Qatar University (QU) Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering (CSE-CENG) honored students Hamad Mohsen Andilah and Abdulrahman Meshan Al Marri, and supervisor Mohammed Khair Al-Issa from Mohammed Bin Abdulwahab Independent Secondary School for Boys for their first-place win in its recent Annual Computing Contest.

2^nd place finalists were Mohammed Salem Al Qahtani and Ali Shehab Al Diri also from Mohammed Bin Abdulwahab Independent Secondary School for Boys and supervised by Al-Issa, while 3rd-place went to Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Sulaiti and Khalifa Mubarak Al Sulaiti from Nasser Al Attiya Independent Secondary School for Boys supervised by Essam Al Khatib. The contest which was sponsored by QAPCO drew 48 teams of 96 students from 19 schools. It required students to program a robot that will perform tasks within a limited time. Leading up to the final day, the students attended workshops, and met with QU faculty members who visited the schools and provided guidance on competition rules and guidelines.

CENG dean Dr Khalifa bin Nasser Al-Khalifa honored the winners and thanked QAPCO for supporting CENG’s efforts in its initiatives to educate Qataris nationals and deliver the STEM experience to the younger generation towards achieving Qatar National Vision 2030. He stressed the importance of strengthening relations with secondary schools to promote awareness of CENG programs, and help develop their computing skills in general and robot programming in particular. He added: “This competition is an educational and fun initiative that challenges students to deliver high-quality computing projects using engineering, maths, physics and science processes. Students gain valuable insight into computing which will hopefully encourage them to pursue their studies in the field and at our college”.

QAPCO managing director and CEO Dr Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla said, “It is critically important that we support events and activities that promote engineering and technology to students as it will help ensure our country’s future competitiveness and pave the way for a new generation who shares our passion for engineering. I congratulate all the participants and thank Qatar University and CENG for offering stimulating STEM activities that make a difference to the future of engineering in Qatar".

CSE head Dr Sumaya Al Maadeed said “This competition represents an opportunity to discover students’ talents and capacities and encourages them to deliver projects of a high caliber”.

In recognition of the World Hypertension Day, Qatar University College of Medicine (QU-CMED) recently organized a road show titled “Know Your Numbers” in conjunction with the organization’s Health Clinic, as part of its strategic objective to raise community awareness on specific diseases and medical issues relevant to Qatar.

The event included a mobile vitals-measurement unit which moved in various locations on campus. 4 medical staff and licensed physicians were on hand to provide students, staff and visitors with body mass index and free testing of blood pressure, blood sugar, uric acid and cholesterol, as well as advising on hypertension symptoms and prevention. The event also included a health risk assessment workshop delivered by Health Clinic staff on topics related to hypertension.

An interactive activity “Heads Up” was offered by medical students in which participants had to guess words related to hypertension in 60 seconds from hints and suggestions. The medical students measured the participants’ blood pressure before and after the activity and assessed the impact of emotional reactions on their vital signs. Commenting on the event, QU VP for Medical Education and CMED dean Dr EgonToft said: “Hypertension is occurring when the higher number is 140mmHg or more and/or the lower number is 90mmHg or more. As the blood pressure varies from day to day, it needs to be documented on more than one occasion. Hypertension can lead to potentially life threatening conditions on a shorter or more commonly a longer term if it leads to its complications as occlusions of arteries or rupture of major blood vessels.

According to the latest WHO data published in 2014, hypertension deaths in Qatar constitute approximately 0.7% of total deaths ranking Qatar at #168 in the world. Also a recent study published in Population Health Metrics journal showed that the overall prevalence of hypertension in Qatar was estimated to be approximately one third in both men and women. It is important to detect hypertension as early as possible. It can be treated with medicine, diet changes and other changes of lifestyle, and treatment reduces the risks associated with hypertension. This year’s campaign aims to promote this early detection and we are very pleased to collaborate with QU Health Clinic’s physicians on this important activity.”

Health Clinic head Dr HafsaHashad said: “High blood pressure or hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer”. People may suffer with this condition for years without any symptoms, but if left untreated it can increase the likelihood of serious cardiovascular and renal diseases. Hypertension is quite prevalent in Qatar - as such, awareness of what hypertension is and of its possible symptoms, treatment and prevention, is of utmost importance to protect the health of our community members.

As part of the Health Clinic’s continuing commitment to health education, we are pleased to collaborate with the College of Medicine to raise awareness about hypertension and how to minimize risks of this condition. Health Clinic physicians and nurses were available to provide screening and blood pressure tests. Our medical team also carried our risks assessment workshops to determine if individuals are at risk of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and gout. This is a quick and convenient opportunity for QU members to assess their risk for a disease that is often left undiagnosed for years.”

Qatar University College of Education (QU-CED) was recently awarded a 5-year accreditation for its academic programs by the highly-prestigious accreditation organization NCATE/CAEP, making it the first-ever national college outside of the US to gain this achievement.

The accreditation process which began in November 2015 included series of audits conducted by 6 experts from top international universities in which the College’s faculty, students and academic programs were evaluated. Congratulating the College, QU VP and Chief Academic Officer Dr MazenHasna (pictured) said: “This significant achievement reflects its ongoing efforts to enhance its programs and outcomes. It underlines the College’s core role in advancing the education sector in Qatar and the region.”

CED dean Dr HissaSadiq said: “This achievement highlights the high-quality programs that the College offers to its students, as well as its position as a key partner in contributing to the development of the education sector in Qatar.” CED associate dean for academic affairs Dr YehyaAl-Nakeeb said: “This accreditation is a testament of the College’s ongoing commitment to provide quality programs and to prepare competent and highly skilled graduates for the labor market.”  

