The LUMS Physlab has won the prestigious National Innovation Award for building one of the most innovative experimental physics laboratories in Pakistan. The award is administered by the Pakistan Innovation Foundation and is adjudicated by a distinguished jury.
Dr. Sabieh Anwar, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE), has stated that the National Innovation Award is considered to be the top most award in innovative uses of technology in education.
With regard to Physlab winning this award, Pakistan Innovation Fund stated the following:
"Realising the pedagogical importance of experiments, Physlab was set up in 2007 as a benchmark teaching lab at the LUMS Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE). However, a shortage of quality laboratory equipment was immediately felt. Thus, the very first thing that was taken on was to establish a small-scale manufacturing facility for laboratory equipment and scientific apparatus with cheap and readily available materials.
In 2009, The Physlab also embarked on an initiative quite rare by all standards in the country: a university sharing its material and intellectual resources through a service contract. In 2010, a milestone was achieved by the Physlab, when Physics Lab at Institute of Space Technology (IST), Islamabad, was set up. Again in 2011, the experiments developed at Physlab were sold to Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) for their physics laboratory. This clearly indicates a growing respect for in-house and indigenous development activity in the country. Under this project, Physlab at LUMS has now developed and built assorted experiments for four Universities inside Pakistan. This ‘entrepreneurship’ has not only generated valuable revenue, but also contributed to sowing the seeds of world-class education in physics experimentation throughout Pakistan."
To learn more about Pakistan Innovation Fund, please visit http://www.pif.org.pk/
