Sustainable Architecture: PARCO Gunvor Plants Bamboo Trees at BNU
Bamboo is a fast-growing, renewable resource that absorbs more CO₂ and releases more oxygen than traditional trees. By planting bamboo on campus, students will gain access to local, eco-friendly building materials, empowering them to recycle, reuse, and rethink sustainable construction practices while reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and synthetic alternatives. PGL believes that empowering the next generation of architects and environmental leaders is key to long-term climate resilience. This plantation not only enhances campus biodiversity and air quality but also educates students in responsible material sourcing and ecological responsibility.
BNU Hosts Pakistan’s First Lead Poisoning Mitigation Competition
With approximately 47 million children exposed to dangerous levels of lead, the competition aimed to generate actionable strategies to reduce contamination from sources such as industrial waste, unsafe paints, used batteries, polluted water supplies, and hazardous toys. The initiative highlighted the urgency of addressing environmental health through youth engagement and innovation. Under the leadership of Dr. Moeed W. Yusuf, Vice Chancellor of BNU, the competition emphasized the role of policy-driven, sustainable solutions. Students were encouraged to think critically about long-term mitigation measures and advocate for practical implementation at both local and national levels. The winning team from the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, proposed a nanosensor-driven national lead screening policy. Second place was awarded to Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, for their AI-based approach to environmental contamination control. Third place went to BNU’s Department of Economics for their project on mitigating lead poisoning through food and farming practices. The event concluded with recognition of all participants for their creativity, commitment, and contribution to tackling a critical yet often overlooked health issue in Pakistan.
SCIT Hosts Projects Showcase 2025 Celebrating Student Innovation
Day 1 of the event kicked off with a warm welcome to Guest of Honor, Mr. Badar Khushnood—co-founder of Fishry and Bramerz, and former Chairman of P@SHA. Students showcased their final-year capstone projects in areas such as artificial intelligence, computer vision, cybersecurity, and web and mobile development. The projects were evaluated by a panel of industry experts, including Usman Ahmad Zia (Vice President, CADM Systems Limited), Zunair Haseeb Khan (Vice President QA Services, Systems Ltd), Dr. Fezan Rasool (Team Lead, Machine Learning, Systems Ltd), Syed Moosa Abidi (Business Analyst, Podium), Mr. Shahbaz Ali (Business Development Manager, INDEX Holding), and Dr. Hafsa Zafar (Assistant Professor, University of Management and Technology). The judges praised the originality, relevance, and technical depth of the student work. On Day 2, Chief Guest Mr. Usman Asif, CEO of Devsinc, joined the event and interacted with students and faculty. Another round of evaluations was conducted by a new panel of judges, including Dr. Hammad Mushtaq (Chief Technology Officer, Connective Ltd.), Zeeshan Jamil (Associate Director, Dialer Management), Yahya Mahmood (Web Developer, Chakor), Mr. Saud Junaid (Senior DevOps Engineer, Ninja), Syed Asad Raza (Senior DevOps Engineer, Tkxel), Mr. Asad Ullah (Senior Software Engineer, i2c Inc.), Mr. Saad Ur Rehman (Full Stack Developer, DFX5), and Dr. Qurat Ul Ain Akram (Assistant Professor, University of Engineering and Technology). The diverse range of projects demonstrated students’ ability to tackle real-world challenges with innovative technical solutions. The showcase concluded with an inspiring award ceremony, where outstanding projects were honored in categories including Best Final Year Project, Runner-up, and Popular Choice Award. Mr. Usman Asif commended the students for their hard work, ingenuity, and dedication to technological advancement, encouraging them to continue striving for excellence in the ever-evolving tech landscape. SCIT Projects Showcase 2025 reaffirmed Beaconhouse National University’s commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration, and industry-readiness among its students—bridging academic learning with practical, impactful applications in the field of computer science and information technology.
UNESCO Conference on Strengthening Data for Cultural and Creative Industries Policy
The conference brought together a distinguished gathering of academics, scholars, civil society representatives, and officials from multilateral organizations including UNESCO and UNDP. Researchers from various educational institutions across Lahore also participated, making the event a vibrant platform for dialogue on the economic significance of Pakistan’s cultural and creative sectors. The day's sessions opened with two thematic panels — The Economics of Culture and The Impact of Culture — featuring presentations from national scholars on topics ranging from the role of traditional crafts and the film industry to the potential of Pakistan's tourism and secondhand retail sectors. Mr. Zaeem Yaqoob Khan, Project Lead of the UNESCO IFCD Project and Executive Director at BNU, shared an in-depth progress report on the definition and instrument development exercises undertaken by the project team. He also outlined the learnings from the pilot study and the ongoing field rollout activities planned to validate new tools for data collection. Senior Expert and Project Co-Lead, Dr. Izza Aftab, presented preliminary findings from the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan. She highlighted the emerging economic contributions of various CCI sectors, including music, festivals, food, gaming, textiles, and artisanal crafts, as captured through newly validated instruments. The conference concluded with an engaging panel conversation featuring celebrated figures in the arts and academia — Professor Salima Hashmi, Dr. Tamkenat Mansoor, photographer and cultural practitioner Khaula Jamil, and creative strategist Yaser Awan — who shared insights on amplifying Pakistan’s cultural sector and building sustainable creative economies. This conference marks a significant milestone in the broader effort to generate evidence-based policymaking for the cultural and creative industries in Pakistan and affirms BNU’s leadership role in cultural policy research and advocacy.
