Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering
Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering
Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) at LUMS is the first private research school of science and engineering in Pakistan. In higher education, the term research school refers to a model of teaching and scholarship practised by some of the best institutions in the world where the primary function of the university is to create and disseminate new knowledge. SBASSE has consciously modelled itself along the lines of the world’s top research schools and has a highly qualified faculty to accomplish its mission. The hallmark of SBASSE is its no-boundaries philosophy, which encourages cross-disciplinary collaborations not only between various disciplines at SBASSE but also those offered by other Schools at LUMS.
A Different Kind of
Science and Engineering School
in Pakistan
300,000
Square feet of lab and
classroom learning space
70+
Dedicated labs for research,
teaching and support
Accredited by
PEC and NCEAC
Choose your path
Science for Pakistan
Contribution in Science and Technology by the researchers at SBASSE has an impact on the future development of Science in Pakistan.
Meet our Faculty
At SBASSE our faculty members share the boundaries of their life experiences and interests that foster a dynamic learning environment on campus.
Research and Impact
Remember that one day in 2021 (January 10th to be exact), when a…
Reference Department:Department of Computer Science
Remember that one day in 2021 (January 10th to be exact), when a massive power outage plunged the entire nation into darkness?
Social media was quick to react, and “Apocalypse” started trending on Twitter. People were asking around to check whether this dark surprise was shared by others outside of a given city. After the darkness faded, it was realized the outage was due to a large grid fault. While it was received with good humor on social media, the interruption in daily activities and routine operational work caused considerable economic loss for many. Electricity is the obvious red line that runs between drivers of our country’s economy, industry, agriculture, small business and private enterprises. A jolt in it is bound to affect millions, nationwide.
In an effort to endow the work of these businesses and frontline economy drivers, the Government of Pakistan has increased its electricity generation. The providence is a welcomed gesture but comes at a high opportunity cost. Unless of course, it could be stored and used at a time of power outage. However, this would require an excess energy storage system that is remarkably more efficient in its storing capacity and is economically viable enough to be used by hundreds of millions of people. Fortunately, an interesting solution to this problem has emerged from within the depths of SBASSE, in the Department of Computer Science. Dr. Nasir Mehmood, with his supervisor, Dr. Naveed Arshad, has created an energy storage solution that might just be the breakthrough we are all looking for.
What is the hype all about? Well, Dr. Mehmood submitted the idea as his PhD thesis on a large-scale energy storage system. This system is made from many small consumer batteries, orchestrated by a single central controller. He proposed that the charging and discharging of the batteries will be handled by this central feature. It ought to charge and discharge batteries based on their weight and state of charge. Current Energy Storage Systems (ESS) lose energy while charging/discharging, due to a lack of well mediated, controlling mechanisms. Moreover, this way the system can conserve the life of each battery, making each unit an efficient, dependable and long-lasting part of the entire array.
However, technical efficiency may not always be equal to reduced costs of storing energy. What if it is more expensive to store energy than to produce it in the first place? Thus, the need of the hour called for a much more robust system in terms of energy efficiency and cost efficiency. Dr. Mehmood also analyzed the system to gauge whether it offers economic feasibility for energy distributors. He evaluated the costs for energy distributors who will be storing energy, given an excess supply. Dr. Mehmood also input electricity prices and estimated their profits in the model and deduced that this ESS would be a desirable idea not only for distributors but for consumers as well.
Dr. Mehmood’s work can prove an important intervention for Pakistan’s frail energy conditions. If researchers like Dr. Mehmood and important stakeholders from the industry, policy makers and the government at large coalesce, one can imagine what the future of our current energy depravation may look like. Thus, one can hope that in the not-so-distant-future, no one will have to suffer from the expense of days like January 10th, 2021.
Good news for humans – bad news for pathogens. From the first…
Reference Department:Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Good news for humans – bad news for pathogens. From the first therapeutic use of penicillin in 1941 to the advent of antibacterial drugs, each newly marketed antibiotic has invariably resulted in the emergence of resistant bacterial pathogens. The emergence and spread of these unwanted life forms that have evolved mechanisms of resistance to multiple antibiotics is becoming a major threat to public health in the 21st century. The seriousness of antibiotic resistance lies in the fact that today bacterial strains are not only resistant to commonly available antibacterial medication but also may have acquired greater virulence, meaning they may have become more sinister and deadly. Therefore, the discovery and development of new antibiotics is of crucial importance to counter the explosive growth of multidrug resistant pathogens; the threat to our society is simply too big to ignore the rise of multi-drug resistance.
