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SQU has made remarkable strides in terms of its global rating based on excellence in research and student choices. The QS World University Rankings has placed SQU as the 377th best university in the world with a overall score of 30.74 for the year 2011. According to Webomatrics Ranking Web of World
Universities, SQU’s position is 1424 in the year 2011. In the Arab World,
SQU’s position is 13.
University rankings have become increasingly popular in recent years. Not only have the general public and the media enthusiastically embraced them, these rankings have become popular among the universities themselves, at least as long as they think their ranking position is worth publishing. Within only a few years, rankings have become an unavoidable part of academic life. They promise a number of things to different groups. They promise transparency within the university sector. Students and their parents as well as faculty and researchers are all looking for guidance in evaluating the quality of different universities.
Rankings thereby create a public platform for a healthy competition among universities. The universities themselves have welcomed rankings as a marketing tool to communicate their performance and build their international reputation. These rankings have been remarkably influential despite the fact that things are not so simple and that there is still contention over the methodologies used in the various ranking lists. Nowadays, the rankings field has become very large and diverse, more recently also global in its ambitions.
Moving with the times is vital for any leading university like SQU.
SQU has a proper strategy now on how to improve its ranking. Of course, it is about finding out what is needed for each of the ranking system. For example, the Shanghai Jiao Tong world rankings are solely based on research and publishing in international and renowned journals in the world. The university administration is keen on finding a strategy on how to encourage its staff to present papers in such forums. SQU is now in the process of updating its website. Whether it is done internally or with support from outside, we are keen to become more visible at a global level.
20 November 2011 P2
Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of articles, news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions may be edited for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions to horizon@squ.edu.om preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited.
Horizon is published three times a month by the Department of Public Relations and Information,
Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50, P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Phone: +968 24141045
E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om

The Silver Jubilee Celebrations of SQU was launched on November 16 at a grand ceremony held in the Grand Hall of the university’s Cultural Centre under the patronage of HH Sayyid Taimur bin Assad al Said. Several members of the royal family, ministers, undersecretaries, members of the State and Shura Councils and other senior officials attended the function in addition to the staff and students of Sultan Qaboos University and other higher educational institutions in Oman. ongoing efforts to secure research funding from local, regional and international sources. Research enhances our contribution to human knowledge and to finding solutions for strategic issues. Over 1100 research projects have been funded by His Majesty grants, external and internal grants, joint grants, Research Council grants, and consultation services”.
In his opening speech, HE Dr. Ali bin Saud al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of
SQU said that the silver jubilee of the university reflects a history of hard work, diligence and dedication to the cause of knowledge, teaching and scholarship; a history of accomplishments inspired by the insightful directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said who laid out the foundations of our university. “It is also a great honour that this event coincides with our country’s celebration of its 41st National Day”, he observed.
“The University is also the location for several centres and three research chairs. It pays close attention to scientific publishing as is evident in the publication of several refereed journals, the holding of conferences and workshops, and participation in international scientific forums. The University Hospital, for its part, provides quality medical services in addition to its role as a teaching and research hospital. Nowadays, and after receiving the approval of His Majesty, the hospital is in the process of establishing the National Centre for Cell Transplantation and Treatment of Blood
Diseases”.
The Vice Chancellor added that the inception of SQU the result of a promise made by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the anniversary of the 10th
National Day in 1980. In 1986, the University accepted its first students for registration in five colleges. Between 1986 and 2011, the university continued to open new colleges and now the number of colleges has reached 9 together with 15 research and service centres, four deanships, and seven libraries including the Main Library.
Dr. Ali al Bimani further said that His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the founder of the modern Omani educational renaissance and pioneer of Omani revivalism, has always been keen to provide this university with unlimited support so that it could carry out its pioneering social role and establish active contact with the wider world. This was memorable in His insightful directives to our faculty and students when he visited the University on two important occasions: the first on the 2nd of May 2000 and the second on the
18th of December 2010.
