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Month: June 2021

Chulalongkorn University successfully uses stem-cell transplantation to treat systemic sclerosis patients with pulmonary fibrosis

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

The Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine (CU Medi), Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society (Chulalongkorn Hospital), in collaboration with the Departments of Hematology, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Infectious diseases, held a press conference on “Thailand’s first successful treatment of systemic sclerosis patients with pulmonary fibrosis by stem cell transplantation”.

Prof. Dr. Suttipong Wacharasindhu

Prof. Dr. Suttipong Wacharasindhu, Dean of CU Medi and Director of Chulalongkorn Hospital said that both CU Medi and Chulalongkorn Hospital have been developing the services, healthcare innovation, medical equipment, and application of modern technology to patient care to ready themselves for the current and future changes in the field of medicine. They have an extensive body of research and medical innovations on stem cells.

Most recently, the Rheumatology Division, in collaboration with Hematology, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Infectious Diseases Departments were the first in Thailand to successfully treat two systemic sclerosis patients with pulmonary fibrosis by stem-cell transplantation.  Such success demonstrates the expertise, specialization, and dedication of the healthcare teams in applying knowledge, research and medical technology on stem cells to help improve patients’ quality of life.

Prof. Dr. Thiraphong Tanthawichien

Prof. Dr. Thiraphong Tanthawichien, Head of the Department of Medicine, CU Medi said that the success in treating systemic sclerosis patients with pulmonary fibrosis by stem cell transplantation is a source of great pride for CU Medi.  It is a modern treatment that is made possible because of the cooperation from specialists in various fields and will be optimized to benefit the whole country in the future.

Prof. Dr. Manathip Osiri

Prof. Dr. Manathip Osiri, Head of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, CU Medi said that systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that can cause malfunctions of many internal organs.  It is characterized by the formation of fibrosis on the skin and internal organs. It hardens the skin and causes fibrosis in the lungs, and cardiac muscles, and can lead to an enlarged heart and heart failure. Most patients suffer chronic symptoms, while some can suffer acute onsets and die.

Medications to treat this disease and control its progression include vasodilator drugs, immunosuppressants, used in combination with drugs that help slow down or reduce the fibrosis.  However, these drugs are only effective in patients with gradual symptoms.  In patients with acute and aggressive progression, treatment by regenerating the immune system to regulate its function will help slow down the disease progression, reduce damage to the organs, and prevent premature death.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Udomsak Bunworasate, Head of Hematology, CU Medi revealed that the way to effectively treat this type of autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and fibrosis in the organs is aiming to eliminate the malfunctioning immune cells and normalize the immune system.  Such treatment is usually not possible with a regular dose of immunosuppressants but should be done with a high dose together with antibody treatment, followed by stem-cell transplantation created from the patients’ stem cells harvested during the treatment.

The hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation will help patients recover faster, and regenerate new immune cells.  In other words, this is a rearrangement of the immune system by stem-cell transplantation.

The first step is to select the right patients for the treatment. The next step is to harvest the stem cells and freeze them. During this period, the patients are kept in a sterilized room and cared for by a team of doctors and nurses specializing in caring for people with low immunity. After the stem cells start to work, patients will have their immune systems restored to normal and can be discharged from the hospital. They will then be periodically monitored, to see the progress of stem-cell transplantation.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamon Kaewkitinarong

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamon Kaewkitinarong, Head of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, CU Medi, observed that most systemic sclerosis patients with pulmonary fibrosis also suffer from noninfectious inflammation. Patients often show symptoms of dry coughs and shallow breaths which induce hyperventilation. They are easily fatigued after exertion and become less active.  Disease progression differs for each patient and is unpredictable.

Dr. Chakkapat Vanichanan

Dr. Chakkapat Vanichanan, Lecturer and Transplant Infectious Disease Specialist, Department of Medicine, Chulalongkorn Hospital, concluded that preparing the patients by assessing the risk of infection and screening for latent infection before stem-cell transplantation, as well as prescribing antibacterial drugs are very important preventive steps to reduce the likelihood of infections.

The top concern for systemic sclerosis patients with pulmonary abnormality who are candidates for stem-cell transplantation is pneumonitis which may be caused by bacteria, especially drug-resistant bacteria, or fungal infection.  This will worsen the already-troubled respiratory system and can cause early respiratory failure and deterioration of the lungs in the long run.  Therefore, intensive monitoring after stem-cell transplantation plus immediate prescription of antibacterial drugs once there is a sign of infection will reduce the death rate in the patients.

