The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Nearly 800 non-resident Bangladeshi citizens will gather in the city today at a three-day conference titled 'Non-Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) Conference 2007' with a view to recognise their contributions to the country.

Research organisation Scholars Bangladesh (SB), in association with the government, will organise the function at Hotel Sheraton. The inaugural ceremony will be held on Thursday afternoon.

The conference will give 'scholars of the year 2007 award' to four resident and four non-resident Bangladeshi experts for their outstanding contributions to the fields of arts and culture, science, technology and innovation, health and medicine and education and research.

Kalim Sharafi, Haripada Kapali, Dr MR Khan, Jamal Nazrul Islam, Monirul Islam, Iqbal Z Quadir, Dr ABM Fazlul Karim and Prof Fazle Hussain have been selected for the award.

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed will be the chief guest at the award giving ceremony of the conference on December 29. Besides, Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury will attend the function as special guest and Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed as NRB guest.

Scholars Bangladesh president ME Chowdhury Shameem said in the conference 18 seminars on different contemporary issues, cultural programmes, photo and painting exhibitions of NRB participants, career fairs and publication ceremony will be held.

Present and former advisers of the caretaker government, secretaries of different ministries, high officials of different disciplines, businessmen, NRB advisers and civil society members including journalists and teachers will attend the functions as chief guests, special guests, moderators and presenters.

The seminars listed are titled: "The Success Factors in Arsenic Disaster Prevention and Follow Up Actions", "Maximum Utilisation of Limited Resources and Increasing Agro Productivity in Bangladesh: A Challenge for the Next Decade (2007-2017), and Bio Fuel- A Great Resource for Poverty Reduction and Clean Air", "The Democratic Local Government System in Bangladesh", "The Informal Sector and Urban Environmental Management Legacies in Painting Education: A Personal Perspective", "Investment Opportunity: 2nd Generation Non-Resident Bangladeshis", "How NRB Can Help in Improving Health Care in Bangladesh and Containing Medical Education (CME) and Telemedicine", "Drug Policy in Bangladesh", "Medical Education in Bangladesh", "State of the Art Research Centre in Bangladesh", "Challenges and Opportunities for Medical Education in Bangladesh", "The Benefits of NRBs' Active Participation in the Politics of Their Country of Residence", "Our Political Voice in the USA", "National Leadership in Bangladesh: Challenges and Opportunities", "Transformational Leadership - Bangladesh Bureaucracy and Comparative Leadership in Governments' of Bangladesh and China", "The Government in Bangladesh: The Way Forward", "The Untapped Energy Mine: The Revolutionary Scope of Renewable Energy Technologies for Bangladesh and NRB's Role in Formulating Appropriate Energy Policies", "Effective Utilisation of the Submarine Cable, Improving the IT Sector of Bangladesh, and Impact on Spectrum Optimisation Technologies on Regulatory Policies for Wireless Communication", "Small Business Sector in Bangladesh - How to Build an Infrastructure for Its Growth and Effectiveness as an Important Source of Employment and Contribution to the National GDP", "Tele-radiology, Higher Education Opportunities for Bangladeshi Students in the USA", "How to Improve Bangladesh's Image and Promote its Interests Abroad", "State of Bangladesh Textile Industry", "Role of NRB in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage", "Bangladesh - Its Long-Term Development", "Micro Insurance - A Protection for the Poor", "Employment Opportunities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Remittance - a Vital Issue for Bangladesh", "Skills Development in Bangladesh for the Global Marketplace: Policy and Practice", "Development of Sustainable Transportation Systems for the Dhaka Metropolitan Area: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities, Improving the Traffic and Drainage Systems, and Privatisation of Roadways", " Scholar of the Year in the Area of Education and Research", "How NRBs Can Improve Education in Bangladesh", "Biotechnology Education in the USA: A Model for Developing Countries such as Bangladesh", "Importance of Excellent English Education in Bangladesh", "Education System in Bangladesh", "NRBs Efforts to Improve Education", "Promoting Biotechnology", "Relevant Topics in Education System", "Domestic Securities Imperatives", "Investment Environment in Bangladesh", "Capital Market Development, and Practical Challenges in Attracting Foreign Investment - a Comparative Perspective".

Kalim Sharafi and Monirul Islam will be awarded for their contributions to the field of arts and culture, Haripada Kapali and Iqbal Z Quadir for science, technology and innovation, Dr MR Khan and Dr ABM Fazlul Karim for health and medicine and Jamal Nazrul Islam and Prof Fazle Hussain for education and research.