Student Job Profile: Affaf Ahtisham

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Ahtisham_Affaf.jpg” caption=”Affaf Ahtisham, a second-year life sciences student, is working as an intern in the Office of Public Relations. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]Affaf Ahtisham has many talents. Not only is he an entrepreneur and an aspiring doctor, he's also an intern in the Office of Public Relations (OPR). The second-year life sciences student is working on an archival system that will allow users to search for photos.

Previously, if someone needed a photo from the archives, they had to contact a member of OPR, who would then search for the photo manually. This process was time consuming, and with increased requests for images, a new system needed to be designed — that's where Ahtisham's knowledge of computer technology comes into play.

The new system, called the McMaster Photo Archive, replaces the old method by completely automating the process, from uploads of images to final downloads, while ensuring that the department's images are distributed in a controlled manner.

Ahtisham was initially interested in a position with OPR because of his experience with similar multimedia projects. After learning about the scope of the project, Ahtisham knew it would bring him a wealth of knowledge and experience.

He says the position is constantly challenging him: “From dealing with large amounts of images, to securely storing them on the system, to their final display and delivery, each step involved some issue that would pop up. But once solved, it was a very satisfying feeling.”

Ahtisham is learning more about the University by sifting through hundreds of images each day. He is responsible for “tagging” the images, which involves assigning keywords to them. This process allows him to view images of McMaster community members as well as images documenting the early planning stages of McMaster in Hamilton dating back to the early 1920s.

In the future, Ahtisham hopes to pursue a career in health care, most likely as a doctor.

In addition to his academic studies, Ahtisham and a friend run several companies associated with web design and information technology.

“This position certainly helps in our pursuit of providing quality services to the non-profit sector, since it is just as important for non-profit as it is for the for-profit sectors to embrace current as well as future technologies,” Ahtisham said of his work experience.

The student job profile is a weekly series about students working on campus.