sharing knowledge between the scientists and researchers. “We must not forget that while the advancement in materials offers great opportunities, these, at the same time, can be the reason of looming economic dangers,” said that chairman Senate, adding that with the commitment and devotion to hard work of Pakistan’s scientific community, he finds no reason barring the nation from achieving a bright future reflecting elements of a glorious past. “ The revolution in information technology has greatly facilitated the rethinking and production of objects made from complex materials. The close integration of design and production functions has made it economically possible to produce objects that were difficult to conceive yesterday,” opined Chairman Senate. In his keynote address, Karim Ahmed, Chairman Symposium highlighted the fact “ Advanced Materials have long played a vital role in the technological supremacy of nations and they still continue to be the decisive edge among the developed and the developing world. He added “ Today’s need and opportunities for research in the development of new materials call if contributions from and close interaction between, universities, industry and the R&D organization.” Karim said that “advances in new high performance materials depend today on development in materials processing which allow for structural control at atomic places. Nanotechnology is engineering at the molecular or atomic level . The changes brought by Nanotechnology have greatly affected the development and market of the advanced materials. Their past belonged to defence and space programme and their future growth mainly depends upon the development of civil infrastructure, transportation, information and communication sectors.”
In his welcome speech, the symposium secretary, Dr Mohammad Farooque said that the biennial Symposium had now been established as a recognized forum on the international scientific arena. The fact that it has kept at attracting participants in increasing numbers during the last eighteen years, speaks for the maturity and popularity of this activity,” said the Symposium secretary. The symposium will continue till September 07 and will focus on vital topics of Advance Material such as Processing, Production and Developments, Surface Engineering, Phase Transformation and Characterization. Reliability and life assessment, Nanotechnology and Advances in Magnetic Materials.