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INTERNATIONAL FULBRIGHT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PHD PROGRAM

APPLICATION FOR DOCTORAL STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES GENERAL INFORMATION
1. NAME: (As it appears or will appear on your passport.) Family Mr. Sakib First Nazmus Middle

2. NAME ON PREVIOUS ACADEMIC RECORDS: (If different from above.) Do not complete shaded area. For Fulbright Program use only. 3. CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS: Institute of International Education 4. PERMANENT MAILING ADDRESS: University Placement Services Division Street Sakib Villa, Muslim Gorsthan Road 809 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017-3580 City Barisal State/Province State/Province (outside US) Barisal Country Bangladesh 5. DATE OF BIRTH: (MonthlDaylYear) 03 / 13 / 1987 6. GENDER: Male 10. DO YOU NOW HAVE, OR HAVE YOU EVER HELD: U.S. CITIZENSHIP? U.S. DUAL CITIZENSHIP? U.S. PERMANENT RESIDENCY? 9. COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE: Bangladesh No No No Postal Code 8200

7. BIRTHPLACE: (City, StatelProvince, Country) Barisal Bangladesh 8. COUNTRY OF CITIZENSHIP: Bangladesh

STUDY PLANS
11. WHICH APPLICATION CYCLE ARE YOU APPLYING TO? 2012-2013 DEGREE OBJECTIVE: Doctorate 12. WHAT IS YOUR PROPOSED MAJOR FIELD OF STUDY? WHAT IS YOUR SPECIALIZATION IN FIELD? BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE SPECIFIC AREA OF THE FIELD IN WHICH YOU PLAN TO SPECIALIZE. Engineering Civil Engineering

My specialization field would be Structural Engineering. Primary focus of my research would be damage assessment of RCC buildings in case of earthquake events using non-destructive testing and selection of appropriate retrofitting techniques with advanced materials.

13. FUTURE PLANS: (Describe the career you plan to pursue after completion of study or research in the U.S., e.g. teaching, government, business, industry or any plans you might have for continued study or research in your home country. Also indicate if you will be returning to former employment, or if you have been promised a position in your home country after completing your U.S. training.)

After completing my PhD in US, i want to come back to Bangladesh and continue teaching at my current university. I expect that i would be granted a study leave from my current employer to persue PhD in US.

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EDUCATION
14. LIST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, INCLUDING ANY IN WHICH YOU MAY BE PRESENTLY ENROLLED. INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
(List in reverse order. Write name in full. Do not abbreviate)

MAJOR FIELD OF STUDY Structural Engineering Structural Engineering

DATES (Month/Year)
From To

ACTUAL NAME OF DEGREE OR DIPLOMA (Do not translate) Master in Science Bachelor of Science

DATE RECEIVED OR EXPECTED 10 / 2011 10 / 2009 /

Bangladesh University of Engg. and Tech. Bangladesh Bangladesh University of Engg. and Tech. Bangladesh

10 / 2009

12 / 2004 10 / 2009 / /

15. LIST SCHOLARSHIPS OR FELLOWSHIPS HELD AT PRESENT OR IN THE PAST (Give source or sponsor, amount, where held, and duration.)

*University Merit Scholarship, (BUET), 600 taka per month, BUET, 2004-2009. *Board Scholarship (HSC,Barisal Board), taka 3000 per term, Barisal, 2003-2008. *Board Scholarship (SSC Barisal Board), taka 4000 per year, Barisal, 2001-2002
16. INDICATE ANY ACADEMIC HONORS OR PRIZES WHICH YOU HAVE RECEIVED, WITH TITLES AND DATES.

*Dean's List Award (1st and 3rd year), Prize money 2000 tk. 2004-05, 2006-07 *Champion, National Math Olympiad, Barisal Division, 2004

17. LIST ANY BOOKS, ARTICLES OR THESES PUBLISHED BY YOU, ESPECIALLY IN YOUR PROPOSED FIELD OF STUDY. IF POSTED ONLINE, PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH THE URL/WEBSITE ADDRESS. (Give title, place and date of publication.)