Qatar University College of Medicine (QU-CMED) organized and hosted a symposium “Flow Cytometry-Based Phenotyping – Evolving Applications in Health Care and Research” on May 18. The event aimed to highlight the recent developments and various applications of flow cytometry in clinical and research use. 

“By using florescent imaging, flow cytometry is a technology that allows us to analyze a single cell or particle in many dimensions -- growth rate, metastasis, maturity, capacity for killing tumors and other characteristics. Although the technology has been available for about 2 decades, its applications have been expanding exponentially in recent years which promises advances that could revolutionize personalized patient therapy, i.e. genetically-informed targeted treatment for cancer, autoimmunity, transplantation and cardiovascular disease. The forum aims to bring researchers and practitioners using the technology in Qatar to exchange knowledge, create opportunities for partnerships, advance understanding of its applications locally, showcase their research projects, and motivate young students towards research in this field”, explained Dr FarhanCyprian (pictured), CMED assistant professor of immunology and cell biology.

The symposium brought together clinicians and researchers from local healthcare institutions to discuss and share their knowledge, ideas and expertise on the most recent updates in flow cytometry-basedphenotyping. Attendees included Sidraphenotyping core lab director Dr Jean Charles Grivel, Interim Translational Research Institute )iTRI( manager Dr Michal Kulinski, and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) flow cytometry lab supervisor AleksandraLiberska, as well as CMED faculty, students and staff.

The conference addressed a wide range of topics such as “Transforming Growth Factor Based Immune Modulation”, “Application of Nanoparticles in Flow Cytometry”, “Flow CytometryCrossmatch in Transplantation”, “Flow Cytometry–Detection of Platelet Function and Activation in Cardiovascular Diseases” and “Thrombospondin-1 Dependent Induction of Regulatory Immune Response by Ocular Antigen Presenting Cells”.

The program agenda included updates delivered by CMED assistant professor of immunology and cell biology Dr FarhanCyprian, QU College of Pharmacy (CPH) assistant professor of Pharmacology Dr AbdelaliAgouni, Sidra medical director of Deep Phenotyping Core Dr Jean Charles and senior scientist Dr HaissamAbouSaleh, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) consultant and assistant chair of laboratory medicine and pathology Dr Mohammed YousifElkhalifa, and iTRI senior scientist Dr Fayaz Ahmad Mir.

QU VP for medical education and CMED dean Dr EgonToft said: “The College of Medicine is committed to bringing together practitioners, researchers and students through various platforms including events like this one to exchange knowledge, advance collaborative synergies, enrich their experience, and ultimately improve patient care.”

Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC), formerly Qatar Road Safety Studies Center, and the International Center for Urban Safety Engineering (ICUS) at the University of Tokyo recently signed an agreement to collaborate on mutual research programs and initiatives related to urban safety. The agreement was signed by CENG Dean Dr Khalifa Al-Khalifa, and ICUS director Mr Kimiro Meguro.

A QTTSC team led by assistant professor Dr. Wael Alhajyassen visited the Traffic Control Center of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that manages 17,000 signalized intersections and is considered one of the world's largest and most advanced traffic control centers.  They attended an introductory seminar on Japan’s traffic management systems and were given insights on the country’s smart traffic data collection techniques and application.  They also learned about the Control Center’s traffic data collection from around 20,000 ultrasonic counters and 300 cameras for live streaming of traffic conditions, and about its traffic congestion mitigation schemes that will be implemented for the Tokyo Olympiad 2020.

Commenting on the agreement and the team’s visit, Dr Al-Khalifa said “This underlines the College’s commitment to finding solutions for the challenges of traffic safety that the Qatari community faces, and to strengthening relations with ICUS for further collaboration on research and development in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.  Learning about Japan’s plans for traffic congestion management during the Olympiad 2020 has given us insights into planning for future large international events in Qatar such as FIFA World Cup 2022”.

The College of Medicine at Qatar University (CMED-QU) signed a Professional Consulting Services Agreement on May 22 with National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), an independent, not-for-profit US-based organization that serves the public through its high-quality assessments of healthcare professionals.

Through this agreement, NBME will support the College in aligning its standards with those of the US by leveraging CMED’s student assessment system, supporting the establishment of a CMED student examination items bank, and by conducting regional benchmarking studies on test design. The agreement was signed by QU Vice President for Medical Education Dr EgonToft and NBME president Dr Donald E. Melnick. Vice President for International Programs Dr Brownell Anderson represented NBME at QU on the occasion.

As a first step in what is aimed to be a long-term collaboration, a team of specialized experts from NBME, will engage CMED faculty and administrators in various activities that aim to further enhance medical education and establish an assessment system that maximizes the quality of the College’s graduates. The college’s curriculum and current assessment framework will also be reviewed by the NBME team to ensure their alignment with international standards.

College administrators will be provided with recommendations on a range of topics including possible curriculum revision; timing and nature of locally-developed assessments; the most appropriate use of the portfolio of NBME assessment instruments available to North American and International medical schools; potential NBME assistance on the development of assessments to meet the needs of CMED curriculum, and development of an item bank.

Recommendations will also be made on development of faculty expertise in teaching, curriculum design and design, construction, and interpretation of valid and reliable formative and summative examinations. Commenting on the agreement, CMED Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Prof Hossam Hamdy, said: “The College of Medicine’s focus on quality, safe medical practice and optimal patient care is in line with NBME’s mission to "protect the health of the public through state of the art assessment of health professionals”.

