Department of PublicRelations and InformationSultan Qaboos University

News

Upd

ate

Sing

apor

e Fo

reig

n M

inist

er a

t SQ

UM

ind

Ove

r Mat

ter

Socie

ty S

houl

d be

Mor

e Al

ert t

o Ch

ild M

altre

atm

ent

News

Rou

nd U

p

Mal

aysia

n Un

ivers

ity S

eeks

Tie

Up

with

SQ

U

Issue 244

Every Writer Needs a Reader

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 prefer-ably, 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 Fax: +968 24413 391E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om Website: www.squ.edu.om

View

Poi

nt

30 May 2012 P2

Mohamed Salem Al Ghailani

Editorial Supervision

Humaid Abdullah Al Adwani

Editor in Chief

M.K. SanthoshSenior Editor

Ahlam Al WahaibiDesign & Layout

Rashad Al Wahaibi

& Photography Dept., CET

Photography

As technology advances human beings’ quest for newer, faster, and more ef-ficient devices grows. The pace of innovation and commercial development over the past century has been such that society expects the next ‘big thing’ before we even know what the thing is. However, don’t think that innovation is about a new appliance. Research takes place across the world every day to encourage economic growth and find answers to critical health and wellbeing challenges facing modern society. SQU is no exception.

Innovation is about looking to the future and the challenges the world might face in the years to come. The major ongoing research projects at SQU, includ-ing those funded by His Majesty’s Strategic Research Grant and The Research Council’s Grant are expected to have a direct impact on the development of the country by encouraging innovation and providing new and cost-effective ways of meeting the needs of business, industry and services. There are nu-merous examples of productive collaborations between researchers at SQU and private and public organisations. But for sustained development we must be more focussed in approach and encourage more of these relationships so innovation can be quicker and more efficient.

It’s more vital than ever to support researchers whose innovative ideas boost growth. They push boundaries, experiment and make breakthroughs. The pol-icy makers should appreciate the importance of excellent research and strive to help academic researchers turn breakthroughs into viable technologies and innovations. It would be “innovative” if SQU would consider launching “the innovator of the year award” which would give an opportunity for research-ers to be recognised and rewarded for their work. Such a recognition would encourage researchers to consider the potential of their research and maximise its social and economic impact.

Innovation can denote formulating answers to questions as yet barely being asked, or finding possibilities we aren’t yet aware exist. And change happens so quickly. Apple’s iPod gave us a new way of listening to music that is now so deeply rooted in our consciousness it is becoming hard to recall a world without it, or the mobile phone with which it integrates. We hope in another 10 years some idea being brooded somewhere by some researcher in Oman or SQU will also have transformed our world thoroughly.

Something Innovative

30 May 2012 P3

News Update

For students at Sultan Qaboos University to take advantage in studying and developing more advanced technology for the new renewable green energy, a 1 KW Desert Photovoltaic Test Bed System has been installed at the univer-sity. This project was installed by Kwan Won Engineering & Construction Company based in South Korea and has operations in Oman. The formal inauguration of this facility was held recently under the patronage of Dr. Said bin Ali Al Yahyaee, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Community Service, in the presence of a number of officials and research-ers from Kwan Won and SQU.

In his speech during the occasion, Mr. Lee Yong Ho, CEO and President of Kwan Won, said: “We are pleased to be here with you today to study and develop solar power systems with Omani students, the economic and educa-tional future of Oman depends on them – they are the future of Oman. Our new solar module has been developed by Korean Government and we do believe that the “new desert PV module” is very suitable for Oman because it can resist high temperatures of more than 110 ⁰C, high humidity, and fine dust in the region. Throughout our trial test bed we have no doubt that solar power plants would contribute to develop future green energy in Oman and further enhance relationships between Oman and Korea”.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ali Al Harthy, Dean of the College of Engineer-ing at SQU, said that the Photovoltaic modules for desert areas, donated by Kwan Won will be used initially in a research project funded by the Research Council (TRC). “The project will study, among other things, the effect of dust on photovoltaic panels which is believed to be one of the main constraints in the implementation of large photovoltaic power plant systems in Oman,” , he added. The Dean revealed that the College of Engineering at SQU is planning to introduce a postgraduate program in renewable energy in near future.

Solar Power Test System Installed

HE K. Shanmugam, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Law, Republic of Singapore, visited SQU recently. The minister was received by HE Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of the University, and HH Sayyidah Dr. Mona bint Fahd Al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Cooperation.

