28
Research
monDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011
A look at SQU’s current research schemes
S
ultan Qaboos University has
put in a great deal of effort to
the development of postgraduate
programmes in order to guarantee
qualified and competent manpower and
to fulfill the local market needs and
demands. Specialists from various sectors
join both PhD and Masters Programmes,
with commitment to enhance their
educational skills and to contribute to the
development of the country.
All Administrative affairs and
programme development aspects are
run and initiated by the "Deanship of
Postgraduate Studies". We sat with Dean
Ramzi Taha (pictured) to discuss the
current research schemes.
to another; however, there are general
requirements for any applicant. Anyone
who wishes to apply for a Master degree
should have at least a Bachelor's degree
with a grade average that is not less
than 2.75. If a student has a degree from
another university that has a different
grading measurements, then acceptance
would be conditional if the grade ranges
from 2.50-2.47. Applicants for a PhD
degree should have earned a grade
average not less than 3 in their Master
degree. Has an applicant been granted a
Master degree from a university with a
different grading measurement, his/her
acceptance would be conditional if the
grade is higher than 2.75, and if s/he has
a working or academic experience and a
high English language certificate.
and to whom are they granted?
Teaching scholarship and research
scholarship are offered annually for postgraduate students and they both have no
tuition fees. Any applicant with a 3 grade
average or above is entitled to register
not involve or require a high language
and apply. Final acceptance is based on
degree, such as Arabic language and
examination and interview results.
literature studies. If any college wanted
There are three kinds of scholarships as
to reconsider this condition with regard to follows:
a particular PhD or Master programme,
1.Scholarships with no tuition fees
they may co-ordinate with the deanship
Applicants, Omanis and international
to reset the proper requirements.
students, who have fulfilled the
requirements, can freely register once
Scholarships
the annual formal announcement
What kind of scholarships is offered
comes out on local newspapers.
annually at Sultan Qaboos University
2. Teaching scholarship
International students
What are the necessary procedures
needed for an applicant in order for
him/her to join a PhD or a Master
programme?
Procedures are different from college
Are there any additional conditions
for international students who
wish to join a certain postgraduate
programme?
Similar to the policy of several
pioneering universities around the world,
there is an opportunity for international
students to join in postgraduate
programmes. The same requirements and
conditions are applied to applicants.
Many are concerned about their
language competency, their fluency in
English and their ability to get high
grades in IELTS or TOFEL. Are there
any plans to lower the required grade
for applicants?
No, unless the major applied for does
This type accepts PhD and Master
degree holders, and it includes
granting the student financial
allowances and extra privileges in
exchange for at least 12 hours of
weekly teaching time. Besides his/her
studying time, the accepted applicant
would help assist the academic staff in
teaching and planning and preparing
for course booklets.
3. Research scholarship
This type is similar to the teaching
scholarship, except this plan grants
the applicant more focus in research
assisting. Those who are eligible to
have a scholarship, and have a grade
average no less than 3, can apply
through filling the application form
that precedes the evaluation process.
So much progress has been
made in opening more postgraduate
programmes.
How many programmes are there
currently and have any plans to open
more this year?
That is right, SQU is increasingly
opening more and more programmes
for students based on the master plan of
the university and in light of the market
needs in every specialisation. SQU
currently offers 54 Master programmes
and 26 PhD programmes. We are
planning to open 2 more programmes
this year.
Several PhD plans are being assessed,
and some are in the final stage of
evaluation. Our aim is to open more
programmes in the coming future.
In order to broaden the scope of
these programmes, is there any of
the deanship agenda that aims to
form strategic partnership with other
government and private institutions
around the country?
Yes, we are working on a plan that has
been present since the inception of the
deanship. For instance, there is
now a plan to open programmes that are
specifically specialised on strategic
studies and international relations.
Plans ahead
Tell us about the deanship's future
plans.
We are planning for so many things.
For instance, we need to establish a
unified system or a database that can
manage all students' academic affairs
starting from their admission to the
university, up until their graduation. We
also need to provide extended online
information about the programmes that
we offer to encourage people to join.
