Tag: LUMS

  • LUMS distributes free internet devices amongst students on financial aid

    LUMS distributes free internet devices amongst students on financial aid

    The Lahore University of Management and Sciences (LUMS) has sent internet devices to those students who are studying at the university on need-based scholarship.

    Wardah Noor, a student of LUMS shared the news, which went viral on social media.

    Noor shared: “LUMS sent internet devices with free data of (75GB/ month) to the students on full financial aid.”

    She shared that she was concerned about the internet package given that she doesn’t have a job and her father’s pension is Rs 25,000.

    This initiative is being appreciated because the university — LUMS — has identified a major issue and took action without any requests from deserving students. People are also urging the administration of other universities to learn from this initiative and facilitate their students.

    This development has come when a large number of students across the country were protesting against online classes due to internet connectivity issues.

    Many students from far-flung and remote areas like Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Kashmir, Sindh and Balochistan have been protesting because they do not have an internet connection. In some cases, students have to travel more than 25 kilometres to take online classes.

    Furthermore, more than 60 students were arrested by police in Quetta for a peaceful demonstration against internet connectivity issue. Later on, they were released on the same day.

  • Syed Babar Ali becomes the second Pakistani to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

    Syed Babar Ali, a household name in Pakistan and the founding Pro-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has been elected as a member of the prestigious American Academy of Art and Sciences. He joins an esteemed cohort of over 270 innovators and leaders from across different sectors, disciplines, and geographies.

    According to a press release by LUMS, Babar Ali has been acknowledged in the category of ‘Business, Corporate, and Philanthropic Leadership’ for his numerous contributions towards education, advancing public good and promoting social equity in Pakistan. He was also recognised for his efforts for establishing LUMS as a premier business institution of Pakistan.

    Read more – LUMS is back to being LUMS

    Ali is the second Pakistani to receive the honour. The first Pakistani to be elected was Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Dr Abdus Salam who was elected in 1971.

    Speaking about his induction, Ali said, “I feel deeply humbled to be a part of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, which is dedicated to advancing the public good and strengthening the global community. It is a great honour.”

    Founded in 1780, the Academy is one of the world’s most respected honourary societies, known for its exceptionally accomplished members and celebration of excellence. It is dedicated to honouring excellence and leadership, working across disciplines and divides, and advancing the common good. It was founded during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, and other Founding Fathers of the United States.

    Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of LUMS, Dr Arshad Ahmad, congratulated Babar Ali and called him “a national treasure who personifies humility, integrity and generosity.”

    “He will remain a role model for generations to come,” he added.

    Babar Ali joins 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, including the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela who have become part of the Academy’s 240-year history.

  • ’25 LUMS students being tested for coronavirus’? Here’s what you need to know

    ’25 LUMS students being tested for coronavirus’? Here’s what you need to know

    With 20 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Pakistan, the panic surrounding the pandemic has increased with people urging the government to take strict and timely actions to contain the virus. While all that is happening, fake news and misinformation regarding the spread of the virus is also circulating on social media, in particular, on Whatsapp.

    Below is a screenshot of a message that is widely being shared on social media.

    However, according to The Current’s sources, the information in the message is incorrect. To begin with, there were less than 25 students who went on the trip to Turkey. The students were individually screened and cleared by officials present at the airport when they returned to Pakistan. As a precautionary measure, all the students underwent further tests at the hospital to ensure that they don’t have the disease. According to the LUMS official Twitter account, all the results received so far are negative.

    While the rest of the results are yet to come, the students and administration is requesting the public to not spread misinformation and panic.

    It is also being reported that the university has extended its mid-semester break till April 7. The break will begin on March 16, as scheduled.

    COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new virus that had not been previously identified in humans. The virus causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever and in more severe cases, pneumonia. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently and avoiding touching your face.

    It was discovered in mainland China in mid-December and has since spread globally despite efforts to contain it.

  • VIDEO: LUMS Students rescued in Gilgit by the Pak Army

    VIDEO: LUMS Students rescued in Gilgit by the Pak Army

    Twenty-two students from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) had gone skiing in Gilgit and had been stuck in the area for five days due to heavy snow and landslides. LUMS administration approached the Army for help and the Chief of Army Staff, Qamar Javed Bajwa directed the army to find and rescue them by helicopter.

    They were all unhurt and saved by the army and have reached Rawalpindi to return home safely.

    LUMS students rescued by the Pak Army. Photo released by ISPR

    The LUMS Adventure Society organizes such events every year and the students stay in army guest houses. Thirteen boys and nine girls were on this particular trip when they were surrounded by snow in Rattu, Gilgit.

    LUMS students relating their experience

    Temperatures in Pakistan have hit record lows with major cities like Karachi and Lahore facing the most difficult winter in recent times.

  • LUMS is back to being LUMS

    LUMS is back to being LUMS

    After brutal social media trolling and protest by students and alumni, the Lahore University of Management Sciences which became LUMS University aka LUMSU is back to being LUMS.

    In an email sent out to the faculty, staff and students, LUMS VC Dr Arshad Ahmad said that the earlier email was sent out in good faith and “to reflect the reality of our five schools that comprise our university.” He said that the message was not intended to change the university’s name and that there is no change in the formal name of the university.

    On Monday, LUMS announced that it was renaming itself Lums University as part of a recent overhaul. Soon after the email was sent out to students, professors and staff, the news made its way to social media and people started poking fun at the university’s new name. So much so, that LUMSU is currently trending on Pakistani Twitter at number 2.

    https://twitter.com/raasnabeel/status/1214099934875701248?s=20

    https://twitter.com/45623584/status/1214173454884323333?s=20

    Alumni were not having it.

    https://twitter.com/wingsforus/status/1214081225553534976?s=20

    Meanwhile, others called out users for directing their energy onto frivolous matters.

  • Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    A student of Lahore University of Management Sciences’ (LUMS), Faaiz Arbab has developed a voice-controlled electric wheelchair that can be operated through a smartphone application.

    Faaiz is a graduate of electrical engineering program from LUMS and invented the voice-operated smart wheelchair, named ‘GOBEE’, in collaboration with the National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore and AYEco.

    It operates with the help of a smartphone application which has a ‘Call N Go’ feature in it. The wheelchair responds to the voice commands of the user, being able to turn left or right and move forward or backward. It can also be summoned from a distance of 15 kilometers.

    Faaiz aims to assist people with disabilities through the use of technology. The smart wheelchair offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a remote control which goes over the range of a 100 feet.

    GOBEE is water repellent, anti-rusting, and has alloy rim wheels combined with an anti-sweat technology sofa seat.

    National Design Awards (NDA) Pakistan also awarded Arbab with the best Consumer Product Design Award (2018) for his Voice Operated Smart Wheel Chair.

    Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf’s (PTI) MNA Asad Umar shared lauded the Arbab’s efforts on Twitter and shared a video of the wheelchair.

    “This is just the kind of work that needs to be projected,” Asad wrote.