UiTMLaw stands proud in the European Mooting Scene

Posted on by harizsufi

The Faculty of Law of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia (UiTMLaw) participated in the Jessup Intercontinental Friendly 2021 which was held online for the first time since its conception due to the pandemic. The Jessup Intercontinental Friendly 2021 was organized by a collective group of four European universities from Bulgarian, France, Latvia and Portugal.

The team made it to the finals of the Intercontinental Friendly and went up against Portugal’s top law school from the University of Lisbon, having beaten out the top-ranked team in the group stage from Sweden in the semi-finals. They emerged proudly as the first runner-up. Ameerah Batrisyia added a feather to her cap when she was named the 8th Best Oralist of the Jessup Intercontinental Friendly 2021.

The team from UiTMLaw, led by Wardah Yumna binti Yunus (a winner of the Jessup Best Oralist in the Malaysian National Rounds in 2019 and 2020), also consisted of Ameera Batrisyia binti Reza Andrian Malikwi Wan Nur Fatini binti Wan Abd Halim, Farah Nurizzaty Afifa binti Azhar and Muhammad Iqmal Hazim bin Khairuddin. The team was trained by moot coaches Prof. Dr Irwin Ooi Ui Joo and Dr Ummi Hani Masood.

Teams were given a fictional legal case or a moot problem on issues of international law and must plead their stance before the International Court of Justice. This year, the competition embraced the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world’s landscape and based the competition to appear before the court concerning the J-Vid-18 Pandemic.

Several similar friendly rounds such as the Jessup Intercontinental Friendly 2021 are also held in the Asia Pacific region and the South Asia region. These friendly rounds are treated as training.

These friendly rounds are treated as training grounds, culminating in the anticipated Jessup Global Rounds as the final leg of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Jessup is widely held as the most prestigious mooting competition in the world and as the largest gathering of international law students in history.

In line with the needs of the legal industry, UiTMLaw believes that participation in mooting competitions will enable its students to develop their soft skills of critical thinking, research, writing and advocacy.  The UiTMLaw Mooting Team continues to be a powerful force nationally and continues to make Malaysia proud internationally.

International students and postgraduates discuss Modern Science at TPU

Posted on by Tomsk Polytechnic University

The I International Conference “Scientific Initiative of International Students and Postgraduates” was held at Tomsk Polytechnic University. This year, the Conference is coincided with the 125th anniversary of TPU and supported by the Association of Leading Universities of Russia.

Denis Chaykovsky, Director of the TPU School of Core Engineering Education, Evgenia Sherina, Head of the TPU Division for Russian Language, Adu Yao Nikez, President of the Association of International Students addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. Lisa Soon, PhD, Senior Lecturer of the University of Queensland (Australia) gave the plenary presentation “Technology as an Enabler for Online and Offline Education”.

Over 280 international students from 65 countries signed up for participation in the Conference. The participants are citizens of 49 countries: Russia, Mongolia, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Italy, Poland, Columbia, Sudan and others,” Evgenia Sherina, Head of the TPU Division for the Russian Language, says.

The main feature of the Conference is that only international attendees, students, master’s degree students and postgraduates are taking part. Moreover, they are presenting their articles and reports in Russian discussing modern research topics, as well as problems of study at Russian universities.

Among the Conference participants, there are students studying at Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, St Petersburg University, Far Eastern Federal University, Ural Federal University, Kazan National Research Technological University, RUDN University, Renmin University of China and Jilin University.

“The topics discussed at the Conference reflect the interests of young scientists on modern and fast-developing fields of science, including ecology, food industry, agriculture, 3D modelling and others. Furthermore, most of the reports are the description of fundamental research works, the results of which can both contribute to the further development of sciences and have practical application. Most of the reports are based on evaluation of results of graduation theses and dissertations,” the representatives of the TPU Division for Russian note.

The work of the Conference was arranged in sessions: Engineering Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, Natural Sciences (including Medical and Biological Sciences) and others.

Within the Conference, on April 29,  the All-Russian Round Table “Multicultural Digital Environment: Challenges, Risks and Prospects” was also held.