“Fulfilment of our founding objectives is reflected in the notable position the University has reached in terms of development and accomplishments across many fields. We are keen to maintain this position and even build on it to meet future changing needs. Therefore, the University is making significant strides in developing its academic programs and increasing its student enrolments. For example, the number of our graduates has now reached 32526 graduates in the various Bachelor, Master’s and PhD degree programs. Moreover, the university has offers 68 BA programs, 58 MA programs, and 28 PhD degree programs. By the time the University celebrates its Golden Jubilee, it will have produced approximately 100,000 graduates”, the Vice Chancellor revealed.
Dr. Ali al Bimani reiterated that in terms of research, the University has made good progress, which reflects its awareness of the importance of this activity. “Efforts have been made to enhance the performance of our researchers and to create genuine research partnerships with government and private institutions inside and outside the Sultanate. This is in addition to
The Vice Chancellor also said that through its joint endeavours with diverse scientific, research, and health institutions, the University has pursued the principle of international cooperation. Following its stated vision, the University seeks to implement its long-term strategic plan for the period
(2012-2025) in order to achieve its mission, which is based on careful and systematic planning”, he said. Dr. Ali al Bimani observed that SQU is playing a significant role at the local and international levels, and that “it is our responsibility to maintain and build on our present achievements. During our celebrations, which have begun today and will continue for over a year, the University will host a number of distinguished intellectuals, scholars, and writers from inside and outside the Sultanate. This will help us to enter the next phase of our development on a more mature and solid basis.
Moreover, the events to be held during our celebrations will give our different programs an opportunity to show their special qualities”.
During the function, SQU Silver Jubilee (1986-2011) commemorative stamp and coin were released. Two SQU former students, Dr. Ahmed al Darmaki and Dikrayat al Ajmi recited poems on their alma mater. Two video documentaries on SQU was screened during the function.
The Chief guest honoured the former presidents, Vice Chancellors and Secretaries Generals of SQU since its inception. The former presidents who were honoured included HE (late) Amer al Marhubi (1986-1987), HE Dr.
Yahya Mahfoudh Al Mandhari (1977-1997), HE Mohammed bin Al Zubair
(1997-2001), and Hon. Dr. Saud al Riyami (2001-2008). Former Secretaries
General who were honoured included HE Salim bin Nasser al Maskri (Secretary General of the University Council, 1989-1998), HE Dr. Hamad bin
Hamed Al Ghafri (1986-1996), HE Hamed bin Sulaiman al Gharibi (1996-
1997), HE Salim Ismal Al Suwaid (1997-2000). Dr. Sadiq bin Al Had Jaffer and Dr. Hamdan al Akhzami who served major positions in SQU Project was also honoured at the function. An exhibition of photographs depicting major landmarks in the history of SQU was also held on the sidelines of the
Silver Jubilee launching ceremony.
20 November 2011 P3

Marine Scientists at SQU, who have been focusing on the oceanographic database for the Sea of Oman for the past three years, revealed that their pilot assessments of the inter-annual changes have implied a rising temperature in the upper 20 meter layer of the sea, which could result in strengthening thermal stratification of the water column, which is a warning sign.
Dr. Sergey Piontkovski, Associate Professor in the Department of Marine
Sciences and Fisheries of the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences at
SQU, who is leading this research project, said that their findings are based on onboard measurements carried out during the past 60 years, and the satellite data available from the 1980s to the present. vessels capable of carrying out regular oceanographic surveys.
The third warning sign is the sea level rise. Through the models, the experts from the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change have projected the rise from 10 to 90 cm, by 2100. The 90 cm level would mean tragic consequences for the economy of the Gulf countries because a lot of constructions, businesses and people would be altered.
“Pronounced thermal stratification would suppress the penetration of nutrients from the deep. This means less biological productivity in the upper layers and less food for fish. No wonder that recent statistical reports published by the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries of Oman implied a 40% drop of sardine landing (from 2000 to 2009) in the Muscat region, in which sardines constitute about 50% of total annual landing. It should be noticed that the number of fishing boats did not increase; for instance, the reported number was 1858 boats in 2004 versus 1624 boats in 2008 for the region”,
Dr. Piontkovski said.
Dr. Piontkovski made it clear that the oceanographic data currently available for the Sea of Oman do not represent the issue of the marine ecosystem and climate change, in a proper way. “In order to do that, we need the time series with observations dated back, by hundreds and thousands of years.
