Logophiles candidates attend "Annual Conference on Regional Science, 2018"

Logophiles candidates attended an international conference held in BUET Council Building on 25-26 October, 2018. The Conference was jointly organized by Bangladesh Regional Science Association (BRSA), Centre for Regional Development Studies (CRDS), and BUET. The 2018 Conference themes were - Sustainability + Community + Society. The focus areas were (1) Poverty Alleviation, (2) Food and Ecology, (3) Energy Security, (4) Climate Change, (5) Urbanization, and (6) Migration. Five students from the class attended the Conference and worked with the support team in Rapporteur-ing the program sessions. Only one student attended both days. I have so far received four reports which are compiled below without much editing. 

1st REPORT (Borno)

A Review of the conference at The Annual Conference On Regional Science. 

After we collected our snacks and hastily devoured it , in concern of getting left behind as the hoard of Professors , Students and rapporteurs embarked on their way to the Computer Laboratory building for “The Young Scholars Presentation” , we swiftly gripped onto our paper cup coffee that felt exothermic to the touch and galloped through the grim roads gallantly to the Computer Laboratory room. As instructed to curate a group of two: Tashsin and I left the others on the second floor where their session was Scheduled, and went to our room on the 4th floor (where the session 2 was held). Our session compromised of topics that ranged from choosing the optimal agricultural area , how growth centers developed physical, economic, social and cultural growth and an analysis of the trading centers of Dhaka.

We shuffled through our file that were presented to us post our registration to discover two pages and a pen to engrave our observations onto. As I shuffled through the file I noticed it had engraved hexagonal drawings in green harboring different types of regional science with a red hexagon in the mean position titled Regional Science – such a powerfully abruptly captivating representation of different sections of Regional science. We read the abstract, that shed us vivid information about the research thesis we were going to take notes on. The teachers sat along with us in the front row, we felt enigmatically excited as we resided beside them and were allowed to make remarks on the presentation.

As the first researcher climbed the podium and opened her presentation file on the laptop she spoke to the mic and presented herself and her topic. Her notion was to provide us a detailed insight about the shopping sectors of Dhaka. She took Bashundhara city Mall and Rifles Square as the protagonist of the research and presented her information’s based on the data collected from respective shopping malls, then she abruptly presented everyone to ask questions and provide her insights on how to improve her research. All the teachers presented their observations on her research – good but she needed to select more shopping malls and how is the going to help them to if they were to open a cosmetics shop etc. We were a bit vague about the topic because the presentation finished so fast that everything entropized all over our minds as we staggered to scribble down notes and make significant observation.

We decided to observe and write this one as fast as we can. The second topic was ‘How Growth Centers Promote Economic, Social and Cultural development’ But this time the researchist was slow our pen filled up the pages before the researcher made her remarks and conclusions. Tahsin ventured to ask whether Growth Centers  create awareness about natural disasters and help prevent them. The teachers noted that the research had too much positivity in it, and she should have described the problems of having too much inefficient Growth centers. And as I observed that all her statistical data had no control or reference point to compare to – all of it was based on how two towns developed in light with Growth centers, there was no comparison of the data to an area without growth centers.

The third researchist was the fastest it felt like his presentation finished with in seconds but we managed to note down key points.  It was regarding Agricultural problems and development in some areas of Bangladesh. As sir remarked that he didn’t successfully create an argument and gave a solution, I added salt to his wounds by speaking up that he emphasized how some areas like Mymensingh and Bhola has good agricultural development but he didn’t describe the key factors that helped them achieve it. Then other factors like condition of farmers or farming method, equipment were not mentioned.

We took our notes and before we left , one of the volunteers took our names and the questions we made and instructed us to head to Seminar Room where everyone who took part allocated before the event ended. The teachers who were supervising each session thanked everyone for participating and emphasized the importance of research paper and even said that all American universities care about is research no one cares about the results, hence the importance of a rigid and concrete paper will play a crucial role for our admissions. The ceremony over, we were huddled to the second floor where dinner was served I rejoicing myself with alluringly fragrant pulao and lusciously appetizing roasted chicken.

