Dr. Mostofa Sarwar Hopes To Bring Community Closerin New Role At RTA

Tina Soong, New Orleans : Mostofa Sarwar, Ph.D, MS, MSc, Bangladeshi American, has been appointed as a commissioner of the Regional Transit Authority in New Orleans. He has new visions to further serve the community.

“I accepted, with humility, this opportunity as a commissioner of RTA to serve the people of Metropolitan New Orleans and the visitors who flock to this city of great adventure, and history. My vision is to have a fixed lane on I-10, designated for RTA buses and HOV for incoming traffic during morning rush hours and for outgoing traffic during afternoon rush hours. It would reduce both the waiting and riding times for commuters. In addition, I would push for expanded service for Jefferson Parish, including Kenner,” Sarwar said.

“My core belief that a functional modern city in the 21st century must have an optimized public transit system where benefit is financially scalable and environmentally gainful. Safety and mobility are an obvious accompaniment. I am optimistic that we can achieve a revolutionary transformation of RTA for common good of the citizens by the collaboration of riders, Board of Commissioners, employees, advocacy groups, government officials and civil societies,” he said.

Sarwar has also been appointed, in August, the interim vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and College Provost at Delgado, where he has served as dean of Science and Math Division.

“Delgado is the middle class making machine of Louisiana, serving 40 percent of population of this state. I am glad that from this position, I am able to serve the students coming from diverse academic and demographic backgrounds. It is gratifying to lead the policy making and implementation for the educational needs of all segment of population,” Sarwar said.

He also plays a leading role in establishing collaboration of Delgado with UNO and in outreaching Tulane.

Before joining Delgado, Sarwar served at UNO, 1986 to 2014, as associate provost, University Honors Program, as academic director of UNO-Innsbruck summer school, and as professor of geophysics.

Among other honors, he received the Best Teacher Award by UNO College of Sciences in 2008, and Honors Faculty of the Year at UNO in 2014.

He also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Indiana and University of Dakota.

In addition to Bangladesh, he visited many countries, including China, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden and others.
In 1986, he was one of the few groups of scientists that visited Geophysical Prospecting Headquarters in Zhaoxian, Hebei, China. He also visited Urumchi, Heavenly Lake, Flaming Mountain, Shanghai, Beijing and other places.

“I witnessed the Chinese culture of hard work, discipline and entrepreneurial spirit. It appeared to me in 1986 that China would become a formidable country in the near future,” Sarwar said.

After the China visit, Sarwar brought the first Chinese student, Sun Li, to UNO, with full financial assistance, in geophysics program at UNO in 1986.

In 1987, he hired Dr. Naide Pan as his post-doctoral research fellow, the first Chinese post-doctor at UNO. Pan is now the president of PGS Tensor, the Asian Pacific oil service industry.

As chairman of Society of Exploration Geophysicists International, Sarwar played a significant role in organizing geophysicists all over the world, including Asia.

He also ran a successful student membership drive for the SEG in China, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Europe and Africa.

As an advisor of Distressed Children and Infants International, 2006 to the present, he has been helping children and infants, including children of Bangladesh and India.

Among numerous other awards, for his efforts in promoting friendship and academic exchange between Bangladesh and the USA, SARWAR was awarded US Department of State Medallion by Honorable Ambassador Dan Mozena in 2014.

He also received Achievement Award by Federation of Bangladesh Association in North America in 2000.

He is actively involved in the activities of local Indian and Bangladesh communities in Greater New Orleans, for which he was awarded Community Leadership Award by India Association of New Orleans in 2018.

Sarwar has published more than 33 research papers in journals, monographs, proceedings on various topics in geoscience, physics and mathematics.

Among others, he contributed to wave diffraction, seismic inversion and seismic interpretations of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration, which were well received worldwide.

He participated in many local cultural events, including riding in an Endymion float at Mardi Gras. Both a scientist and poet, Sarwar has published three poetry books.

Sarwar is married to Dr. Syeda Sarwar, pathologist, VA Hospital, New Orleans.

They have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Turhan, is an attorney at Golf, Greenfield & Sacks, Boston, who is married to Dr.Kathleen Lee Sarwar, a research fellow at Harvard’s Bingham and Women’s Hospital, where she is also completing her residency. Their second son, Arush, is a strategist at Palantir Technologies. Their daughter, Shaina, a graduate of Tulane, is a student at the LSU School of Medicine.