In this sense, we have bits and pieces of information so far, retrieved by the scientists in the field of paleoclimate, through the analysis of sediment cores. Some of the samples were taken in the western Arabian Sea, right across the Sea of Oman- at the Murray Ridge. The analysis of these cores enabled the scientists to evaluate the long-term fluctuations of productivity on the scale of the past 100 000 years, with highest productivity in interglacial periods. So the question is, which productivity wave are we surfing, in the long run- the rising or the declining?”, he added.
The researcher further explained that the increased sea surface temperature automatically means reduced oxygen solubility, and this brought to them the second warning sign- the rising number of fish kill incidents in the Sea of Oman, reported by the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries for the past 40 years. “One of the reasons is the oxygen depletion in the water.
In the Sea of Oman, the upper boundary of the oxygen minimum zone is recorded at the depth of about 50m. Overall, a simplistic picture of the hydrological structure of the sea would be a two-layered system; the upper layer is formed by the Indian Ocean waters. This layer is underlined by high-saline, oxygen-poor waters formed in the Arabian Gulf. Due to the ocean-atmosphere interactions mediating physical dynamics of the upper layer, the oxygen depletion could resurface from time to time and could cause massive fish kill incidents along the coast, even within an hour. This is what had happened a number of times; hundreds of tons of fish were reported dead in the Omani coastal aqua farms. For instance, in November
2008, about 80 tons of the aquaculture fish perished in the Qurayat region, in one day”.
1700km Omani coast is surrounded by the waters of different physicalchemical and biological properties, which depend upon the coast considered- the oceanic or the gulf-oriented. This means that the long-term changes of marine ecosystems along these coasts might be different, on the time scale, ranging from decades to thousands of years. As far as the Sea of
Oman is concerned, the hydrological regime of the basin has a complicated structure mediated by high-saline waters of the Arabian Gulf (coming from the west) and less saline waters of the Arabian Sea from the east. Geomorphology of Omani mountains contributes this complexity by imposing a specific mode of winds affecting surface circulation in the sea. The atmosphere-ocean interactions result in gradual differences in the productivity of the Sea of Oman versus the western Arabian Sea.
What would happen to the oxygen minimum zone during the next decades? Would it expand and start moving towards the surface or, would it just move up and down (fluctuate) in a water column over the years? Dr.
Piontkovski said that in order to answer these questions, we need to study the processes driving the extension and location of the oxygen minimum zone along the coast. In order to do that, regular field surveys are required.
The later ones are not feasible at the moment, due to the absence of research
Oceanographic research of the Sea of Oman may be dated back to 1950s, when the first reports on hydrological surveys were compiled. Dr. Piontkovski said that currently, the scientists studying long-term changes of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the Gulf aim to assemble the database incorporating all historical data. “This would enable us to assess the changes that have happened in the past six decades and to project the ecological future of the Gulf. Unfortunately, the future is not looking good. According to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, by the end of the current century, the Gulf countries will face an increase in temperature (up to 2 o
C), drop of water run-off by 30%, decline in precipitation, and increase in severity of extreme weather events” he revealed.
20 November 2011 P4
A study conducted by researchers in the College of Medicine
& Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University proves that there is disturbingly high proportion of patients with low Vitamin D stores among pregnant Omanis. Deficiency of vitamin D is common worldwide including the Gulf States. Deficiency of this vitamin is surprising as sunlight is abundant in the Middle East. More than 90% of our vitamin D is provided by sunlight and it is therefore obvious that those persons affected in the Arabian countries have little sunlight exposure and a diet deficient in vitamin D.
two patients had values between 50 and 75 nmol/L.
This is the first study to report vitamin D status in normal pregnant Omanis. The results are alarming: 34% of these apparently healthy women were vitamin D deficient and a further 64% ‘at risk’ at a time when there is a critical need for calcium metabolism to be normal. The researchers advise that a pregnant woman must be provided 25 to 30 gm of calcium per day to support the developing fetal skeleton. Much of this demand occurs in the third trimester when the foetal skeleton undergoes mineralisation. The researchers observed that those patients with low stores will be at considerable risk for the development of vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis in old age.