Thammasat University organizes 2021 Puey Ungphakorn Memorial Day

Posted on by Thammasat University

Thammasat University by Thammasat University Library, Faculty of Economics, and the Development Science College Puey Ungphakorn have organized the “2021 Puey Ungphakorn Memorial Day” on March 9, 2021, to honour Professor Dr Puey Ungphakorn. The opening ceremony of Thammasat University Archives was at 100-Year Puey Learning Park Building.

Associate Professor Gasinee Witoonchart, Acting Rector of Thammasat University, said Prof. Dr Puey Ungphakorn played an important role in laying the foundations of Thailand’s economic development.

“He always dedicated himself to the country with integrity and work ethics which UNESCO named him as one of the world’s most important people due to his remarkable achievements in education, social sciences and humanities. It is a great opportunity to open Thammasat University Archives which stand to preserve the historical records of the university,” said Associate Professor Gasinee.

Thammasat University Archives was established in 1991 as a place to store records and important memories and history of Thammasat University.  It is an important source of information service for research and development for students and the community.

For almost 30 years, TU Archives has performed its duties and became one of the departments of TU Library in 2017. This enabled the updates and development of innovative management of archives with the digital file format, international standard document management systems, and internet access to most of paper documents.

Thammasat University Archives is located at the 100-year Puey Learning Park Building which has established its office and service area with the new design for active learning. The key area of the archives is the exhibition “Puey The Commoner: Life, Ideology and Works”.  The exhibition is divided into two sections:  a permanent and a virtual exhibition to honor him as the person who laid the foundation and expanded the university to Rangsit Campus.

The library is now working on the conversion of documents concerning all of Thammasat University’s history onto PDF file for the ease of use and maintenance in research and future study.

EdUHK scholar develops intervention to promote health and fitness

Posted on by eduhk

Urbanisation, technological advances, and increasing convenience in everyday life have restricted the amount of physical exercise most people engage in, resulting in major public health concern. This persistent and growing health-related problem calls for an acute need to develop an intervention programme that can effectively promote physical activities, not only at the individual level but also at the family, community, and citywide levels.

Whether positive psychology concepts can be integrated with health-promotion behaviours among families had largely been unknown until researchers in Hong Kong developed a positive physical activity (PPA) intervention. This has been made possible by using the positive psychology concepts of joy, gratitude, and savouring to promote Zero-Time Exercise (ZTEx) (which involves integrating simple physical activities into everyday life) and improve physical fitness in Hong Kong families.

Dr Henry Ho Chun-yip, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), together with other researchers and healthcare professionals, worked with different stakeholders during the study, including the government, social service organisations and schools. A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted with 1,983 participants in 1,467 families in Hong Kong. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and physical fitness assessments before the intervention and in follow-ups one and three months after the trial.

Social workers and teachers of the participating organisations and schools were trained to design and implement the community programmes. The training workshop was delivered by clinical psychologists, registered social workers, registered nurse, and academic researchers to comprehensively cover the contents of positive psychology, physical activity, programme design and programme evaluation.

The study measured the self-reported frequency of ZTEx both alone and with family members and assessed balance and endurance as indicators of physical fitness. It found that PPA intervention was effective in increasing ZTEx with both groups in each time periods, and in improving balance and endurance in the three-month follow-up.

Semi-structured focus groups added in-depth insights into the participants’ motivational, interpersonal and affective experiences. The findings showed that PPA intervention is a cost-effective way to improve physical activity and fitness and that a community-based collaborative approach was successful in engaging community stakeholders in an active and fruitful partnership for programme development.

The findings support the proposition that health promotion behaviour is maintained when the participants experience positive emotions during the activities. Through the application of positive psychology, the participants associated ZTEx with feelings of enjoyment, which nurtured unconscious motives for this health promotion behaviour, thus leading to a successful lifestyle change and improved physical fitness.

This study has important implications for Hong Kong, where 71% of adults did not meet the WHO physical activity recommendations.

Smart light bulbs for better visibility by Chulalongkorn researchers

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

Smart LED light bulbs for the elderly, the latest innovation from Chula and its partners, can do more than emitting light.  They enhance the contrast among the primary colors of light thereby improving visibility and reducing accidents in the elderly.  The product is expected to hit the market in May.

