Muhammad Awais

Exploring Next-gen Energy Materials | PhD ECE @UVic | Struggling to play Tennis

[Maha Yusuf @MahaYusuf1]

Today, I received my official @royalsociety offer letter in the mail, and I cannot help but reflect on this year-long journey.

Thank you for believing in my slow-burning, bold, ambitious, fundamental science to tackle pressing global problems. It's a tremendous honor.

[Ric Finlay @RicFinlay]

Joe Root the 2nd to 14,000 Test runs, after SRT.
At 14,000 run mark, SRT had played 171 Tests, 279 inns, av 56.22, 49 x 100, 57 x 50, 14 x 0, over 7633 days.
JRoot has played 164 Tests, 302 inns, av 50.72, 41 x 100, 67 x 50, 15 x 0, over 4937 days.
Era Index: SRT 1.73, JR 1.74

[Atif Mian @AtifRMian]

Petrol at Rs 30/litre in Pakistan sounds crazy. It is not. What is crazy is the policy failure that prevents it.

Petrol is around Rs 300/litre today, excluding government levy, here's how it can effectively be Rs 30/litre.

People do not consume petrol for its own sake; they use it to travel. The average Pakistani rides a motorbike. A fuel-efficient motorbike can travel about 60 km on one litre. An efficient electric scooter can travel about 30 km per kWh, so it needs only 2 kWh to cover the same 60 km.

What should 2 kWh cost in Pakistan? Pakistan is one of the best places in the world for solar, with an all-in LCOE cost of around 5 cents per kWh. The electricity cost is 10 cents, or Rs 30/litre of distance travelled! The Rs 30/litre calculation remains the same for cars.

The 300-versus-30 gap is the cost of bad policy. It reflects billions of dollars of saving that could instead finance EV infrastructure: charging, distribution, battery swapping, and smart pricing software etc. - boosting much-needed domestic investment.

Since solar is highly modular. You do not need massive scale to get reasonable efficiency. That creates business and employment opportunities for small domestic power producers. Instead, Pakistan leaned into large fossil-fuel plants financed by dollar-denominated borrowing and guaranteed returns.

Local firms face credit constraints, but solar creates a natural collateralizable cash flow through electricity sales to the grid. With the right regulatory framework, this could have unlocked large private domestic investment, and employment.

Battery swapping is another area where small local businesses could have emerged and scaled.

Electricity enables smart pricing. When solar supply is abundant, prices can fall, and poor households and firms can shift usage to cheaper hours - automatic demand stabilization

Better air quality would mean longer, healthier lives and higher productivity. That is a growth multiplier

Green technology industries could be developed domestically with the right industrial policy, easing balance-of-payments pressure while raising employment and investment.

Instead, Pakistan chose imported-fuel power plants, protected a backward-looking domestic auto sector, and raised electricity prices by burdening them with the fixed costs of those plants and heavy taxation, slowing EV adoption. Then came the net-metering fiasco, all to keep zombie power plants alive.

Pakistan’s energy policy may be the clearest example of a broken nervous system. I hope someone fixes it, because people are paying the price, 300-versus-30

[Shani @FearlessWolfess]

JD VANCEIN PAKISTAN BELIKE 🫢

[Moonis S. @RxCommerceMogul]

This video should be on every social media platform of yours 🔥🔥🔥🇵🇰🇵🇰

[Umar Cheema @UmarCheema1]

Welcome to Islamabad

[Mazher Arshad @MazherArshad]

I can’t stop laughing. Unreal aura farming 😂😂 🇵🇰

[Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal]

🇵🇰 Why is Pakistan the main broker in US-Iran negotiations tonight?

Simply:
- It has workable ties with both Washington and Tehran (unlike most Gulf states right now)
- It shares a direct border with Iran, giving it unique access and skin in the game
- Its powerful army chief (Asim Munir) has been burning the phones overnight with JD Vance, US envoys, and Iranian officials
- Pakistan proposed the current two-phase ceasefire framework (“Islamabad Accord”)

In a region where almost everyone is either at war or under fire, Pakistan is one of the few countries that can still talk to everybody.

It has leveraged that rare position to step into the mediator role, protecting its own economy and security while boosting its global relevance.

Islamabad just put itself back on the big diplomatic map.

