Info session on DAAD Scholarships – Masters in Germany

The DAAD is offering a special scholarship for the MSc Sustainable Management – Water and Energy at RWTH Aachen University to current graduates and alumni from GUtech’s Environmental Engineering programme. If you would like to learn more, please join us the upcoming Info session on DAAD Scholarships for GUtech Graduates and Alumni – Masters in Germany on Monday, 4 May 1pm https://zoom.us/j/96242676788 We will be joined by Thomas Dondorf from RWTH Aachen University, who is coordinating the MSc Sustainable Management – Water and Energy scholarship programme, so get your questions ready.

The Research Team in GUtech’s Faculty of Business and Economics Administers Survey on Acceptance of Virtual Tours During the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Research Team in GUtech’s Faculty of Business and Economics Administers Survey on Acceptance of Virtual Tours During the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID – 19 is affecting all our lives in multiple ways. Supermarkets are running out of toilet paper, pasta and hand sanitizer, small shops have to close, airlines stop operating – the economy all over the world has to face some severe changes!?

Meanwhile we are questioning ourselves: What impact will this crisis have on the Tourism sector!? Our research team is about to answer this question with your very much appreciated help!

The Research Team in GUtech’s Faculty of Business and Economics is asking the public to participate in a survey-based study to understand the acceptance of virtual tours during the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

This research is about the use of Virtual Tours during crisis such as COVID-19 and its acceptance by the society (you).

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes.

The survey can be found at this link: https://forms.gle/AF34PSHjkaiBMAHf6

Engineering students showcased their projects during the International Gas Conference

 

 

HALBAN Students from the Department of Engineering and the Department of Computer Sciences have participated with ten poster presentations in the International Gas Union Research Conference 2020 (IGRC2020) that was held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre a few weeks ago. The three-day conference was one of the leading international gas events, held under the auspices of Dr. Mohamed Al Rumhi, Minister of Oil and Gas in Oman.

“It was a great chance for our students to showcase their group project ideas and then to connect with experts from all over the world. We were very pleased to participate with a number of students in this important international gas exhibition and conference. The students had the opportunity to discuss their projects with international leaders in the field of gas research. We would like to thank the organizers for all their support,” said Prof. Dr. Hind Bhargash, Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering.

GUtech Engineering and Computer Sciences students were among a few, selected students presenting their projects. GUtech student projects presented during the IGRC2020 were a gas pipeline leak detector using sensors, a smart city planning project that included solar energy operated by Arduino software, as well a simple firefighting truck using Arduino and other sensors. A group of three Environmental Engineering students presented a poster on a greenhouse operated by a hydroponic system using Arduino software. Another group of Engineering students presented a poster on a so-called pen plotter, a special type of graphics printer that draws graphical images or text instead of a toner that can be used on any solid surfaces or paper.

The ICRC2020 conference discussed global energy challenges across the gas value-chain including sessions on de-carbonizing the industry as well as production optimization through the use of new technologies aiming towards a cleaner planet. Moreover, emerging technologies in gas utilization were discussed such as a hydrogen production and storage as well as CO2 utilization and storage.

Managing the online study-time at home

The German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) has been conducting online classes for all students in the past weeks. Online learning requires a lot of self-motivation from students while on the other hand students seem to be more flexible. Studying and learning within the online environment and at home is entirely different from studying at the university within tight time-frames, social networks and face-to-face interactions with professors and lecturers. While studying online, study plans may be changed or missed out easily. In addition, studying remotely can make it difficult to balance studies, personal and family life. Therefore, it is important to make a plan and schedule the study-time on a daily basis.

GUtech professors and administrative employees advise on how to manage the time and studies and in effective ways. Prof. Dr. Wilfried Bauer, Head of the Department of Applied Geosciences, highlights that a continuous daily learning routine is very important. “I record all classes two hours in advance and make them available exactly at the starting time of a class. My greatest concern is that students will come to the conclusion: ‘Everything is recorded, no problem to catch up later.’ The amount of work will suddenly increase by the end of the current restrictions. Many will find out that there is not sufficient time to catch up.”

