National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences

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National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences


Established:	July 1, 2000
Type:	Private
Chancellor:	Mr. Wasim Sajjad
Rector:	Dr. Amir Muhammed
Location:	Islamabad, Pakistan
Affiliations:	Degree Awarding, UGC
Website:	http://www.nu.edu.pk/

National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES or NU) is a University in Pakistan with headquarters at Islamabad and campuses at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar. The university offers bachelor degrees in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Telecommunication Engineering, Business Administration, Mathematics, and Telecommunication.

[edit] History

Logo of Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology

The institution was formerly known as FAST Institute of Computer Science (also known as SAHICS, Syed Akhlaq Hussain Institute of Computer Science). It is honoured as the first mulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Userlogin&returnto=National_University_of_Computer_and_Emerging_Sciences Log in / create accountti-campus national university in Pakistan. Its history dates back to 1985 when the Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology put together an effort for developing sciences in Pakistan and to fulfill their aim they set up institutes for computer sciences in the two major cities of Pakistan: Karachi and Lahore. Later on they expanded it to the capital city of Pakistan, namely Islamabad and to the Peshawar also.

The National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences received its charter in 2000 in the Federal Area (capital). It became the first truly multi-campus university of Pakistan with campuses in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore.

[edit] Departments

Headquarters of FAST-NU, Islamabad

The university has four departments in each of its campuses. These are:

Department of Computer Science

Islamabad campus head: Dr. Anwar Majeed Mirza

Karachi campus head: Prof. Zafar Nasir

Lahore campus head: Dr. Sarmad Hussain

Peshawar campus head: Mr Akhtar Waqaas

Department of Humanities & Sciences

Islamabad campus head: Mr. Sher Afzal Khan

Karachi campus head: Mr Zaki Rashidi

Lahore campus head: Dr. S. M. Husnine

Peshawar campus head: Prof. Chand Rehman

Department of Management Sciences

Islamabad campus head: Mr. Mobashar Sadik

Karachi campus head: Dr. Nadeem Syed

Lahore campus head: Dr. Zafar Iqbal

Peshawar campus head: Dr. Sahibzada Ghiasul Haq

Department of Telecom & Computer Engineering

Islamabad campus head: Dr. Waseem Ikram

Karachi campus head: Dr. Imran Tasadduq

Lahore campus head: Dr. Anjum Ali

Peshawar campus head: Dr. S. Amjad Hussain Shah

[edit] Campuses of NUCES

The University has campuses at Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.

[edit] Islamabad Campus

NU-FAST Islamabad Campus

The Islamabad Campus has been shifted to a newly built building in the sector H-11/4 covering 15 acres of land. The architecture of the building is reminiscent of the traditional Mughal design. The campus includes five computer laboratories (1. Graduate lab, 2. Research lab, 3. Final Year Project lab, 4. Common lab-I, 5. Common lab-II) all equipped with Pentium 4 computers, two telecom laboratories, a library and a cafetaria. Various sports facilities, that include Cricket , Football , Volleyball, Badminton, and Table-tennis, are also available on this campus. Since the Campus is under construction, the proper sports facilities are not available. Recently the Government of Pakistan has also allotted another 40 acres of land in H-11/4. The university intends to build a new state-of-the-art facility at this location.

Current Director: Dr. Aftab Ahmad Maroof

Earlier these people have served as the director
Dr Ayub Alvi (1996-2000)

The Islamabad Campus offers the following degree programs:

Bachelor of Science
- Telecommunication engineering
- Computer science
BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Master of Science
- Computer science
- Telecommunication engineering
MBA (Master of Business Administration)
PhD
- Computer science

NU-FAST is also well-known for its colourful functions and seasonal events. Example of this is the recent even that took place, where students of batch of 2006 gave a welcome reception to the fresh batch of 2007 in the Islamabad campus.

[edit] Karachi Campus

NU-FAST Karachi Main Campus

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The Karachi Campus^[1] is further divided into two campuses: The Main Campus and the City Campus. The Karachi Main campus is spread over a 6 acre site. It is located in Shah Latif Town on National Highway, 10 km east of Karachi airport. The campus has enough space for the students to study in a congenial environment, where they can also play, enjoy and relax. The staff and students commute to the campus in transport arranged by the University.

Current director: Dr. Zubair A. Shaikh

Earlier these people have served as the director
Dr Hilal Qureshi (1991-2004)
Prof. Javed Ashraf (1987-91)

The Karachi campus offers the following degree programs:

Bachelor of Science
- Telecommunication engineering
- Computer engineering
- Computer science
BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Master of Science
- Computer science
- Software project management
MBA (Master of Business Administration)
PhD
- Computer science

[edit] Lahore Campus

The Lahore campus is in a spacious and elegant location, which is spread over 12.5 acres of land in Faisal Town. The main building of the campus, with its striking exterior brick work and magnificent marble domes, is a valuable addition to the rich architectural heritage of Lahore. A separate building houses a spacious library, cafeteria and separate common rooms for boys and girls. Another three storey building is completed. Facilities are available on campus to play Cricket, Football, Badminton, Lawn Tennis, Table Tennis, Basketball and Volleyball. Facilities for swimming, rowing and athletics are arranged off-campus for those interested.