If members of your household, especially the elderly, frequently stub and bruise their toes, knees, or shoulders on doors and furniture, do not be too quick to conclude that it is because of their absent-mindedness, or the clutter around them.  The culprit may be poor lighting in your home.

“Older people and those suffering from low vision have difficulty distinguishing the contrast of objects’ surface or uneven pathway, and often trip and fall, “explained Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pichayada Katemake, a representative of the research team from the Department of Imaging and Printing Technology, Chula Faculty of Science, about the rationale behind the ” Living Innovations to Improve Visibility in Seniors and People with Low Vision“ research project supported by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT).

the research team from the Department of Imaging and Printing Technology, Chula Faculty of Science
The research team from the Department of Imaging and Printing Technology, Chula Faculty of Science

Researchers from various disciplines within Chulalongkorn have been collaborating in this project, namely the Department of Imaging and Printing Technology, Faculty of Science; the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; and the Department of Housing, Faculty of Architecture with support from the partners, i.e. the Faculty of Medicine, Metta Pracharak Hospital and Lighting & Equipment PCL.

“Our research found that  ‘white light’ — a combination of three-color wavelengths: red, green, and blue can enhance the contrast of different surfaces enabling the elderly and people with low vision to see more clearly and move around with more agility.  It also gives brighter white light that amplifies the contrast between certain pairs of colors as well.

The findings lead to the development of the smart LED lightbulbs of the future, now ready for the public, that transcends the visual limitations of these vulnerable groups.“We have successfully manufactured long LED bulbs and are now expanding our product lines to other types of bulbs.  A field test is scheduled in May 2021 at the Vision Rehabilitation Center, Metta Pracharak Hospital, and the housing for low-vision people.  The field test will be in line with the ethical research process to ensure safety.”

In addition to the smart light bulb project, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pichayada also elaborated on other projects that are currently under development, such as a vision-simulating application for people with low vision. (The Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Act 2534 B.E. defines people with low vision as those with only 20-feet of visibility compared to 70 feet in people with normal vision).

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pichayada Katemake, Department of Imaging and Printing Technology, Chula Faculty of Science
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pichayada Katemake
Department of Imaging and Printing Technology, Chula Faculty of Science

“This application simulates low-vision visibility and allows designers to see through that vision, complete with the blind spots, so they can select appropriate colors with noticeable dimensionality and contrasts. The app uses the mobile phone camera to photograph desired areas, so that designers can create safe furniture and home appliances for all ages,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pichayada added.

Also under development is Guide Light – an innovative night light with revolutionized color mix and brightness that does not disrupt the elderly’s sleep when they need to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  The color palette, combo, and brightness threshold, as well as saturation and contrast values, are chosen for high visibility, with clear indicators on the color values and matching criteria.  This is perfect for home appliance designers — another alternative product for families with elderly or people with low vision.

Saba University School of Medicine partners with UK’s University of South Wales on Medical career pathway

Posted on by Global University Systems

Today, Saba University School of Medicine (Saba), a leading Caribbean medical school, announced a pathway partnership agreement with the UK-based University of South Wales (USW). The partnership will offer qualified graduates from USW’s Medical Sciences program the opportunity to matriculate with advanced standing into year 2 at Saba and work towards a recognised qualification that permits them to become a doctor in the
USA.

Saba’s facilities will offer USW students the chance to achieve advanced medical and doctoral degrees, teaching the same system-based curriculum used in medical schools in the USA and Canada. Graduates will be eligible for residency in the USA, and Saba has a long history of success in attaining residencies in many specialties.

Saba is recognised by NVAO, the accrediting body for the Netherlands and Flanders, and has received approvals and/or recognitions from the US states of New York, California, and
Florida.

Commenting on the new partnership, Dr. James Bruzik, Saba’s Associate Dean for Medical Education said: “Faculties at both universities have extensively reviewed each institution’s curriculum and found that USW’s curriculum supports advanced standing for graduates of the Medical Sciences degree entering Saba in year two.

“The partnership allows for a shortened curriculum, with associated tuition cost savings, unrivalled access to highly-skilled professors, an extensive mentorship program, and focused attention throughout basic sciences and clinical rotations. We look forward to welcoming students from USW.”

Dawn Story, Head of USW’s School of Applied Sciences, said, “We attract students from more than 120 countries and view collaborations such as this with Saba as a key to advancing the careers of our diverse student population.”