Worry not! One of the tributaries to the river of healthcare solutions may sprout from within SBASSE. Here’s the big idea – empowering drugs with Fluorine. One way to improve the efficiency of drugs is to introduce fluorine (or fluorinated groups) in the drug molecule. The incorporation of fluorine into a drug molecule can lead to improved metabolic stability, bioavailability, as well as more efficient binding when compared to the non-fluorinated counterparts. Consequently, about a quarter of all pharmaceuticals on the market contain fluorine, and almost all new drug candidates have fluorine in them in one form or the other. Commonly used fluorinated drugs include ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) and fluconazole (antifungal), the former selling like hot cakes in the months leading to winter.
In Pakistan, bacterial infection is very common and mortality rate is increasing. Unfortunately, we are totally dependent on other countries for the solution of our health-related problems. There is dire need to develop international quality synthetic medicinal chemistry research infrastructure in Pakistan to come up with indigenous solutions to our health problems, and to remove our dependence on foreign countries.
Sulfonamides (-SO2NH-) containing compounds such as cyanobenzenesulphonamide, and methylbenzene sulphonamide are synthetic antibacterial compounds that are generally wide-spectrum drugs active against a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this proposal, Dr. Ghayoor Abbas and Dr. Shaper Mirza, a research team from LUMS; and Dr. Tariq, from Shalimar Institute of Health Sciences will investigate the use of novel fluorinated sulphonamides as potential antibiotics for killing resistant strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) and Staphylococcus aureus. A series of novel sulfonamides will be synthesized via SuFEx chemistry route from sulfonyl fluorides and will be evaluated for their antimicrobial activity using in vitro antibacterial assays. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) will also be determined.
This was certainly a million-rupee idea – quite literally. The Shahid Hussain Foundation has very generously awarded a fund of PKR 1.2 million for the development of this study. We congratulate all the researchers involved and wish them best of luck for their work. May the force of progress be with them.
Internet in the palm of your hands; augmented reality to connect loved…
Reference Department:Department of Physics
Internet in the palm of your hands; augmented reality to connect loved ones holographically; trucks without an engine. What’s next? A nano-camera? You guessed it! There are many reasons to collect light. We can’t touch and grab a distant galaxy to take a closer look inside its blindingly bright and ludicrously bright core, nor can we see the labyrinthine nature of the microcosm with our naked eyes. We require the cooperation and manipulation of captured light to do great things. One exciting prospect of this requirement is what makes up the recently published paper in the journal Applied Physics Letters. The first author is SBASSE’s own Shahzad Akhtar Ali, a student of Dr. Ata Ul Haq from the Department of Physics.
Nature speaks in mystifyingly ways. Shine a light on a crystal, carefully observe the light coming out the other end, deduce how photons toss and turn, spin and swivel as a result. Such berserk response from light can reveal plenty about the nature of the crystal. In other words, the way you react to situations tells a lot about who you are and what your nature could be like - an eerie similarity! Shahzad Akhtar Ali and his team of researchers studied the characteristics of crystals of molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃), also called alpha-molybdenum trioxide. Not just that, they studied layered crystals, which host a combination of hexaboron nitride together with MoO₃.
Their work, as intricate and complex as the materials they were working with, has to do with observing the twisting, turning, spinning, and swiveling (helicity) of photons as they came out the other end of these layered crystals called 2D materials. In this beautiful piece of work, it was revealed that alpha-molybdenum trioxide demonstrated very strong in-plane hyperbolicity, making it a strong candidate for possible nanophotonic applications, especially those requiring polarization control of photons. A prime method used in this study was Raman spectroscopy, which is an analysis technique that provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and molecular interactions. On top of revealing so much about a compound, it is a non-destructive technique, making it the technique of choice when it comes to dealing with fragile samples.
Helicity is a thing of beauty. Almost complete helicity switching under Raman scattering points to strong phonon chirality around the high symmetry points in the Brillouin zone of the MoO₃ crystal, mentions the paper. The hyperbolic nature of flakes of α-MoO₃ makes them ideal candidates for nano-photonics applications apart from the highly rich physics of in-plane anisotropic phonon polariton. The chiral nature of the highly anisotropic phonons in this material system can play a crucial role in proposals, which combine this hyperbolicity with spin–orbit coupling resulting in novel surface plasmon modes. Thus, this makes it possible to fabricate nanometer-scale compact photonic devices! Consequently, these materials exhibit very high photon density of states, which enables the use of Purcell enhancement, which is at the heart of many schemes for interfacing quantum states of light and matter.
We congratulate Shahzad Akhtar Ali and his team who got their paper published in such a well reputed journal. We would also like to point out that all of the work by the first author was done using Dr. Ata Ul Haq’s lab, in the School. We wish them all the best for all their future work!
