Institute of Space Technology (IST) celebrated its 8th Commencement of Class of 2013 with the graduation of 88 students, in the disciplines of Aerospace, Communications Systems and Materials Science & Engineering on Saturday 21st September 2013. Honorable Federal Minister for Planning and Development Mr. Ahsan Iqbal graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Senior dignitaries from the civil and military establishments were also present on the occasion. The chief guest conferred the students, with the baccalaureate degrees in their respective fields of Engineering. He gave away the President of Pakistan’s Gold Medals to Muhammad Tanveer Iqbal of Aerospace Engineering, Syed Muhammad Arsalan Bashir of Communication Systems Engineering, Omar Waqas Saadi and Asim Riaz of Materials Science & Engineering, who stood first in their respective programmes. Sheheryar Ishtiaq from Aerospace Engineering, Abdul Nasir and Farhan Mehdi from Communication Systems Engineering, Asim Riaz and Muhammed Saad of Materials Science & Engineering were awarded Vice Chancellor’s Medal for best final year projects.

The Chief Guest while congratulating the graduates said that it was indeed a matter of immense satisfaction to see Institute of Space Technology flourishing and emerging as a renowned seat of learning within a short span of ten years. This great fulfillment bespoke hard work and selfless devotion of the institute’s management and faculty members. Being an eminent seat of learning, IST had been successful in synthesizing and transmitting to the younger generation the proper sense and understanding of well being and the readiness to take up the challenges of the modern world. The Chief Guest also said that he was pleased to learn about the high employment rate of the graduates of IST. This was obviously the result of high standard of education and steps taken to maintain a liaison with industry and premier Research and Development organizations in the country. He also expressed hope that new graduates would give their best in practical life wherever and in whatever capacity they found themselves in. He also reminded the students that we all owed a great deal to our country and the students could repay for what the country had done for them by serving it honestly and with complete dedication. He also said that he was positive that the kind of education the students had received must have broadened their perspective. He advised them to think in terms of their responsibilities before they demanded their rights. He also prayed that the students would be able to use their expertise in practical situations and would be able to play their role as technical professionals working for the country.

Prior to this, Vice Chancellor Mr. Imran Rahman while congratulating the graduating students said that this was their day of celebrations. It was indeed their hard work and persistence that paved the way to success. And it was heartening to see them ready to join the main stream of life, fully equipped with the knowledge, skills and motivation to contribute their part in the development of our motherland. Advising the graduating students the Vice Chancellor said that the constantly changing world around them required them to revisit their goals as engineers and create space for the paradigm of cooperating with nature and help in building a self sustaining human society. They would be required to take decisions in a socio and geopolitical environment quite different from today. Therefore a holistic approach towards knowledge was the need of the future. He also advised them to be reliable and dependable professionals, upholding the value system and ethics, in and outside the boundaries of their work. The Vice Chancellor also mentioned that in a short span of ten years IST had achieved a place of distinction amongst the National Engineering universities in being ranked in the top five universities. IST received ISO 9001-2008 certification early this year. IST’s PICO satellite, ICUBE-1, had passed all the qualification tests and was awaiting launch in the last quarter of 2013. ICUBE-2, with larger payload capacity and advanced attitude control system for more sophisticated applications, was also in its planning phase.

IST also showcased various projects of the graduating students which were highly appreciated by the Chief Guest and the visiting dignitaries.