Based on the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) introduced by NBME in 1992, the College prepares its students for this and similar international licensing exams to ensure that the quality of its graduates is aligned with the best international standards in medical practice. This agreement is an important step for the College’s development and progress as Qatar’s first national medical college and its stated ambitions towards a knowledge-based economy”.

Dr Anderson expressed her pleasure at visiting the College of Medicine, adding, “It is exciting to be able to work with a new medical school from the beginning of its program and I hope I will have many more opportunities to observe the progress of the school in the months and years to come. The educational program is truly innovative and aligned with high quality, state-of-the-art assessment methods, all of which hold great promise for the new school, its graduates and for Qatar”.

She noted that while the individual licensing boards grant the license to practice medicine, all medical boards in the US accept a passing score on the USMLE as evidence that an applicant demonstrates the core competencies to practice medicine.

The Center for Entrepreneurship (CfE) at Qatar University College of Business and Economics (QU-CBE) recently held a workshop on “Scientific Research and IP Protection in Qatar” to address the main challenges of protecting intellectual and technology transfer in Qatar and seek solutions to key issues. Organized in conjunction with QU Office of Academic Research and Qatar Foundation (QF) IP and Technology Transfer Office, the event brought together many researchers, experts and students from QU colleges and beyond.

Welcome remarks were delivered by CBE dean Dr Nitham Hindi in the presence CfE director Dr MahmoudAbdellatifKhalil (pictured), and QF IP and Technology Transfer executive director Dr Erik J Stenehjem, as well as CBE faculty and students. The program agenda included presentations on “Research, IP and Knowledge-based Economies”, “Understanding IP”, “Methods and Tools to accelerate IP development” and  “Commercialization – Marketing, negotiating and licensing IP”. They were delivered by experts from QF IP and Technology Transfer Office.

In his remarks, Dr Hindi said: “This event comes at a time when intellectual property is becoming a critical area of interest in Qatar and the region. It demonstrates CBE’s commitment to tackling local challenges and to seeking efficient solutions to issues that impact Qatari society and beyond. It also highlights the College’s pivotal role in  advancing national efforts to drive the country’s aspirations towards a knowledge-based economy.”

Dr Abdellatif said: “By hosting this event, the Center for Entrepreneurship is working towards QU’s strategic objective to raise community awareness on timely issues, to advance research and ensure that research efforts address contemporary challenges in Qatar and beyond. The Center continues to deliver on its mission to support QU members in developing and turning their ideas into viable businesses, and securing ownership of them.”

Winners of the Best Poster Competition, 3-minute Thesis Competition, and Research Excellence Awards were announced during the recent Qatar University Annual Research Forum organized by QU Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies on May 3. 

VP for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Mariam Al-Maadeed presented the best poster winners with certificates in the presence of an audience comprising QU president Dr Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, VPs, deans, industry representatives, and guests from institutions and universities in Qatar and the GCC including Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) executive director Dr Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Sultan Qaboos University Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Postgraduate Studies and Research Dr Rahma Al-Mahrooqi and Kuwait University Vice President for Research Dr Taher Ahmed Al-Sahaf.

160 posters were submitted for the poster competition in three categories -- undergraduate, graduate, postdoc students, and faculty under the headings Science and Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences. (Winners and their poster titles are listed below).

In the Thesis Competition, Sadaf Riaz from the College of Pharmacy won first place with “A Big Heart: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly” while her colleague Ayat Hammad won 2^nd place for “Synthesis and Pharmacological Screening of Different Piperine Analogs for Potential in Vitro Protection from ER Stress”. 3^rd place was computing student Farah Al-Qawasama for “Optimizing Number of Sensors in Wireless Sensor Networks of Structure Health Monitoring Systems”. The Research Excellence Award was presented to College of Engineering Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Prof. Abdel Magid Hamouda.

Six graduate students were also recognized: civil engineering student Khaled Hassan Rabie received the Outstanding Thesis Award of QR10,000 for “Drained Residual Shear Strength of Fine-Grained Soils and Soil-Solid Interfaces at Low to Medium Effective Normal Stresses: Analyses and Applications”. Materials science and engineering student Anchu Ashok received the Graduate Research Award, which is accompanied by funding to present her research poster on “Synthesis of Cobalt Catalysts Using Combustion Synthesis for Hydrogen Production” at the 2016 International Conference on Advanced Energy Materials in London this fall. The Graduate Assistant Award of QR 5000 was presented to biological and environmental studies student Balsam Rizeq.

Best Poster winners

Science and Engineering

Undergraduate students:

Dina Abunahia, Hala Abou El Oula, Tasnim Ismail (Computer Science & Engineering) -- ‘A Reconfigurable Connected Health Platform Using Zynq SoC’.

Fatima Elzahra Hashim Mahmoud (Chemistry & Earth Sciences) -- ‘Synthesis of CdS-Modified TiO2 nanostructures and their photocatalytic applications’.

Graduate and Postdoc students:

Nagla Mohamed (Civil & Architectural Engineering) -- ‘Influence of Flow Rate and Temperature on Flux Behavior in Forward Osmosis’.

Mohammad Tariq, Eihmear Connor, Jillian Thompson, Majeda Khraisheh, Mert Atilhan, David Rooney (Chemical Engineering) -- ‘Ionic Liquids: Novel Inhibitors for Natural Gas Hydrates’.

Faculty members

Samahat Samim and Samer F. Ahmed (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) -- ‘Investigation of Laminar Flame Speed of Alternative Liquid Fuel Blends’. 