The role of vitamin D in normal physiology is complex and wide ranging. It has important immune modulating effects protecting against infection autoimmune disorders and certain cancers, in addition to its well documented effects on the prevention of osteoporosis, fractures, falls in the elderly and impaired cognitive function.
As the research team at SQU continually sees patients with vitamin D deficiency in their clinics, it became important to establish whether or not vitamin stores are normal in a healthy Omani population. For this reason, the team chose patients in their first and second trimester of pregnancy as pregnancy and lactation are associated with profound alterations in calcium absorption and skeletal remodelling necessitating increased utilisation of vitamin D.
To compound this problem, many Omani women have 6 or more children and breast feed for up to 2 years. Adequate stores of Vitamin D are vital during this period, otherwise skeleton remineralisation will be seriously impaired. In addition to its musculo-skeletal actions, vitamin D deficiency is reportedly associated with the development of certain cancers, the metabolic syndromes and infections, as well as type
1 and type 2 diabetes, disorders which are common in Oman.
The researchers feel that it is sensible to advocate vitamin
D supplementation for all pregnant women in the country
Further studies are required to confirm these findings. Until then, the team recommends supplementation with at least
1000 IU of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) a day for all pregnant and lactating mothers.
Blood samples were obtained from a cohort of 103 consecutive healthy Omani patients at their first antenatal visit, usually in the first, but sometimes the second trimester. They were then assayed for serum calcium, phosphate, and serum alkaline phosphatise on the same day. The results show that serum 25(OH)D3 levels were deficient (<25 nmol/L) in 34 patients, between 25 and 50 nmol/L in 67 patients (at risk) and
The research team consisted of scholars from the departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Medicine of the College of
Medicine & Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University, and from the Industrial Innovation Centre, Oman.
20 November 2011 P5

Marine Scientists at SQU, who have been focusing on the oceanographic database for the Sea of Oman for the past three years, revealed that their pilot assessments of the inter-annual changes have implied a rising temperature in the upper 20 meter layer of the sea, which could result in strengthening thermal stratification of the water column, which is a warning sign.
Dr. Sergey Piontkovski, Associate Professor in the Department of Marine
Sciences and Fisheries of the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences at
SQU, who is leading this research project, said that their findings are based on onboard measurements carried out during the past 60 years, and the satellite data available from the 1980s to the present. vessels capable of carrying out regular oceanographic surveys.
The third warning sign is the sea level rise. Through the models, the experts from the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change have projected the rise from 10 to 90 cm, by 2100. The 90 cm level would mean tragic consequences for the economy of the Gulf countries because a lot of constructions, businesses and people would be altered.
“Pronounced thermal stratification would suppress the penetration of nutrients from the deep. This means less biological productivity in the upper layers and less food for fish. No wonder that recent statistical reports published by the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries of Oman implied a 40% drop of sardine landing (from 2000 to 2009) in the Muscat region, in which sardines constitute about 50% of total annual landing. It should be noticed that the number of fishing boats did not increase; for instance, the reported number was 1858 boats in 2004 versus 1624 boats in 2008 for the region”,
Dr. Piontkovski said.
Dr. Piontkovski made it clear that the oceanographic data currently available for the Sea of Oman do not represent the issue of the marine ecosystem and climate change, in a proper way. “In order to do that, we need the time series with observations dated back, by hundreds and thousands of years.
In this sense, we have bits and pieces of information so far, retrieved by the scientists in the field of paleoclimate, through the analysis of sediment cores. Some of the samples were taken in the western Arabian Sea, right across the Sea of Oman- at the Murray Ridge. The analysis of these cores enabled the scientists to evaluate the long-term fluctuations of productivity on the scale of the past 100 000 years, with highest productivity in interglacial periods. So the question is, which productivity wave are we surfing, in the long run- the rising or the declining?”, he added.
The researcher further explained that the increased sea surface temperature automatically means reduced oxygen solubility, and this brought to them the second warning sign- the rising number of fish kill incidents in the Sea of Oman, reported by the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries for the past 40 years. “One of the reasons is the oxygen depletion in the water.