“This unique partnership among two institutions, which already have  strong track records of success, will enhance provision and offer another seamless pathway for students to become doctors.”

Russian scientists are developing a sensor to detect toxins in grain

Posted on by OLGA ROMANOVSKAYA

SUSU scientists have studied how effective the electrochemical method is in detecting mycotoxins in grain. Based on this data, a sensor will be created that responds to zearalenone, a toxin produced by moulds. The work will be carried out within the framework of the RFBR grant. The first results were published in the highly-rated magazine FoodChemistry (Q1).

On some crops and foodstuffs, moulds grow, producing mycotoxins—a poison of biological origin. Mycotoxins are dangerous for humans when eaten, they cause intoxication, and in some cases lead to cancer and immunodeficiency.

Mycotoxin detection is a food safety issue in every country. For this purpose, sensors that react to mycotoxins are used in the agrosphere. Using zearalenone as an example, scientists at South Ural State University studied the methods of detecting toxins available today and determined their effectiveness.

Zearalenone is found in corn, barley, wheat, rice, and sorghum. It is produced by Fusarium fungi, mainly Fusariumgraminearum, Fusariumcerealis, and Fusariumculmorum. Analyzes from 2010-2015 showed that in Europe about 80% of grain was contaminated with Zearalenone, in addition, other mycotoxins were added to it.

A literature review was carried out by Oleg Bolshakov, senior researcher at the SUSU Nanotechnology REC, as well as by a research group led by Ph.D. Natalia Beloglazova from the University of Ghent demonstrated that electrochemical sensors are ideal for detecting zearalenone.

“Most electrochemical sensors that respond to zearalenone are voltammetric. There is evidence of high sensitivity of impedance sensors, but they are not the most suitable method for monitoring low molecular weight compounds such as mycotoxins. From this point of view, capacitive sensors are better, but they remain unexplored,” commented Oleg Bolshakov.

The only drawback of electrochemical sensors now is testing only on samples with artificial additives. No analyzes have been carried out on raw materials, although objective studies must be supported by the results of work with samples with natural contamination.

Working with theoretical sources was the first step towards creating your electrochemical sensor. It uses semiconductor materials synthesized at SUSU. Now screening is being carried out for their sensory activity, depending on the basis: molecularly doped carbon nitride, poly-triazine-imide, quantum dots, and others.

“All of these materials demonstrate the required levels of selectivity, signal speed, and, most importantly, reproducibility. Recently, promising results have been obtained on the selective detection of hazardous mycotoxins with materials based on composite microparticles consisting of titanium oxide and carbon nitride,” added Oleg Bolshakov.

The study is carried out within the framework of the RFBR-Chelyabinsk project “Development of ratiometric nanosensors based on modified nanoparticles (quantum and carbon particles) of a new generation for highly selective determination of pollutants in water”.

South Ural State University (SUSU) is a university of digital transformations, where innovative research is conducted in most of the priority areas of development of science and technology. Following the strategy of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation, the university is focused on the development of large scientific interdisciplinary projects in the field of the digital industry, materials science, and ecology. In the Year of Science and Technology, SUSU will take part in the competition under the Priority-2030 program. The university performs the functions of a regional project office of the Ural interregional world-class scientific and educational center (UMNOTs).

Scientists find drug duo that may cure COVID-19

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

While preventative care for COVID-19 has made much noise (with vaccines having rolled out in most countries), the soaring infection rates indicate the need for effective treatments. Using cultured cells to study SARS-CoV-2 infections, researchers at the Tokyo University of Science and other institutions have discovered that the drugs cepharanthine and nelfinavir are effective at combating the virus, with the former preventing the virus from entering cells and the latter preventing the virus from replicating.

A team of researchers based in Japan, the US, and the UK launched a project to develop effective therapeutics. This team included several researchers based at Tokyo University of Science: Visiting Professor Koichi Watashi, Dr. Hirofumi Ohashi, Professor Shin Aoki, Professor Kouji Kuramochi, and Assistant Professor Tomohiro Tanaka. Their goal was clear and simple: finding a cure for COVID-19.

To achieve this goal, the researchers first established an experimental system for screening drugs that may help to control infections. This system used a type of cells called VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells, which were manipulated to efficiently be infected with and produce SARS-CoV-2. “To determine whether a drug of interest could help combat infection by SARS-CoV-2, we simply had to expose VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells to both the drug and SARS-CoV-2 and then observe whether the drug’s presence served to hinder the virus’s efforts to infect cells,” explains Professor Watashi.