Osama Halabi, Hena Alpona, Moza Al-Hemaidi, Dabia Al-Hassan (Computer Science & Engineering) -- ‘ Immersive Virtual Reality in Improving Communication Skills in Children with Autism’.

Medical and Health Sciences

Undergraduate students:

Farah Zahrah, Nawal BenSmail, Monica Zolezzi (College of Pharmacy) -- ‘Awareness and attitudes of Qatar University students on mental health’.

Madan D, Rizk N, Zakaria E (College of Health Sciences/Biomedical Sciences) -- ‘On the Effect of Glycine on Age-related Endothelial Cell Dysfunction’.

Postdocs and graduate students:

Fadheela DadBakhsh Mohammed, Nasser Rizk (Health Sciences/ Biomedical Sciences) -- ‘The Contribution of Toll-Like Receptors in the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Retinopathy in Human Microvascular Retinal Endothelial Cells’.

Maria Smatti, Sarah Taleb, Mohamed El Zowalaty, Asmaa Al Marwani, RaedAbuOdeh, Gheyath K. Nasrallah– College of Health Sciences and Biomedical Research Center for ‘Seroprevalence, Detection and Genotyping of Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) Among Blood Donors in Qatar’

Faculty members:

Ahmed Malki, Rasha Abu- El-Ruz, Yanyan Cao, Yunsheng Li, Yanrong QianCao, Xuan WangCao, Xiaozhuo (College of Health Sciences/ Biomedical Sciences) -- ‘Penta-O-galloyl-α-D-glucose attenuates obesity by inhibiting adipogenesis via mTOR , PPARγ and C/EBPα signaling pathways’.

Hany E. Marei, AsmaaAlthani (Biomedical Research Center) -- ‘Human Olfactory Bulb Neural Stem Cell Based Therapy for CNS Traumatic and Neurodegenerative Diseases’.

Humanities and Social Sciences

Undergraduate students:

Hala Emad Mousa (English Literature and Linguistics) -- ‘Myth of Radical Purity : Women and Decolonization, in Season of Migration to the North, and Middaq Alley’.

Abeer Ashor, Nora Omer, Loloa Al-Mana’i, Mariam Mohamadi (Department of Mass Communication) – ‘Awareness campaign on aggressive behavior and the consequences and effects of road rage’.

Postdocs and graduate students:

Simona Azzali (Architecture and Urban Planning) -- ‘The Role of Mega-Events in Urban Planning: Doha as a Case Study’.

Nasreen Abdulla Mohammed Guffa (Arabic Department) -- ‘The city in “The Neighing of the White Horse” series by Zakaria Tamer’.

Faculty members:

Maha Al-Hendawi, Clayton Keller (Department of Psychological Sciences) -- ‘A Psychometric Analysis of the Child Behavior Checklist for Elementary School Children’.

AshrafGalal (Arts and Sciences) -- The role of Qatari media in orienting the Qatari society to overcome the glocal/social challenges of hosting World Cup 2022’.

Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at Qatar University (QU) honored its traffic safety ambassadors in a ceremony held in cooperation with the National Committee for Traffic Safety on May 16. The Ambassadors initiative which started in November last year drew 17 teams from 17 independent boy schools in Doha with the aim to promote safe driving behaviors. The students were oriented on road safety and awareness campaigns by QU assistant professor of marketing Dr Othman Mohammed Al Thawadi and Traffic Department CaptFahadAbdulla.

The initiative ended with 1^st place winners Al Doha Secondary School for Boys, Hamad bin Abdullah Secondary School for Boys -- 2^nd, and Al Wakra Secondary School for Boys and Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Mana Secondary School for Boys -- 3rd. CENG dean Dr KhalifaAl-Khalifa was joined at the event by General Secretary of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Brigadier Mohamed Al Malki, CENG assistant professor Dr Noor Al Maadeed, and Dr Al Thawadi, as well as CENG faculty, staff, and Traffic Department representatives. Students and their mentors from 13 schools were also present.

Commenting on the event, Dr Al-Khalifa said: “QTTSC stresses the role of young people and their involvement in various traffic safety initiatives, and is in line with the College’s commitment to citizen safety on Qatar’s roads. This is effected by motivating school students to be part of a range of awareness programs and activities, and to encourage them to find sustainable solutions to traffic safety challenges in the country”.

Brigadier Al Malki said: “Road safety touches the lives of all individuals, and requires us all to be more aware since it concerns all road users. That can be achieved by joint collaboration and case studies that achieve results that benefit all stakeholders”. He observed that QTTSC is one of the most active centers in Qatar that promotes individuals’ awareness of the culture of traffic safety, through campaigns, initiatives and public events.

Dr Al-Maadeed explained that in collaboration with the National Committee for Traffic Safety and the General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior, the Center organized awareness workshops at the participating schools, and distributed brochures and posters on leadership and management of traffic safety campaigns. She noted that the initiative gave the young ambassadors the opportunity to enhance their skills and abilities on safe behavior on the roads through guidance from professionals in traffic safety.

Dr Al Thawadi said: “The workshop oriented students on how to conduct safety awareness campaigns in their schools. They learned a lot from their peers about road safety and came to understand the issues and how they affect them. By starting with high schools, we hope to shape students' understanding and attitudes towards road safety so that when they start driving, they become responsible road users”. Team supervisor Adel Abu Al Khair of participating Nasser Al Attiya Secondary School outlined the activities that were employed in their campaign which included developing brochures on traffic safety instructions and guides and hosting a lecture by traffic officers on road safety and risks.