Current Director: Dr. Arshad Hussain

Earlier these people have served as the director
Dr Syed Husnine (2005-06)
Dr Qaiser Durrani (2001-04)
Dr Ayub Alvi (2000)
Dr Khaver Zia (1996-99)
Dr Ayub Alvi (1989-96)

The Lahore campus offers the following degree programs:

Bachelor of Science
- Telecommunication engineering
- Computer engineering
- Computer science
BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Master of Science
- Computer science
- Software project management
- Mathematics
- Telecommunication engineering
MBA (Master of Business Administration)
PhD
- Computer science
- Mathematics

[edit] Peshawar Campus

The Peshawar Campus is located in Industrial Estate, Jamrud Road, not very far from the historic Khyber Pass. It is situated on 4 acre plot. The Campus has adequate library and computer laboratory facilities. There is a spacious and well furnished cafeteria. On campus sports facilities include Table Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton and Cricket. Green lawns enhance the beauty of the campus, thereby creating a student-friendly environment.

Current Director: Dr. Amjad Hussain

Earlier these people have served as the director
Dr Farooq Ahmad (2004-06)
Dr M. Abid (2001-04)

The Peshawar campus offers the following degree programs:

Bachelor of Science
- Telecommunication engineering
- Computer science
BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Master of Science
- Computer science
- Mathematics
- Telecommunication engineering
MBA (Master of Business Administration)

[edit] Research Centers

[edit] Centre for Research in Ubiquitous Computing (CRUC)

Center for Research in Ubiquitous Computing (CRUC) was formed in March 2006. Ubiquitous Computing (computing everywhere for everyone) promotes the idea of integrating computation into the environment, rather than having computers in daily life. The idea will enable people and machines to move around and interact with information and computing in informal way, to sense changes in their environment and to automatically adapt and act based on these changes. At CRUC the research focuses on several topics:

   * Pattern Recognition & Multi-Lingual Interfaces
   * Multi Agent Systems
   * Wireless Networks & Grid Computing
   * Human Computer Interaction
   * Knowledge Engineering & Information Retrieval
   * Robotics & Sensor based Communication
   * Augmented & Virtual Reality

Website: http://cruc.khi.nu.edu.pk

[edit] Centre for Agro-Informatics Research (C@IR)

C@IR *Website: http://www.agroict.org is a research center dedicated to development of indigenous IT solutions to serve the Agriculture sector. Currently a 26 month long Rs. 30+ millions Agricultural Decision Support System (ADDS) project is underway with a 30+ strong team, the ADSS is accessible via www.agroict.org/adss. The ADSS project aims at developing (i) an Agriculture Data Warehouse (ii) a web based OLAP tool (iii) fast data mining tool and (iii) a yield loss forecasting system.

[edit] Centre for Research in Urdu Language Processing (CRULP)

Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing (CRULP) (مرکز تحقیقات اردو) was formed in 2001 with a vision to develop computing in local languages of Pakistan. CRULP has been involved in research into languages spoken in Pakistan, developing computing standards and also developing speech, script and language processing applications for the end-users. Now the scope of research has increased to other Asian languages as well. CRULP has a Speech Processing Lab, Script Processing Lab and Language Processing Lab. Facilities also include a R&D centre to seat 40 full-time research staff working on funded research. CRULP participates in national and international bodies, including PTCL R&D Fund, Urdu Computing Standardization Committee of National Language Authority, Editorial Board of Localization Focus published by Localization Research Centre at University of Limerick in Ireland, and Unicode’s Bidirectional Committee List.

Website: http://www.crulp.org

[edit] Software Engineering Research Centre (SERC)

Software Research Engineering Centre is dedicated to conducting research and development in software engineering. The centre has been established to promote theoretical research in the software engineering area, resolve problems faced by the software industry, and help establish software engineering practices in the industry. Through the establishment of the SERC, the University seeks to help and support the local software industry in establishing and improving their processes and practices through continuous feedback and training.

[edit] Technology Competitions and Exhibitions

NUCES, still popularly known as FAST (Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Technology), not only fostered academics but also put immense support toward the extra curricular activities and became one of the few universities of Pakistan with so much support for student activities as a result many student organizations originated to make a mark.

[edit] Digitaleyez (Karachi)

An all Pakistan Inter-University Photography, Media and Design competition.