Day 2 (Technical Sessions): Only one such report because others could NOT attend

On the second day I somehow put on my attires and rushed to BUET to attended the technical session 3B (in the seminar room). Yet I ran through the open corridors with an alluringly captivatingly beautiful essence of greenery residing by it all I could think about was not to show up late. As I somehow slouched to the seminar room, I yielded a sight of people entering the seminar room. Arriving at the seminar room panting and excited I opened my shoes and entered the seminar room and secured a seat.

Today’s theme was "Behavioral Studies." All the presentations or researches were presented by the teachers hence they were almost impeccably complexly complete. The first research was regarding how Ethnicity Influences Health seeking Behavior , where a study based on 45 ethical communities all over Bangladesh was discussed on how Factors such as Religious beliefs, Long roads and poor transit and Language barriers prevented them from getting connected and seek the help of modern medicine or help from the normal community. What made me feel more absorbed to the presentation was how the ethical groups created their own remedies (recipes of herbs) for treating common sicknesses for example they used tulsi pata to treat common cold and a bad stomach. After the presentation ended my question to sir was how we can bring an end to the language barrier. Sir answered that government should take initiatives to promote or provide them rudimentary education from which they will only get the chance to learn the language we speak in.

The second topic was what factors are channeling remittances into the productive sector of Bangladesh. Where how the low skilled migrants and the way people spent money was channeling the money away from the productive sector of Bangladesh , as a result of which there is 2million people in the labor sector and 0.2 million people in the formal job sector. My question to sir was what government policies or bank initiatives can be fabricated to channel more money into the productive sector and help Bangladesh have a more stable economic growth. His answer was – there was no definitive policy or initiatives that can help solve the problem hence this debate still exists.

Then the third topic was about the road crossing behavior of Pedestrians of Bangladesh , where Farmgate and Mohakhali was taken as research areas. The research revealed the adults were the ones who took the most risks and the females irrespective of age always had the lowest street crossing times, and due to prevent consumption of more time people always preferred not to take the over bridge. My suggestion to this research was to consider other factors like placement of bridge in a 4-way intersection in a wrong way and the credibility of the traffic police and their ability to control the roads or prevent pedestrian or addition of cameras to fine people who Cross roads on a green light.

The conference ended but I wanted to stay long enough to attend the next session, but my mathematics teacher was already buzzing my phone to an extent that I even forgot that it was ringing. I took my coffee and went to room 208 above the seminar room where I submitted my notes to Riaz bhaiya and left an amazing conference where I left my little footprints among the footsteps of giants regarding ongoing researches on Regional Science.

2nd Report (Cheryl)

Stepping off from the car and onto the campus felt like entering a new world. The grounds of the university were picturesque, with tall trees shading the pathways and large buildings with exposed brick and red paint. The Annual Conference on Regional Development 2018 was going to be held at the BUET Council Building, and having just arrived at the place, Nafia, Farah and I were a bit confused as to what our duties would be and when the event would start.

We promptly called Mr. Riaz Uddin, the person who invited us to the conference. He told us to go over to the URP Department building and meet him there. As we walked over to the building, we expressed our appreciation towards the aesthetic surroundings and our feelings of excitement for the upcoming event. When we arrived, we were given a short briefing by Riaz Uddin on the duties of a rapporteur and the responsibilities we would be assuming for the day. Shortly afterwards, Tahsin and Borno reached as well and we made our way back to the Council Building for registration and the Inaugural Session.

After the ceremony, there were keynote presentations by Andre Torre, a research professor at the French National Institute of Agricultural Research, and Salim Rashid, an Emeritus professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Torre talked about a new concept called proximity relations, providing insight on a subject matter that was previously unknown to us. On the other hand, Mr. Rashid broke down and criticised a proposal by World Bank on developing the urban city of Dhaka, offering alternate solutions as well. Afterwards, a discussion session ensued where the panel of speakers answered questions proposed by the audience. A short tea-break later, we  went to our assigned rooms for the parallel sessions where we would be acting as rapporteurs for the student presentations. Mr. Andre Torre chaired the judging panel of the session where Nafia, Farah and I were present, and offered valuable advice to the participants on how to improve their presentations. The topics the students spoke about was centred around regionalization of Bangladesh on the basis of different factors, such as socio-economic facilities, population densities, dependency on agro-industries and number of functioning NGOs. The presentations shed light on the different methodologies and statistical models used in research behind the them, as well proposing important development focus areas for the country's government.