Reference: Shahzad Akhtar Ali, Abdullah Irfan, Aishani Mazumder, Sivacarendran Balendhran, Taimur Ahmed, Sumeet Walia, and Ata Ulhaq
"Helicity-selective Raman scattering from in-plane anisotropic α-MoO₃", Appl. Phys. Lett. 119, 193104 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0064464
Deforestation is one of the major challenges faced in Pakistan, that…
Reference Department:Department of Computer Science
Deforestation is one of the major challenges faced in Pakistan, that induces climate change, which in turn is having an adverse effect not only on the country's agricultural sector but also has ramifications related to global warming, flash floods, ever-increasing landslides, and reduced tourism. Given the current situation of our forest management system which relies on manual forest-data logging techniques, can result in loss of data over time and inaccessibility of essential data. Therefore, there is a need for a central automatic system that can monitor and produce actionable statistics that can be used further for key decision making.
For this purpose, the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering has collaborated with World Wide Fund (WWF), to develop an android-based mobile application which exploits the rise of 4G connectivity in Pakistan, so that it can be deployed in remote forest environments. For this task, a team from the Department of Computer Science has worked to create a robust software that can use computer vision to find relevant data from trees across Pakistan’s forests.
This application communicates with cloud-based system, where state-of-the-art deep-learning-based models have been deployed, to estimate crucial forest management statistics such as number of trees, and cumulative carbon content in trees. The application will assist foresters to effectively gather forest data, analyze it, and represent it at a central repository. Thus, creating the process of decision making a lot easier and faster. The application may be extended further to include other vital features required for intelligent forest inventory and healthier growth management.
Effective monitoring of forests will assist in growth of denser forests, increased employment opportunities, boosting tourism, and driving local economy.
There is beauty in simplicity. That said, only few things can match the…
Reference Department:Department of Mathematics
There is beauty in simplicity. That said, only few things can match the striking beauty of mathematics at untangling the deepest mysteries of logic and rationale. An invention of our kilogram and a half of grey matter, math offers exquisite insights into the mysteries of numbers and shapes. One such captivating and elusive mysteries is the g-conjecture. Simply put, it is the art of deciphering meaning and logic from within patterns, that may seem too complicated at first glance. A trained mathematician will conduct a fine dissection, layer by layer, until they arrive at simpler more comprehendible bits, and will stop at nothing to make sense from there on.
Dr Imran Anwar and Dr Shaheen Nazir are two mathematicians from the Department of Mathematics at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, who have worked on this beautiful mystery. They have shared their findings in what has been their most recently accepted paper in the prestigious journal ‘communications in algebra’. Their paper ‘Combinatorial g-conjecture for interval subdivisions’ tried to address the well understood and arrestingly interesting problem of the g-conjecture. Simply put, the g-conjecture is a way to imagine possible numbers of faces of different dimensions of a simplicial sphere. What’s that? A simplicial sphere?! Yes – not a simple sphere, but a simplicial sphere. This open problem was originally formulated by Peter McMullen, a British mathematician, a professor emeritus of mathematics at University College London.
Think of the number of triangles can you fit on the face of a decent sized sphere. Now, break down this scenario by slicing and dicing the triangles themselves into sides and faces. If you think this is easy, increase the dimensions of the triangle and envision these shapes in 3D. Now increase the dimensions. Sounds complicated? It really isn’t! The work of Dr Imran and Dr Shaheen takes us bit by bit, side by side and face by face into the next level of imagination. Simply put, their work shows that the g-vector of the interval subdivision of a Cohen–Macaulay simplicial complex is an f-vector. Whoa! What does this mean? It simply means that they have found a logical link between increasingly complex ways of ‘triangulation of a sphere’ and the number of sides and faces of these triangles that are needed to fit neatly on to a three-dimensional object; a sphere in this case. In other words, this paper is devoted to the study of the face vectors of interval subdivisions of Cohen–Macaualy simplicial complexes. McMullen’s g–conjecture for simplicial spheres is among the most celebrated problems in this particular branch of mathematics.
We congratulate the team of Dr Imran and Dr Shaheen on having their paper published in ‘communications in algebra’. We hope to see more of such beautiful work in mathematics!
Reference to the published paper:
Imran Anwar & Shaheen Nazir (2021) Combinatorial g-conjecture for interval subdivisions, Communications in Algebra, DOI: 10.1080/00927872.2021.1993236
Graduate Theses
Name: Mumtaz Khan
Supervisor: Dr. Amer Rasheed
Year: 2022
MS/PhD: PhD
Department: Mathematics
Science Stories
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Posted Date:
Ahmed H. Zewail Fellowship at SBASSE LUMS
Story:
Ahmed H. Zewail Fellowship is offered to Chemistry students at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering. This fellowship is created from a generous donation received from Syed Babar Ali on his 90th birthday to bolster students’ interest in fundamental sciences. It is named after the distinguished Professor Dr Ahmed H. Zewail who was an Egyptian Nobel Laureate, celebrated for his ground-breaking work in femto-chemistry. He is regarded as the founder of the field.
