Islamic University of Technology hosted its first ever TEDx event on February 14 with a sold-out crowd of hundreds on campus. The event was inaugurated by the president of the organising committee, Md Tawhid Aziz. Ten prominent personalities of the nation formed the lineup of speakers at TEDxIUT featuring the theme "Equanimity for Modernity".
Dr Shamim Ahmed Deowan
Dr Shamim Ahmed Deowan is assistant professor and chairman at the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering at University of Dhaka. Among his several publications is one of his recent works is "Robot:AlokPakhi" and it was published by Jatiyo Shahitto Prokash. His research work comprises various topics including medical robotics, process engineering, and control and automation.
Khondaker Hasibul Kabir
Khondaker Hasibul Kabir introduces himself as a Jhenaidah based community architect whose work involves community-led housing and people-led city planning processes. He is the co-founder of Co.Creation. He is a core team member of Platform of Community Action and Architecture (POCAA) and Community Architects Network (CAN) that works in 19 Asian countries. In addition, he teaches landscape and architecture at BRAC University and Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements.
At TEDxIUT, he discussed the benefits of involving every individual in the community ranging from children to adults in the designing process while the designers help organise the community's dreams.
Dr Mekhala Sarkar
Dr Mekhala Sarkar is an award winning psychiatrist as well as public health specialist, who is now working as an associate professor of Psychiatry in National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. She has received fellowship from World Psychiatry Association (WPA) (Turkey) as well as World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012. In 2018 she was honoured with an international fellowship of American Psychiatric Association (USA). On the basis of achievement and contribution, Dr Sarkar was awarded with the most prestigious 'Hidayetul Islam Gold Medal Award' as the best promising young psychiatrist in 2015.
At TEDxIUT, she discussed about stress and its effect on our physical as well as mental wellbeing and stress management.
Bobby Hajjaj
Bobby Hajjaj is a political leader, an Oxford scholar and an author. He is the founder and chairman of the political party Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM) and a faculty at North South University (NSU). He also spearheaded a citizen empowerment movement called ShopnerDesh.
At TEDxIUT, he said that social media is designed to keep us engaged through built-in algorithms. The algorithms bombard us with ideas that we agree with while keeping away the rest. This traps us in a bubble making us locally disconnected while being globally connected, ultimately creating a stronger division between people supporting contrasting ideas.
Naveed Mahbub
Naveed Mahbub is an award-winning Bangladeshi comedian and columnist. He received the Best Male Comedian award in the 2007 Las Vegas Comedy Festival and was featured in the US-based comedy television channel Comedy Central in 2016. He hosts a morning radio show, Good Morning Bangladesh, on ABC Radio. He was an engineer at Ford & Qualcomm USA and CEO of IBM & Nokia Siemens Networks Bangladesh.
At TEDxIUT, he shared his diverse experiences and encouraged the audience to explore diverse opportunities in order to discover one's passion.
Zara Mahbub
Zara Mahbub has eighteen years of experience in various industries, including ready-made garments and textiles in Bangladesh, and IT and Software Manufacturing in the US. She is currently the Country Director and CEO at Kazi IT Center Ltd.
At TEDxIUT, she shared her childhood experiences of enjoying various sports and activities without resorting to her gender identity. She further talked about how she discovered her passion through exploration and concluded with the secret to success.
Rean Rahman
Rean Rahman is an alumnus of Islamic University of Technology who has transformed brands and companies over the past decade and is now the head of iflix in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He teaches at BRAC University, mentors the youth on innovation and creates meaningful stories on Dhaka with the street photographer community.
At TEDxIUT, Rean shared the stories of his startups and talked about finding one's identity.
Prof M Arshad Momen
Dr Mohammed Arshad Momen is professor and chairman of Theoretical Physics Department, University of Dhaka. Besides working as a visiting scientist at CERN, he is also a PPARC research fellow from Oxford University, UK. He believes that there is no shortcut to success and one should not delude oneself with a false sense of understanding. He believes in giving his students "the rod" instead of handing over the "fish" so that they fish themselves for the rest of their careers. His areas of interests include mathematical physics, applications of quantum field theory in particle physics, cosmology and condensed matter physics.
At TEDxIUT, Arshad talked about the significance of fundamental research.
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan is a documentary photographer, filmmaker and visual artist based in Dhaka. His photographs and artworks have been published and exhibited internationally. He is also a consultant photographer and documentary filmmaker for Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, FAO of the United Nations, UN Women, USAID, Water Aid and major INGOs.
At TEDxIUT, Rakibul shared several stories based on his work and concluded with the fundamentals of being a good human being that is caring for others and the environment.
Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan
Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan is the chairman of Nature Study Society of Bangladesh (NSSB) and achieved fellowship from Zoological Society of Bangladesh (ZSB) last year. He worked as a survey assistant, Bird Survey, Department of Forest and Wildlife under Abdul Wahab Akanda, for the survey of Rajendrapur, Sreepur, Kapasia, Kachikata, Rathura& Mauna area for three months in 1979. At TEDxIUT, Mizanur talked about our interaction with every element of nature and the importance of being conscious.
The six-hour long event concluded with a closing ceremony in which Dr Khondokar Habibul Kabir, associate professor, IUT handed over a token of appreciation to the esteemed speakers.
TED began in 1984 as a nonpartisan non-profit conference that covers almost all topics ranging from science to global issues and spreads ideas through short powerful talks. TEDx is a local, self-organised event that provides a TED-like experience to the community. The diverse lineup of speakers at TEDxIUT had valuable perspectives to share with the attendees. The talk will be published through TEDx after a month.
The writer is a final year student at Islamic University of Technology (IUT). She can be reached at ebtesam@iut-dhaka.edu