Habib University hosts four-day Quantum Information Summer School (QISS) aimed at developing a national strategic research collaboration on quantum computing in Pakistan.
HABIB UNIVERSITY, JULY 25-28: The first Quantum Information Summer School (QISS) at Habib University was held last week from July 25-28, 2016, featuring notable experts on quantum information from around the world. The celebrated Dr. Barry Sanders (AITF iCORE Strategic chair in Quantum Information Science and director of the institute of Quantum Science and Technology at the University of Calgary), Dr. Muhammad Sabieh Anwar (LUMS), Dr. Abuzer Yakaryilmaz (National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, Brazil) and Dr. Benno Salwey (University of Freiburg, Germany) presented lectures on various topics related to quantum information over the four-day gathering of computer scientists and IT experts.
According to the hosts: “The field of quantum information and computation is a unique merger of ideas from physics, computer science, information theory, engineering and philosophy. Applications of the field range from algorithms that break secure communication protocols we use online every day to resolving paradoxes at the cosmological scale related to black holes. The summer school on quantum information and computation at Habib University envisions a vibrant quantum information research community within Pakistan. The aim is to bring together some of the leading experts in their area to engage, train and collaborate with Pakistani researchers and students.”
At the grand finale, Dr. Barry Sanders discussed the contributions of Dr. Abdus Salam – the renowned Pakistani theoretical physicist who shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics with Sheldon Glashow and Steven Weinberg – to physics and science in developing countries. His talk was titled “Symmetries: From Abdus Salam’s Universe to Quantum Information Technologies”, and also included anecdotes from Dr. Sanders’ personal interactions with Dr. Abdus Salam and his influence on Dr. Sanders’ work in quantum information science.
Actually animation was for others to obtain funds but not used by me for that. Thanks for the clip @HabibUniversityhttps://t.co/REYedeL2qT
Actually animation was for others to obtain funds but not used by me for that. Thanks for the clip @HabibUniversityhttps://t.co/REYedeL2qT
— Barry Sanders (@bcsanders) July 28, 2016
Habib University had received a large volume of applications for the program from all major universities in Pakistan, including Bacha Khan University, DHA Suffa University, FAST-NUCES, IBA, Karakoram National University, Lahore University of Management and Sciences (LUMS), NED, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Quaid-e-Azam University, and Sir Syed University. Participants appreciated the opportunity to learn about quantum information from leading experts in the field, and pledged to participate in such events in the future as well.
In order to ensure that such endeavors grow in their stature and outreach, a steering committee comprising faculty from Habib University, LUMS, NUST, and the University of Calgary was also formed at the event. The committee will prepare a national strategic vision document for quantum information research in Pakistan.
QISS 2016 was an initiative of Dr. Jibran Rashid, a member of Habib University’s Computer Science faculty. Dr. Rashid’s doctoral thesis was nominated for the Canadian Governor General’s gold medal.
