International Symposium on Whole Grain Products
News Round Up
A Pioneer in Many Ways
Mind Over Matter
Assistant VC Meets Varsities’ Representatives
News Update
Ocean Modeling System
for Oman Region
Department of Public
Relations and Information
Sultan Qaboos University
Issue 241
View Point
Service Learning
The College of Nursing recently observed the WHO Day by performing
community service activities in Izki Wilayat. The students performed nutritional assessments, vision tests, hearing tests, blood glucose checks and
blood pressure assessments, among the villagers with the guidance of the
faculty members. In fact, service learning benefits numerous parties, from
the schools to the agencies to the communities and society, but overall, it is
the students who need and receive the most gain. Through service learning
students would evince academic gains from their volunteering efforts.
Mohamed Salem Al Ghailani
Editorial Supervision
Humaid Abdullah Al Adwani
Editor in Chief
M.K. Santhosh
Senior Editor
Ahlam Al Wahaibi
Design & Layout
Rashad Al Wahaibi
& Photography Dept., CET
Photography
Psychologists indicate that the biggest problem students must overcome
in the university is lack of motivation. Boredom is probably a function of
what seems to many students an unfathomable gap between the curriculum and their everyday lives. Community service learning provides the
critical missing link for many students, an opportunity to apply academic
learning to real human needs and to make the knowledge gained usable in
one’s thinking beyond the situation in which the learning occurred.
Service learning, provides students with the motivation necessary to put
forth effort in academics, it gives them more opportunities to integrate and
elaborate on their knowledge, and it increases the likelihood of transferring theoretical knowledge to actual practice. In addition to these benefits,
service learning can increase students’ personal, interpersonal and social
development. It increases motivation, student engagement, and school attendance and, lead to new perspectives and more positive lifestyle choices
and behaviour. Still, more important is the fact that students who engaged
in service-learning are more likely to treat each other kindly, help each other and care about doing their best.
Although it is apparent that community service benefits others in some
way, before creating and maintaining widespread programs, policymakers
should know how exactly students themselves benefit from participation
in these activities. A great deal of research has been done on this subject,
resulting in evidence for multiple kinds of benefits. Among the most significant gains reported are the psychological, social, and cognitive benefits experienced by students. Overall, sources indicate that students have
shown increases in positive feelings and mental health, and decreases in
depression and stress. This piece of writing is a tribute to those colleges at
SQU which promote service learning and a motivation to take up this matter more seriously in future.
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
30 April 2012 P2
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om
Media Creativity
Forum Concludes
The Media Creativity Forum, organised by the students of the Department of
Mass Communication at SQU was opened under the patronage of HE Dr. Abdul
Monem bin Mansoor al-Hasani, Minister of Information. Dr. Al-Hasani appreciated the achievements of Media department at the College of Arts and Social
Science and the projects being presented in the Media Creativity Forum. He said
that we learn from the creativity, projects and ideas of our students, which are
always the fuels that feed all creative media projects which eventually turn into
realities.
The opening ceremony included the forum speech, a speech by Dr. Mohammed
Najeeb al-Sarayra about media ethics. A documentary was shown, in addition to
some graduation projects like Section, a cultural magazine which was released
at the function and its first copy signed by the Information Minister. Another
exhibition project called “Japan, a legend” explored Japanese civilization and
the possibilities of opening new channels of cultural and linguistic communication between the Sultanate and Japan.
The forum the slogan of which was “Voice of Future “, discussed different
themes, among them, laws pertaining to journalistic works in the Sultanate,
publication issues, freedom of information, journals’ rights, relations between
journalists and information sources, confidentiality of information, censorship,
information classification, information infiltration, media and protection of information sources. The forum also discussed ethics, self-discipline of Media,
professional honor pacts, in addition to a review of Arab and international experiences in modernization of media work.
News Update
Assistant VC Meets
Varsities’ Representatives
Her Highness Sayyida Mona bint Fahd Al Said, SQU Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Cooperation, received
a delegation from a group of universities in North America. The delegation included representatives from University of Michigan Dearborn, University of Mississippi,
University of Alberta International, and the University of
Nebraska. The delegation watched a video on SQU and
the progress it has achieved during the last 25 years. Both
sides discussed on further enhancing the ties between
SQU and the North American universities through exchange students and collaborative research.