In the Sea of Oman, the upper boundary of the oxygen minimum zone is recorded at the depth of about 50m. Overall, a simplistic picture of the hydrological structure of the sea would be a two-layered system; the upper layer is formed by the Indian Ocean waters. This layer is underlined by high-saline, oxygen-poor waters formed in the Arabian Gulf. Due to the ocean-atmosphere interactions mediating physical dynamics of the upper layer, the oxygen depletion could resurface from time to time and could cause massive fish kill incidents along the coast, even within an hour. This is what had happened a number of times; hundreds of tons of fish were reported dead in the Omani coastal aqua farms. For instance, in November
2008, about 80 tons of the aquaculture fish perished in the Qurayat region, in one day”.
1700km Omani coast is surrounded by the waters of different physicalchemical and biological properties, which depend upon the coast considered- the oceanic or the gulf-oriented. This means that the long-term changes of marine ecosystems along these coasts might be different, on the time scale, ranging from decades to thousands of years. As far as the Sea of
Oman is concerned, the hydrological regime of the basin has a complicated structure mediated by high-saline waters of the Arabian Gulf (coming from the west) and less saline waters of the Arabian Sea from the east. Geomorphology of Omani mountains contributes this complexity by imposing a specific mode of winds affecting surface circulation in the sea. The atmosphere-ocean interactions result in gradual differences in the productivity of the Sea of Oman versus the western Arabian Sea.
What would happen to the oxygen minimum zone during the next decades? Would it expand and start moving towards the surface or, would it just move up and down (fluctuate) in a water column over the years? Dr.
Piontkovski said that in order to answer these questions, we need to study the processes driving the extension and location of the oxygen minimum zone along the coast. In order to do that, regular field surveys are required.
The later ones are not feasible at the moment, due to the absence of research
Oceanographic research of the Sea of Oman may be dated back to 1950s, when the first reports on hydrological surveys were compiled. Dr. Piontkovski said that currently, the scientists studying long-term changes of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the Gulf aim to assemble the database incorporating all historical data. “This would enable us to assess the changes that have happened in the past six decades and to project the ecological future of the Gulf. Unfortunately, the future is not looking good. According to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, by the end of the current century, the Gulf countries will face an increase in temperature (up to 2 o
C), drop of water run-off by 30%, decline in precipitation, and increase in severity of extreme weather events” he revealed.
20 November 2011 P4
A study conducted by researchers in the College of Medicine
& Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University proves that there is disturbingly high proportion of patients with low Vitamin D stores among pregnant Omanis. Deficiency of vitamin D is common worldwide including the Gulf States. Deficiency of this vitamin is surprising as sunlight is abundant in the Middle East. More than 90% of our vitamin D is provided by sunlight and it is therefore obvious that those persons affected in the Arabian countries have little sunlight exposure and a diet deficient in vitamin D.
two patients had values between 50 and 75 nmol/L.
This is the first study to report vitamin D status in normal pregnant Omanis. The results are alarming: 34% of these apparently healthy women were vitamin D deficient and a further 64% ‘at risk’ at a time when there is a critical need for calcium metabolism to be normal. The researchers advise that a pregnant woman must be provided 25 to 30 gm of calcium per day to support the developing fetal skeleton. Much of this demand occurs in the third trimester when the foetal skeleton undergoes mineralisation. The researchers observed that those patients with low stores will be at considerable risk for the development of vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis in old age.
The role of vitamin D in normal physiology is complex and wide ranging. It has important immune modulating effects protecting against infection autoimmune disorders and certain cancers, in addition to its well documented effects on the prevention of osteoporosis, fractures, falls in the elderly and impaired cognitive function.
As the research team at SQU continually sees patients with vitamin D deficiency in their clinics, it became important to establish whether or not vitamin stores are normal in a healthy Omani population. For this reason, the team chose patients in their first and second trimester of pregnancy as pregnancy and lactation are associated with profound alterations in calcium absorption and skeletal remodelling necessitating increased utilisation of vitamin D.
To compound this problem, many Omani women have 6 or more children and breast feed for up to 2 years. Adequate stores of Vitamin D are vital during this period, otherwise skeleton remineralisation will be seriously impaired. In addition to its musculo-skeletal actions, vitamin D deficiency is reportedly associated with the development of certain cancers, the metabolic syndromes and infections, as well as type
1 and type 2 diabetes, disorders which are common in Oman.