At the university, K. Shanmugam watched a video presentation on SQU and visited the Cultural Centre and interacted with the partici-pants of a training course entitled “Distribution Network Asset Man-agement”, which is conducted by the Regional Institute for Infrastruc-ture Development (RIID) Singapore in collaboration with Singapore Power Training & Consultancy Company Pte Ltd and Sultan Qaboos University. This three day training course was a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oman.

As many as 26 participants from various power generation and trans-mission companies, such as Sohar Power Co., United Power Co., Al Rusail Power Co., SMN Barka PowerCo., Muscat Electricity Distribu-tion Co., Majan Electricity Co., Mazoon Electricity Co., etc., in addition to academics and students from SQU attended the training program. The trainers were Mr. Shen Sin Fong, Mr.Lim Liang Kuang, Mr. Low Boon Hoe, and Mr. Mohammad Irwa B Juma’at. At the end of the train-ing, certificates were distributed to the participants. This function was held under the patronage of HH Dr. Adham Turki Mahmood Al-Said, Assistant Professor, College of Commerce & Economics.

Singapore Foreign Minister at SQU

Break through in Off site Conservation of Arabian Tahr

The biotechnologists in the Department of Biology of the College of Science at SQU, have made significant breakthrough in their re-search project which looks into ex-situ conservation of the endan-gered wild animals in Oman. The researchers collected semen of the Arabian Tahr (Waal al Arabi, Arabitragus jayakari) one of the endangered species and has successfully frozen it for later use in

reproductive biology to conserve the animal. Dr. Senan Baqir, who is leading this project, said in a press conference that this is the first ever research project to investigate the Waal male fertility. Dr. Baqir added that the high viability of the collected and frozen semen can be used in reproductive biotechnolo-gies such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer, to rapidly increase the numbers of the endangered Arabian Waal and to eventually remove it from the ‘red list’ of endangered animals prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He said that the project can be expanded to other endangered wild animal species of Oman such as the Nimir Al Arabi, Caracal, sand fox and the Arabian wolf. He hoped that the frozen samples can be the beginning of the establishment of a gamete bank or cell bank in future.

The proposed cell bank, if coupled with other innovative technological ap-proaches such as assisted reproductive biotechnologies, interspecies trans-plantation, reproductive cloning, semen sexing, stem cell lines, ovum pick-up (OPU) and in vitro fertilization, would be appropriate tools to combat the con-tinued population decline of endangered species in Oman. Such innovative technologies play a pivotal role in tackling future challenges related to climate change, environmental stress and inbreeding depression found in endangered species captivity breeding programs”, Dr. Baqir said.

Insight

30 May 2012 P4

Writing Centres gained popularity in the 1970’s along with a Writing across the Curriculum movement that was a response to a perceived “literacy crisis” in western universities. The past 20 years have seen Writing Centres emerge worldwide in hundreds of English medium universities and colleges throughout Europe, Africa and Asia.

The SQU Language Centre (LC), under the direction of Dr. Saleh Al Busaidi, opened a Writing Centre last academic year to provide indi-vidualized writing support to LC students. The Writing Centre, in its provision of feedback that is essential to the writing process, pro-motes academic success by improving written communication.

Academic (and professional) success relies strongly on one’s ability to communicate in writing. However, regionally, data suggests that though faculty would like students to produce essays and reports, they feel students’ writing ability is frequently too weak to effec-tively communicate thinking or content knowledge. Fortunately, it is widely agreed that students in all academic settings, and particularly those studying in a second language, benefit from explicit instruction and practice in academic writing skills guided with ample feedback. Individualized writing conferences offered in a Writing Centre set-ting allow students the opportunity to get specific verbal feedback to trace the causes of their writing problems and to develop strategies for improvement.

Writing needs are highly individualized, and particularly so in an English as a Second Language environment. The Writing Centre ap-proach therefore favors one-to-one conferences. The writing confer-ence helps writers to develop and strengthen their work and provides them access to a reader who can address their questions. Learning and critical thinking are promoted by helping writers to focus on ele-ments of meaning and by involving them in reflection on their work.

Language Centre students are welcomed to the LC Writing Centre on a drop-in basis or by appointment and sessions typically last 30 minutes. A specific protocol is followed to ensure that engagement is collaborative as the Writing Centre is strictly not an editing service.