*'Response of Eccentrically Loaded RCC Columns under Standard Fire' (UG Thesis) *'Vumikompo Jhukite Dhaka Mohanogor' ( Megacity Dhaka at Earthquake Risk) by Nazmus Sakib, Mehedi Ahmed Ansary & A M M Shafiullah (http://www.eprothomalo.com/index.php?opt=view&page=13&date=2011-04-20)
18. LIST PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES, FRATERNITIES OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN WHICH YOU NOW HOLD MEMBERSHIP OR IN WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN ACTIVE IN THE PAST (Indicate if you have held an elective office.)

*Member, Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB). *Member, Bangladesh EarthquaKe Society (BES)

19. TEACHING EXPERIENCE: (Include any teaching positions you have held or currently hold.)

*Lecturer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Gazipur, Bangladesh. (Sept. 2010 to Present) *Lecturer, Ahsanullah University of Engineering and Technology (AUST), Dhaka, Bangladesh. (March, 2010 to Sept, 2010)
20. RESEARCH: (Include any research you have completed or in which you are currently involved.)

Fire resistance of concrete columns (completed) Fire Resistance of COncrete Frames(Ongoing)

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OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCE
21. IDENTIFY YOUR CURRENT POSITION OR OCCUPATION. (Select position title which best describes the activity in which you are currently involved.) University Teaching/Research Staff 22. OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCE: (List positions held, beginning with the most recent employment, if any) NAME AND ADDRESS OF EMPLOYER Islamic University of Tech. Gazipur 1704 Ahsanullah Univ. of Sci.& Tech Dhaka 1208 Board Bazar Bangladesh 141-142 Love Road,Tejgaon I/A Bangladesh Lecturer Lecturer 09 / 2010 / TITLE/TYPE OF WORK DATES (Month/Year)
From To

03 / 2010 09 / 2010 / /

23. LANGUAGE SKILLS: (Rate yourself Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor Include all languages in which you have some competence.) Mother Tongue Bangla LANGUAGE English Excellent READING Excellent WRITING Good SPEAKING YEARS STUDIED 16

EXAMINATION RESULTS
24. EXAMINATION DATES AND TEST SCORES: (Date if taken or future date for taking exams (Month/Year))
Date TOEFL TSE TWE GMAT Other Other test name Other Other test name Score Percentile GRE General Exam Date Verbal Score % Quantitative Score % Analytical Score %

10 / 2009 / / / /

110

06 / 2011

Date GRE Subject Exam

Score

Subject Name

25. IF YOU HAVE TRAVELED, LIVED, OR STUDIED IN ANY COUNTRY OTHER THAN YOUR OWN FOR MORE THAN A MONTH, INDICATE PLACES, DATES AND REASONS. (Education, research, business, vacation, etc.)

None

26. EMERGENCY CONTACT: NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS TO BE NOTIFIED IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY Family Akan First Md. Mahbub Hussain Family Street City Postal Code 8200 State/Province Country Telephone Email Relationship to you Application Page 3 ( ) Postal Code Street Sakib Villa, Muslim gorsthan road, City Barisal State/Province Barisal Country Bangladesh Telephone 880 Email Relationship to you Father ( 1715 ) 004164 IN THE UNITED STATES First