The researchers feel that it is sensible to advocate vitamin
D supplementation for all pregnant women in the country
Further studies are required to confirm these findings. Until then, the team recommends supplementation with at least
1000 IU of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) a day for all pregnant and lactating mothers.
Blood samples were obtained from a cohort of 103 consecutive healthy Omani patients at their first antenatal visit, usually in the first, but sometimes the second trimester. They were then assayed for serum calcium, phosphate, and serum alkaline phosphatise on the same day. The results show that serum 25(OH)D3 levels were deficient (<25 nmol/L) in 34 patients, between 25 and 50 nmol/L in 67 patients (at risk) and
The research team consisted of scholars from the departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Medicine of the College of
Medicine & Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University, and from the Industrial Innovation Centre, Oman.
20 November 2011 P5

The opening ceremony of the International Conference on “Oman as a Gravitational Centre in the Global Flyway Network of Migratory Shorebirds” organized by the Centre for Environmental Studies
& Research (CESAR) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) was held under the patronage of Hon. Dr. Khalifa Al Jabri, Member of the
State Council. The three day conference was organized in association with Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Ministry of Environmental & Climate Affairs, Shell Development Oman, and
Centre for Field Research on Environment, Diwan of Royal Court,
Oman.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Mushtaque Ahmed, Director of CESAR said that an important aim of this conference was to raise awareness about wetlands and to stress their international importance for the world’s biodiversity. “More specifically, this conference has focus on the West Asian - East African flyway, in which Barr al Hikman, a large pristine coastal wetland in the Sultanate of Oman, is a key wintering and stopover site”, he said.
In the opening ceremony, Dr. Jens Eriksen, wildlife photographer with
Al Roya Press, Muscat gave the keynote speech about bird migration in Oman. He said that, located at the crossroads of three continents, the Sultanate of Oman is immensely important for millions of birds during their annual migration. “In addition, Eastern Arabia forms a land bridge between the great land masses of Africa and Asia and to avoid crossing over long distances of open sea, birds make use of this land bridge. Of the 500 or so species of birds found in Oman, more than 400 are migratory spending only part of the year here. Most of them breed in northern and central Asia and when winter sets in at these latitudes the birds head south and southwest” he added.
According to Dr. Eriksen, many migratory shorebirds spend the winter in Oman while others continue their long journey towards central and southern Africa. In spring the journey is reversed when the birds head for breeding grounds further north. Some birds, however, are far more common during only one of the two annual migrations, either during spring or autumn. Surprisingly, some birds wintering in
Africa come to breed in Oman during the hottest months of the year.
Dr. Eriksen discussed through pictures, maps and diagrams the diversity of bird migration in Oman. He observed that some species have declined dramatically during the last few decades and are now seen only sparingly in Oman. “To preserve the biodiversity it is important to protect not only the breeding sites, but also the wintering areas and stop-over sites during migration. Though much has been learned from intensive observations we still have little knowledge about local movements of birds during their time in Oman and the actual migration routes. Thus, much research is still needed and modern techniques of fitting satellite transmitters to migratory birds open up new possibilities.
On the first day several presentations were held by experts from
Oman and abroad on two areas namely “Connectivity of Bird Populations” and “Shorebird Populations: Middle East as stop-over & wintering grounds”. On the second day, papers were presented in three sessions namely “Both ends of the flyway”, “Ecological research & conservation”, and “Ecological Research in marine habitats”. On the third day, the participants explored Al Ansab wetland and Al Jabal
Al Akhdar region.
20 November 2011 P6
The College of Nursing, through it four departments, celebrated the Omani
Women’s day recently with activities focusing on Women’s Right to Health under the sub-theme “Healthy Bones – Preventing Osteoporosis - a Silent
Emerging Disease among Omani Women”. Mrs. Almukarma Shakour Bint
Mohammed Al-Ghmaria Chairperson of the Omani Women’s Association-
Muscat, was the chief guest on the occasion. She emphasized the importance or regular checks and bone health in women’s well being.