The students are encouraged to bring their work at any stage of de-velopment and writing conferences are designed to support them throughout the entire writing process. Students decide how best to use a session in the Writing Centre, whether it be to discuss brain-storming techniques, project outlines, drafts, instructions for assign-ments, the effectiveness of support or thesis statements, grammar, organization or any other aspect of the writing process.

The methodology used in the LC Writing Centre is intended to facili-tate an interactive and collaborative dialogue between student and writing tutor that is driven by the student’s questions, ideas, goals, and needs. Writing Centre methodology maintains that students who come to the Writing Centre be approached as writers. Often, students seem to face a problem with confidence as much as ability; thus, the Writing Centre strives to make students feel welcome and comfortable in the physical environment as well as in interaction with the tutor.

In the words of a former LC student, Al-Yaqdhan Hamood al Habsi, “Actually the Writing Centre helps me not in writing only. It helps me in self-confidence. They make the students feel self-confident and independent. They teach him some strategies that he will use when he writes essays. Just like when they teach you write freely, don’t feel afraid of mistakes. This helped me a lot.”

For more information about the LC Writing Centre or about writing centres in general, please contact Jodi Lefort, LC Student Support Unit Head, at jlefort@squ.edu.om

Every Writer Needs a ReaderBy: Jodi Lefort, Student Support Unit Head, Language Centre, SQU

30 May 2012 P5

Mind Over Matter

Does child maltreatment exist in Oman? There are no statistics to indicate the fre-quency of such treatment, but according to medical experts at Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity, child maltreatment does exist in this country. Prof. Lamk Al Lamki of the Col-lege of Medicine & Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University says: “It is possible that in Oman, because of culture and religion, the magnitude of child maltreatment is lower, but, such a conclusion would require substantiation by research employing rigorous methodology. Children are deprived of their rights in many ways and it is a universal problem”.

The paucity of data on the degree of child abuse in Oman, and, for that matter, the rest of the world, hinders the implementation of evidence-based prevention and in-tervention. According to Prof. Al Lamki, gathering more data on the prevailing situa-tion in Oman would be an essential first step. “The Research Council of Oman (TRC) should perhaps consider calling for more research on the different types and causes of child abuse in Oman. TRC has now received, and is considering, one research proposal on this topic. We hope more research studies will be conducted to shed light on the situation in Oman that would have direct bearing on prevention of harm to children, and also lead to the treatment of the adults involved. Likewise, research is needed to highlight the specific forms of child abuse and maltreatment that may exist in Oman”, he said.

The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989 and it was the fruit of 10 years of comprehensive negotiations between experts from governments, non-governmental organisations, various advocates of human rights and lawyers, as well as health specialists, social workers, and educators. The CRC recognises the rights of all children (persons under 18) to develop physically,

mentally and socially to their fullest potential, to express their opinions freely, and to participate in decisions af-fecting their future. It also ensures that they develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest. The CRC is a legally binding international treaty that incorporates the full range of human rights, “civil, cultural, economic, political and social”. It provides a vision of children as individuals, and as members of the family and commu-nity, with their rights, and responsibilities, appropriate to their age and stage of development and assures that chil-dren have access to education and health care and have the right to nationality, to a name, to freedom of speech and thought, and to freedom from exploitation, torture and abuse.

There are several ways a child can lose his/her rights. This can be in a form of child abuse, which includes “do-ing anything that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk”. Prof. Al Lamki adds that “child abuse can be physical, sexual, or emotional; neglect, i.e. not provid-ing for the child’s needs, is also a form of abuse as it de-prives the child of the basic rights delineated in the CRC. Among the cases reported to child protection services, ne-glect is by far the most commonly observed child abuse, followed by physical and sexual abuse”. Approximately 5.5 million children are neglected annually and 3 million cases of other incidents of child abuse are reported each year. Most abused children suffer greater emotional than physical damage. This can range from being withdrawn to being severely depressed. Sometimes emotional abuse subsequently triggers drug or alcohol abuse, or running away from home. Unfortunately, a study in United States has shown that the majority of children who run away, are taken into a prostitution ring within 48 hours. On ask-ing about child prostitution in Oman, Prof. Al Lamki said that we have to be very resolute and diligent, in protect-ing our children against all forms of exploitation, as our society is rapidly changing with young children increas-ingly spending hours on the Internet and in Internet chat rooms.