Qatar University (QU) was awarded the Partnership Award of Appreciation for the 4^th consecutive year by the energy and industry sector for its activities in knowledge exchange and expertise and provision of human capital to companies in the sector. QU President Dr Hassan Rashid Al-Derham received the award on May 25 from the Sector’s Strategic Qatarization Committee chairman Mr Hamad A Al-Hamadi.

The award was earlier announced in the Sector’s 16^th Annual Qatarization Review Meeting on May 16 which was attended by His Excellency Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and senior executives and representatives from the 37 participating companies in the Sector’s Strategic Qatarization Plan. It recognizes and honors the most outstanding partnership that exemplifies support to companies in the Plan or to the energy and industry sector as a whole, in a calendar year.

Commenting on the Award, Dr Al-Derham said: “This is a proud moment to again receive such a prestigious award for the 4^th year and to be recognized among our distinguished partners for our contribution to the sector and to the State of Qatar. We do not take this honor lightly as it comes with a responsibility and commitment to the Qatari society that we will continue to strengthen and advance in our role as the country’s first national higher education institution and standard bearer of its cultural and intellectual heritage”. 

The Biomedical Research Center (BRC) at Qatar University (QU) recently hosted a seminar “Research in Pediatric Emergency Department – HMC”, aimed to inform QU Health Cluster researchers and academics about the research activities running at the Pediatric Emergency Center-HMC.

The seminar which was delivered by Prof KhaledAl-Ansari (pictured), director of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Pediatric Emergency Centers and associate professor of clinical pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), brought together participants from QU Health Cluster and HMC including BRC director and QU College of Health Sciences dean Dr AsmaaAl-Thani, as well as faculty and staff.

Prof Al-Ansari briefed the audience about five pediatric emergency centers present in Qatar and the services they provide to the community. He presented data from 3 different clinical studies for babies aged 18 months and less with bronchiolitis and for children aged 2 to 14 years old with asthma. In the 1st study “Nebulized 5% Or 3% Hypertonic Or 0.9% Saline For The Treatment Of Acute Infant Bronchiolitis: A Randomized Trial”, Prof Al-Ansari compared the efficiency of saline solution in prehospital treatment of acute bronchiolitis. “This study showed the importance of hypertonic saline nebulization in the improvement of bronchiolitis severity for children suffering from viral bronchiolitis”, he said.

In the 2nd study “Oral Dexamethasone for Bronchiolitis A Randomized Trial”, he highlighted the effect of dexamethasone treatment administered with salbutamol for patients with bronchiolitis and asthma. In the 3rd study “Inhaled Magnesium for Moderate and Severe Pediatric Asthma A Randomized Controlled Trial”, he pointed to the efficiency of inhaled magnesium for the treatment of moderate and severe pediatric asthma. He said: “The use of nebulized magnesium sulfate with combined nebulizedbronchodilator and systemic steroids can be effective for the treatment of children with moderate or severe asthma.”

Commenting on the seminar, Dr Al-Thani said: “In hosting this seminar, we brought focus on BRC’s commitment to raising community awareness on medical issues relevant to Qatar while providing efficient solutions for disease prevention and treatment. This underlines QU mission to promote research aligned with the needs of the healthcare sector and to serve the strategic interests of the State of Qatar and the region, in line with national aspirations towards fulfilling the goals of the National Health Strategy.”

Qatar University Student Life & Services Division (QU-SLS) graduated 20 out of 27 employees from its SLS professional development certificate program at a ceremony held on May 29 and attended by QU Associate VP for Student Life and Services Mr Abdulla Al-Yafei, as well as QU faculty and staff.

The employees benefitted from the 7-month training program designed to credential them in the field of student affairs and development. It is the first batch of SLS employees in the training program that was launched by the Student Life & Services Division in October 2015. The course introduced student affairs as a professional area of study. It focused on the role and function of professionals in the field, the populations served, the college and university settings where the student affairs field is practiced, the necessary skills and competencies for professional practice, and the current issues in student affairs.

It also provided the foundation for work and professional development in the field of student affairs and is based on 10 professional competency areas as defined by the two primary international student affairs professional organizations NASPA -- Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and ACPA -- College Student Educators International. This is the first student affairs course conducted entirely in Arabic and endorsed by the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) NASPA area professional association. Trainees were provided the opportunity to benefit from a wide range of experts from around the world, including Qatari intellectual and writer Dr Jassim Al Sultan.

Congratulating the graduates, Mr Al Yafei said: “The training program demonstrates SLS mission to offer various professional development opportunities and services that heighten its members’ skills and competencies while empowering them with the motivation towards lifelong learning. This serves as a testament to the enriching learning environment at QU that aims to ensure human and social development while promoting quality education towards a sustainable knowledge-based economy.”

Qatar University College of Sharia and Islamic Studies (QU-CSIS) honored 123 students of GPA 3.5 and higher on its Dean's List for Fall 2015 at a ceremony that was attended by CSIS dean Dr Yousuf Al-Siddiqi, faculty, and students.

95 female and 28 male students received certificates from Dr Al-Siddiqui who said in his congratulatory remarks:  “Student academic success is integral to the College’s development and progress and its advancement as a model for other colleges in the region”.  He encouraged them to keep up their level of outstanding scholarship which will add value to their future career prospects. Outstanding student FaseehUlzamman of GPA 3.79 spoke on behalf of the honorees about the rewards of hard work and persistence to better themselves and in so doing, contribute to the betterment of the society and the country.  “Congratulations to all of you for achieving such outstanding academic heights”, he said.

Student projects on hotels, tourist villages, villas, mosques and other housing projects featured at the 7^th Architecture Day held on May 18 by the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning (DAUP) at Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG).

