July 7, 2008

I arrived in Peshawar the capital city of the Frontier Province of Pakistan a few days ago. The city is a wonderful mixture of faces representing Afghans, Pushtoons (the word Pathan was used by the British) and central Asians and others from different places that connect with the ancient silk road that passes through this part of the world.

I have been invited by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan as a Visiting Scholar to the University of Engineering & Technology, University of Peshawar. This is the oldest university of Pakistan and started as a college of arts and religious education, then called Islamia College (see photographs) in 1913 and later expanded to form the University of the North West Frontier Province in 1952. I am looking forward to working with faculty in the Engineering School and helping to set up a metallurgical laboratory with tribological facilities. I shall be visiting a number of sugar mills outside Peshawar to look into the problems associated with wear and degradation of “crushing rollers” used in the processing of sugar cane

Islamia College: The main entrance and gardens of Islamia College.