What can we do to ensure the preservation and improve-ment of child rights in Oman? According to Prof. Al Lamki, we need to make diligent efforts both individu-ally and also collectively. “The country could promote a public education campaign (e.g. TV shows) that openly discuss the issue of child abuse and how it can be pre-vented or avoided. Such a campaign should target both parents and children”. The Ministry of Social Develop-ment has formed executive committees to celebrate 2012 as the ‘Year of the Child’ in Oman, and will establish a cultural centre for children to enhance children’s capa-bilities and polish their skills. In Prof. Al Lamki’s opinion, this is great news and should be met with rejoicing by all the people in Oman. “Non-governmental organisations need to work on, or support, others’ efforts in improv-ing the acceptance of child rights in Oman. More indi-vidual effort is also overdue. The Ministry is playing its role; for instance, they have opened a Child Help Line which both children and adults can access, but this help line may not be sufficient to getting calls all from the chil-dren who need help in the whole country. To make this better, teachers, nurses and day-care workers need to be educated”, he said.

“There are no reports of child prostitution and child la-bour is not a problem in Oman” according to a US Re-port. Nevertheless, more individual efforts and efforts by the media, both electronic and print, are urgently needed to stop cases of child maltreatment. Children need a fully protective environment in order to thrive so we need more enthusiasm by everybody concerned to live up to the spirit of the CRC.

Society Should be More Alert

to Child Maltreatment

30 May 2012 P6

News Round Up

The Innovation Affairs Department of the Deanship of Research at SQU, recently organised a talk entitled “University Research and the Patent System” delivered by Richard C. Litman, Registered Pat-ent Attorney with Litman and Law, the US agency specialised in international intellectual property and technology law. His talk fo-cussed on three points, innovation in research, the value of patent rights and technology transfer.

Elaborating on the concept of innovation, Litman said that inno-vators make things happen in all areas of life; they get everyone around them to innovate, thus becoming agents of change. “Inno-vation is a dynamic process and one may not expect quick results. A good innovator is dedicated and committed to his work and consid-ers failure as a part of the process of being more and more innova-tive. The genuine innovator have fun in the process of innovating”, he said. The purpose of the patent system, according to Litman, is to encourage innovation. An invention is fully disclosed to the govern-ment, and, in return, rights are awarded for a limited period of time. “Patents protect useful innovations and the look of useful things. Machines, compositions, articles of manufacture and processes can be patented. Even small improvements sometimes qualify for pat-enting. To be patented, an innovation must be new and not obvious to an individual in field in view of prior art, or printed publications and things which are already known”, he said.

Famous publishers CABI Bookshop recently brought out a book on goat meat production, co-edited by two professors in the Department of Animal & Veterinary Sciences of the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences at SQU. Prof. Osman Ma-goub and Prof. Isam T. Kadim of SQU edited the book “Goat Meat Production and Quality” along with Dr. E. Webb from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Written by some of the world’s leading goat meat scientists, and drawing from the most recent publications in the field, this book comprehensively covers the most important areas of goat meat production. Chapters discuss the role of genet-ics, breeding, reproduction, and nutrition in producing good quality, profitable goat meat. The mineral, amino acid and fatty acid composition of goat meat is also addressed, along with a discussion of its nutritive value, aimed at highlighting its health benefits over other red meats.The book will be of use to students and researchers in animal science, animal production and meat science, plus goat meat producers and breeders.

Prof. Isam T. Kadim has over 30 years’ experience in research, teaching and community service. He is specialized in quality, hygiene and nutritive value of different types of meats. Prof. Osman Mahjoub has been involved in research and teaching in the area of growth and development of meat animals for over thirty years.

HE Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University, recently received in his office a delegation from the Sultan Idris Education Uni-versity, Malaysia, headed by Prof. Dato Dr. Zakaria Kasa, the Vice Chancellor. They discussed possible academic tie ups in different programs in education to be activated through exchange of academics and students.

The delegation watched a video presentation on SQU, its colleges, and the progress that it has made in different areas including research, teaching, com-munity, and internationalisation. HH Sayydiah Dr. Mona bint Fahd Al Said, SQU Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Cooperation and the Deans of the Colleges of Education, and Arts & Social Sciences were present on the occa-sion.