At the closing session, the judges spoke about the places where the students could improve in order to produce more effective research papers for their PhD. It was also discussed how universities in USA prioritised a good research paper over grades and GPA. Overall, it was a very engaging and different experience, giving us important knowledge on what goes behind a research paper and also how to publish the findings to legitimize the research. We learnt about subject we would have not otherwise explored at such a depth, opening our minds to a new pool of knowledge and information.

3rd Report (Tahsin)

We reached BUET around 2, late noon, with anticipation as to what will occur at the conference. The topic of the conference was Regional Science. I alongside Borno, reached the main gate. It had soothing ambience, compared to the normal hustle and bustle around the other campuses.   

The speakers were professors of two distinct, dignified universities, Salim Rashid and Andre Torre. Andre Torre spoke about the philosophical topic, Proximity relations analysis, emphasizing on topics such as the different forms of proximity, both social and economic, the importance of it, and so on. However, the speech that hit home for me was the one conducted by Salim Rashid, Toward Great Dhaka, where he talked about the architectural side of rebuilding our city in a more economically stable way. The conference session ended around 6 in the evening, proceeding was the tea break. After the short interval we sat in the Parallel Session. Borno and I attended Parallel Session 2, while Farah, Nafia and Cheryl were attending Parallel session 3. Our session was on three presentations, the analyses were all well conducted and adequately portrayed by the presenters, the undergraduate students of BUET.  The first presentation was on the empirical analysis of trade areas, which considered the popularity of Dhaka’s trade area, which is determined by the attractiveness and total floor area. The conclusion being, that the higher the two factors are, the more popular it gets. However, I feel that this does not apply in reality as much. 

The final two presentations were about Growth centers in northern Bangladesh, and the regional rice production and statistical overview. The penultimate presentation talked about rural development with the influence of Growth Centers, where I questioned the whether this ‘development’ is correcting serious problems such as unemployment or natural disasters, or not. The answers were stereotypical. However, I feel as though growth centers are at least addressing the problems now, even If they do not yet act on it. The third and final presentation was a quasi ‘facts display’ involving a myriad of numbers, percentages and patterns. It showed different slides on the GDP affected by rice, its production ideals and the significant producers of rice.  

The day ended in the U.R.P seminar room where the senior professors Andre Torre, Sarwar Jahan and Salim Rashid, assessed the presenters’ performances and discussed points to improve and points to withhold. The general consensus among the judges was that each work lacked proper Literary review. Andre Torre talked about the methodology, or the lack of it in the presentations and considered the ways of improving it. Economist Salim Rashid, also gave a few tips on making a research paper. Those being, to take a gap year in Bangladesh and to really focus on one research topic. Meanwhile, my father reached BUET campus and called me. I headed out to greet him and with him, I sat in the seminar room, to hear the closing words. A lot was said about the importance, standard and constructive advice on the topic of research papers. However, the final question, asked by an unnamed professor, resounded around the room was what to do when the paper is rejected. The question was welcomed with a brief hush. I believe that there will be setbacks in our life, but failures are temporary. These failures are eclipsed by the journey. The journey of failures, mending us into better human beings with knowledge, empathy and guts. So, with that said, Onwards and Upwards.

4th Report (Nafia)

ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON REGIONAL SCIENCE

The Annual Conference of Regional Science (ACRS) is a meeting, which is a joint arrangement by Bangladesh Regional Science Association (BRSA) and the Centre for Regional Development Studies (CRDS) of BUET. The meeting provided a platform to bring together young researchers and established researchers from home and abroad, to talk about sustainability, community and the society of Bangladesh. BUET organized the 2nd Annual conference on regional science yesterday, on 25th October, 2018 and I feel grateful and privileged for having been a part of the ongoing discussions in the meeting.