Name: Nazmus Sakib

Social Insurance/Security #: **

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My research objective is to develop a sustainable method to assess and repair earthquake damaged concrete structures. To classify this topic within a group, it should be placed within Structural Engineering Division of Civil Engineering. This topic is of my preference for many reasons. I have been working on damage modeling of concrete section and its strength assessment for my UG research assignments. It helped me to understand the behavior of a fire damaged concrete section. Having completed that, my evident objective should be completion of my research in damage assessment and the repair techniques. One of the biggest challenges faced by engineers is to estimate the exact strength of concrete of a existing structure. This is because to estimate its strength we usually have to crush it to find its capacity which apparently cannot be done in most case. Hence we use core sampling to other NonDestructive Testing (NDT) methods to estimate the strengths. When an earthquake occurs, it leaves its mark on a structure. To estimate the damage we have to understand that which parts of the buildings borne the most of the impact from the shockwave. After that, we have to measure the remaining strength of concrete and steel in that parts of building. Then, at the next step, we can prescribe various repair techniques. So, this topic has multiple levels in it. Firstly, to assess the damage of the concrete at different parts of the building, we have to model the building with very detailed precision. We have to use finite element methods to model in computers as well as some scaled real life models to simulate the total scenario during earthquake. This step will help us to predict most vulnerable parts of any building and the degree of damage that can be expected in comparison with earthquake initiated ground motion. Second part will be the most potential topic in this research. NDTs are very important for assessing the in-situ strength of a material. Hence, to find a effective NDT procedure require much effort but any advancement in this regard will be a very good achievement. Thirdly, after assessing the damage, we can prescribe many retrofitting methods. Currently, retrofitting with advanced materials is in great use but they require rigorous testing and new information is coming out each day. Materials like fiber reinforcement is certainly a material for future and their use in retrofitting is quite high, but to use them effectively and economically require much more research where I want to take part. I believe I fit perfectly for this research idea. I already have a background of using finite element software (ABAQUS) during my UG thesis which will help me to carry out modeling works. I also developed a software program using Visual Basic 6 back then which will be helpful as cutting edge research requires providing output in such a way that professionals can use them readily. I already have undertaken research in damage assessment area though it was related to fire. Completing research in earthquake damage assessment will complete my ability to become a damage assessment and retrofitting expert. For completion of this research, I would require to pursue PhD under guidance of a knowledgeable Professor with adequate laboratory facility. I think I would have to take some more courses on concrete behavior, finite element methodology and non-destructive testing. After completion of PhD, I would come back to my current job, teaching at Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh, and would continue researching on this topic with my students. I would also want to co-operate with the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) and other concerning firms about this issue. GOB has initiated some steps for retrofitting the important structures of the country against earthquake but most

Name: Nazmus Sakib

Social Insurance/Security #: **

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vulnerable buildings are still not repaired. In fact, to complete retrofitting of three hundred and twenty five thousand buildings, if we consider only the capital Dhaka, will require a long time and sustained effort by concerned people. I want to take part in this duty. To fulfill it, I want to be equipped with knowledge. I would have two ways of contributing; one as an engineer and other as an academic. Being an engineer, I would understand what other engineers involved in this work is looking for and I would make myself available for that knowledge sharing. Being an academic, I believe I have the tool to motivate young mind to see this necessity too and thereby will be able to contribute to the human force behind this gigantic work. Thus this research objective will help me to fulfill my goal.

Name: Nazmus Sakib

Social Insurance/Security #: **

Personal Statement Page: 1

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I have always been a curious kid. Skyscrapers and big electric towers have always fascinated me. Probably, its the time when a desire for creation of engineering marvels was born. As I grew older, I developed a strong liking towards mathematics and physics. I was very enthusiastic towards creating things and attended many science exhibitions at junior level. I received Junior Talent pool scholarship at my 8th grade placing myself at 5th position among 5000 fellow students. I attended my first public examination, secondary school certificate examination where I managed 4.75 out of 5.00. After two years, I sat for higher secondary certificate examination where I achieved perfect grades (5.00 out of 5.00). With such high note, I finished my secondary education. One thing that turned my liking towards applied sciences and at the same time hugely boosted my morale is my success at National Mathematical Olympiad at 2004. I was one of the members of the champion team. I found myself very confident at facing challenges after this win. Its the idea that I am completely able to perform at the top most level of intellect charged me more to tackle new goals and pursue my dreams. So, to face the toughest challenge and to fulfil my dream of becoming an engineer, I applied for admission to Department of Civil Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology which is undoubtedly the best university of Bangladesh and only around 800 students are selected from about 7000 highly qualified applicants. Seeing my name on the newly admitted students list of this department was one such moment that I will not forget in my life. My undergraduate life went really well both in academic and non-academic sense. I completed my graduation with honours maintaining CGPA of 3.79 out of 4.00 and placed 8th among 185 graduating students. During my undergraduate studies, I felt that I have great inclination towards structural engineering subjects. These subjects covered almost one fifth of my total UG credit (31.5 out of 160) and I have obtained highest grade (4.00) in 22.5 credit of them. Another thing that shaped my focus in civil engineering is the loss of life in fire events in Bangladesh. Construction industry at Bangladesh gives a little focus on safety issues like earthquake and fire resistant design. Ready Made Garments factories proved to be most vulnerable. Bangladesh was not a victim of big earthquake in recent past, but due to poor quality of construction, we fear that about 70% of the structures will not survive in large quakes. So, at UG level, I researched on Fire Safety of Eccentrically Loaded RCC Columns and produced a reasonably effective fire resistance measuring software. My UG thesis was graded 4.00 out of 4.00 and was highly appreciated by my teachers. At MS level, I am working on similar topic and extending this prediction capabilities to slab and beams. After graduation, I was offered a faculty position at Ahsanullah University of Engineering and Technology. It was indeed my dream to enter into the academic world. After that, I was offered the post of lecturer at Islamic University of Technology (IUT). As a new department, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of IUT promotes research and innovation to a great extent. I was able to attend noted international and national conferences and published some of my research findings to the proceedings. Other than academic works, I tried to make my mark to public awareness building. In fact, lack of knowledge in general population about earthquake and fire safety made me design some posters which was circulated by responsible authorities. I have written couple of articles on earthquake safety issues in national news outlets, both online and printed media.