For more information on the Honorific Fellowships, please visit: https://sbasse.lums.edu.pk/first-cohort-hf
Ahmed H. Zewail Fellowship is offered to Chemistry students at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering. This fellowship is created from a generous donation received from Syed Babar…
Seminars and Conferences
Date:
Registration Link:
Speaker: Dr. Babar Qureshi
Vanue: Zoom/Online
Reference Department:Department of Physics
Algebraic Approaches to Quantum Theory and Entanglement
Abstract:In this talk, I will introduce a particular algebraic approach to quantum theory with algebra of observables as the basic objects and discuss a particular application of this formalism to entanglement entropy. In the end, I will discuss some ongoing work along these lines.
Dr. Babar Qureshi will be talking about “Algebraic Approaches to Quantum Theory and Entanglement” on Friday, 3rd December 2021 at 3pm in the next Physics Seminar Series.
To join, please use the Zoom link: https://lums-edu-pk.zoom.us/j/97438320644
No registration is required for this session.
About the speaker:
Dr. Babar Qureshi is a Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). He has previously worked at DIAS, MIT, and SMS, and was instrumental in the development of undergraduate and graduate physics programs at LUMS.
Dr. Babar Qureshi will be talking about “Algebraic Approaches to Quantum Theory and Entanglement” on Friday, 3rd December 2021 at 3pm in the next Physics Seminar Series.
To join, please use the Zoom link:…
Date:
Registration Link:
Speaker: Ms. Sadaf Rehman
Vanue: SBASSE 10-202 & Online via Zoom
Reference Department:Department of Computer Science
Changing the World by Teaching Coding
Abstract:We have more young people today than in the country's history, and by 2050 Pakistan is on track to have a population of over 400 million. But our schools are failing us - digital native children are 21st-century learners, but we have 20th-century digital immigrant teachers teaching in classrooms designed in the 19th century. At the beginning of the curve, we realize that the problem lies in things we aren’t measuring. These are essential for any child today, 21st-century skills that make us human and cannot be automated – things like critical thinking, problem-solving, resilience, and creativity. But if schools are diseased, Codeschool.pk believes that the medicine is coding. Seven different research studies show that coding - when taught correctly - inculcates 21st-century skills. Code School is committed to providing coding classes for young children through fun, interactive, play-based programs. Codeschool.pk has reached students in ten countries and has offices in Seattle, USA, and Lahore, Pakistan.
Ms. Sadaf Rehman will be talking about “Changing the World by Teaching Coding” on Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 2pm PKST.
Venue for in-person attendees: SBASSE 10-202
Online attendees can join via Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84696584740?pwd=UGxqQ3YzL2xVdjc5czV6Z3BGNmlCUT09
Purpose of the Seminar:
We would like to speak about our experience with teaching children coding, the bottlenecks we have faced with scaling, and how we have to re-think traditional teaching models in schools, and how college students in STEM fields today can help in building a better future not just for Pakistan but for other low-resource countries that are grappling with a tech-centric future.
About the speaker:
Sadaf has nearly two decades of experience in Pakistan's nonprofit education and skills training space, driving positive social change for youth. She has previously served as Pakistan Country Director for Generation Youth Employment, a McKinsey-founded skills training nonprofit. She also served as technical advisor to the Punjab Skills Development Fund, a $200m semi-government fund created by the Government of Punjab and DFID. Her previous experience includes The Citizens Foundation, the world’s largest chain of nonprofit schools, and Acumen Pakistan, an affiliate of Acumen, a US-based impact investment fund. She has consulted for LUMS, a leading not-for-profit university, CIRCLE Women, a grassroots digital & financial literacy nonprofit, RAVI Foundation's Infinity School of Engineers, and Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), among others. She is also the co-founder of Codeschool. pk, an ed-tech STEM program, is reaching students in 10 countries. She trained as an IB instructor in 2017, has an undergraduate degree in computer science and math, and an MBA from LUMS, where she received a gold medal for first place overall.
Please find below some useful links:
Ms. Sadaf Rehman will be talking about “Changing the World by Teaching Coding” on Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 2pm PKST.
Venue for in-person attendees: SBASSE 10-202
Online attendees can join via Zoom link:…
Public Lecture Series
Date:
Registration Link:
Speaker: Dr. Sarah Qureshi, CEO/Founder Aero Engine Craft (Pvt.) Ltd.
Vanue: Auditorium 10-301, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, LUMS
Reference Department:Department of Electrical Engineering
Environment Friendly Aerospace Technologies for Pakistan
Abstract: Aero Engine Craft is developing contrail-free aero-engines for the reduction of global warming and to induce artificial rain during aircraft flight through on-board water recovery from fuel emissions; creating a vision of the future for the aviation industry whereby it can not only reduce aviation induced global warming but also adopt an approach to treat the fuel emissions as a resource. A revolutionary technology is employed that eliminates contrails at source and recovers water from fuel exhaust emissions as a net positive product. This is a true definition of a disruptive technology; a global first attempt to create water within the aero-engine from the exhaust plume during flight, carry it aboard and release it as rainfall prior to landing. Our product is a low cost alternative to aero-engine redesign, and offers revenue potential to the aviation industry while solving a crucial environmental challenge.
