The Bangladeshi
flag has a green background to
represent the agriculture and the red
circle, slightly offset from the center,
represents the fight for independence. |
Following a short drive we arrived at Dhaka University for a meeting with the Department of Geography and Environment. Our meeting was in the conference room, after introductions all around, we were received by the Professors of Dhaka University. Dhaka, being the capital of Bangladesh, is also home to the Bangladesh Geographic Society. Next year, the Geography Department will celebrate its 60th year of operation. With 27 faculty with many domestic degrees and degrees from overseas, the Geography Department is a center of learning for Bangladesh. The focus of this program is to write curriculum for K-12 teachers focusing on natural hazards. The rest of the time at Dhaka University was used exchanging information with third year students in a geography class. They had many questions and knowledge about the natural hazards Bangladesh faces each year. The students also asked us questions about the effects of Global Warming and emergency preparedness dealing with Hurricane Katrina. If the climate warms, Bangladesh faces issues dealing with an encroaching sea level, more extreme weather patterns, and potential problems with agriculture.
Dr. Kay Weller from UNI passes
out a globe beach ball as a
prize in the Geography class at
Dhaka University. |
When we left the Dhaka campus we drove to a meeting with the Chairman of Universities for Bangladesh, Nazrul Islam, whose job is much like the Board of Regents in Iowa. Bangladesh has 29 Public Universities and 52 Private Universities. He explained the path that most Bangladeshi children take through primary schools and followed this through to college. Their system is very close to ours with some country wide standardized testing for admission to any of these colleges. A cultural understaning that is currently being addressed in Bangladesh is the education of women and young girls. Parents, who send their girls to school, may qualify for a stipend which is paid to the family. This is yet another way that Bangladesh addressing issues in their country. Mr. Islam had a special place in his heart for our group, because he was once a faculty member in the Geography Department at the University of Dhaka.
Dr. Rex Honey from the University of
Iowa listens in as the Bangladesh
National Forecasting Center gives
their presentation on natural disasters,
tropical storms, cyclones, flooding,
and tsunami prediction models. |
One would think that this was already a full day but after lunch we had scheduled appointments to address Emergency Preparedness at the Bangladesh National Meteorology Department. Living in Iowa, we are used to the natural disasters, like tornadoes, all too fresh in our minds in Eastern Iowa. Bangladesh experiences some tornadoes, in addition to cyclones, monsoon rains, and droughts. The Bangladesh National Meteorology Department has a series of radars, a Doppler radar, satellite links, and links with other concerned NGOs (Non-Government Organizations). This national system, is in many ways inadequate, the television stations in Cedar Rapids have as much, if not more sophisticated equipment.