The projects were exhibited by first-year, sophomore and senior students and ranged from conceptual abstract design, early-stage development of passive schools, medium-stage design of seaside tourist resorts design to more complex and sophisticated sustainable mixed-use high rise buildings in the West Bay area, as well as sustainable urban regeneration in the historic districts of Doha and its vicinity.

CENG dean Dr KhalifaAl-Khalifa said that the event stresses the relationship between DAUP, CENG, industry and the private sector that provides opportunities to motivate our students to excel and to prepare for life after graduation. “It reflects CENG commitment to engaging students’ talents and innovative spirit to produce high-quality solutions that reflect community and industry needs, and are in line with the goals and values of QNV 2030”, he added.

Acting head of department Dr FodilFadli said: “I commend our students on the quality of their projects which highlights the level of the teaching/learning environment at the department. It also shows their appreciation of community needs in terms of environment-friendly sustainable living”. Student Al Anoud Ali Al Mutawa explained that she had previously worked on a Passive House project, and her current project was a school that uses solar cells to reduce energy use. “In this, I am promoting a culture of energy-saving units”, she said.

Loloa Al Khaldi’s project is a hotel close to Hamad International Airport that will connect to The Pearl, Katara and the airport. It will be accessed by sea and land, and give visitors views of the sites on the way to the hotel. “I hope to add new ideas to architecture through my projects”, she said.

Graduating students from Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) departments presented their design projects during the college’s annual Senior Design Contest on May 28. 8 teams comprising more than 150 students presented 60 projects to 30 judges representing some of Qatar’s top institutions and industrial companies. The projects were evaluated on innovation, commercial potential, sustainability, and presentation quality.

The contest was sponsored by Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), Dolphin Energy Limited and Occidental Petroleum of Qatar (Oxy Qatar). During the event, CENG dean Dr KhalifaAl-Khalifa presented trophies to sponsors’ representatives Dolphin Energy Limited director engineering Mr Khalid Al Khori, Oxy Qatar asset development manager Mr John Bolling, and QAPCO senior talent development officer Mr Hamad Khalid Al Jaber.

CENG dean Dr KhalifaAl-Khalifa said:  “CENG is proud to celebrate its students’ outstanding accomplishments and to encourage them to continue to excel in their respective fields.  The quality of their projects reflects the high level of the teaching and learning environment at CENG that prepares them for a successful professional life. We are also very pleased to have the cooperation and support of industry partners who are committed to investing their time, expertise and experience in our students”.

QAPCO managing director and CEO Dr Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla said, “At QAPCO we are fully committed to industrial-academic collaboration, especially through our investment in research and development and through the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. We believe it is critically important to support events and activities that promote engineering as it paves the way for generations to come”.

OxyQatar president and general manager MrStephen Kelly said: “Oxy Qatar has the pleasure to continue its longstanding partnership with Qatar University by supporting the university’s senior design contest.  At Oxy Qatar, we are committed to supporting education and capacity building through our social responsibility program.  This initiative shows the commitment by providing students with a unique opportunity to engage with engineering experts, and it also plays an important role in long-term national development, particularly among the younger generation of students in Qatar.”

Winning teams were:

Department of Civil Engineering:

1^st -- Abdulrahman Abushanab, MHD Hafiz, Khaled Essam Aboelenen

2^nd -- Ahmed Al-Harastani, Omru Atallah, Hamza Eljerbi, Ataa Barazi

3^rd -- Hassan Al Ghanim, Saleh Al Mannai, Mohamad Al Marri, Hamad Al Bader

Department of Architecture and Urban Planning:

1^st -- Aisha al-Khulaifi, Heba al-Gehani, Kholoud Suleiman

2^nd -- Amal Al-Kubaisi, Abida Khan, Areej Radwan

3^rd  -- Rand Faris, Sania Fatima, Reem Zaghmout

Department of Chemical Engineering

1^st -- Baraa Anaya, Dareen Dardor, Shiva Yousfi, Mariem Chamakh

2^nd -- Aichatuo Baba Sid Ahmed, Manar Yousif Ali, Mona Hersi Gulied, Tohfa Yasmin Ali Ahmed

3^rd -- Moustafa Hussein Ali, Mohamed Hosni Ibrahim, Mohamed Salem, Mohammad Maimon Adams

Industrial and Systems Engineering Program:

1^st -- Nour Alhouda Zargayou, Wassen Mohammad, Ikram Boukhelif

2^nd -- Shaikha Al-Mansoori, Tamader AlTamimi, Khaloud Karbon

3^rd -- Maryam Al-Khatib, Amal Al-Dosari, Makarem Ebrahim

Mechanical Engineering Program:

1^st -- Abdelrahman Alkasmy, Hassan Ali Hassan, Mohamed Ahmed, Mohamed Eslam Ahmed

2^nd -- Abdullah Piroozi, Mohammed Rabeh Khaleel, Ammar Haider Ali Beje

3^rd -- Hosam Ibrahim, Azhar Guiamadin, Houssam Eldin Mohamed

Computer Engineering Program:

1^st -- Fatima Abdulaziz AlKharji, Hanan Hesham Kamel, Nazra Saleh Al Yafei

2^nd -- Asmaa Mohamed Hegazy, Ghadeer Mohamed Ahmed, Sara Ebrahim AlSulaiti

3^rd -- Aya Talaat Hussein, Nesrin Mashhour, Saada Mohammed Almuhannadi

Computer Science Program:

1^st -- Khaled Yasser Mohamed, Taofik Abdul Mounem Al Nass

2^nd -- Amna Sarhan Mehawesh, Mooza Abdulla AlNisf, Moza Saad Al Mesaifri

3^rd -- Al-Hanouf Mohammed Al-Mohannadi, Engy Khaled Soliman

Department of Electrical Engineering:

1^st -- Asem Khattab, Sharief Saleh, Mohammed Jihad El-Jaam, Mahmoud Ghassan Mesleh

2^nd -- Omar Ghassan Hommos, Ali Abdul Hafiz Farhat, Ali Mohammed Al-Zawqari, Abdulhadi  Al-Qahtani

3^rd -- Sawsan Sayed Omar, Tasneem Hussain

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani yesterday graced Qatar University’s (QU) graduation ceremony of 1708 female students of Class of 2016. Of the total were 204 top achieving students of GPA 3.50 and above, with highest scorers Arabic language student Ayesha Siddika Nurul-Hoque (College of Arts & Sciences), economics student Yousra Rahmaha Hussein Emam (College of Business & Economics), and Dawa student Rokaia Alameldin Chalabi (College of Sharia & Islamic Studies) achieving GPA 4.0.

The ceremony also saw the graduation of the first cohorts of several academic programs -- 16 BA Policy, Planning and Development, 19 BA Psychology and 19 BSc Public Health (College of Arts & Sciences); 10 BBA Economics and 2 BBA Management Information Systems (College of Business & Economics); and 42 B.Ed Secondary Education (College of Education). QU President Dr Hassan Rashid Al-Derham along with members of QU leadership, deans, local dignitaries, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and well-wishers, congratulated the students on their hard work and persistence towards achieving this important goal.

“We are very proud of you, distinguished students, and you have made yourselves very proud in staying the course and emerging confident and ready to achieve even more success”, Dr Al-Derham said, further expressing his pride in Qatar University on its long journey of success since its establishment 40 years ago. He highlighted the importance of the event which he said is testament to the active role of women in Qatari society. “The university is committed to empowering young women with the necessary knowledge and skills enabling them to take their place in the national development process.”

Dr Al-Derham went on to discuss the organization’s achievements during the year which included establishing the Health Education Cluster that merges the college of health sciences, medicine and pharmacy; accreditation achievement for the colleges of education and law; growing positions in international ranking; continued success in the area of research, and more. “Today, QU is one of the top universities in the region, possessing a vibrant teaching/learning environment, a well-developed academic and research portfolio, and enhanced undergraduate and graduate programs. We have also had a steady increase in students over the years, being the first choice for Qatari students, parents and employers.

Dear students, as you prepare to enter a new and exciting phase in your lives, we are pleased to have been part of your academic journey and to have given you the tools to meet future experiences whether it is competitiveness in the labor market at home and beyond, further studies, or entrepreneurial endeavors. I encourage you to continue to seek new horizons, develop your talents, and strive for excellence in your undertakings. You are our distinguished ambassadors and the next generation of leaders and we look forward to hearing of your continued success. Again, congratulations and all the very best.”

Valedictorian Maryam Khalid Al-Zahra of College of Law gave warm congratulations to her colleagues saying: “Today we are starting a new phase in our lives. On your behalf, I extend sincerest thanks to Qatar University and our parents for their invaluable support and for guiding us in our endeavors.”

Qatar University (QU) yesterday announced the winners of the Student Life Awards 2015/2016 under the categories Student Leadership Award, Student Clubs and Organizations Award, Volunteering Award, Student Athletic Award, and Student Employment Award. Leadership Awards were presented to law student Ahmad NoohAl-Thani and arts and sciences student Ebrahim Ali Al-Kuwari and arts and sciences student Shouq Abdullah Shaheen.

Arts and sciences students Mohamad Hakim Shalal, Omer Ahmad Al Jumaily, and HamdaAbdulamirAl-Khamis picked up awards for Student Clubs and Organizations.Engineering and arts and sciences students Sara Tariq Abdurhman and Sara Wali Mohammed received the Volunteering Award while the Student Athletic Award was presented to engineering student Khaled Ibrahim Shamiyeh and arts and sciences student Dana YahyaAl-Madhoun. 

Student Employment Awards were presented to business and economics student Khalid Mohamed Alshibli and Sarah Ahmad Salmeh. QU Associate VP for Student Affairs AbdullaAl-Yafei congratulated the winners who he said exhibited the level of quality of QU students. “I applaud their commitment to excellence and their considerable talents that have led to these awards. They are role models who should be very proud of their success”. 

A training workshop on road safety audits recently hosted by the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) aimed to provide information on the necessary approaches and tools to develop and evaluate traffic safety audits. 

QTTSC assistant professor Dr WaelAlhajyaseen, CENG faculty and staff along with 22 experts from local institutions such as Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment attended the workshop which was delivered by International Road Federation (IRF) executive vice-president Mr Michael G Dreznes. Mr Dreznes highlighted the significant role of road safety audits in helping authorities reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities. He noted that roadway design standards cannot ensure road safety in all conditions. He also provided an overview on road safety audits and their application to roads and highways in Qatar.

Commenting on the workshop, CENG dean Dr KhalifaAl-Khalifa said: “Road safety is a critical issue in Qatar and as there continues to be an increase in vehicles on the roads as well as the number of young drivers, it is important for QTTSC to be a strategic partner with local authorities in mitigating the risks and challenges. The workshop is one in a number of forums that will address sustainable road safety solutions and is in line with efforts by the Center and the College of Engineering to raise public awareness and responsibility.”