Name: Nazmus Sakib

Social Insurance/Security #: **

Personal Statement Page: 2

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My future plan is a two directional one. At first, as an academic, I want to pursue my higher studies abroad where I would get more opportunity to learn and experiment. Then I want to come back to my country and share my knowledge and experience with young minds who are truly my inspiration. Secondly, as a concerned person, I want to make people aware of the risks of earthquake and fire hazard. For this, I want to create a nation-wide campaign with the help of mass media. Knowledge is nothing without application. I want to make sure that it is heard and understood by the people. By this, there would be a unified effort including academics, engineers and common people. This, I believe, is my social responsibility as an academic, an engineer and a student whose education costs were funded by public money. I think its the right time for me to pay back. Providing me with this highly esteemed scholarship would understandably help me to achieve my goals.

C urriculum V itae

Nazmus Sakib
OBJECTIVE:
To become a reputed academic as well as a dedicated researcher in Structural Safety Engineering.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
September 2010- Present: Lecturer, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engg., Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur. March 2010- September: Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Dhaka

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:
2009- Present: Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology MSc in Structural Engineering 2004-2009: Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology B.Sc. in Civil Engineering with Honours CGPA: 3.79 on the scale of 4.00 Specializations: Structural Engineering (Major) Geotechnical Engineering (Minor) 2002-2003: Govt. Syed Hatim Ali College, Barisal. Higher Secondary Certificate (H.S.C.) 2004 GPA: 5.00 on the scale of 5.00. 2000-2001: Barisal Zilla School, Barisal. Secondary School Certificate (S.S.C.) 2002 GPA: 4.75 on the Scale 5.00.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
October 2009 Present: Working with Professor Dr. Bashir Ahmed on Response of RCC Frame Subjected to Standard Fire. July 2008 October 2009: Worked with Professor Dr. Bashir Ahmed on Response of RCC Column under Eccentric Loading Subjected to Standard Fire.

RESEARCH INTEREST:
Concrete behaviour under deteriorating conditions Finite element methods Seismic retrofitting

AWARDS & HONOURS:

Deans List Award for Two undergraduate years. University Merit Scholarship in all undergraduate terms. Member of Champion Team of Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad (Barisal Division) 2004 Board and Junior Talent pool Scholarship

ACTIVITIES:
Responsible for planning & implementing Emergency Escape Route & Exit Schedule for Civil Engineering Building, BUET. Designed a poster focusing fire safety and awareness building which is being used by Bangladesh Network of Urban Safety (BNUS). Member of Institution of Engineers Bangladesh and Bangladesh Earthquake Society.