Biography:
Dr. Sarah Qureshi is working on contrail-free aero engines as the CEO and founding director of Aero Engine Craft (Pvt) Ltd. She is also a visiting fellow at the School of Aerospace at Cranfield University. Sarah has a PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cranfield University, UK. Her area of specialization is Propulsion whereby she worked on the development of a contrail-free aero-engine that has been derived from a novel patented technology. Sarah was actively involved with the invented technical outcome of the engine. The innovated engine has a tremendous potential in bringing about an environmental revolution in the context of aviation.
Dr. Sarah Qureshi , along with the inventor of technology Mr. Masood Latif Qureshi has now set up Aero Engine Craft (Private) Limited as Pakistan's first commercial engine and aircraft company to convert this patented technology into a full scale commercial application ready to be used by modern civil transport aircraft. During her PhD, Sarah supervised a number of MSc. students for their research projects on Jet Engine Technology. Prior to this, Sarah completed her master’s degree in the field of Aerospace Dynamics from Cranfield University, UK. Her research involved the design of a trajectory following controller inclusive of stability augmentation, attitude control system and outer loop autopilot for unmanned aircraft (UAVs) flying in close formation for the purpose of air to air refuelling. After graduating as a Mechanical Engineer from Pakistan, Sarah gained extensive experience of working in the local automotive and engineering industry.
Her bachelors' research project involved the development of a measurement and data logging system for the in-cylinder temperature and combustion of an internal combustion engine. Her prime technical interests are focused upon engine technology and aircraft design. Sarah holds a Private Pilot License (PPL) with 70 hours of Flying Experience. She has also learned acrobatic flying and several flight manoeuvres while at Cranfield.
Biography:
Dr. Sarah Qureshi is working on contrail-free aero engines as the CEO and founding director of Aero Engine Craft (Pvt) Ltd. She is also a visiting fellow at the School of Aerospace at Cranfield University. Sarah has a PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering from…
سائنس اور ٹیکنالوجی کی کہانیاں
فزکس ہاتھوں میں
جب میں نے ۲۰۰۷ء میں امریکہ سےواپس آنے کےبعد سکول برائے سائنس اور انجینئرنگ، لمز میں بطور اُستاد اور محقق قدم رکھا،تومیرےسامنے ایک خالی کمرہ تھا۔ ایک سال بعد طلبہ کی پہلی جماعت نے داخل ہونا تھا اور میرے ذمے یہ احساس تھا کہ اِن طلبہ کےلیے مُجھےفزکس کی ایک شاندار اور فِکرانگیز تجربہ گاہ بنانی ہے۔چنانچہ میں نے اپنے چھوٹے سےکمرے کو تجربہ گاہ بنالیا۔ وائس چانسلر ڈاکٹر ظہور احمد اور بعدازاں ڈاکٹراحمد دُرانی سے خصوصی رقم کی دستیابی کا وعدہ لیا اور کام میں جُت گیا۔