The activities organized for this day targeted adult Omani women working at Sultan Qaboos University and surrounding communities. The activities included Arabic health education presentation on osteoporosis, display of foods required to prevent the disease, display of education posters and Bone Mass
Density Screening at SQUH department of radiology for participants. A total of 36 Omani women from SQU, Al Khodh village and surrounding communities attended the event. Eight women including the chief guest underwent the densitometry procedure at SQUH. The participants expressed their gratitude for the dean and administration of College of Nursing, Department of Radiology at SQUH and the sponsors BankMuscat, Safeer Hypermarket, and Al
Bustan Bakery for enabling them to successfully conduct the event.
The opening ceremony of the Second Omani Female Photographer’s Exhibition
2011, organized by the Omani Society for Fine Arts, was held recently under the patronage of HE Dr. Ali bin Saud al Bimani, the Vice Chancellor of SQU.
In this exhibition, 81 female photographers from the Photography Club in the
Omani Society for Fine Arts displayed their creations. The exhibition included
111 works covering different genres and styles such as abstract, nature, portrait, action, and conceptual art.
A seminar titled “Omani Female Photographers between Reality and Ambition” was held on the sidelines of the exhibition. This seminar addressed the photography movement in Oman and women in photography. The seminar sessions focused on three areas related to women in photography in Oman: technical phography, commercial photography and photojournalism. Popular women photographers Dalia Al Basami, Sahar Al Ghaui, and Shamsa Al-Harthi led different sessions in the seminar. They shared their professional experiences in photography and those of their colleagues, highlighting what they have achieved and what they want to achieve in future. In their presentations, the speakers reviewed the state of Omani women photographers at local, regional and global levels in addition to contemplating on the future of photography in
Oman during the next ten years.

The tie-up between Sultan Qaboos University and the
Germany based BAUER Group has paved way for an undergraduate student in the College of Agricultural &
Marine Sciences (CAMS) at SQU to complete her sumfessional and personal capabilities. “Throughout her internship she showed extraordinary interest in understanding our business services and acquired practical knowledge on how to treat polluted water and soil.
This was in line with her personal study interest. Together with her incredible commitment and BAUER’s support both made it possible to achieve a successful internship. For the
BAUER staff in Germany, it was an interesting and a cultural eye-opener to host a visitor from Oman.
We at BAUER Nimr wish
Ms. Marwa al Siyabi good luck with her final studies and trust that she will have a successful professional career”, Alexandersen said. mer training at the headquarters of BAUER Resources segment in Germany. The BAUER Group , based in
Schrobenhausen, Germany, is an international provider of services, machinery and ancillary products in the earth-working and groundwater fields. The holding company is the parent of over 100 subsidiary businesses in the fields of construction, equipment and resources.
Marwa bint Saif Al Siyabi, an undergraduate student in Soil & Water Management, received on job training in different advanced water and soil treatment techniques at Schrobenhausen during the period from July to September 2011. “I received excellent training in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test for evaluation of the disinfection of steel surface, immobilisation of heavy metals, absorption of heavy metals from contaminated soil, absorption of mercury from contaminated water, and test of Ozone”, Marwa said. “The training helped me to realise how important my major subject is and its applications in resources development in the world. It also helped me to increase my confidence level and self reliance”, she added.
Dennis Kronborg Alexandersen, Business Development Manager of BAUER Nimr, said that giving Marwa al Siyabi the opportunity to bring her internship to a higher level in Germany, was for BAUER Nimr a unique opportunity to contribute with development of pro-
BAUER Nimr, the local subsidiary in Oman is part of the Environment Division of the BAUER Resources business segment. Elaborating their activities in
Oman, Dennis Alexanderson said: “In BAUER Nimr we deliver water supply and waste water treatment services, contaminated site remediation and hazardous waste management. BAUER Nimr is mostly know for the design and current operation of the world’s largest reed bed project treating around 45,000 m3 of oil polluted water per day. Soon we will expand treatment capacity to around 100,000 m3 of produced water per day. In relation to the Nimr project we will in the future also explore the potential to produce drilling salt, bio-energy from the harvested reeds as well as obtain carbon credits using the Clean Development Mechanism”.