Qatar University (QU) Health Cluster recently held its 1^st Annual Retreat that brought together students, faculty and experts to discuss their research on a wide range of health and medicine topics. 

These included poster sessions and oral presentations on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and immunology, cancer research and metabolism and genetics by students, faculty and experts from the Cluster, as well as QU Biomedical Research Center (BRC), Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCMC-Q), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Sidra Medical and Research Center. Titles included “Microparticles as bio-markers and vectors of cardiovascular disease”, “A platform for large-scale serological profiling of the Qatari population to link individual genome and immune phenotype variation in health and disease”, “Maternal Microbiota Regulate Glucocorticoids Levels and Placental Development in Mice”, “Onco-viruses& breast carcinogenesis”, “Translational Cancer Immunology Research Program at NCCCR-iTRI”, “Cancer Testis Antigen expression in Triple Negative Breast Cancer: candidate targets for cancer immunotherapy?”, “Modulation of T cell receptor mediated T cell activation by TGF-beta 1”, and more.

A keynote presentation “Progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes” was delivered by WCMC-Q professor of medicine and chair of HMC Department of Internal Medicine Prof Abdul-BadiAbou-Samra.

The Retreat also included a series of awards to encourage and recognize strong research. The winners of the awards were as follows: for the Best Undergraduate Students Posters: First Award went to students Afifah Sarah, Redwana Bari. First Honorable Mention Award was a tie between students DuaaAl-Sadeq& MarymanAl-Mohannadi and NuhaSwaidan& SumarShurbaji. Second Honorable Mention Award went to students Rehab Taradah, Eman Faisal & Sara Alhajri. For Best Graduate Students Posters, First Award went to student Fadella Dad Bakash, while First Honorable Mention was earned by EmanAlzawani and Second Honorable Mention by AtayaSeif.

Staff Poster awards went to Dr MeritxellEspina as the first award winner, Dr Nadia Albanna for second award, Dr PittariGianfranco as First Honorable Mention, and Dr Ahmed Malki for Second Honorable Mention. Staff Oral Presentation awards went to Dr Nico Marr as winner of the first award, Dr MahaAl-Asmakh for the second award, Dr Fatima Mraiche as First Honorable Mention, and Dr HadiYassine as Second Honorable Mention.

Reflecting on the event, QU VP for Medical Education and CMED dean Dr EgonToft said: “Boosting interprofessional education and interdisciplinary research are two of the main objectives of establishing a health cluster at Qatar University. The QU Health Retreat is one of the manifestations of these objectives. I hope it will grow into a high profile annual tradition, and I am very happy to see a good level of diversity and quality in the oral and poster presentation with strong involvement from the healthcare sector as well as from all the colleges of the QU Health Cluster.”

BRC director and College of Health Sciences (CHS) dean Dr AsmaaAl-Thani said: “I am delighted to see senior students and faculty members from the College of Health Sciences, as well as researchers from the Biomedical Research Center, present their work in a broad range of research topics related to Qatar’s health and medicine challenges. Such platforms for presenting research among health researchers not only pave the way for increased cross disciplinary collaboration, but also foster a dynamic research culture among faculty, and motivate students to continue to hone their research skills.”

College of Pharmacy (CPH) dean Dr Mohammad Diab said: “Events such as this allow QU and other institutions in Qatar to showcase the best we have to offer in terms of innovative and impactful research. CPH is proud of the involvement of our world-class researchers for taking time out of their busy teaching schedule to present their work. With our demonstrated history of successful research at the College, CPH is further looking forward to more opportunities to present, discuss and collaborate in future QU health endeavors.” 

Over 20 graduates from the Biomedical Sciences Program at Qatar University College of Health Sciences (QU-CHS) passed the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) exam during the past years, of which over 5 graduates in May 2016.

The Biomedical Sciences at the College of Health Sciences is the first accredited academic program outside the US by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) since 2008. This accreditation reflects the exceptional and standardized quality of education at the theoretical and practical levels. NAACLS certification testifies the excellence and brilliance in biomedical sciences, laboratory technology, patients’ safety and various scopes of healthcare applications.

“The College of Health Sciences aims to graduate a specialized generation in various healthcare tracks who meets the national and international standardizations to fulfil the ever increasing demands of scientists and scholars, and accomplish extraordinary achievements among the fields of clinical science and research. Our educational strategy perceives benchmarked and superior academic baseline to shape the desired competencies and meet the requirements of Qatar’s healthcare sector”, said CHS dean and director of QU Biomedical Research Center Prof Asmaa Althani.

This remarkable achievement was acknowledged by Dr Ahmad Malki, CHS associate professor and associate dean for Academic Affairs. Dr Malki explained that this significant success is considered an improvement milestone at the CHS and QU academic level. The aforementioned success refers to the dedicated efforts towards establishing a state-of-the art academic scheme through well-structured study plans that comply with the accreditation requirements. He also added: “We invest in scholars and scientists to expand the available capabilities and grant extra attention to detail amongst our curricula, syllabi and the courses offered at the CHS, the forthcoming academic implementations will further heighten in terms of the quality of our graduates.”

Dr Marwan Abu Madi, associate professor and Biomedical Sciences Department head, recognized the graduates who passed the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) exam and encouraged their fellows to take similar steps towards a future of excellence in the field of laboratory science. He added: “We value our graduates and faculty who dedicated their efforts towards this brilliant achievement which reflects the quality of education and clinical practice maneuvers at the CHS level along with our business partners, in particular, Hamad Medical Corporation. We are keen to increase the number of ASCP holders to supply competent laboratory technologists to Qatar’s healthcare sector.”