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Fifty Years of Marine Micro-Organisms Life Documentation in the Waters of the Arabian Gulf

24 November 2020

The Associate Professor of environmental sciences and marine micro-organisms in the Department of Life Sciences and Marine Sciences at University of Kuwait, Dr. Huda Mahmood stated that “Scientific research has documented the existence of biological diversity of micro-organisms for more than fifty years in the waters of the Arabian Gulf, indicating that despite the simplicity of such research, it still confirms the existence of three important historical eras for marine micro-organisms in the region. "

Dr. Mahmood stated the previous in a remote lecture held under the sponsorship of the Dean of the College of Science at the University of Bahrain (UOB), Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Al-Hilo, titled “The Arabian Gulf: Fifty Years of Scientific Research Examining the Environment of Micro-organisms: Achievements and Challenges”, which was organized by the Department of Life Sciences in UOB in partnership with the University of Kuwait.

Moreover, Dr. Mahmoud explained that the three historical eras that studies of micro-marine organisms have gone through are: the era of pre-nineties of the last century, in which research focused on the biological diversity of marine micro-organisms, the post-nineties era, where studies on the vital functions of these microorganisms rose up, and the era of the beginning of the third millennium, where such studies developed to include the study of biological and functional diversity, in addition to the vital applications of these micro-organisms in the field of serving the environment and humanity.

Also,  Dr. Mahmood pointed out that there are many research gaps in these studies, as they focus only on a very small percentage of the biological diversity of these marine micro-organisms, due to the reliance of these research on microbial culture techniques, which cannot reveal about 99% of the true diversity that exists in the waters of the Arabian Gulf. Calling for the use of modern biotechnologies to study these marine micro-organisms, such as the advanced and highly efficient "OMEX techniques" to detect micro-organisms that can’t be cultured by traditional methods.

For their part, the Dean of the College of Science, Prof. Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Al-Hilo, and the Head of the Life Sciences Department at UOB, Dr. Salwa Mutlaq Al-Thawadi, welcomed the joint cooperation in the field of research and scientific supervision of postgraduate students between UOB and University of Kuwait.

Furthermore, the organizer and director of the lecture, Assistant Professor of Environment and Molecular Biotechnology at the Department of Life Sciences at UOB, Dr. Maison Nidham Awadh, indicated the lecture's contribution to promoting the sustainable development goals of the United Nations Development Program in Arab countries, pointing out the great interaction of the participants in the lecture and their praise of the scientific information presented, which opened horizons for conducting joint scientific research in the field of life sciences.

 Sustainable Development Goals

4 Quality education

14 Life Below Water

17 Partnerships for the goals

Key Words

Biological diversity of marine micro-organisms in the Arabian Gulf, Scientific Research, College of Science, University of Bahrain, marine micro-organisms environment,

Emphasizing the Effect of Physics on Energy and Various Electronic Devices

UOB’s Department of Physics Hosts a Lecturer from Cambridge

4/11/2020

The Department of Physics at the College of Science at the University of Bahrain (UOB) recently organized a remote lecture, in which Dr. Mohammed Anwar, Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, participated, in addition to a number of professors and students from the University's Department of Physics and several interested people and specialists.

Dr. Anwar discussed the most important applied physics research that have a role in bringing about a paradigm shift in the fields of energy science and its storage, not to mention its impact in bringing about a remarkable development in devices in general.

While the head of the Department of Physics at UOB, Dr. Hanan Mubarak Al-Buflasa, indicated that the lecture comes within a series of lectures that the department holds in cooperation with researchers from international universities and research centers.

Furthermore, she added that these lectures shed light on the importance of science in general, its role in industrial and technological development, and the importance of supporting research in the field of applied physics in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to bring it to the level of countries contributing to the development of science and technology, and to focus on global challenges and needs in various scientific fields.

It is planned that the Department of Physics will organize a number of remote lectures in the coming period, in which it will host a group of international speakers from Britain, Canada, Australia and Greece.

Sustainable Development Goals

4 Quality education

7 Affordable and clean energy

17 Partnerships for the goals

Key Words

Applied Physics, University of Cambridge, Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Energy Sciences and Storage,

In a Joint Lecture Between UOB and Sultan Qaboos University, Prof. Abed Confirms:

Marine Organisms Contribute to the Degradation of Plastics and the Production of Biofuels

18/10/2020

The Professor of Environmental Sciences and Marine Microorganisms at Sultan Qaboos University, Prof. Raed Mohammed Abed, emphasized the vital role that marine microorganisms play in the sustainability of the ecosystem in the seas and oceans, through their participation in completing the cycles of the elements, the breakdown of organic materials and the reduction of the emission of carbon dioxide, thus reducing global warming. Stressing the importance of employing the distinct biological system in these microorganisms to serve humanity through multiple fields such as plastic decomposition and biofuel production.

