19 Dec MEDRC Announces winners of the ‘Omani Young Water Researchers Award’ and the ‘Eco School Prize’ 2021

Muscat, December 16, 2021: MEDRC has announced the winners of the ‘Omani Young Water Researchers Award 2021’ and the ‘Eco School Prize’ at an official ceremony held under the auspices of H.E. Stella Kloth, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Oman.

Established by MEDRC and sponsored by the Omar Zawawi Establishment L.L.C and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Oman, the Omani Young Water Researchers Award highlights the exceptional work of young water researchers at undergraduate and postgraduate level in Oman.

Speaking at the award ceremony, MEDRC Center Director, Ciarán Ó Cuinn said: “Supporting the talents of young Omani’s researchers and the researchers of tomorrow is such an honor for us at MEDRC. The academic excellence and commitment to environmental sustainability on show is simply fantastic.”

H.E. Stella Kloth, Ambassdor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Oman said: “There is a recurring essence that flows through the history of Oman and the Netherlands binding its people together: water. Both nations continue to face challenges when it comes to water and water management. Therefore It is important for us to share our knowledge with each other and this is why Netherlands promotes its research in the field of water to continuously improve water efficiency and protection from water, thereby contributing to SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).”

The winners announced this year are as follows:

Postgraduate Category:

1st Place: Ms. Amira Sulaiman Al Gareebi, Sultan Qaboos University for the research paper titled “Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes from Local Biomass for Improving the Performance of Membrane Distillation for Water Desalination”

2nd Place: Ms. Alya Abdulla Al Busaidi, Sultan Qaboos University for the research paper titled “Bimetallic Photocatalytic Material CdxZn(1-x)O for the Degradation of Antibiotics Present in Aqueous Solutions Under Solar Light Irradiation”

Undergraduate Category

1st Place: Mr. Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Musalami, International Maritime College Oman for the research paper titled “Production of Potable Water by Thermal Desalination Technique on Utilizing the Waste Heat Exhaust Gases from a Diesel Engine”

2nd Place: Ms. Fatema Faham Al Muqbali & Amal Al Balushi, International Maritime College Oman for the research paper titled “Sustainable Desalination and Bioelectricity Generation Using Green Technology of Microbial Desalination Cell”

The Eco School Prize ceremony was held jointly on the same day, where Alaijah school was announced as the overall winner of the prize. Sponsored by Oman LNG Development foundation and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and supported by The Ministry of Education and Sultan Qaboos University’s College of Engineering.

The prize which was designed to build greater water and energy awareness among school students in Oman saw five schools from South Ash Sharqiyah compete for the prize. Through a series of different activities, the students showcased the importance of water and energy and why conservation of both resources is vital for sustainable development.

To highlight the learning and understanding developed by the students throughout the competition, they worked on creating engaging short videos for social media distribution. Sesban Nasser Al Alawi, a student of Alaijah School, won the award for best video for her work on a thoughtful and educational animation with Salma Salim Al Sarhani from AlKhansa school and Abdulaziz Amar AL-Oraimi from Ahmed bin Majid school tying for second place.

The Young Omani Water Researchers Award winners received a paid trip to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai while the winning prizes for the Eco school prize included vouchers of up to 150 OMR at an electronics store.

Among the distinguished guests present at the ceremony, H.E. Stella Kloth, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sabrin Al Badaai, representative of Oman LNG Development Foundation and Sulaiman Al Qasmi, COO of Oman Water and Wastewater Services Company.