Her Highness also received a delegation from different
universities in Russia and discussed the possibilities of
partnership between SQU and the Russian Universities. The delegation included senior administrators from
Kursk State University, St. Petersburg State University,
Moscow State Medical University and Belgrade University. The representatives of various foreign universities
were in Oman to participate in the Global Higher Education Exhibition (GHEDEX) organized by the Ministry of
Higher Education.
Business Week Focuses on Islamic Economics
Khulood al Zadjali, one of the organizers of the event said that the major activities of the Business Week were two exhibitions, the first one
portraying the importance of applying Islamic values in the business
world, and the other one a business simulation of pottery industry.
“The main idea was to provide solutions to the problems in the business world today by applying Islamic principles. We demonstrated how
Islamic values are applied in business ethics, marketing, management
and other areas of business. Our exhibition gave a clear idea of how
Islamic principles can be applied in running business in the modern
era”, Khulood said.
The 10th annual edition of the Business Week, organized by the Business Society, functioning under the College of Commerce & Economics, was opened
under the patronage of HH Sayyid Faisal bin Turki al Said, Chief Executive
Officer of Brand Oman Management Unit. This annual event is a platform
where students apply their knowledge in business in practical and real life
situations. The theme of this year’s event was “Islamic Economics and Finance”.
Sayyid Faisal commended the idea of business week which copes with the
economic issues in the Sultanate and the world, as well as eliminating the
misconceptions of the consumers and beneficiary. He added that business is
one of the basic sources for enhancing the economy as the government needs
those confident youth who are willing to set up their own businesses.
The second section demonstrated how different business departments
such as marketing, finance, human resources, operations management,
accounting, etc. contributes to a business unit. Three workshops, led by
human resources experts from business houses in Oman, on three topics
were also held on the sidelines of the event. The themes included “preparing curriculum vitae and appearing for interviews”, “how to be self
dependent” and “the role of the youth in economic activities”.
Another highlight of the event was a competition to market the idea
of “Zakat”, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, in which the students got
back to the community to reinforce the importance of Zakat, the practice of giving of a fixed portion of one’s wealth to charity, to the poor
and needy. A student conference was also held on the sidelines of the
Business Week. Students presented their research papers during the
event and those were evaluated by experts from the business world in
Oman.
30 April 2012 P3
Insight
Ocean Modeling System
for Oman Region
Dr. Y.V.B. Sarma
The marine ecosystems and resources are vulnerable to both
natural and anthropogenic changes in a rapidly developing
economy like Oman. The circulation of ocean currents plays an
important role in regulating air-sea interaction, biogeochemical nature and productivity of the region. As the main focus of
past major oceanographic expeditions was the Arabian Sea, the
Bay of Bengal and the Equatorial Indian Ocean, the knowledge
about the dynamics of Arabian Gulf, Sea of Oman is limited till
date. In this context, oceanographers in Oman put forward the
idea of harnessing the potential of ocean modeling to benefit
Oman. Subsequent to this, Marine Scientists of Sultan Qaboos
University, led by Dr. Y.V.B. Sarma of the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences, have won a research grant from the
Research Council (TRC) for a project that utilizes the high performance computing facility (HPCF) at SQU and add necessary
resources to increase its capacity to uninterruptedly execute the
Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) for the seas around
Oman.
The mathematical modeling of oceanic processes is the first of
its kind attempt in Oman. The capability of numerical modeling of ocean circulation is absent in Oman at the moment.
The present research aims to establish the numerical modeling
of ocean circulation in Oman and forecast the marine environment. This is essential to assess the impacts of ocean circulation on regional ecosystem and marine living resources and to
develop management strategies. This research will contribute
significantly to the understanding of ocean circulation along
Oman and its influence on coastal circulation, climate and fishery. The development of the capability in the area of mathematical modeling will highlight enormous research capabilities of
SQU via-a-vis Oman. The innovative aspect of this study is the
integration of different types of data to resolve region specific
issues of the marine environment around Oman. The results of
this study can be shared among different users (e.g. Ministries
and government institutions) to develop better management
strategies.