Also, Prof. Abed indicated the nature of the microorganisms that have adapted and coexisted over time in saline sedimentary layers below the surface of marine waters, in an environment where there is almost no oxygen, relatively high temperatures, and surrounded by a very salty environment, the percentage of which may reach more than (20%) compared to the usual marine waters where the percentage of salts ranges between (3.5% - 5%).

Prof. Abed lecture was held remotely to professors and students from the University of Bahrain (UOB), Sultan Qaboos University and a number of Gulf universities, in a lecture titled “How Can Microorganisms Live in Saline Sedimentary Layers Under the Surface of Water?” under the sponsorship of the Dean of the College of Science at UOB Prof. Mustafa Mohammed Al-Hilo and in the presence of the Head of the Life Sciences Department at UOB, Dr. Salwa Mutlaq Al-Thawadi.

The organizer and director of the lecture, Assistant Professor of Environment and Molecular Biotechnology at the Department of Life Sciences at UOB, Dr. Mayson Nidham Awadh, pointed to the lecture's contribution to promoting the sustainable development goals of the United Nations Development Program in Arab countries, stating that "The lecture is jointly organized by the UOB and the University of Sultan Qaboos in the Sultanate of Oman, and it opened the way for research and scientific supervision for postgraduate students from the master's and doctoral programs between the two universities." Pointing out to the great interaction of the participants in the lecture and their praise of the scientific information presented, which opened horizons for conducting joint scientific research in the field of life sciences.

Sustainable Development Goals

4 Quality education

14 Life Below Water

17 Partnerships for the goals

Key words

Environmental Sciences and Marine Microorganisms, Sustainability of the Ecosystem in the Seas and Oceans, College of Science, University of Bahrain

The Arab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, issued by the College of Science at the University of Bahrain (UOB), has made progress in evaluating the global database (Scopus).

On this occasion, the President of UOB, Dr. Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, congratulated the editors of the Journal for their great scientific efforts in making this Journal an integral part of the production of scientific knowledge at UOB in particular, and in the Arab region and the world in general. He further stated that "This Journal is rich in scientific competencies, and it managed to attract many Arab scholars, researchers and referees who have enriched this Journal," affirming that the Journal is now considered to be one of the most prestigious international journals.

The Journal is published by UOB through the international publishing house, which reached a scale of (3.8) in the global database (Scopus) for the year 2019, achieving a scale double what it was a year ago, which reflects the Journal’s high reputation, as the average citation for published research hit an average of  4 times per research.

Also, the SJR scale of the Scimago database for ranking scientific journals showed that the Journal’s evaluation for the past year of 2019 reached (0.46), and such ranking represents a benchmark for the scientific impact of scientific journals that represent the number of citations that the Journal receives compared to other journals.

For his part, the Dean of the College of Science at UOB and Chief Editor of the Arab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences Prof. Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Al-Hilo stated that “The Journal’s advancement is pushed by the excellence of the global editorial board making the Journal, and by the transfer of the Journal’s publication to the open annual issue system, through which approved research show for immediate publication in the issue upon completion of its preparation on the global Scopus database without any delay, allowing researchers around the world to view the Journal's research and cite it as soon as it’s published.

Moreover, Dr. Al-Hilo indicated that the Journal published special editions that keep pace with the global trend of scientific research, announcing that the field for publication in two special editions of the Journal is open, the first being on (Covid-19) research and analysis, and the second being on the determinants and countermeasure for fatigue in health and neuromuscular diseases.

Furthermore, the Vice President for Academic Programs and Graduate Studies, and the Journal’s chief editor, Dr. Waheeb Essa Al-Naser, stated that the Journal has achieved Remarkable progress after it moved to the current publishing house, Taylor and Francis.

As the journal was previously known as "The Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Basic and Applied Sciences", which was founded by Dr. Al-Naser in 2001, when the Association of Colleges of Science in the Association of Arab Universities made the College of Science at UOB its headquarters, while the zero issue of the Journal was published in 2002.

Sustainable Development Goals:

3 Good Health and Well-Being

4 Quality Education

17 Partnerships for the Goals

Key Words

Scopus Global Database, Arab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Scientific Knowledge Production, Scopus Global Database, Neuromuscular Diseases, Covid-19

Dr. Hamzah: College of Physics establishes Advanced Sciences Such as Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Renewable Energy

The President of the University of Bahrain(UOB), Dr. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, stressed the importance of scientific research cooperation in the field of physics between different universities in the region, indicating that physics represents the basic link in the innovation and invention processes in advanced sciences such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy, which in turn contribute to innovative solutions to various environmental challenges, such as climate change.

This was during the opening speech given by Dr. Hamzah in the first Conference of Virtual Physics and Its Applications, which was recently held by the Physics Department at the College of Science at UOB under the title "Regionally Advanced Physics", with the participation of 38 speakers from 20 Gulf and Arab universities.

