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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Wastewater research dominates at Omani Young Water Researchers Award 2019

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MEDRC Water Research has announced the winners of the ‘Omani Young Water Researchers Award 2019’ at an official ceremony held at their headquarters in Al Hail, Muscat, yesterday.


Established by MEDRC and sponsored by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Oman, the Omar Zawawi Establishment LLC and Haya Water, the award aims to celebrate the world class water research being undertaken by young Omani students at undergraduate and postgraduate level at universities both in Oman and abroad.


Held under the auspices of the Public Authority for Water (Diam) of Oman, the MEDRC initiative seeks to encourage and promote water research that can contribute positively to Oman’s water sector in four key areas; water management, water treatment technologies, desalination and related environmental research.


MEDRC Centre Director, Ciarán Ó Cuinn said: “MEDRC continue to be amazed by the standard of submissions received each year for this award.


Since 2017 and through the continued support of our partners, this initiative celebrates young Omani researchers who are working to achieve the scientific breakthroughs and advancements needed to respond to the global challenge of fresh water scarcity’’.


Faisal al Marzouqi, a PhD student at Sultan Qaboos University claimed the top prize in the postgraduate category for his work treating pharmaceutical wastewater contaminated by bisphenol (BPA). Winner of the undergraduate category, Mouza al Ruqaishy, also of Sultan Qaboos University, was awarded for her research on wastewater produced from textile manufacturing. Wafa al Maamari from the National University of Science and Technology won the special prize for wastewater research (sponsored by Haya Water) for her study which investigated the potential of recovering materials from end of life tires and reusing them to treat wastewater mainly from heavy metals.


Speaking at the award ceremony, Laetitia van Asch, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands to Oman, said: “With the annual Young Omani Water Researchers Award, a new generation of solutions is emerging. We all know that in the future water, and clean water, will be more precious than ever. So, we must encourage and support students and researchers to find creative and innovative solutions for these challenges which we all face’’.


Also present at the ceremony were: Hussain AbdulHussain, CEO — Haya Water, Sulaiman al Qasmi, General Manager of Asset Division at Haya Water, Salem Nasser al Bortmany, Executive Director of Areej Vegetable Oils and Derivatives SAOC (OMZEST group), Mohamed al Shidhani, Director of Planning and Studies Directorate, Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science — Diwan of Royal Court, and Dr Suleiman al Toobi from EJAAD.


Also supporting the sponsorship of the award were: the Public Authority of Water (Diam), The Research Council (TRC), the Oman Water Society and the Oman Establishment for Press Publication and Advertising (OEPPA).


Full list of winners: Postgraduate Category — 1st Place: Faisal al Marzouqi (SQU), 2nd Place: Saleh al Saidi (SQU), 3rd Place: Ahmed l Mazrouai (SQU); Undergraduate Category: 1st Place Mouza al Ruqaishy (SQU), 2nd Place: Husna al Salmi (The University of Adelaide) and 3rd Place: Abdulaziz al Hajri (International Maritime College, Oman); Wastewater Research Prize Sponsored by Haya Water: 1st Place: Wafa al Maamari (National University of Science and Technology), 2nd Place: Raiya al Hashmi (National University of Science and Technology) and 3rd Place: Younis al Aamri (SQU).


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