آنجہانی صہیب شمیم سے آکسفورڈ ہی سےدوستی تھی۔اُن کے ساتھ مل کے نئے تجربوں کی تخلیق کا بیڑااُٹھایا۔عمرحسن، رابعہ ودود،علی حسن، عظیم اقبال، کنیزآمنہ اور اسماء خالد کے ساتھ مل کےنئے افکار کی تلاش کے بعد نیا سامان خودہاتھوں سے بنایااور ۲۰۰۸ء میں ڈیڑھ سو کے لگ بھگ ہشیار بچوں کے سامنےایک نیم تیارشدہ کمرے میں پہلی مرتبہ فزکس کی ابتدائی تجربہ گاہ پیش کی اور اطمینان کی کبھی نہ ختم ہونے والی دولت حاصل کی۔ ڈاکٹرعمر حسن اب رٹگرز یونیورسٹی میں اور ڈاکٹر اسماء خالد ملبورن یونیورسٹی میں تحقیق اور تدریس کی جدید رفعتوں کوطے کرکے ہم سب کوحیران کررہےہیں۔
سائنس اور فزکس کی تعلیم تجربوں کے بغیر بانجھ ہوتی ہے۔ تجربوں کی اپنی ایک الگ دنیا ہوتی ہے جوخالص نظریّے کی دُنیا سےمختلف ہوتی ہے۔ ایک ماہر تجربہ کار ایک متحمل اور بُردبار شخصیت کامالک ہوتاہے جو عرق ریزی سے حرارت پیما کے سیمابی وجود کو ٹکٹکی باندھ کے دیکھتاہے، دُوربین کے عدسے سے کسی دُور افتادہ ستارے کےجھرمٹ کو پہروں تکتارہتاہےاور نہایت ایمانداری سے اپنے تمام مشاہدات کو دفترِ قرطاس پہ قلمبند کرتاچلا جاتاہے۔ وولٹ پیما کی سوئی کی ہلکی سی جُنبش اس کے چہرے پہ مسکراہٹ بکھیردیتی ہے۔ موٹر کی گراریوں کی آواز اُسے بےچین کردیتی ہے اور لیزر شعاعیں جب پردے پہ ایک خوش رنگ نقش بکھیرتی ہیں، تو اس کی سانس تیزچلنے لگتی ہے۔ مشاہدہ کار نہایت عاجزی سے اپنی کائنات اور اپنے تجربات کے آئنے میں اپنی بے مائگی کوبھی سنوارتا رہتا ہے۔ تجرباتی سائنس دان جب اپنے تجربوں سے حاصل ہونے والی مقداروں کو تحریر کرتاہے تو نہایت ایمانداری سے مقداری بےیقینی (Uncertainty) کو بھی لکھتا ہے، تجربوں کی فِکری حدُود کی نشاندہی کرتاہے اور اِس طرح اپنی عاجزی کا برمَلا اقرار کرتاہے۔پچھلے چودہ پندرہ سالوں ںیں میری ہمیشہ یہی کوشش رہی ہے کہ لمزمیں فزکس کی تجربہ گاہ، جِسے ہم فِزلیب (Physlab) کہتےہیں، اِسی طور شاگردوں کی ذہن سازی اور شخصیت کی صنّاعی کرسکے۔ چنانچہ میرے نزدیک فزلیب بنانے کاعمل شخصیتوں کوسنوارنے کےعمل کے مترادف ہے۔
آپ جانتے ہوں گےکہ ہمارے مُلک میں عام طورپریہ سمجھا جاتاہےکہ جب تک ہم مہنگے داموں بیرونِ ملک سےبہترین آلات منگوا کے اپنی درسگاہوں کی زینت نہیں بنائیں گے، ہم سائنسی تحقیق کے سمندر کی موجزنی نہیں کرپائیں گے۔ یہ تاثُّر صرف ایک حد تک درست ہے۔ تدریسی نقطہِ نگاہ سے بننے والی تجربہ گاہوں میں یہ اصول پوری طرح لاگو نہیں ہوتا۔ بلکہ اِس میدان میں تو”آپ کاج، مہاکاج “ کے مصداق خود ہاتھ سےاپنے آلات بنانا اور پھر اِن آلات کو حُسنِ ترتیب کے ساتھ جوڑ کے ایک بڑا تجربہ بناڈالنا ہی عملی فزکس کی معراج بن جاتاہے۔ یہ خود ساختہ تجربے ایک تو نہایت سَستے ہوتےہیں، دوسرا، اُن کو بنانے کے سفر میں فزکس کے نِت نئے پہلو اُجاگر ہوتےہیں اور کتابوں میں بند نظریّے جیتےجاگتے، رنگ برنگ صورتوں میں تجسیم پاکرذہن کےدریچوں کو وَا اور سمجھ کے افقوں کوزیرکرتے نظر آتے ہیں۔گویاحَسَن کوزہ گر کے بنائے ہوئے مٹی کےپیالے بولنا شروع کردیتے ہیں! اپنی مددآپ سےبنے ہوئے۔
