After horrific attack, Peshawar Army Public School students visit SUNY Poly in Albany

Pakistani school hit by Taliban gunmen who killed 132 students

By Shivani Gonzalez

Published 10:01 pm, Wednesday, July 29, 2015

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] CNSE Associate Vice President Christopher Borst teaches Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan about clean rooms on their tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] CNSE Associate Vice President Christopher Borst takes Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan on a tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institutes College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="610"] CNSE Associate Vice President Christopher Borst teaches Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan about a wafer on their tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institutes College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan hold a wafer on their tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institutes College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. The weeklong NanoDiscovery Institute teaches students about New York States high-tech opportunities, and is made possible through partnership between SUNY Poly CNSE, Meridian International Center, and the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] CNSE Associate Vice President Christopher Borst takes Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan on a tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] CNSE Instructional Support Technician Stephen Stewart teaches Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan about nanotechnology on their tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] CNSE Instructional Support Technician Stephen Stewart teaches Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan about nanotechnology on their tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] CNSE Instructional Support Technician Stephen Stewart teaches Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan about nanotechnology on their tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Syed, a Pakistani student from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan learns about nanotechnology on a tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="313"] SUNY Poly CNSE Student Caleb Gershengorn demonstrates the proper way to suit up in a bunny suit during the tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] SUNY Poly CNSE Student Caleb Gershengorn demonstrates the proper way to suit up in a bunny suit during the tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] A chaperone takes a video of Hammad, a Pakistani student from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan, conducting an experiment with Stephen Stewart on a tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] CNSE Associate Vice President Christopher Borst takes Pakistani students from the Peshawar Army Public School in Pakistan on a tour of SUNY Polytechnic Institutes College of Nanoscale and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Olivia Nadel/ Special to the Times Union)[/caption]

SUNY Polytechnic Institute is welcoming students from a school in Pakistan that was the scene of one of the deadliest terror attacks since 9/11.

The high-school-age young men from the Peshawar Army Public School are in Albany Wednesday for a weeklong set of classes taught by the SUNY Poly faculty and staff.

"I am so thankful for this opportunity," said Hammad, one of the students. (Organizers of the trip asked that the student's last names not be used by the media.) "I know that this education will help us in the future."

In December, the Peshawar school was attacked by gunmen linked to the Taliban, who killed 132 students — ranging in age from 8 to 18 — as well as 13 faculty members.

International outrage over the attack prompted the Pakistani government, which has been criticized for its lackluster pursuit of violent extremists, to strengthen its military and legal efforts.

The student trip is completely funded by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

The students are in the country for two weeks, and are being hosted by the Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C., where their packed itinerary began earlier this week. In addition to tours of the Pentagon and Capitol, the group met Secretary of State John Kerry.

The nonprofit Meridian Center focuses on leadership training and strengthening U.S. diplomatic relations around the globe. Bonnie Glick, senior vice president of Meridian, said it's important for the students to add nanoscience to their general science learning.

They will be in classes at SUNY Poly for five days alongside their American student hosts.

After that, the students will go to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown for a different kind of cultural exchange: The visitors will learn how to play baseball, and their U.S. counterparts will learn the fundamentals of cricket. A dual-sports tournament is planned.

The students will also visit West Point to see the similarities and differences with their military school back home.

To finish up the trip, the students will present their final nanotech projects to SUNY Poly staff, and will fly back to Washington to present the projects to U.S. military officials.

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