Also, Dr. Hamzah stated that "This conference shall provide a base for academics and researchers to discuss the latest scientific developments and create opportunities for funded research projects." Pointing out that UOB is one of the leading universities in joint projects with international universities and institutions such as: the European Nuclear Energy Organization (CERN), the University of Oxford, Aston University, and the University of Loughborough, and indicating the leading position of UOB , as it ranked (208) in the Times World Ranking of Academic Institutions for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

For his part, the Dean of the College of Science, Dr. Mohammed Mustafa El-Hilo, referred to the endeavors and efforts of the College of Science at UOB in the field of scientific research and partnerships with international universities and scientific institutions, noting that this Conference establishes a basis for organizing a specialized conference in the future.

While the Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Waheeb Isa Al-Nasser presented a scientific paper on the development of solar energy cells in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and referred to the efforts of UOB in developing sustainable technology and renewable energy technology.

Moreover, the participants in the conference recommended the importance of creating a basis for cooperation between universities in the region, and supporting scientific research that contributes to supporting the latest scientific and industrial developments, as well as the importance of continuing to hold such scientific events that gathers scientists of physics and other sciences in the Arab Gulf countries and the countries of the Arab region under one umbrella.

It’s worth noting that the Conference was attended by more than 130 specialists and students of physics and various sciences from Arab and Gulf universities, and it reviewed 44 papers in various fields of physics and their applications. And within two days, the Conference covered 7 themes including condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, optical physics, medical and nuclear physics, renewable energy, astronomy, and material simulation.

Sustainable Development Goals:

4 Quality Education

7 Affordable and Clean Energy

9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

17 Partnerships for The Goals

Key Words

Physics, Virtual Conference of Physics, regional advanced physics, nanotechnology, renewable energy, medical physics, astronomy, optical physics, material physics, solar cell evolution, sustainable technology, Arab Gulf countries

A Study Discussed At UOB:

The Use of Social Media Programs Has A Great Positive Impact on Employees Performance

28 June 2020

A study conducted at the University of Bahrain (UOB) showed that the cognitive use of social media programs has a positive and significant effect on the job performance of employees, and that the use of such programs by female employees achieves higher job performance compared to male employees. Also, it found that the use of social media programs does not have much to do with the employee's adverse work behaviors, including being late for work, being frequently absent, or not adhering to job orders.

The study was conducted by a researcher at the University's College of Business, student Fatima Abdulhassan Habib, as part of the requirements for obtaining a master's degree in the Department of Management and Marketing in the College of Business, which was titled “The Effect of Using Social Media on Employee Job Performance in The Work Environment”. The study will contribute to providing companies and particularly telecom companies with a clear understanding of the factors that affect employees' job performance, specifically regarding the use of social media.

Moreover, the study relied on the electronic questionnaire as one of the data collection tools, and the sample was randomly selected from a Bahraini telecommunications company, aiming to ascertain whether the use of social media programs during working hours had an effect on the employees' job performance or not? And to what extent? How does the impact change as the purpose of using social media programs changes?

The discussion committee consisted of the professor at the College of Business at Kuwait University Prof. Rashid Jaber Al-Ajmi as an external examiner and the professor of Management and Marketing at UOB Prof. Adel Ismail Al-Alawi as an internal examiner, and it was supervised by Associate Professor in the Department of Management and Marketing at UOB Dr. Muwafaq Mohammed Al-Kubaisi.

Sustainable Development Goals:

4 Quality education

17 Partnerships for the goals

Key Words:

Cognitive use of social media programs, job performance, work behaviors, employee being late for work, employees frequent absence, employees not adhering to job orders, a master's degree in management and marketing department

Physics Department at UOB Holds A Virtual Forum on Regionally Advanced Physics

Under the title "Regional Advanced Physics" and with the participation of 38 speakers from 20 Gulf and Arab universities, the Physics Department at the College of Science at the University of Bahrain (UOB) is holding a virtual forum on Sunday and Monday 28-29 of current month of June.

The forum aims to encourage scientific research in the field of advanced physics in several fields, including nanotechnology, renewable energy, medical physics, space sciences, optics, in addition to materials physics.

And it is hoped that the forum will result in several outcomes, the most important of which are: creating a basis for cooperation between universities in the region and supporting scientific research that contributes to supporting the latest scientific and industrial developments.

Sustainable Development Goals:

4 Quality Education

17 Partnerships for The Goals

Key Words

Physics Department at the College of Science at the University of Bahrain, a virtual forum, regionally advanced physics, encouraging scientific research in advanced physics, nanotechnology, renewable energy, medical physics, space sciences, optics physics, materials physics, basis for cooperation between universities in the region, support for scientific research

UOB Holds an Electronic Forum About the Solar Eclipse Tomorrow

In cooperation with the Bahrain Astronomical Society, the University of Bahrain (UOB), is holding an electronic forum on the solar eclipse that is expected to happen next Sunday, June 21^st, under the patronage of the University’s president Dr. Riyad Yousif Hamzah on Thursday (18 June 2020).