Traditionally Oman is a sea-faring nation and presently large
population depends on fishing. Comprehensive and quantitative understanding of the ocean circulation is essential to
achieve success in these traditional activities of the Omani society. The climate change is apparently bringing-in changes in
the marine environment such as algal blooms and fish mortality. Protection of living resources is necessary for food security in Oman. These changes need to be studied and forecast
to help development of integrated management plans. Several
concerns regarding the impact of ocean circulation on the marine ecosystems within Sea of Oman and in the northwestern
Arabian Sea have yet unresolved. The numerical modeling of
regional ocean circulation enhances quantitative understanding of ocean processes and addresses the present and future
concerns related to marine ecology and regional climate.
An anomalous increase in sea surface temperature was noticed
before the disastrous cyclones such as Gonu in 2007 and Phet
30 April 2012 P4
in 2009 that have hit Oman. The super cyclone “Gonu” alone
inflicted a loss of about USD 4 billion besides loss of life and
damages to the infrastructure. Massive fish kills in the Sea of
Oman have been reported for more than two decades along
Oman are associated with Algal blooms and their toxic effects.
Oman’s fishery sector earns about OMR 104.4 million from
fish exports each year, which is the second highest contributor to the national gross domestic product (GDP) from natural
products. The depletion of dissolved oxygen and the changes
in the biogeochemistry of the seas around Oman are forced by
circulation. Satellite images often show seasonally and interannually changing current jets and eddies which are difficult to
explore through observations alone as it requires huge investments in terms of instruments and manpower. The emphasis
is put on developing a regional circulation model to simulate
the critical features of circulation and quantify its impact on
coastal ecology. This can be achieved when the physical, biological, chemical and fishery data are analyzed together in a
numerical model.
The researchers will investigate the ocean circulation and its
impact around Oman using ROMS. The ROMS model will be
customized with regionally observed winds, heat fluxes and
hydrographic conditions. The model will further carry out
the biogeochemical simulations to understand the ecosystem
changes along Oman. ROMS is a sigma co-ordinate numerical model that solves the primitive equations governing ocean
dynamics and thermodynamics. The model offers several numerical schemes, horizontal and vertical mixing and there are
options to couple the physical model with ecosystem models.
The model can also be used for forecasting the physical and
biological fields in the seas around Oman.
The significance of this research is transformation from descriptive to quantitative assessment of the circulation. The model
will explore the regional and global climatic events that are
likely to force regime shifts in productivity in this region. The
database developed in the process of modeling will meet both
long and short-term goals to monitor and forecast the dynamics of the seas around Oman. The applications of the circulation
modeling are of extreme economic and environmental importance to Oman as it helps in identifying the disaster prone areas
along the coast and develop adequate management plans. The
changes in inventory of biogeochemical properties of waters
around Oman and their consequences are best studied and
quantified by modeling the regional circulation as proposed.
Recognizing the importance of this study, The Research Council awarded a project for OMR 131,000 in December, 2011. Under this project, work on developing the mathematical model
on SQU’s HPCF is underway. In addition to Dr. Y.V. B. Sarma,
the research team consists of Dr. Muataz Al-Barwani of College
of Science, Dr. Adnan R. Al Azri of College of Agricultural &
Marine Sciences, Dr. Lubna Al Kharusi, Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries, Dr. P. Vinayachandran, of Indian Institute of Science, India, and Mr. Harib Al-Habsi, of SQU.
Mind Over Matter
A Pioneer in Many Ways
Dr. Salma M. Al-Kindy, a professor in the Department of Chemistry of
the College of Science at Sultan Qaboos University, has been elected as a
member of Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), a merit based science academy based in Trieste, Italy. Dr. Salma is the first Omani national at
SQU to be elected as a fellow in this prestigious non-profit organization that
stands for development of science in the Third World countries. Fellows are
scientists who live and work in developing countries and have made considerable contributions to their fields of science that meet internationally
accepted standards of excellence.
The main criterion for election as a TWAS member is scientific merit. Only
those scientists who have made excellent contributions to the advancement
of science in their fields of specialization and have attained the highest international standards and recognition can be nominated as Fellows or Associate Fellows. Nomination of candidates for election can only be made by
other TWAS members.