[Muhammad Awais @awaiss20_]

@AirCanada
My flight got rescheduled to Canada. Not able to connect with you, please DM me

[Pehn Di Siri @PehnDiSiri]

Patwaris explaining qualities of Hafiz Syed Asim Munir

[ⷶMαι∂αн Mυнαммα∂ @MaidahMuhammad]

کیا آپ جانتے ہیں کہ!!

1952ء رات کے وقت 12 بجے لاھور سے ملتان جانے والی بس دیپالپور چوک اوکاڑہ پر رکی اور ایک بارعب چہرہ , اور خوبصورت شخصیت کا مالک نوجوان اترا،
اسے سول ریسٹ ہاؤس جانا تھا اس نے آس پاس دیکھا تو کوئی سواری نظر نہ آئی مگر ایک تانگہ جو کہ چلنے کو تیار تھا نوجوان نے اسے آواز دے کر کہا کہ اسے بھی سول ریسٹ ھاؤس تک لیتے جائیں مگر کوچوان نے صاف انکار کر دیا،
نوجوان نے التجائیہ الفاظ میں کوچوان سے کہا تو اس نے سخت لہجے میں یہ کہہ کر انکار کر دیا کہ آگے پھاٹک پر ایک سنتری کھڑا ھے وہ مجھے نہیں بخشے گا، لہذا میں چار سواریوں سے زیادہ نہیں بٹھا سکتا،
تانگے میں بیٹھی سواریوں نے جب نوجوان کو بے بس دیکھا تو کوچوان سے کہا کہ ہم سب مل کر اس نوجوان کی سفارش کریں گے لہذا اسے بھی ساتھ بٹھا لیں,
کوچوان نے نہ چاہتے ھوۓ بھی نوجوان کو سوار کر لیا، جب پھاٹک آیا تو پولیس والے نے سیٹی بجا کر تانگہ روک لیا اور کوچوان پر برس پڑا کہ اس نے 4 سے زیادہ سواریوں کو تانگے میں کیوں بٹھایا ؟
کوچوان نے 5 ویں سواری کی مجبوری بیان کی مگر پولیس والےکا لہجہ تلخ سے تلخ ھوتا گیا۔
نوجوان نے 5 روپے کا نوٹ کوچوان کو دیا کہ سنتری کو دے کر جان چھڑاؤ ۔ مگر جب سنتری نے 5 روپے دیکھے تو وہ اور بھی زیادہ غصے میں آ گیا، اس نے کوچوان سے کہا کہ تم نے مجھے رشوت کی پیش کش کی ھے جو کہ ایک جرم ھے لہذا اب تمہارا لازمی چالان ھو گا، سنتری نے کہا کہ اگر یہی سب کچھ کرنا تھا تو پاکستان ہی کیوں بنایا ؟
یہ کہہ کر اس نے کوچوان کا چالان کر دیا , تانگہ چلا گیا ۔ سول ریسٹ ھاؤس کے قریب نوجوان اترا تو اس نے کوچوان سے کہا کہ یہ میرا کارڈ رکھ لو اور کل نو بجے ادھر آجانا میں تمہارا جرمانہ خود ادا کروں گا ۔
اگلی صبح 9 بجے کوچوان سول ریسٹ ھاؤس پہنچا تو پولیس کے جوانوں نے اگے بڑھ کر کوچوان کو خوش آمدید کہا اور پوچھا کہ گورنر صاحب سے ملنے آۓ ھو؟ کوچوان کی جانے بلا کہ گورنر کیا ھوتا ھے ۔
پولیس کے جوان کوچوان کو دفتر کے اندر لے گئے ۔ رات والے نوجوان نے کوچوان سے اٹھ مصافحہ کیا اور بیٹھنے کو کہا پھر اپنے پاس بیٹھے ڈی سی او کو رات والا واقعہ سنایا ، نوجوان نے رات والے سنتری کو فورا طلب کیا اور ڈی سی او کو حکم دیا کہ اس ایماندار پولیس والے جوان کو فورا ترقی دے کر تھانہ صدر گوگیرہ کا ایس ایچ او تعینات کرو ۔ اور کوچوان کا جرمانہ بھی اپنی جیب سے ادا کیا ۔
اپنی جیب سے جرمانہ ادا کرنے والا وہ نوجوان سردار عبدالرب نشتر گورنر پنجاب تھے، جنہوں نے پاکستان کے لیے بے شمار خدمات سر انجام دیں، وہ جناح کے دست راست اور ایمانداری کی اعلی مثال سمجھے جاتے تھے۔اور ثانیہ نشتر انہی کی پوتی ہے جسکو عمران خان نے احساس پروگرام اور بینظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام کا چئر پرسن لگایاتھا۔
@SaniaNishtar

[Umar Cheema @UmarCheema1]

My iPhone was snatched at gunpoint. Purchased a new one & requested PTA to adjust tax against the stolen phone. Refused. I asked the FBR. Refused.

I’m supposed to pay a "tax" to a state that provides neither safety nor basic recourse? This changed my way of thinking about tax.

[مستنصر حسین تارڑ @mutansartarar]

عبادت کا اثر اگر مسجد سے باہر کے معاملات میں نظر نہ آۓ
تو وہ عبادت نہیں بس تھکاوٹ اور عادت ہے۔

[Qasim @promax1811]

میں نے یونیورسٹی سے ڈگری کی۔ پھر پیسے جمع کر کے ڈگری لی اور ڈگری پر کنٹرولر اور وائس چانسلر نے دستخط بھی کیئے۔اس کے بعد میں نے دوبارہ پیسے جمع کر کے ڈگری ان کو واپس بھیجی کہ اب یہ ویریفائی کر لو کہ آپ لوگوں نے مجھے جو ڈگری دی ہے وہ فیک تو نہیں ہے۔ بات یہاں پہ ختم نہیں ہوئی۔ اس کے بعد وہی ڈگری HEC کو بھیجی کہ آپ کے ساتھ جو یونیورسٹی Affiliated ہے اس نے یہ ڈگری جاری کی ہے اور ویریفائی بھی کی ہے۔ اب آپ بھی ویریفائی کر لے کہ کہیں یہ ڈگری جعلی تو نہیں۔ آگے کی بات سنئے۔ پھر HEC کے بعد میں نے وہ ڈگری MOFA کو بھیجی اور ان سے کہا کہ یہ جو HEC نے سٹیمپ لگایا ہے اس کو چیک کرے کہ کہیں یہ فیک تو نہیں ہے۔اس پورے کام میں آپ کے ہزاروں روپے الگ سے ضائع ہو جاتے ہیں، ساتھ میں وقت بھی ضائع ہوتا ہے، اور سب سے اہم بات وہ نمونے جو خود میٹرک فیل ہوتے ہیں ان کی باتیں بھی سننے کو ملتی ہے۔ یہ ایک بھیانک قسم کا مذاق ہے ہمارے ساتھ اور اس پہ کوئی بولتا بھی نہیں ہے۔

[اردو ورثہ @UrduVirsa]

تم تو تھکن شناس تھے چہرے سے بھانپتے
تم کو بھی آبلے ہی دکھانے پڑے مجھے

علی ادراک

[Doug Lewin @douglewinenergy]

Something remarkable just happened in Pakistan.
In only 8 months, citizens built the equivalent of half the country’s national electric grid, without waiting for government or utilities.

How?
☀️ Cheap solar panels
☀️ TikTok tutorials showing how to install them
☀️ Farmers leading the way, swapping diesel pumps for solar

The results:
✅ Diesel sales dropped 35% in one year
✅ Families slashed costs and gained energy independence
✅ National demand on the grid actually declined because of so much distributed generation

This isn’t just about Pakistan. It’s a glimpse of how fast the world can shift when technology gets cheap enough and people take energy into their own hands.

These are the kinds of numbers that change the world.

🎧 Full Energy Capital Podcast episode with Bill McKibben here: https://t.co/nFOzLoXkLW

#EnergyTransition #Solar #Pakistan #EnergyCapitalPodcast

[Makhsud Saidaminov @MSaidaminov]

Some molecules are extremely sneaky!

You try not to use them - yet they sneak into your device and play a crucial role

The reason they were excluded, the scientific skepticism, and how we still found them there is a story worth telling and reading

https://t.co/qCqGJxXM8g

[Muhammad Arif @ArifRetd]

یہ فارسی کلام آج کل بہت وائرل ہے۔ سمجھ نہ بھی آے پھر بھی اچھا لگتا ہے۔ اردو ترجمے سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کلام میں بہت گہرائ ہے۔✌❤️_*

[sarah @sarahtonin]

Most people don't actually know the lengths parents will go to try to raise an academic superstar. In this post, I will detail the life of the average thoroughbred in STEM PhD programs at a top university. The thoroughbred lives a difficult life full of enormous amounts of pressure. The thoroughbred's parents have oriented the next 18 years of their family life to evolve around the academic success of their children. The thoroughbred's parents don't simply move houses within their country so their kids can go to the best school in the district; they do a nationwide search to decide where to raise their children based on the schools in that area.

The thoroughbred's parents tell their kids that getting straight A's in school isn't enough because the kids in their class are "normal," and to cut it, they are going to have to strive far beyond what's taught in a classroom. They usually have various tutors starting in elementary school, do math and language courses after school, and engage in summer enrichment activities. They make sure their kids get into the gifted and talented programs in their kids' school, and if their kid doesn't make the cut, they hound the school as hard as possible to make sure their kid stays with the leaders of the pack.

Their parents give them extra homework during the summer so that they can test out of as many subjects as possible during the school year. Their parents know the algebra readiness exam is in 6th grade and that their child needs to score above a 90% to be able to take algebra 3 years early. They have their child prepare for this exam as early as their kid can handle the material. For these children, school should be a breeze, and they learn the real stuff during their studies outside of the classroom.

By middle school, they are spending summers at various math and science camps and doing STEM after school programs. I cannot stress how common math camp is. Most people I have met in STEM PhD programs have gone to math camp, and basically all know each other from their early days going to various math camps as kids. Moreover, in middle school, a lot of the parents start on SAT prep and hope they can do the bulk of their preparation before high school because in high school they have more difficult things to worry about. I know a lot of folks who got the SAT score they used for college in 8th grade. Some kids even have dubious non-profits that they started in middle school that they build up throughout high school in order to project sincere interest in outreach over a long time period—god forbid college admissions programs think you just created a non-profit to get into college. If the high school they want their kid to attend requires testing, they start their kids in test prep classes a few years prior to the high school admissions exam.

In high school, they are maxing out AP courses and taking the hardest possible courses available. Usually by junior year, they are taking at least one course at a nearby college. They are entering science competitions and scoring very well at the national and international level. Many of the students who do well at Intel science competitions or Science Olympiads have parents in that exact field of study who can help guide them towards more sophisticated ideas. I know someone who won the Intel science competition by doing a project in spectroscopy whose parents worked on spectroscopy professionally. That being said, the parents aren't doing the projects for them—they know that would ultimately hurt their child—they can just steer them towards actual cutting-edge science and tell them which projects are promising.

By high school, all of the thoroughbreds are together at various prestigious public and private schools. Scattered amongst the thoroughbreds are incredibly smart kids who got lucky, and a few people who are struggling in that academic situation who just got lucky during the admissions process. The kids who aren't thoroughbreds have no idea what's going on underneath the surface. They think the thoroughbreds are simply geniuses - they just have so much better mastery of the material and seem to learn everything more quickly than they do. They have no idea what they are stacked up against. They simply do their assignments, try to get good grades, and do a good job in the clubs at school.

If a thoroughbred finds themselves struggling in school for whatever reason, they get a tutor and work on it incredibly hard outside of school, though the parents would see that as a personal failure as they should already be so far ahead of their peers that it shouldn't be possible.

When the thoroughbreds apply to college, they end up all over, not just fancy institutions. This is primarily because colleges have unofficial admissions quotas for how many students they can admit from each high school. So the top 10% of the thoroughbreds from the top 10% of high schools fill up prestigious universities, and the rest go elsewhere. But do not fret; those who go elsewhere kill it in college and become academic superstars at their respective universities.

Once PhD programs come around, the thoroughbreds all end up back together. They all know each other from math camp, science competitions, and shared social circles from prestigious high schools. They have an academic base that's just incredibly hard to compete with if you did not have similar academic training. The additional dexterity you get with that much additional exposure to material is hard to overstate. Of the 50 students admitted to a physics PhD program at my university, most of their parents have PhDs, and all but one student took calculus in high school.

Their parents are not necessarily wealthy; they simply prioritized their child's education to an extent most families don't even realize is on the table. Very few people seem to realize just how far families are willing to go to ensure their kids succeed academically, and I hope this post shines some light towards what is going on under the surface of what it actually takes to raise a thoroughbred.

[Makhsud Saidaminov @MSaidaminov]

What if you use a stable perovskite, though with a non-ideal bandgap, for indoor photovoltaics?

It still works well!

28% LED light to electricity conversion efficiency, sufficient to power many electronics without needing to replace their batteries.

https://t.co/b7r48sJJQ0