Commenting on the partnership with SQU, he said that BAUER Nimr intends to develop a long-term partnership relation with the academia in Oman including Sultan Qaboos University. “As part of our
Corporate Social Responsibility vision and mission we value close interaction with our external stakeholders and are committed to support the Omanisation process. In BAUER Nimr we believe that we can contribute positively to human resource development and knowledge transfer of sound environmental technologies from Germany. To date,
BAUER Nimr has achieved remarkable results in supporting the Omanisation process. Presently,
Omanis make up 45% of the total number of employed staff”, Alexandersen said.
20 November 2011 P7

Prof. Ivan Landa is professor in the Department of Environment at Czech University of Life Sciences in Czech Republic. He visited
SQU recently and delivered a seminar on bioremediation to reduce the effects of environmental pollution. Excerpts from his conversation with Horizon:
Horion: Could you please introduce yourself?
Prof. Landa: After graduation in Prague (Czechoslovakia) at the Charles
University with a focus on hydrogeology and engineering geology and in St.
Petersburg (Russia) at the Mining Academy, focusing on groundwater protection in mining areas, I have been specialized in mathematical modeling and its practical use in protecting of water. The most interesting topics for me are the cases of soil and water clean-up where there is already polluted groundwater and it is necessary to make quick, effective and inexpensive remediation and protective measures.
Horizon: What are your major research interests and achievements?
Prof. Landa: Currently I am supervising PhD students who are working on latest technolgoies in bioremedaiton such as the use of root plants for secondary treatment of wastewater and the use of nano-iron as part of decontamination technologies. Considerable attention is paid to different methods of transformation of waste such as wormicomposting (environmentally friendly method of converting garbage into environmentally friendly fertilizers), removing unwanted substances from water using membrane technologies etc.
Horizon: What is the major purpose of your visit to Oman and SQU?
Prof. Landa: The main reason to visit Oman and the SQU was to communicate with colleagues in SQU who deal with the possibility of using the vermicomposting technologies in Oman. Together with colleagues form the College of Agriculture, we managed to visit many sites in Oman, the most important being Haya Waters, a company which is involved in sludge composting among other tasks. The company is very well equipped and has a significant interest in participation in research and civil engineering works designed at SQU.
Horizon: Your talk in SQU was potential uses of transformation of biological wastes. How important are these technologies to a Middle East country like
Oman?
Prof. Landa: In my opinion, and also the opinion of my colleague Andrea
Hlavova who also presented a seminar at SQU, the issue of transformation of biloglical waste should not be viewed from a European perspective alone, though Europe is having significantly greater proportion of biodegradable waste. In Europe, we utilize technolgies such as vermicomposting as marginal or ancillary technolgies. Haya Waters has shown us that composting is important in the case of sewage sludge, and is an irreplaceable environmentally safe technology. It is energetically demanding but the final product such as compost or vermicompost is interesting to Omani farmers because of natural nutrients therein. Composting of this kind may gradually replace the frequent application in the soil profile missing humus layer. Humus layer has a major impact on the change of soil water regime. Even though companies such as Haya Waters produce and supply to the Omani market a relatively large amount of compost, a very promising direction is to develop small local composting units close to the waste generation sources.
Horizon: What are the major environmental burdens affecting a country like Oman? Bioremediation is a solution. To what extent this could solve the problems?
Prof. Landa: In our contacts with the staff of SQU, we found that at SQU has considerable scientific and engineering potential, which is rightly focused on the development and use of methods for water retention in the landscape and thus to protect and replenish groundwater reserves. Bioremediation methods for polluted surface and groundwater are indispensable, according to experience at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. They can be used both while active in the degradation of conventional oil, and in the operation of wells located near sources of pollution. Mining facilities, oil pipelines, tanks, refineries, industrial buildings, garages and filling stations can be interested in novel remediation techcniques. Therefore, my answer to your question is
–yes- bioremediation is a vital solution in water conservation, both in situ , ie directly in the ground and ex-situ, where the contaminated water in cleaned in specially constructed wetlands (reedbeds).
Horizon: What are the major remedial measures that could be adopted in
Oman in order to control water pollution?
Prof. Landa: I am clearly convinced that knowledge and experience to control water pollution can be acquired to adapt to the conditions of Oman.
However, it should always be related to two local limiting factors: the lack of water, short-term but torrential rainfalls and high salinity of soils. I consider air injection into the subsurface (so-called air venting and sparging) as a very promising method of groundwater and soil clean-up.