Commenting on her achievement, Prof. Salma Al-Kindy said: “I am deeply
honoured and privileged to have been elected to be a member of this prestigious organization. TWAS represents the best of science in the developing
world. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for
sustainable development in the South. To be nominated as a member of
TWAS is a dream of every scientist. To be the first Omani national from
Sultan Qaboos University appointed as a Fellow of the Academy means a
great deal to me at both professional and personal levels. With all humility,
I earnestly view my TWAS membership as an earned achievement which
makes it all the more exciting and rewarding. It is the culmination of years
of hard work in academia”, she said.
Prof. Salma Al-Kindy was the first Omani faculty with a PhD degree in Analytical Chemistry to join the Department of Chemistry at Sultan Qaboos
University in 1989. Her career as a scientist and a researcher took off when
she was offered a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Japan. She took this opportunity for a six-month stint in the Department of Bio-analytical Chemistry
at Tokyo University to work with Prof. Kazuhiro Imai. The research fellowship, offered by the Matsumae Foundation in Japan, proved to be very fruitful indeed. It enabled me to establish a new area of research at SQU involving the development of methods for the analysis of enantiomeric drugs. The
methods involved the synthesis of fluorigenic chiral derivatisation reagents
for use in HPLC separation. This work resulted in six scientific publications
in reputable pertinent international journals.
Over the years, Dr. Salma have been receiving local and international recognition for her research endeavors. Her academic promotion to the rank
of Associate Professor some years ago paved way to the headship of the
Department of Chemistry, a cherished position as the very first Omani to
hold it at Sultan Qaboos University. Her subsequent attainment of the Full
Professorship took her to the pinnacle of academia as far as academic promotions are concerned, and earned her a place in the history of Sultan Qaboos University as the first Omani Full Professor in the College of Science.
Dr. Salma was a member of the University Council, a body charged with
the responsibility of making policies.
“I am very eager to see that young scientists at SQU and in the Sultanate as
a whole are offered the same opportunity that was given to me more than 10
years ago. I feel that in accordance with the mandate of TWAS, a lot of opportunities are available to support postgraduate, postdoctoral and senior
scientists to spend time in selected world-class laboratories in other developing countries. The Academy supports a broad range of programmes including research fellowships, research grants as well as prizes and awards,
and has organized general assemblies that assess the state of science in the
developing world”, Dr. Salma Al-Kindy said.
“It is important to realize that science plays a crucial role in the development of any nation. It is a vehicle for advancing the economic value and
social wellbeing of the people. I feel that it is a challenge for me and the
few TWAS members at SQU to increase awareness of TWAS and to take
advantage of any available opportunity in academia to advance capacity
building in our country. I would like to see more members being nominated
and appointed in Oman and I would also like to see young affiliates being
appointed to the Academy as well as to see opportunities available in the
form of fellowships, awards and prizes aimed at promoting training of scientists in the Sultanate. I would also like to see some TWAS meetings held
in Oman in order to promote activities of this organization to our leaders
and policy-makers”, she said.
Dr. Salma Al-Kindy was recently appointed to the Editorial Board of the
International Journal of Applied Chemistry. Further recognition of her work
and further contributions to her international profile arrived in the form of
invitations from reputable publishing companies and editors of well-known
journals to submit review articles and to appraise the work of other authors
in her field. In particular, Nova Publishers invited her to write a review article in non-ionic surfactants and to serve as an editor of their journal.
30 April 2012 P5
News Round Up
International Symposium on
Whole Grain Products
The Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences organized an “International Symposium on Whole
Grain Products - 2012” in collaboration with Atyab Food Tech LLC (Oman Flour
Mills Company) and Industrial Innovation Center (IIC). The main objective of
the symposium was to create awareness about whole grain products in Oman.
The symposium had three sessions: Oral presentations, poster presentations
and innovative recipe with whole grains (product display). There were four
themes in the oral presentation session such as “Promoting whole grain consumption”, “Speciality whole grain products”, “Whole grains for disease prevention and treatment” and “Whole grains in international food system”. Prof.