Prof. Dr. Osman Barghouth, Head of the Department of Logistics and Tourism said students and professors should communicate continuously. “Students must maintain their enthusiasm during those days and continue their lessons and activities on a daily basis in order to avoid accumulating lessons at the end of the academic year. On the other hand, instructors should find effective ways to communicate with students, track their performances, and engage them in how to organize their online learning. Only through interactive learning that ensures and stimulates student participation and interaction, distance-learning will succeed in achieving its goals.” Dr. Yathrib Ajaj, Senior Chemistry Lecture at the Department of Mathematics and Sciences said that she engages the students. “I train students to be leaders. Currently four students support my teaching and communicate with the other students. Each week I speak to these students and give them the schedule ahead. They then help the other students to understand the course material. I always give them some assignments during the lecture.”

GUtech’s Head of IT Service Department, Jiji Varghese has some general tips for studying at home. These include studying within a healthy environment with a lot of light and fresh air. Regular exercise, social contacts online and regular breaks are also important. “Make your workplace bright, get some sunlight through your windows. Try to get as well some exercise, mediation, yoga or just laugh every day. Make time for chatting and taking breaks, watching positive, funny videos” he said while adding: “Avoid watching too many news about the Corona pandemic.”

GUtech students speak about their study experiences and how they manage their time during social distancing and online classes these days.

Sadiyah Manidhar, an 8th semester student in Process Engineering is currently working on her final thesis. She said: “I recommend to stick to the normal routine, especially with sleep so that I do not have trouble attending or missing out any online classes. What also works for me, is making reminders and a to-do-list for fun and work activities so that there is a balance and I feel engaged and not pressurized to do something. Apart from that, it is important to have a good organization of my studies. I am currently using mind-maps for my thesis. To-do-lists and personal reminders also help me not to rush into my deadlines and not worry about too much stuff,” she said.

Rayyan Al Ajmi, a 3rd year student in Process Engineering said that she has developed a study routine. She usually wakes up early in the morning. “I watch the uploaded lectures and take notes. I have specified each day for a certain course. That day, I try to focus on watching the lectures, solve tutorials and study a little bit of that course. Later on, I do some exercises and then I practice my hobbies like playing piano, cooking and I do some art like painting canvases. Quarantine really made me figure out the things that I can master, without leaving my studies and I somehow consider this as an achievement.”  Rayyan also stays in contact with her friends, while talking to her friends online and discussing assignments and solving them together and sometimes playing online games together, makes my quarantine easier as we cannot see each other, but we are still in contact.”

 

 

Tourism research presented during the Virtual Conference of the American Association of Geographers (AAG)

HALBAN Until the current pandemic, cruise tourism has been on the rise worldwide. Dr. Manuela Gutberlet, who is a tourism researcher from the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech), has recently presented some research results on mega-cruise tourism and overtourism in Souq Muttrah to international researchers during the virtual conference of the American Association of Geographers (AAG). The AAG conference is one of the leading geography conferences worldwide. The virtual conference offered 180 sessions and panels on topics such as climate change, political, human and social geographies, the role of geographers as actors in public policy and advocacy, trends in geoethics, race and ethnocentrism’s impacts worldwide.

Overtourism is associated with unsustainable growth of tourism and concepts like ‘visitor pressure’ and the social and physical ‘carrying capacity’ of a destination. “Until the current corona pandemic, large-scale cruise tourism has been one of the emerging sectors worldwide, especially in the Middle East and in Asia. Compared to 17.8 million cruise passengers in 2009, a total of 30 million passengers were traveling worldwide in 2019,” said Dr. Manuela Gutberlet, who is currently writing on a book on ‘Cruise tourism and overtourism on the Arabian Peninsula’. Her virtual presentation explored the impacts of mega-cruise tourism in Souq Muttrah, a popular tourist destination in Oman. “In my research I have been analyzing the urban physical space, local community perceptions and behaviors of shopkeepers, business owners and tour guides with respect to overtourism and changing authenticities in an emerging cruise destination on the Arabian Peninsula. I have conducted intensive qualitative and quantitative research in Souq Muttrah,” said Dr. Manuela Gutberlet. Detailed studies on mega-cruise tourism and the social and cultural impacts on local communities are little worldwide and non-existent in the Arab world. “My results suggest that the culture in Souq Muttrah is transformed into new configurations of diversity, where the concept of a ‘homogenous Omani culture’ is redefined. The future of sustainable tourism development in Souq Muttrah lies in an active participation and in the power of locals but as well of cruise liners,” said Dr. Manuela.