Moreover, there is a need to enhance our
participation in local and international
events, exhibitions, conferences and
regional research plans, along with
forming more partnerships with local and
international institutions.
We also plan to invite experts and
advisers from outside the country
to come forward and evaluate our
programmes and advice on how we are
going to develop them, especially since
we want to transform many Master
programmes into online platform.
Conservation of historic masonry Toll-like receptors in SLE pathogenesis
S
S
ultan Qaboos University has recently
launched a research
project aimed at strengthening Omani historic masonry
structures by using textile-reinforced mortar (TRM).
The study, conducted by
Dr. Abdullah bin Hilal al Saidi
at the College of Engineering, investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of TRM
in repairing and strengthening unreinforced masonry
buildings. Some of the attractive features of this material
are corrosion resistance, durability and easy application.
An important component is
the local ‘cement’ known as
sarouj, which does not change
the overall shape of structures.
Production of TRM is
based on the use of textile
fabrics which are impregnated with cement paste
or mortar. The experimental part of this research will
consist in the testing of masonry beams to upgrade their
out of plane (flexural) and in
plane (shear) capacity of masonry walls.
In recent years, the importance of structural interventions in the area of architectural heritage (monuments,
historic buildings, etc) for
repair and strengthening has
ystemic lupus erythematosus
(SLE) is an autoimmune disorder
characterised by formation of various auto-antibodies and chronic inflammation which leads to tissue damage
in multiple organs. Production of autoantibodies that target DNA, RNA and
associated nucleoproteins such as antiDNA and anti-Sm antibodies is a cardinal
feature of SLE, a disease that is common
among Omanis and people of some other
countries.
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of receptors of the innate immune system that recognise highly conserved molecules associated with micro-organisms.
Ten TLRs have been identified in hu-
mans, three of which being TLR7, TLR8
and TLR9.
In his study of these three types,
Dr Crystal Koh, at the Department of
Microbiology and Immunology, SQU,
is examining their expression in Omani
SLE patients and healthy controls using
standard immunologic assays to establish
the baseline and their role in disease severity and progression in those patients.
He hopes that better understanding of the
role of TLRs in SLE patients in Oman
could contribute significantly to the development of a more effective therapeutic
strategy specifically targeted for the local
population.
Dr Koh cites previous research on immunological and clinical features of SLE
among Omani population that showed
that the frequency of anti-DNA and antiSm antibodies was significantly higher in
Omani patients compared to that in other
patients in some parts of the world.
A new study on affordable urban housing
A
increased considerably, Dr Al
Saidi says.
Oman is a place that hosts
a great heritage of historical
structures such as forts, castles, towers and aflaj (irrigation channels). Most of these
historical structures were
constructed few centuries
ago and as such were of the
type of unreinforced masonry
structures. With passage of
time and increased seismic
activity in neighbouring re-
gions, it becomes imperative
to find methods that would
help protect these structures
and assess their vulnerability
owing to possible loads and
old construction material, he
concludes.
research project
has been initiated by
an SQU academic
aimed at working out possible
solutions to housing problems
in the Sultanate. The study
suggests that urban housing
affordability in Oman arises
from inefficiencies in urban
housing design and construction.
Dr Shaibu Garba, a lecturer
at the College of Engineering,
pointed out that her research
“seeks to study urban house
forms in Oman with a view to
analysing them from a spatial,
social, construction and environmental perspective and to
suggesting a systematic approach to affordable housing
design and construction.”
Since the beginning of the
blessed Renaissance in 1970,
the Sultanate has witnessed
significant developments at all
levels, which involved significant population growth and
urbanisation. Urbanisation has
led to an increase in demand
for urban housing which is
projected to continue owing to
the high percentage of young
people in the population of the
country. Generally, Dr Garba
said, housing supply has been
able to cope with demand, with
housing supply exceeding demand. But the surplus supply
of housing has recently declined with the prices of housing going up. This has created
a problem of affordability as
Omanis in the lower segment
of the affordability curve find
it difficult to acquire housing,
thereby making housing affordability a social issue.
Chief Executive Officer Abdullah bin Nassir al Rahbi. Editor-in-Chief FAHMY BIN KHALID AL HARTHY
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