Marla Reicks, PhD, RD, University of Minnesota, USA was the keynote speaker
at the symposium. More than 80 participants attended this symposium and
they were from the Royal Court Affairs (1), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
(3), Ministry of Health (1), Muscat Municipality (2), Sultan Qaboos University
Hospital (9), Oman Fisheries LLC (2), Industrial Innovation Center (2), Oman
Flour Mills LLC (3), University of Manitoba, Canada (1) and Sultan Qaboos
University (60).
CAMS Explores Collaboration
with Sohar University
College of Nursing
Celebrates WHO Day
Students and faculty of the College of Nursing, lead by the Fundamentals and Administration department, celebrated WHO Day in
Izki Wilayat recently. The program was held at Al Bawariq School at
Qalat Al Awarmer of Izki wilayat from 10 am to 5pm. The services
that targeted adult and elderly were offered to the following 4 villages: Qalat Al Warmer, Shafa, Al Nabaq and Al Tasawair. The activity included general health assessment of the population and health
education sessions. Fifty five students from the Health Assessment
course were part of the activity.
The program was jointly inaugurated by the head of the village,
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamed Sultan Al Amri and Dr. Saleh Bin Saif Al
Hanaye, Director General for Community Medical services of Dakhlya Governorate. The students performed nutritional assessments,
vision tests, hearing tests, blood glucose checks and blood pressure
assessments, with the guidance of the faculty. The students had the
opportunity to identify abnormalities and to either refer those clients
to the community health centre for further treatment and care, or to
accompany them to the health centre for immediate care. A total of 90
clients made use of the services offered. An elaborate health education session highlighted the WHO theme of the year: ‘Good health
adds life to years’.
The program created an awareness among the participants about
their current state of health, need for adopting a healthy life style
and undergoing periodical screening to add life to years. Dr. Amal El
Badawy, coordinator of this activity, thanked the village leaders and
staff of the community medical services, lead by Dr. Saleh Bin Saif Al
Hanaye for their extraordinary support. Dr. JJ van der Colff, Head of
the Fundamentals and Administration Department, presented mementos and certificates to them and the management of the school in
appreciation of their support.
Traffic Safety Awareness
Exhibition Held
By: Dr. Ahmed Al-Busaidi
SQU and Sohar University jointly organized a symposium on water and environment issues recently. The aim of the event was to explore potential research
collaborations in the future between the two universities. The program consisted
of number of short presentations and discussions on water-environment issues
in the Batinah region.
SQU researchers presented lectures on water and environment related researches
done in different departments and centers at SQU such as the Center for Environmental Studies and Research, Water Research Center, and the Department of
Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering. There were presentations related to
groundwater hydrology, irrigation and drainage, green roofing in arid climates,
water treatment and saline and treated waste water researches. Sohar University
speakers gave presentations on wastewater, bio-filtration, green roofs and heavy
metals in the sediments close to Sohar port.
30 April 2012 P6
Under the patronage of Dr. Yahya Al-Farsi, the Assistant Dean for
Community Services at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences in Sultan Qaboos University, the Standing Committee on Public
Health (SCOPH) of SQU-MSG organized a traffic safety awareness
exhibition. This exhibition took place in Qurum City Centre on 11th
and 12th April. This exhibition was intended at the various age
groups of the community. It comprised of the three sections depicting
main causes of road traffic accidents: the driver, vehicle and the road.
In addition, it had a children’s corner aiming to introduce proper
traffic awareness in the young, through entertaining activities.
Moreover, the exhibition also saw the participation of the Rehabilitation Centre of Khoula Hospital, in order to shed light on the services provided by this centre, and its contribution to rehabilitating
individuals affected by road traffic accidents. Petroleum Department
Oman (PDO) also took part in the exhibition through its road traffic
accident simulator, which constituted the final stations of the exhibition and attracted the largest crowd. This simulator emphasized
the importance of wearing seatbelts and the major role they play to
protect passengers in case of accidents.
More than 1420 research projects worth 20 million riyals
undertaken since inception; funded through internal grants,
joints grants, strategic grants, consultancy services, and
external grants. Research findings resulted in publishing
hundreds of papers in reputed scientific journals in addition to
numerous conference presentations. Research adds to the
prestige of the university; the progress continues with more
advanced researches.
