Maisha Islam Monamee

The two years of college play an instrumental role in shaping the lives of young students. But the pandemic has led to impediments, with many beginning their college life at home, online.

Elinore Rema, a second-generation Bangladeshi immigrant, is on her way to becoming the first lawyer in Australia from Bangladesh’s Garo community. Elinore has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from University of New South Wales. She developed a passion for law during the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, as she wanted to make a difference and help refugees from war torn countries find asylum in Australia. Subsequently, she got a diploma in Migration Law at Australian National University, before completing a Juris Doctor (a postgraduate degree) at University of New South Wales.

July 1, 2021, marked 100 years of the establishment of Dhaka University (DU). The institution initiated its journey with only 60 teachers and 877 students.

One of the most influential books of the 20th century, written by a teenage girl, “The Diary of a Young Girl”, first reached bookstores on this day in 1947. The book is more commonly known as “The Diary of Anne Frank”, providing readers with a unique view of life as a Jew hiding in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Till date, it has been translated into 70 languages with over 30 million copies sold worldwide.

Founded in 2018, Nerdiz is Bangladesh’s first virtual reality (VR) educational platform. Pradeepta Kumar Saha, the co-founder Nerdiz, conceived the idea in 2016, after he realised that he was a visual learner. “Many students have problems with conventional learning methods and visuals make things easier for them. So, I decided to introduce VR in our education system,” he shared.

Father’s Day celebrations are closely intertwined with the efforts of two women in the United States. The day was first observed to pay homage to hundreds of men who died in a mining accident on July 5, 1908, in West Virginia. Grace Golden Clayton, the daughter of a minister, proposed the idea of a one-time memorial service to honour fathers who lost their lives in the accident.

“The Daily Star Campus Stars” is a show that highlights promising individuals who have excelled in their academics and extracurricular activities, alongside securing success in their professional paths. The third episode of the show took place on June 8, 2021, featuring panelists from Daffodil International University (DIU).

In their latest offering, Sensing Bangladesh – A Children’s Guidebook to Art from Bangladesh, UK-based book publisher Bok Bok Books attempts to represent the cultural, linguistic, and literary heritage of Bangladesh through children’s books.

After completing his graduation in Computer Science and Engineering from BRAC University, Rahatul Amin Anonto pursued his master’s at the University of Manitoba, Canada at the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCI-Lab). He is currently working with the Human-Robotics Interaction group at the HCI-lab.

Blogging has emerged to be a popular pandemic hobby for many. To reach out to a specific audience, it is important to ensure that your blog is cross-promoted online. This allows you to create your own niche and engage with a greater number of people. Here are a few ways through which beginners can promote their blogs on social media.

Forbes 30 under 30 honouree Shomy Hasan Chowdhury will be the first Bangladeshi citizen to sit in the judging panel for the 2021 Diana Legacy Award. The committee, presided by Lord Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, includes Alex Cruz, Former Chairman and CEO of British Airways, Sean Doyle, Chief Executive and Chairman of British Airways, and Joe Garner, Chief Executive of Nationwide Building Society.

Mohammad Saiful Islam, Sanchita Barman Mim, and Rafi Nur Hamid cycled across various districts of Bangladesh to educate people about environmental responsibility. Through this initiative, the three friends learned about different cultures, and raised awareness about plastic pollution.

The exhibition explores the adverse effects of climate change. “Climate Refugees in Bangladesh” is a photography series by Abir Abdullah.

Sobia Ameen, an architect turned baker, has many feathers in her cap. She is a content creator, model and social activist. She was recently featured as a model for the popular Indian fashion designer Masaba Gupta’s newest co-ord set. Pictures from this campaign were trending for several days and created quite a stir in the subcontinent’s fashion industry.

“The Daily Star Campus Stars” is a show that highlights promising individuals who have excelled in their academics and extracurricular activities, alongside securing success in their professional paths.

Rijve Arefin and Shomy Hasan Chowdhury were named in the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list under the category of Social Impact.

The UK government recognised Dr Tasnim Jara, a Bangladeshi, as a "Vaccine Luminary" during the G7 Global Vaccine Confidence Summit. Tasnim is an emergency medicine doctor at National Health Service, England, and a master's student of Evidence-based Healthcare at the University of Oxford. She is the only Bangladeshi to have earned this recognition.

Today marks the 45th death anniversary of renowned painter Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin. As the founding father of art education and culture in the country, he strived to create opportunities for local artists. He also played a key role in establishing the Government Institute of Arts and Crafts (now Faculty of Fine Arts) in 1948 at Dhaka University (DU), and was the founding principal of the institute.

Team Interplanetar, BUET’s Mars Rover Team, has bagged the Innovation Award for devising the most innovative gas compression system at the International Planetary Aerial System Challenge (IPAS) 2021. The IPAS Challenge, organised by Mars Society South Asia, is a competition for university students, which asks them to design a fully equipped Mars Aerial System (Vehicle).

Jhilimili, a social organisation formed by students from Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka (DU), aims to support underprivileged children. This Ramadan, they have collaborated with Madchef, a fast food restaurant, and Give Bangladesh, an initiative under Social Work Platform Trust, to arrange iftar packets for those in need.