Staff Reporter, Dhaka : BRAC University organized an event to celebrate BRACU Duburi’s grand success at ‘Robosub 2023’ on 27 August 2023 at BRAC University auditorium. In the event, team members of BRACU Duburi were given a warm reception along with certificates. BRACU Duburi, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed by BRAC University students, has been recently judged runner-up of Robosub 2023, one of the world’s most prestigious robotics competitions.

Hosted by Robonation and co-hosted by the USA Naval Information Warfare Centre Pacific in conjunction with the Office of Naval Research at Transdec, California, RoboSub is an international competition which tackles challenges facing the underwater maritime industry. This year, 34 teams from globally reputed universities and education institutions took part in the competition in California, US from 31 July to 6 August. The National University of Singapore came first, with BRAC University second and the University of Alberta third.

Mr. Md Shamsul Arefin, Secretary, Information and Communication Technology Division, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh sent a video message to Congratulate BRACU Duburi Team. Professor Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University, Mr. Stephen Ibelli, Public Affairs Counselor, U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Shamim uz Zaman, Vice-President, Brand and Market Communication, Robi Axiata Limited, Azizul Hakim, Executive Director, Walton Digi-Tech Industries attended the event as special guests. Dr. Md. Khalilur Rahman, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, BRAC University shared the welcome remarks and Dr. Dave Dowland, Registrar, BRAC University delivered the inaugural speech.

In the event, team members of BRACU Duburi shared their experiences in the journey to success in Robosub 2023. In their speech they shared their story of hardship, perseverance and dedication which brought such success. Mentioning BRACU Duburi as continuously developing project, they said that the team will bring more success and excellence in the field of Robotics.

Mr. Md Shamsul Arefin, Secretary, Information and Communication Technology Division, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh congratulated BRACU Duburi team in his video message and mentioned their achievement as a huge one for Bangladesh. He said that in a riverine country like Bangladesh, BRACU Duburi can make some challenging task easier, specially conducting rescue operation after accidents. By using BRACU Duburi, the country can also look for valuable natural resources in seabed, he said.

Professor Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University, termed this achievement as a remarkable one. He said that BRAC University can be one of the pioneering forces in achieving excellence in the field of Robotics in Bangladesh. He also asked the industry stakeholders to come forward and support these initiatives by the students and researchers.

Shihab Ahmad, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Robi Aziata Limited said in his message that, “Robi celebrates the indomitable spirit and mental strength of the people of Bangladesh to overcome the impossible. We are trying to invigorate the enthusiasm and effort behind any type of work through the ‘Parbe Tumiyo’ campaign. These young members of the BRACU Duburi team faced many challenges, but they did not stop. This is the core philosophy of ‘Parbe Tumiyo’. We are proud to be a part of this remarkable success of BRACU Duburi.”

Mr. Stephen Ibelli, Public Affairs Counselor, Embassy of United States of America congratulated the BRACU Duburi team and commented that US Embassy in Dhaka will always co-operate with BRACU students in pursuing excellence.

Azizul Hakim, Executive Director (Administration) Walton Digi-Tech Industries encouraged the students for conducting more research and innovation since the field is already set in Bangladeshi industries.

The program ended with presenting crests to the guests and Dr. Sadia Hamid Kazi, Chairperson, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, BRAC University delivered closing remarks.