A Sun that never sets
Straight Talk
Prof. Ghaleb Ali
Alhadrami
Prof. Ghaleb Ali Alhadrami is the Chairman of the International Society for Camelid Research and Development (ISOCARD). Prof. Alhadrami obtained his Ph. D. in Nutritional
Sciences in 1990 from the University of Arizona, United State
of America. He is the Dean of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University since 2007. Also, he
served as Assistant Dean for Scientific Research for six years
and as Vice-Dean for three years and as chairman of Department of Animal Production for four years. He is specializes
in forage quality especially drought and salt tolerant forages.
Camel nutrition and management are his research interests.
Horizon spoke to Prof. Alhadrami during his visit to SQU to
attend the third conference of ISOCARD.
What is unique about the camel when compared to
other domestic animals?
Horizon:
Prof. Alhadrami: The camel plays an important role in the
history, civilization and livelihood of the people living in the arid
regions of the world. In the past, the camel helped move the traders
across the vast desert planes in caravans loaded with goods. They
worked on farms to plow the fields and turn water wheels that
brought irrigation to the desert land. They carried goods through
the crowded city streets. These animals were even used in war and
in recreation. At the time of the Prophet Muhammad, the camel was
the most important animal in war. When it comes to camel products,
its milk is lower in fat and lactose, and higher in vitamin C, potassium and iron than cows’ milk. Camel meat is a delicacy in Arabian
cuisine. Its fur and skin are used for clothing and tents.
Horizon: Could you please explain the activities of ISOCARD?
Prof. Alhadrami: ISOCARD is a non-political, non-religious
and non-profit organization of camelid scientists or similar scientific and professional associations. The activities of the society is
aligned towards giving international scientific status for camelid
sciences, and promoting contributions of camelid scientists to the
development of camelid farming. The society also promotes scientific publications in camelid fields by running a science journal and
facilitating contributions of members to other journals as well. Promoting standards of health and welfare in camelids is also among
the agenda of this society. The ISOCARD international conference
is held every three years with a view to encourage the exchange of
information on camelid interest between the members and different
networks and involved organizations. ISOCARD today has more
than 400 registered members worldwide.
ISOCARD was launched six years ago. How would
retrospect the progress of this organization?
Horizon:
When the society was launched in 2006,
we had many challenges to face at the beginning stages. However,
we could very well survive all the challenges and the successful organization of the third conference of the society in SQU was a testimony to our success. I assure you that ISOCARD is now accepted in
the ‘landscape’ of the camelid scientists community as an essential
body for the promotion of research and development in the field of
camel biology, camel production and farming system. The Muscat
conference is the conference of acknowledgement for the society;
the conference testified the place of ISOCARD among the international scientific community.
Prof. Alhadrami:
Horizon: How would you comment on the scope of camelid research in the current era?
Prof. Alhadrami: Small and large camelids are a fantastic
model for biologists with a remarkable potential of production in
the remote areas of the world, and as main tool for the development
of the arid lands or high mountains. It is important to support all
research activities in countries where large and small camelids are
a part of the cultural heritage. I would say that western countries
also should promote camelid research, considering the fact that the
fantastic role of these animals is widely ignored in many parts of
the world.
How would you underscore the importance of the
theme of the third conference of the society?
Horizon:
Prof. Alhadrami: The theme of the third conference, “Challenges facing Camelids in a Changing World”, is an ambitious one.
Of course, the world changes since it exists, but we are living in a
time where these changes are rapid as witnessed in economy, environment, sciences and technology, and our societies. The recent
events especially in the Arab world have underlined these changes.
In this context, the camelids and the farming systems involving
camelids, have to be adapted to these new situations. Thus, we can
observe the high capacity of large and small camelids to be introduced in certain modernity: integration into international market,
intensification of productions, valorization of their products, geographical expansion, and so on. However, we must also be aware
the gap between the needs of the societies in the changing world
and the responses of the research and overall development. This is
the main challenge in the future for the camel scientists and as a
consequence, for ISOCARD.