The researchers used this experimental system to screen a panel of drugs that are already approved for clinical use, including drugs like remdesivir and chloroquine that have already being approved or are being trialed as treatments for COVID-19. In an exciting outcome, the researchers found two drugs that provided effective SARS-CoV-2 suppression: cepharanthine, which is used to treat inflammation, and nelfinavir, which is approved for the treatment of HIV infection.

Cepharanthine inhibited the entry of the virus into cells by preventing the virus from binding to a protein on the cell membrane, which it uses as a gateway. In contrast, nelfinavir worked to prevent the virus from replicating inside the cell by inhibiting a protein that the virus relies on for replication. Given that these drugs have distinct antiviral mechanisms, using both of them together could be especially effective for patients, with computational models predicting that combined cepharanthine/nelfinavir therapy can hasten the clearance of SARS-CoV-2 from a patient’s lungs by as few as 4.9 days.

So, does this mean we will be seeing these new drugs in COVID-19 treatment centers? Of course, the drug duo isn’t ready to be rolled out into healthcare systems just yet. These findings justify further research into the clinical potential of cepharanthine/nelfinavir therapy, and only following this can we say for sure that it is useful and helpful.

Nevertheless, given the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-increasing death toll, the development of cepharanthine/nelfinavir therapy may provide clinicians and patients with a much-needed new treatment option.

AUS collaboration with Sharjah Sustainable City shows students how to embed sustainability into built environment

Posted on by Amy Robinson

Throughout the spring semester, Sharjah Sustainable City (SSC) and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) hosted a four-part webinar series focused on sustainability and the built environment. The webinars brought together practitioners from SSC and academics from AUS to discuss energy and climate change, smarter mobility, ecodistricts and sustainable materials.

The webinar series provided an opportunity for students to expand their knowledge beyond classroom discussions and theoretical ideas to how SSC is implementing sustainable practices on the ground. The students were able to learn about the successes and challenges faced in the development of sustainable housing and communities.

“Collaborations such as this webinar series with SSC allowed students to learn first-hand what it takes to incorporate sustainability principles into a project like Sharjah Sustainable City and the impact it can have on our individual and community carbon footprint. This is invaluable insight for students. It brings all of the knowledge gained in the classroom to life,” said Rose Armour, Head of AUS Sustainability.

Approximately 370 students, faculty and staff attended the different webinars, with students comprising the majority of the attendees. Professors in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, and the College of Architecture, Art and Design were able to incorporate the webinars into their classroom learning.

“The SSC webinars provided a great window for our students and faculty alike to interact with prominent professionals who are working on the development of SSC. For my classes, it has substituted the face-to-face site visits that have been limited by COVID-19 and has enriched the students’ knowledge and supported the delivery in my courses. As a result of these webinars, the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of Diamond Developer asked us to measure and evaluate the thermal insulation of one villa and has voiced interest in our project on 3D concrete printing,” said Dr Adil Tamimi, Professor of Civil Engineering at AUS.

Students who were able to attend all four of the webinars and received certificates of attendance for their time committed to this initiative. Ishrag Abdalla, an environmental sciences senior who received a certificate, said he found the webinars beneficial.

“The webinar series was a true success as AUS Sustainability capitalized on the university’s online-based transition. As a student, it’s often challenging finding the time to participate in new discourse while balancing our academic commitments; however, this series was offered at a great pace that piqued my curiosity in an especially important topic: sustainability. The SSC and AUS collaboration exposed the AUS community to global trends and sustainable urban planning,” Abdalla said.

AUS is looking forward to the next phase of collaboration with SSC in Fall Semester 2021, which will see the start of research projects with the College of Engineering and potential co-authoring of a research paper on urban planning. Building strong relationships with distinguished local companies enhances the AUS educational experience by providing real-world applications that cannot be learned in the classroom. This sentiment was echoed by Karim El-Jisr, Chief Sustainability Officer, Diamond Developers:

“The webinar series was an excellent opportunity to generate research interest in smart and sustainable cities and to identify opportunities for practical learning in Sharjah Sustainable City. Indeed, blended education can accelerate knowledge transfer in sustainability and the built environment.”