On reaching the Academic Council hall at around 1:45 we contacted one of the organizers, Riaz Uddin and he asked us to meet him at another hall where he briefed us about the event and about our respective tasks. He helped us with the registration process and then we were each given a file inside of which was a pamphlet that had the time schedule of the events and an abstract of each of the topics that would be presented throughout the day. Underneath the pamphlet were two pieces of A4 sized paper, a pen and a discount coupon of “Rokomari”, an online bookshop. Riaz sir divided us into groups of three and two and I was in the group of three. We then picked a session out of the three available ones. He told us that as rapporteurs, our job was to take notes on the proceedings of the presentations of our respective sessions- note down the research hypothesis, objective, conclusion, proposals and opposing views.

After reading the abstracts we picked session 3 and then followed sir back to the council building. The walk back to the council building was a very soothing one. We walked past the big auditorium which had walls painted with a vibrant red. Students gathered in small circles and were engaging in conversations. The weather was also nice, not too cold and not too hot. The Campus was huge and had different red brick buildings for different departments, with trees and plants and small lawns here and there.

We reached the council building once again, headed to the second floor, made our way through a big conference room and secured our seats. The inauguration ceremony then began with a welcome speech by Md. Musleh Uddin Hassan, General Secretary of BRSA. In his speech he talked about the initiative behind the conferences and welcomed the honored guests-Andre Torre, Professor Salim Rashid and Sumana Bandyopadhyay. These are all professors from France, Bangladesh and India, who work on subjects like agriculture, urbanization, economics and sustainability.  Professor Andre gave a small presentation on the concept of proximity- its history and required tools while professor Salim helped us brainstorm about our queries and possible alternatives to World Bank that may lead to a greater Dhaka city. The presentations were eye opening and very strong and informative. I was more interested in Professor’s Salim presentation as it involved more graphical representations and as he described all the slides elaborately.

With this, the inauguration ceremony came to an end and after a 15 minute tea break we headed to the building where Riaz sir asked us to initially. It was now around 6:20. Cheryl, Farah and I made our way to our selected session which was being held in room 208. It was a big-square room with 5 to 6 rows. Each row had 8 seats and on every seat was a computer. Our room’s chair-in-charge was Andre Torre. It was now our turn to carry out our job of rapporteurs. Graduates and Undergraduates gave their presentations on topics like- Case study of NGO’s, Rural Development planning along the Padma bridge corridor, Formal Regionalization and dependency on an Agro based industry and lastly, an assessment of Regional Disparity of availability of Socio economic facilities in Bangladesh. 

Each presentation lasted 8 minutes and in these 8 minutes the students ruled out the objectives, survey and conclusion of their research and we tried our very best to jot down all the important points and the questions asked by the chair-in-charge. At the end of the research, during the Q and A session, Professor Torre commended everyone on their woks and also gave a valuable piece of advice. He told us how the key to a good research paper is to pin point the objective (central research question) and the conclusion (possible solution). He told us how graphical presentations made the data seem more reliable. It was now 7:30 and the session had come to an end. We submitted our reports to the room in charge who asked us to go to the seminar room which was located downstairs. This room has a huge circular table in the centre and chairs were lines along the four walls. We settled down and gradually all the professors, guests and organizers took their seats around the table. They exchanged opinions, provided ideas and suggestion for improvement and also talked about methods to get the papers of these young researchers published.

This seminar lasted for around 30 minutes but I had to head out a bit early as it was getting late. I thanked Riaz Uddin sir for guiding us through the entire process. I truly got to learn a great deal from this experience. I got to know about several research topics. I got to know about the flaws in the economy of Bangladesh. I got to know about tips and tricks for a better research paper. This was my first time attending such a conference but now the thought of it doesn't seem so intimidating. I in fact look forward to attending more seminars of this sort because these are the seminars that promise a better World and a better Bangladesh.