تجربے شاگردوں میں سائنسی اور طبیعی شعور اُجاگر کرنے میں، برآمدشدہ، زرق برق اور چمکتے دمکتے مگرغلافوں میں بند تجربات کی نسبت بہت زیادہ مُفید ہوتےہیں۔ گویا فزکس کی تجربہ گاہ اِس خود پروری کے نتیجے میں ایک مستعد کارخانہ بن جاتی ہے، اورساکت وجامد نوادرات کا شیش محل نہیں بنی رہتی۔ اِن آلات کے خراب ہونے کا ڈربھی جاتارہتاہےکہ آخرآپ نے یہ آلات خود بنائے ہیں، انہیں مرمت کرنا بھی تو آپ کےبس میں ہوگا۔ خرابیوں کا سُراغ لگانا بھی نہایت آسان ہوجاتا ہے ۔
بقولِ غالب :
اور بازار سےلےآئے، اگر ٹوٹ گیا
ساغرِجم سے میرا جامِ سفال اچھاہے
ایسی توانا تجربہ گاہ تخلیق کی جاتی ہے، تعمیر نہیں۔ میں نے یہی جذباتی تحریک اپنے کام میں استعمال کی۔ چنانچہ سب سے پہلے میں نےایک خرادمشین خریدی، وہ بھی کباڑیے سے۔ فِزلیب بنانے میں تکنیکی ماہرین کو،جن میں حافظ رضوان ، محمدیوسف اور خادم محمود سرِفہرست ہیں، اپنی انجمن میں شامل کیا اور ان کی مدد سےفزکس کے اصولوں پہ مبنی تجربات کا سانچہ ذہن میں بٹھایا، آلات کے ڈیزائن کو آگے بڑھایا، تجربوں سے حاصل ہونےوالی متوقع مقداروں کا بیش آمدگی سُراغ لگایا اور پھر اپنی نئی تعمیر کردہ کارگاہ میں نئے نئے آلات بنائے۔بہت سےتجربوں کو کمپیوٹر کےساتھ جوڑا تاکہ تجرباتی مقداروں کو سہولت کےساتھ اور وافِرمقدار میں حاصل کیاجاسکے اور پھر مقداری تجزیے(data analysis) سے کام لیتےہوئے قیاس اور استنباط، پیش گوئی اوراستخراج کی منزلیں، جو سائنسی رویے کاحصّہ ہیں ، بروئےکار لایا جاسکے اور نتیجتاً فِزکس درسی کتابوں کی قید سےنکل کے عمل کی جولا نگاہ میں داخل ہوسکے اور ہمارے ہزاروں طلبہ وطالبات فزکس کی حیرت انگیزیوں کی خوشہ چینی کرسکیں۔
الحمدُللہ، اب فزلیب مُلک میں تجرباتی فزکس کی عملی تربیت کے لیے ایک مثالی آماج گاہ بن چکی ہے۔ ہمارے پاس بنیادی سے لے کر عالی درجوں کےتجربات تیار ہیں۔ یہ تجربے ہرلحظہ بدلتےبھی رہتے ہیں اور فزکس کی تمام شاخوں کا احاطہ کیے ہوئے ہیں۔ چند مثالوں سے ان تجربات کی نوعیت واضح کی جاسکتی ہے۔ ابتدائی تجربہ گاہ میں ایک تجربہ مائع نائٹروجن کی حرارتِ مخصوصہ (specific heat) ناپنے سے تعلق رکھتاہے۔ایک چھوٹے سےکپ میں مائع نائٹروجن اُنڈیلی جاتی ہے۔یہ کپ ایک برقی ترازو (electronic balance)یہ دھراہے۔ نائٹروجن کی تبخیر(evaporation) سے وزن رفتہ رفتہ کم ہوجاتاہے۔وقت اور وزن کاڈیٹا کمپیوٹر پہ منتقل ہوتاہےاور طلبہ اِسےایک متحرک گراف (graph) میں دیکھتے ہیں۔ اس عمل کےدوران نائٹروجن میں ایک مزاحم (resistor) میں سے مخصوص وقت کے لیے برقی رَو(current) گزاری جاتی ہےجِس سے مزاحم گرم ہوتاہےاور تبخیر کاعمل تیز ہوجاتاہے۔ کچھ دیر بعد برقی روروک دی جاتی ہے اورتبخیر کی قدرتی رفتار ایک بارپھربحال ہوجاتی ہے۔تبخیر کی قدرتی اور برقی رفتار کےموازنے سے طلبہ کو دعوت دی جاتی ہےکہ وہ نائٹروجن کی حرارتِ مخصوصہ معلوم کریں۔ اب ظاہر ہےاس تجربےکی مددسے گراف اور اس کی وضع قطع کافہم بھی سیکھاجاتاہے، حراریات (thermal physics) اور برقیات (electricity) کا باہمی تعلق بھی نمایاں ہوتاہے اور توانائی کے استقرار (conservation) کا عملی مظہر بھی کھلی آنکھوں نظرآتاہے۔ اس تجربے میں استعمال ہونے والے سب آلات فِزلیب ہی کی پیدوار ہیں۔برقی ترازو سےلےکے فزلاگر تک،جو مقادیر (quantities)کوکمپیوٹر میں منتقل کرتاہے،عمرحسن اور اس کے ساتھیوں نے تخلیق کیے ہیں۔