Digital eyez is the most exuberant Photography centric event that is being held at the university level of Pakistan. Sense the excitement and aroma of the gourmet which the voracious photographers from all the top universities of the country are coming to taste, at FAST NUCES, Karachi Campus. To embark this grand cruise ship, all you need to have is eagle-worth digital eyes and you could be the next chap/chappette on the road to digitalize your dreams, your notions and your passions right through the retina of your camera!

The excitement doesn't end there. This event has more than just photography to offer its contenders, having animation, web designing, on spot layout, quiz competitions and awesome prizes to put the icing on the cake!

So leave it all aside, just let your Cam's DigitalEyez...Digitalize!

[edit] SOFTEC (Lahore)

SOFTEC (SOFTware Exhibition and Competition) is one of the most important and commendable^{[citation needed]} software competitions in Pakistan. SOFTEC (softec.org.pk) is organized every year at the Lahore campus of NUCES. It is the largest information technology event of Pakistan^{[citation needed]} with contests and exhibitions of software from all over the country and the neighboring countries of South Asia. It mainly comprises Software Competition, Dynamic Programming Contest with the collaboration of ACM's^[2] NUCES Chapter, Kids Corner (where students from Grade School display their ideas), G3n. X (Generation Xtreme) Gaming Competition and book festival.

The 12th SOFTEC (third International) was held on 05-06 May 2007.

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[edit] ProCom (Karachi)

ProCom is the software Programming Competition that is organized every year at the Karachi campus. ProCom comprises two main competitions, Programming and Software competition. Students from all over the country are invited to take part in these competitions.

In 2005, the scope of ProCom was extended to include Hardware and Gaming competitions. ProCom '05 received recognition and appreciation from the offices of the President and the Prime Minister. The event received wide accolades from the industry, the participant institutes and the media.

In April 2006, the 7th annual ProCom event was held. The past six ProCom events have been highly successful at the Student Level, Information Technology events in Pakistan, particularly Karachi. Since its inception, ProCom has been one of the most popular Information Technology events in Pakistan.

[edit] NaSCon (Islamabad)

The Islamabad campus holds a software exhibition every year by the name of NaSCon.^[3] In the year 2005, NaSCon included the Software Exhibition and Competition, Speed Programming Contest, Poster Design and Quiz Competition, two day Gaming Competition alongside Pakistan's very first Multimedia competition which included music videos.

In the year 2006 event (held April 30 and May 1, 2006), included, in addition to the Software and Engineering Projects, Quiz Competition, activities like Speed Programming, Engineering Problem Solving Competition, Gaming, Movies/Song videos Competition, and Creative Poster Competition for different age groups. Seminars by eminent professionals on the current trends in Engineering and Information Technology were also held.

[edit] Student Organizations

[edit] The Webmasters

The Webmasters is a student organization with a commitment to professionalism and upholding the standards of excellence of FAST-NU Karachi. The individuals on the team are not only web design & development elites, but also possess a strong sense of ethics, character and discipline.

The main function of the team is the continual development and maintenance of the Karachi campus portal khi.nu.edu.pk with features including Courses Forum, Student Blog, Career Centre, Campus News and our Graduate Profile among an ever expanding list of information services.

Their efforts are not limited to the above. The WMs also conduct seminars to increase awareness of the market’s demands, hold events & workshops with the aim to provide motivation and opportunity for students to learn new things, and organize competitions to expose those who have the greatest potential. DIGITALeyez (Media Event) was another marked success that the WMs bagged, in the year 2008.

[edit] OSAF

The Old Students Association of FAST-NU (OSAF) was founded in March 1996 by the alumni of the university (Adil Akif, sahics93 and Qasim Javed, sahics96). Its aim was to help students in academic and financial problems, and increase the student-faculty-industry interaction. Some major activities of OSAF are

1) OSAF Financial Assistance (aka OFA), (every semester)
2) NUCES employees' children school fund (monthly)
3) Homecoming (yearly)

In addition to this, OSAF organizes seminars (Final Year Project ideas, Preparing for job market, Studying abroad etc) on regular basis.

Fuaad Ahmad, is currently serving as the President of OSAF. Adil Iqbal, Salman Qureshi, Umar Suleman and Affan Butt have held this post in last some years.

[edit] GOF

GOF (Graduates of FAST) is an unofficial, but one of the initial efforts to organize the FAST Alumni (especially those who graduated from Karachi Campus). The GOF is organized through a mailing group (gof@yahoogroups.com). Efforts are being taken by the Karachi Campus to officially take over GOF.

[edit] FASTRising

FASTRising is a group of people (students, faculty members and alumni) from FAST NU, Lahore who believe in the supremacy of law and the rule of meritocracy. They belong to diverse ideological and political backgrounds and have collaborated to form this platform to:

1. Strive for the restoration of the constitution as it was in the early hours of 3rd Nov, 2007

2. Raise the level of political awareness of the FAST-NU family members (students, faculty members and alumni)

Both goals are equally important and FASTRising plans to work on these goals in the coming months and years.[1]

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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