SDG 5: Gender Equality

A student of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute artwork has been selected for UNESCO’s Creative Resilience: Art by Women in Science

Isna Ahsan, a student of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute from Batch 28 artwork has been selected for UNESCO’s Creative Resilience: Art by Women in Science. The exhibition was held in UNESCO headquarters in Paris on October 27, 2021.

The artwork had been displayed in the exhibition ‘Creative Resilience: Art by Women in Science’ at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The exhibition showcased the art pieces and profiles of 54 women in STEM from around the world who were selected from among over 200 candidates. All of them submitted their artworks based on their Covid-19 pandemic struggles, responded to an extensive questionnaire, and generously shared their stories and insights in July-August 2021.

UNESCO seeks to give a voice to STEM women and give visibility to their unique scientific perspectives, personal journey, creations, and resilience throughout the pandemic. The purpose of this exhibition is explained by Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, “Women of science remain largely invisible. This exhibition is the opportunity to show their unique experiences of how their lives and perspectives have been transformed by the pandemic. By making visible their visions, struggles and ambitions, these women scientists inspire us to make our societies more creative and gender-equal in the post Covid world.”

A Creative Resilience catalogue is also published featuring the selected Women in Science. It mentions Isna Ahsan in the words, ‘The scientists in this exhibition also see opportunities resulting from the pandemic to connect in ways they never thought possible. The works of electrical engineering student Isna Ahsan from Pakistan reflect our reliance on digital technologies during the pandemic and the possibilities this has given women scientists in terms of access and connectivity with the world, mobility and freedom of choice, like never before.’ and ‘She uses her artistic talents to communicate messages of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender equality and the societal pressures women face that may prevent them from discovering and reaching their full potential.’

Anti-Harrasment Session at GIK Institute

One way or the other, students find themselves in situations where they do not know who to consult, where to find support, or even if they will find help or not. Women Engineering Society arranged a session to create awareness on active policies, procedures and committee overlooking harassment and related issues at GIK Institute. The session was delivered by Dr. Dur e Zehra, the member of the anti-harassment committee of GIKI.

Women Engineering Society (WES) under the Student Affairs Department organized an event called “Anti-Harassment Awareness Session” in collaboration with Harassment Complaint Cell (HCC) on 10th October 2022 for the faculty members and entire student body which included undergraduates, postgraduates. The session comprised of the institute’s policies on harassment and the procedure that is required to file an official complaint of the offences committed against any person residing on campus. The institute’s harassment policies were delivered by Dr Dur e Zehra, the member of HCC. The community of GIK Institute was educated with the general perception and details regarding possible harassments. The students were also introduced to Women Engineering Society and the work it aims to accomplish in making this campus a safer and better place for everyone. The following HCC members were attended the session:

Ms Dur e Zahra

Mr Sher Ali Shah

Ms Shanza Rehan

Mr Amin Qureshi

Women Engineering Society Secured 2nd Position in URRAAN: Gender, Tech, and Mobility Hackathon at LUMS

Team WES participated in the URRAAN: Gender, Tech, and Mobility Hackathon held by LUMS. The competition required us to come up with a solution for different problem statements given. 

Our problem statement was Walkability: How women face issues when walking on the footpaths, waiting for busses, and just going about their normal life while being in a public space. To cater to the issues, we proposed a device that could alert the authorities and people nearby in case of any inappropriate doings. The device was a microprocessor chip that could be attached to anything that a woman was wearing, a watch, necklace, bracelet, or even tie up as a band under her sleeve. The chip would be activated through speech recognition. Open buying the chip, the person who was going to use it could customize it and feed a safe word that would later activate the chip. When the chip is activated, it will send the location coordinates to the nearest Police Station while also ringing an alarm and a very high-intensity light. This will be done to startle the intruder. 

Our proposed solution was able to secure the second position in the competition with a monetary prize of 30,000Rs.

Women Engineering Society held an online session on Women Empowerment

Women Engineering Society at GIK Institute arranged an Instagram live session with this year’s Diana Award Recipient from Pakistan: Faryal Ashfaq to unfold a conversation on her journey to achieving such an accolade, her efforts for women empowerment and her outlook on life.