ایک اورتجربے میں لوہے کی ایک لمبی افقی پٹی کی سطح پرباریک سوراخ بنائے گئے ہیں۔ اِس پٹی کا اندرونی حصّہ خالی ہےاور اِسے ایک ہواکے پمپ(Pump) سےمنسلک کیا گیاہے۔ہوا تیزرفتاری سے ان باریک سوراخوں سےخارج ہوتی ہے اور پٹی کے متوازی ایک تہ بنادیتی ہے۔اس تہ پہ گیٹیاں بہت معمولی مزاحمت سے فرّاٹے بھرتی ہوئے گزرتی ہیں ۔ان کی رفتار اور اسراع معلوم کرنے کےلیے بصری کِواڑ (photogate) فِزلاگرسے منسلک کیے گئے ہیں۔ اب ان گیٹیوں پہ معلوم اوزان کےذریعے معلوم قوت لگائی جاتی ہےاور ان کا اسراع معلوم کرکے نیوٹن کے المشہور F=ma قانون کی تطبیق تلاش کی جاتی ہے۔
اِسی طرح کے تقریباً سو کے قریب تجربے اس وقت فِزلیب کی زینت ہیں۔ میرے لیے فِزلیب میں آنا ایک مشاہدہ گاہ اور عجائب گھر کی سیر سےکم نہیں۔ کہیں گیندآپس میں ٹکرانے کی دھمادھم ہے، توکہیں مائعات کے بخارات کی صفیری آوازیں۔ کہیں پنڈولم درویشانہ گھوم رہےہیں تو کہیں کوئی مصروف طالبِ علم دُنیا ومافیہا سے بےخبرپانی کے اٹکےہوئے قطروں کے ٹپ ٹپ گرنے کا انتظار کررہا ہے۔ اس کےلیے وقت جیسے رُک ساگیا ہے،
لے سانس بھی آہستہ کہ نازک ہے بہت کام
آفاق کی اِس کار گہِ شیشہ گری کا
فِزلیب میں ہر طرح کے تشنگانِ علم کےلیے سامانِ حیرت ہے۔ریاضی کےدلدادہ مقناطیسی پنڈولم سے کھیل سکتے ہیں۔ڈیٹا کے شائقین تصویروں کی جانچ پڑتال کرسکتےہیں۔ہاتھ سے کام کو پسند کرنے والے مہندسین کےلیے لکڑی کےٹکڑوں کو جوڑ کر متوازن پُل بنانے کی آزمائش کےدوران تفریح کے ساتھ ساتھ سائنسی حکمت حاصل کرنےکے مواقع بھی ہیں۔ نُوریات کےشایقین کےلیے گوشہِ اِبنِ سہل سات آٹھ دلچسپ نوری تجربوں (optical experiments) کا میدان ہے۔بہت سے تجربات کیمرے اور سمارٹ فون کی مدد سےبھی کیے جاتےہیں۔ کئی نوبل انعام یافتہ تجربوں کی جدید اور معاصر صورت بھی فِزلیب میں دکھائی دے گی جیسے ۱۹۱۰ءکا پِیرِن(Perrin) کا تجربہ ایک جدید خوردبین کی مددسے نئے روپ میں جلوہ گر ہے۔اِس تجربےمیں پولی سٹائرین کے مائکرو دانے (polystyrene microspheres) پانی کی ایک باریک سی تہ میں خوردبین کےنیچے دیکھے جاتےہیں اور ہمارے تیارکردہ سو فٹ وئیر Phystrack کےذریعےان کے مقامات کو وقت کے دھارے پہ متعین کیا جاتاہے جس سےبےربط(random) اعمال کی فزکس سمجھنے میں بےحد آسانی ہوجاتی ہے اور ایک تاریخی اہمیت کے حامل تجربے کوبھی ازسرِنوزندہ کرلیاجاتاہے۔
فِزلیب کی تیاری میرے لیے چشم کُشا اور ذہن کُشاتھی۔ مجھے جو تھوڑی سی فِزکس آتی ہے، اس کا بڑا سہرااِنھی تجربات کی تیاری کےسر ہے۔اس تجربہ گاہ کاتعلیمی نصاب کسِی نظریاتی نصابِ تدریسی (theoretical coursework) کا مرہونِ منت نہیں۔ میں اس قبیل کے پروفیسروں سے تعلق رکھتا ہوں، جِس کے مطابق تجرباتی سائنس خود نظریات کوتشکیل دینے میں اہم کردارادا کرسکتی ہے۔ اِسی طرح فِزلیب کی کوکھ سے جنم لینے والی تنظیم قوسین سائنٹیفک کم خرچ پہ سائنسی آلات بنانے کے رستےپہ گامزن ہے۔ اُمید ہےکہ آلات اورخیالات کایہ ادل بدل، فزکس کی دُنیا میں، ہمارے نوجوانوں کے ذہنوں کو کھول کے اُنہیں فطرت کےاسلوب کوسمجھنے اور بالآخرتسخیر کرنے کےلیے ایک خوداعتمادی عطاکرےگا۔ ہماری تجربہ گاہ اِسی جذبے کی سر شاری میں قائم ہوئی اور یہی جذبہ اِسے آگے بڑھنے پہ مجبور کرتاہے۔
جب میں نے ۲۰۰۷ء میں امریکہ سےواپس آنے کےبعد سکول برائے سائنس اور انجینئرنگ، لمز میں بطور اُستاد اور محقق قدم رکھا،تومیرےسامنے ایک خالی کمرہ تھا۔ ایک سال بعد طلبہ کی پہلی جماعت نے…