The forum shall begin with a welcoming speech by the Dean of the College of Science at UOB  Dr. Moahmed Mustafa Al-Helo, followed by a participation from the former Dean of the College of Science at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dr. Ali Al-Shukry, and it shall be delivered by the Assistant Professor of Physics at UOB, Dr. Khalil Ebrahim Jassim under the title: "How Do Total and Annular Eclipses Happen?"

Professor of Applied Physics and former Dean of the College of Science at UOB Dr. Shawqi Mohammed Al-Dalal shall be participating with a paper entitled: “Solar Probes and Early Monitoring of Solar Activity”. Meanwhile, the Director of the International Astronomy Center in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, Eng. Mohamed Odeh, is participating with a paper entitled: "Solar Activity and Scientific Benefits from Eclipses." which is followed by a paper entitled: "Global Myths and Legends About Lunar and Solar Eclipses" presented by Associate Professor of Astrophysics at the Department of Physics at UOB, Dr. Waleed Jameel Azzam.

Also, the Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Professor Awad Al-Khalaf, shall discuss the two phenomena of solar and lunar eclipse in the context of the Holy Quran, while Professor Hassan Hamid Al-Arrayed from Al-Arrayed Eye Center in the Kingdom of Bahrain will address the health damage resulting from looking at the sun during the eclipse phenomenon.

Also, professor of Applied Physics at UOB and President of the Bahrain Astronomical Society, Dr. Waheeb Issa Al-Nasser, shall talk about the upcoming eclipse phenomenon, while the owner of the Saturn Astronomical Observatory, a member of the Bahrain Astronomical Society, Ali Namdar, shall explain how to observe and photograph the eclipse phenomenon.

It’s worth noting that UOB is interested in tracking astronomical phenomena, the last of which being the solar eclipse last January, as an event was held with a large number of people interested in astronomical phenomena participating, during which special glasses were distributed to observe the eclipse, and the public was allowed to track the phenomenon through special telescopes. Also, the university is keen to organize awareness-raising lectures on the correct and safe methods of tracking the natural phenomenas of solar and lunar eclipses.

On the Geological Environments of Emerald

UOB And the (Danat) Institute Discuss Graduation Research on The Teams Platform

16/6/2020

A study conducted at the University of Bahrain (UOB) classified the geological environments of emerald based on its chemical elements using discriminant analysis, and it determined the correct geographical environment for several other gemstones that were not included in the study sample, after applying the analysis to gemstone data of known sources.

The study was conducted by student Wafa Fawzi Hassan as a graduation project for the bachelor’s program in statistics and scientific research at the Department of Mathematics at the College of Science at UOB, which was done in cooperation with Bahrain Institute of Pearl and Gemstones (Danat), and was recently discussed on the virtual communication platform “MS Teams” in the presence of the examiners from the faculty of the Mathematics Department of the University's College of Science, namely, Prof. Abdulaziz Salih Lahji, and Associate Professor Dr. Satish Kumar Agarwal.

The Director of the Research Department at Danat, Dr. Stefanos Karampelas, indicated that the importance of the research lies in its answer to an important question, which is: How can we determine the geological environment of emerald through the chemical composition of some elements in it? And he explained that knowing the environment of this gemstone contributes to forming a complete picture and specifications of the geological environments and their gemstones types. Pointing out that the proposed model will enable specialists to identify sources of other gemstones as well.

Moreover, Assistant Professor of Applied Statistics from the Mathematics Department at UOB, Dr. Maryam Ahmad Al-Mannai, confirmed that the UOB’s cooperation with Danat would motivate students to bring out the best knowledge and information they acquired through their university education, indicating that students will know analyzes types that may be required in the work environment and will keep pace with the rapid technological development with such huge amount of data.

For her part, student Wafa Fawzi Hassan stressed the importance of projects in refining students' skills and converting their cognitive experiences into distinguished practical experiences, expressing her sincere thanks to the University and the Institute for providing what is necessary for the success of the research and giving her the opportunity to gain practical experience.

The study was supervised by Assistant Professor of Applied Statistics in the Mathematics Department at UOB, Dr. Al-Mannai, the Director of the Research Department at Danat, Dr. Karampelas, and the Research Technician at the Institute, Hosna Al-Derazi.

Sustainable development goals

4 Quality education

17 Partnerships for the goals

Key Words

Geological Environments of Emerald, Emerald, Discriminant Analysis, Department of Mathematics at the College of Science, University of Bahrain, MS Teams,