COMPUTER SKILLS:
AUTOCAD 2010 ETABS 9.5 SAP 2000 PCA PROGRAMS ABAQUS 6.9 GEOSTUDIO 2007 VISUAL C++ VISUAL BASIC

PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Date of Birth: 13th March, 1987 Fathers Name: Md. Mahbub Hussain Akan Mothers Name: Jahanara Begum Nationality: Bangladeshi (By Birth) Place of Birth: Barisal, Bangladesh. Cell no.: (+88)01717463107 Email: nazm.sakib@gmail.com Website: http://www.iutoic-dhaka.edu/cee/sakib Permanent Address: Sakib Villa, Muslim Gorsthan Rd., Barisal, Bangladesh. Present Address: House 29, Road 4, Uttara- 10, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

PUBLICATIONS:
1. M. Shahria Alam, A.H.M. Muntasir Billah, Nazmus Sakib and Moniruzzaman Moni, Seismic performance of bridge piers reinforced with SMA spliced steel rebars, Proceedings, 3rd International Earthquake Symposium, Bangladesh, Dhaka, March.5-6 2010. 2. Nazmus Sakib, Sohidul Islam, Kazi Md. Barkat Ali and Md. Iqbal Sarwar, Spatial Distribution of Fire Vulnerability in Chittagong City, Proceedings, International Conference on Environmental Technology and Construction Engineering for Sustainable Development, (March 10-12, 2011, SUST, Sylhet, Bangladesh. 3. Z. Tafheem, N. Sakib and K. M. Amanat, Seismic analysis of a three-span deck girder bridge, Proceedings, IABSE-JSCE Joint Conference on Advances in Bridge Engineering-II, August 8-10, 2010, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 4. Nazmus Sakib, Kashif Mahmud, Mardia Mumtaz and Shovona Khusru, Fire Spread Parameters Regarding Knitwear: Generated Heat Flux and Thermal Insulation by Cotton Around Columns, Proceedings, International Conference on Environmental Technology and Construction Engineering for Sustainable Development (ICETCESD-2011), March 10-12, 2011, SUST, Sylhet, Bangladesh. 5. Kashif Mahmud, Md. Ahsan Sabbir and Nazmus Sakib, Characteristic Assessment of Matuail Landfill Leachate, Proceedings, International Conference on Environmental Technology and Construction Engineering for Sustainable Development (ICETCESD-2011), March 10-12, 2011, SUST, Sylhet, Bangladesh. 6. Tanjina Afrin, Sharmin Ara Ripa, Mehedi Ahmed Ansary and Nazmus sakib, A Study on Awareness Level about Fire Hazards at High-rise Buildings in Dhaka City, Proceedings, International Conference on Environmental Technology and Construction Engineering for Sustainable Development (ICETCESD2011), March 10-12, 2011, SUST, Sylhet, Bangladesh. 7. Kashif Mahmud, Nazmus Sakib, Md. Tahmidur Rahman, Effect of soft storey in reinforced concrete frame structure, Proceedings, Conference on Engineering Research, Innovation and Education 2011, 11-13 January 2011, Sylhet, Bangladesh. 8. Sohidul Islam, Nazmus Sakib, Zasiah Tafheem, Tanjina Afrin, Fire Hazard Scenario in Chittagong: A Case Study, Proceedings, Conference on Engineering Research, Innovation and Education 2011, 11-13 January 2011, Sylhet, Bangladesh. 9. Tanjina Afrin, Rizwana Rumman, Nazmus sakib and M. Ashraf Ali, Analyzing Change of Precipitation Pattern of Northern and Southern Region of Bangladesh and Comparison between Actual Data and Modelpredicted Future Data of Precipitation, Proceedings, 3rd International Conference on Water and Flood Management, 8-10 January 2011, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

REFERENCE:
Prof. Dr. Bashir Ahmed Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Phone: (+88)01715011768 Email: bashir@ce.buet.ac.bd

Prof. Dr. Mehedi Ahmed Ansary

Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Phone: (+88)01711343288 Email: ansary@ce.buet.ac.bd

Prof. Dr. A. K. M. Sadrul Islam

Head, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur, Bangladesh. Email: sadrul@iut-dhaka.edu

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NAME: Sakib, Nazmus COUNTRY: Bangladesh

PERSONAL INFORMATION
31. CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS: Street: House 29, Road Number 04, Sector 10, Uttara City: Dhaka Postal Code: 1231 Home Telephone: Email: ( ) Apartment Number: 2/B State/Province: Country: Bangladesh Work Telephone: Cell Phone: 33. MARITAL STATUS: single ( )

nazm.sakib@gmail.com

+880 ( 1717 ) 463107

32. NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (if applicable): 2694263713449

34. NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS: (spouse and children)

35. PLEASE DESCRIBE ANY PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT YOU MAY HAVE. (This information is gathered for statistical purposes and to ensure appropriate placement. The Fulbright Program does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and/or physical impairment.) None

36. OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS: Indicate if you are planning to apply for a fellowship, scholarship, assistantship or other educational grant or loan from another organization, government or educational institution. (This information will not prejudice your application.) When I would get admission to certain educational institution in US, I am planning to apply for Scholarship available in that university. Other than that, I am not planning to aplly to any other scholarship at present.

37. REFERENCES: List the names of persons from whom you have requested letters of reference. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and its amendments guarantee students access to educational records concerning them. Students are also permitted to waive their right of access to recommendations. X I DO WAIVE my right to inspect the contents of the recommendation. I DO NOT WAIVE my right to inspect the contents of the recommendation. Name 1. Ahmed, Bashir Position/Email Professor
bashir@ce.buet.ac.bd

Address BUET Dhaka Dhaka Bangladesh

1000

2. Ansary, Mehedi Ahmed

Professor
ansary@ce.buet.ac.bd

3. Islam, A K M Sadrul Islam

Professor
sadrul@iut-dhaka.edu

BUET Dhaka Dhaka 1000 Bangladesh Dept of Civil and Env. Engg, IUT, Board Bazar Gazipur Gazipur 1704 Bangladesh 39. APPROXIMATE ARRIVAL DATE: 08 / 2012 (Month/Year)

38. PROPOSED LENGTH OF STAY IN THE U.S.: 4 years

40. HOW DID YOU LEARN OF THIS YEAR'S FULBRIGHT COMPETITION? (Please indicate all that apply.) Friend or relative X Previous Fulbrighter Poster/Flyer X University (specify) Newspaper (specify) 41. AUTHORIZATION OF RELEASE OF INFORMATION: I authorize the Fulbright Program Office or its administrative agency: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) X Yes No BUET X Other Publication (specify) Fulbright website Internet link (specify) Other (specify)

to receive, and/or to request my TOEFL, TSE, TWE, GRE, SAT, Achievement Test scores or any other test score reports; to send any of the above score reports to U.S. institutions on my behalf; to apply on my behalf to U.S. institutions; to request and receive information on the status of my application, including financial aid, from U.S. institutions; and, to accept and decline offers of admission and financial aid on my behalf.

APPLICANT COPY SUBMIT THIS APPLICATION ONLINE

NAME: Sakib, Nazmus

COUNTRY: Bangladesh

UNIVERSITY PREFERENCES
It is not a requirement nor is it expected for you to identify institutions at which you would like to study. However, if you do have preferences, please list in priority order up to three schools of your choice. Indicate specific departments and/or programs. Give specific reasons for each choice. If you have been in contact with professors, please provide names and email and/or phone contacts for each one. Your preferences will be taken into consideration insofar as possible. However, please understand that there is no guarantee that your application will be sent to these programs. Applications are made on your behalf to programs that provide a good 'academic fit' based on your study plans and your competitiveness. The goals and priorities of your scholarship sponsor are also strongly considered. 46. MOST HIGHLY PREFERRED INSTITUTIONS University, Department, Degree 1. University of California Berkeley Department of Civil and Env. Engg. Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering(PhD) Specialization/Concentration Specific Reasons and Contacts Structural Engineering Compatible with my research interest.

2. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dept of Civil and Env. Engg. PhD in Civil Engineering

Structural Engineering Compatible with my research interest.

3. Geogia Institute of Technology Dept of Civil and Env. Engg. Doctor of Philosophy

Structural Engineering Compatible with my research interest.

47. OTHER INSTITUTIONS IN WHICH YOU MAY BE INTERESTED Please list any other institutions and departments in which you also may be interested. Again, please understand that there is no guarantee that your application will be sent to these programs.

University of California, San Diego (Dept. of Structural Engg)

48. INSTITUTIONS TO WHICH YOU HAVE APPLIED It is not expected that you will have applied for admission to U.S. institutions; however, if you have already submitted an application directly to any universities in the U.S. over the past three years, list the names of these institutions and indicate the response you have received, if any. Please mail letters of admission, letters of invitation, and deferral requests to the address located in the Supplemental Forms section. University/Department Date of Application / / Response to Application

International Conference on Environmental Technology and Construction Engineering for Sustainable Development ICETCESD-2011, March 10-12, 2011, SUST, Sylhet, Bangladesh

A STUDY ON AWARENESS LEVEL ABOUT FIRE HAZARDS AT HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS IN DHAKA CITY
TANJINA AFRIN 1, DR. MEHEDI AHMED ANSARY 1, SHARMIN ARA2 and NAZMUS SAKIB3
1

Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh 2 Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh 3 Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur, Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Incident associated with fire is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh especially at densely populated Dhaka city. Urban fires have devastating impact on communities. Recently some grievous fire incidences in high-rise buildings have been experienced and fire engulfed lot of lives and properties. These incidents stimulate to conduct a detailed study on awareness about fire in high rise buildings of Dhaka city. For this study a questionnaire survey has been conducting to check the existing level of awareness and residents evacuation plan. To have overall scenario regarding fire safety, 5% buildings (include residential, commercial, garments and institutional etc.) have been surveyed from 12 zones and all of them are above 8 stories. Study has been showed that 70% of total respondents know about severity of fire but only a little number of respondents has any evacuation plan about fire incidents. Among all the surveyed buildings, only 11 buildings have trained personnel and only 16 buildings which include garments and commercial building perform fire drill regularly. The respondents were asked about their evacuation plan during the fire incidence but only few people have their evacuation plan. Although the sample size was small, it represents the miserable condition of awareness level among the residents of Dhaka city. Key Words: Fire, Fire Hazards, High-rise buildings, Dhaka City, Colossal losses, Awareness level, Evacuation plan 1. INTRODUCTION A fire hazard is any situation in which there is a greater than normal risk of harm to people or property due to fire. Urban fires have devastating impact on communities. Unplanned urbanization and rapid industrialization are the major causes of huge number of fire related accidents in Dhaka city and increase the vulnerability of the countrys major population and economic centers. Dense building concentrations, narrow roads, flammable building materials and electrical system as well as the lack of resources to raise awareness and response skills have resulted in a growing risk of large scale, multiple structure fires.
______________________________ Corresponding Author: Tanjina Afrin Email: afrintanjina@gmail.com

Fire incidents are very common in Dhaka city, especially in relatively densely populated areas. The damage of property and loss of human life are intensified by different factors. The extent of loss due to fire incidents has an increasing trend. The highest 3334 accidents took place in 2006, 2787 in 2005 and 2522 in 2004. [1] (See Figure 1).

Figure 1: Trends of fire incident in Bangladesh (The New Age, 2009) A developing country like Bangladesh cannot afford the huge amount of loss caused by fire accidents every year. Moreover, fire incidents in shops, industrial and commercial buildings cause heavy toll of life and property. The fire incidents are on an increase due to lack of awareness, almost no feeling for following safety measures and practicing fire fighting drills, violation of building codes[2] and non- compliance with the Fire fighting and Extinguishing Law [3]. Some recent flagitious fire incidents in Dhaka city have stimulated a detailed study on high rise buildings about fire safety and awareness. This study depicts an overview on awareness level among the occupants of high rise buildings in Dhaka city. 2. MAJOR CAUSES OF FIRE INCIDENT IN BANGLADESH Common Causes of fire are smoking, welding or cutting operation and use of blow lamps, sparks from power unit, short circuit and over loading of electrical current, children playing with crackers, ignition by chemical action/spontaneous combustion, gross carelessness, malicious, deliberate during riot or strike, lightening, earthquake etc (see Figure 2). Fire at garments is very common in Bangladesh, major fire incidents take place due to unplanned construction of buildings being used by garment factory owners. Most of the buildings did not follow the building code and lacked arrangements for alternative staircases and emergency exits and firefighting equipment. Keeping collapsible gates under lock and key in the name of security is the main cause of increases casualties in the incidents. According to the statistics, the major accidents occurred due to electric shot circuits.

