2024, August 17
Share this articleFor the first time since his appointment, NU President Waqar Ahmad visited Almaty on Aug. 15-16, where he held several meetings with key representatives of the southern capital’s educational and scientific institutions.
The visit underscored NU’s commitment to expanding inter-university partnerships and international cooperation.\
Professor Ahmad kicked off his visit by meeting with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) Board Chairman and Rector Zhanseit Tuimebayev. The parties discussed KazNU development plans and opportunities for cooperation between the two institutions. Students of the KazNU Mechanics and Mathematics, and Chemistry Departments often use NU laboratories to conduct scientific projects and write dissertations. Professor Ahmad invited KazNU rector and researchers to participate in the Research Days dedicated to Kanysh Satpayev’s 125th anniversary, which will be held at NU on Sept. 19-21.
The NU President also met with Academician Akhilbek Kurishbayev, President of the Kazakh National Academy of Sciences under the Kazakh President, where they discussed the prospects for developing cooperation aimed at advancing science and technology. Today, three outstanding NU scientists are members of the Academy - Durvudkhan Suragan, Darkhan Bilyalov, and Vice President of the Academy Dos Sarbassov. For his part, Kurishbayev expressed hope for continued joint work with NU; in the near future, he intends to visit the Astana campus of the university ranked in the top 30% of the world’s best universities.
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At the Kazakh-British Technical University, Professor Ahmad held a meeting with Rector Maratbek Gabdullin. The rector noted the success of the research cooperation with the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) and the NU Graduate School of Business on the EMBA and DBA programs, as well as proposed expanding work on joint research projects.
With Jiang Wei, Consul General of China in Almaty, Waqar Ahmad talked about bilateral cooperation, including expanding student exchange programs and increasing work in such areas as geology and social sciences. Professor Ahmad invited the Ambassador of China to Kazakhstan, Zhang Xiao, to the unveiling ceremony of the honorary plaque at the NU Senate Hall, where Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013.
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Along with the Almaty office, Professor Ahmad got acquainted with the work of the ISSAI branch in the southern capital. ISSAI researchers demonstrated their innovative projects, such as the language processing and speech synthesis application “Soyle” and the language learning model for understanding and reproducing Kazakh speech.
The visit ended with the President meeting Almaty-based NU alumni. Professor Ahmad elaborated on the plans and goals of the university, emphasizing the importance of alumni in strengthening the university’s reputation. In response, they shared their projects, plans, and ideas for interaction with their alma mater. The President of NU expressed pride in the achievements of the alumni and their contribution to the development of Kazakhstan.
Following the meeting, Waqar Ahmad noted: “Although our office in Almaty is small, it does a great job in representing NU, acting as a hub for student recruitment, creating connections with Almaty’s many universities and businesses, and providing a home for the local chapter of our Alumni Association."