Future Lies in Innovation: Litman

A student delegation from Singapore Management University (SMU) visited SQU, as part of the their bi-annual Business Study Mission to the Middles East, which is in its fifth year. They were received by Dr. Shahid Al Balushi, Assistant Dean, College of Commerce & Economics, and officials in the Office of Exter-nal Cooperation and the Public Relations and Information Department at SQU. The delegation of 68 students completed their visits to UAE, and Qatar, before coming to Oman and SQU to foster ties with their counterparts. The visit was aimed at exploring the emerging markets of the Middle East for business op-portunities.

Liu Xuanyi, one of the students, said that the tour is the last phase of the a 13 week Business Study Mission, which includes an intensive curriculum of company case studies, student projects and guest lectures. “We are very excited about our visit to Oman and impressed by the cultural richness of the country and the hospitality of the people”, he said. Another female student said: “With the Middle East becoming increasingly significant on the global stage, it is no surprise that my classmates and I relish this opportunity to understand the intricacies of Arabian culture and more significantly, the importance of build-ing relationships through our networking sessions with executives based in the Middle East”, she said. The students toured the Cultural Centre and different colleges and centres at SQU.

Singaporean Students Visit SQU

Malaysian University Seeks Tie Up with SQU

SQU Professors Co-edit Book on Goat Meat

A Sun that never sets

From 557 in the year 1986, the number of students rose to 14722 in the academic year 2007-2008. This figure includes Diploma, Bachelors, Masters and PhD students. There has been gradual increase in the number of graduates as well; from 284 graduates in the year 1990 to 2422 in 2011.

Straight TalkHorizon: How did you develop interest in and get started with McDonald’s franchising business in Oman?Ali: In the late 80s while I was still at university, I met somebody whose family had the McDonald’s franchise in New York. As I spoke to them about their business, I got encouraged to contact McDonald’s with a view to bringing them to Oman. So I called up the company and they sent me an application, but asked me to wait until they start expanding in the Middle East region. I kept on calling them every three or four months until 1990 when they informed me that they would like to interview me as a possible candidate for Oman. After several interviews with various people at different lev-els in the company in the UK, in the US and further on job evaluation, I was the one they finally selected. After that I had to go through rigorous training for one year in the UK, Singapore and the US. My training for that one year took place in the restaurant where I worked and trained as a crew member, then in various manage-rial positions in the restaurant and finally as a Restau-rant Manager. In addition to the Operations training, there was also training in Marketing, Real Estate Selec-tion, Purchasing, and Construction; all the disciplines that go into building and operating a McDonald’s.

Horizon: How would you explain the growth of your franchisee business over the years?Ali: The critical driver of our growth has been always to look after our customers and not compromise on our standards and to always serve quality food in a clean and wholesome environment with fast and friendly service.

Horizon: What are the prerequisites for a successful entrepreneur?Ali: Hard work, self belief, persistence and a good mo-tivated team.

Horizon: What are the most crucial things that you have done to grow your business?Ali: Hands on approach. I am an owner-operator which means I not only own the business, I also operate it. Self involvement is very important in one’s business. If you leave it in other people’s hands, you run the risk of having a mediocre business. Having said that, it is important you have a capable team around you as the business grows, because you simply cannot do every-thing on your own.

Horizon: Many youngsters at SQU have plans to start their own business. What advice would you offer the entrepreneurs starting out today?Ali: My experience proves that franchising is a good way of doing business because of many reasons. First of all, your business is based on a proven model. A good franchisor provides support by way of training, setting up the business, sharing know how and best practices on how to run the business. This covers mar-keting, operations, mentorship and whatever else that is important to run the business. Another advantage of franchising is, banks are more likely to lend you money, because typically a franchise is seen as a proven model and less risky. Of course, there will be challenges; but you are not on your own.

Horizon: Would you suggest any franchising busi-ness ideas for your entrepreneurs in Oman?Ali: I would advise the youngsters to look at the ‘Serv-ice’ sector and start small. I know the US has a lot of franchises out there. Do your research, see what is suit-able for your own market and go for it.

Ali K. DaudAli Kamal Daud, CEO and Development Licensee of McDon-ald’s Oman, is based in Muscat with various business operations in Oman. Ali’s early education was at Aiglon College in Swit-zerland followed by his Bachelor of Arts Degree from New York University in 1988. Ali is currently the President of the Muscat American Business Council and has served on the Executive Council since 2004. Ali visited SQU recently as a panel member on Franchising organized by the College of Commerce & Eco-nomics, in association with Muscat American Business Council. Excerpts from his conversation with Horizon: