A man of science

Dr Muhammad Ibrahim is a man of many talents. Though he is mostly known as former professor of physics at University of Dhaka and the moderator of the popular TV show 'Desh o Biggan, Dr Ibrahim is also the editor of the first monthly science magazine of the country named 'Bigyan Shamoiki' and the founder and executive director of CMES (Centre for Mass Education and Science), an NGO which promotes the use of science and technology at the root level.

Born on December 1, 1945 in Chittagong, Ibrahim developed a soft spot for science from a very early age. “I always had a passion for reading. Libraries were my second home. My interest in science developed from my habit of reading science magazines,” says, Ibrahim. When studying at the Chittagong Govt. College, Ibrahim came up with the idea of Biggan Shamoiki. “ I felt that the things that we used to read are scientific discovery's that already happened ages ago, we didn't get to read about the new discoveries which were happening, so that's the when I thought about 'Biggan Shamoiki',” says the professor.

Around 1962 Ibrahim got admitted into the Physics Department of University of Dhaka. “University life was one of the best times of my life. I lived in Salimullah Hall which was the hub of student politics and I soon became an active member of 'Chatra Union',” says Ibrahim. Around 1966 Ibrahim was elected the vice president of Salimullah Hall Students Union.

After completing his Honours and Masters degrees from the University of Dhaka, Ibrahim started working at the same institute as a lecturer of physics and soon left for the University of South Hampton for his Ph.D in physics. “Other than being busy with my thesis work, I took the opportunity to travel during my time in South Hampton. Back then it was quite easy to back pack across Europe, especially for students.”

After completing his Ph.D, Ibrahim founded the NGO, CMES. “The first project of CMES was a TV programme named 'Akkhar Chakkar' which was a childrens vocabulary programme. After the programme, we started other programmes such as Basic School, Adolescent Girls programme etc which developed the CMES of today,” says Ibrahim. Currently, he is working as a professor of the General Education Department at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).