338

Figure 2: Causes of fire incident in Bangladesh High-rise buildings now being constructed in different parts of the city is in lack of the minimum safety features and endangers both adjoining structures and public thoroughfares. Many of the high-rises have been constructed without proper planning, ensuring adequate structural strength, without taking the proper safety measures and considering environmental factor. Fire in BSEC Bhaban, in Bashundhara City and in Nimtoli at Old Dhaka prove the severity of fire incident in Dhaka City. 3. AWARENESS ABOUT FIRE HAZARDS For the evaluation of awareness level among occupants of Dhaka city a questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the existing condition of awareness level of the respondent and their evacuation plan during fire catch up. To have overall scenario regarding fire safety, 2.5% buildings (includes residential, commercial, garments and institutional etc.) of 2150 (according to Dhaka City Corporation, total no. of high rise building) has been surveyed from 9 zones (Department of Fire Service and Civil Defense divided Dhaka City into 12 zones) and most of them are above 8 storied (see Map1). Figure 3 and Figure 4 show number of study buildings and existing use of the buildings in percentage respectively. 64% and 80% of total respondents know about earthquake and fire respectively but only a little number of respondents has any evacuation plan about fire incidents.

Figure 3: Number of study buildings by storey (in %)

339

Figure 4: Use type of high rise building

2 6 15 5 8 7 4 14 12 9 13 16 10 11 20 38 42 45 44 46 47 48 51 50 53 48 57 52 56 58 36 59 62 61 60 65 63 64 67 66 69 70 71 68 72 73 79 74 77 76 78 80 81 82 83 90 86 87 88 89 84 32 36 33 31 29 30 75 85 35 39 54 49 55 23 24 34 25 27 28 40 37 22 26 19 18 3 17

41 43

21

Legend
Surveyed Zones Polashi Zone Tejgaon Zone Baridhara Zone Mohammadpur Zone Siddique Bazar Zone Mirpur Zone Postagola Zone Khilgaon Zone Rail line W ater body W ard Boundary

2000

2000

4000 Feet

Map 1: Study Area within Dhaka City

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Study has been showed that 70% of total respondents know about severity of fire but only a little number of respondents has any evacuation plan about fire incidents (See figure 5).

Figure 5: Aware about severity of fire About 38% and 48% of respondent discuss about fire severity, fire evacuation plan, fire training with family member and community people respectively (See figure 6). Among all the surveyed buildings, only 11 buildings have trained personnel and only 16 buildings which include garments and commercial building perform fire drill regularly. Most surveyed garments workers were trained by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Usually they provide lectures, taken exam and lastly done evacuation drill in the premises of garments. In the surveyed commercial buildings which have trained personnel got training related to operation of hose reel and fire extinguisher and evacuation drill from Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense. Mainly security guard and few care takers of the building have this training. The respondents were asked about their evacuation plan during the fire incidence but only few people i.e. 13% of total respondents have their evacuation plan. Evacuation plan consists use of firefighting equipment what they have, escape from the building through emergency exit and taking shelter in ground floor or any available open space adjacent to the building.

Figure 6: Aware about severity of fire

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More than 49% buildings dont have any emergency exit stair. In addition, exit signals for escape route are provided improperly and inadequately which poses a threat to the evacuation. In most of the cases escape routes remain blocked. 6. CONCLUSION After analyzing a considerable amount of highrise building information in Dhaka city, it can be said that the overall condition of buildings are not suitable for fire fighting. People have ignorance about fire incident and they are not aware of this kind of accident. This study was not conducted on a large number of building samples. Although the sample size was small, it represents the miserable condition of Dhaka city buildings to fire hazards. For improving the condition, awareness of people should be increased. To create public awareness, workshops and seminars may be arranged. Electronic and printing media can play an important role for increasing awareness. A pragmatic fire safety plan may be developed for all the buildings with the help of Bangladesh Fire Service department. This study will help to understand the present scenario of Dhaka City in respect to awareness about fire and to take necessary steps for increasing awareness. 7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Authors are very grateful to authority and those members of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense (BFSCD) who have helped wholeheartedly during the survey period of this assessment. REFERENCES [1] The New Age (2009) accessed on January 2, 2011. [2] Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC), 1993, published by HBRI-BIDS. [3] Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense (BFSCD), 2003, Fire Fighting & Extinguishing Law.

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