Currently, international tourism has stopped since last month. “Cruise tourism will continue worldwide, however on a different scale. To relaunch tourism, further social research should be done on the impacts of the current pandemic on different tourist destinations.”

Wasting internet bandwidth at home may prevent others from accessing valuable data

HALBAN The internet has become a vital source for teaching, learning, communication as well as research. The German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) has introduced online teaching in the last month. However, the internet consumption requires a responsible consuming behaviour of the entire community, similar to water consumption. Through the internet, we are all connected. “If you waste your internet bandwidth at home, you may prevent others who urgently need internet access from valuable data,” said Prof. Dr. Nabil Sahli, Head of the Department of Computer Sciences at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech).

He added that “the current pandemic COVID-19, has taught us that we should stop thinking selfishly, if we want to survive. If we do not provide the same healthcare and prevention measures to all, the virus will spread in the community. Similarly, if we take all the bandwidth of the internet for ourselves we will prevent others from even small data packets. Consequently, they will have difficulties to teach and learn online, do business, or communicate with others online.”

Prof. Nabil explained that internet users of the same internet address (ISP) usually have limited bandwidth within their neighborhoods. “Currently the internet is becoming a vital resource for our everyday-lives, a public utility, similar to water and electricity. Most of us will try not to waste water or electricity in order to avoid getting high bills,” said Prof. Nabil. In some countries tap water is free-of-charge or it is subsidized like here in the Gulf region. This increases the risk of wasting water. “Most people who know that water is a vital, scarce, natural resource, they will not waste it. In the same way, internet consumers who have unlimited Internet access at home should not let go their YouTube or Netflix streaming while they are off,” said Prof. Nabil Sahli while highlighting that charges can regulate the data consumption. “Those consumers who have limited internet connection and who pay for their downloaded and uploaded data, will usually use the internet with more moderation,” he said.

Architects held an Online Research Workshop On Urbanism

Despite the current limitations in face-to-face meetings, academics from the Department of Urban Planning and Architectural Design at the German University of Technology (GUtech) are carrying on with their scholarly projects in unusual ways. “Every crisis has a potential to create innovative solutions,” says Prof. Nikolaus Knebel, who had to overcome the short-term cancellation of an international two-day workshop on “Cities In Their Own Right. Southern Urbanisms Along The Indian Ocean Coast” that was planned for months. Last year, the renowned Urban Studies Foundation granted a fund to hold an International Seminar Series to Prof Nikolaus Knebel, Dr. Nathalie Jean-Baptiste from Ardhi University in Tanzania and Prof. Dr. Nina Gribat from Cottbus University in Germany. The focus of this research project is on understanding cities along the coast of East Africa, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, which, over the next decades, will experience drastic changes to their urban and social structures. The question is: Are there models for this transformation that suit the specific conditions of these cities of the Global South? For example, Dar Es Salaam is a city which is predicted to grow to the size of Mumbai in the foreseeable future. “We want to foster a scholarly exchange to see what one side can learn from the other. But the participants are also very much rooted in practice, because they work on everyday issues of their cities and citizens through setting up so-called City-Labs, which are platforms for discussions, research, practical problem-solving as much as visionary thinking.”, says Knebel. “We have built up a network of scholars from cities in the South like Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Muscat, Karachi, Mumbai, Kochi and Colombo as well as also contributors from Oxford, Dortmund and Stuttgart and were looking forward to our workshop. We wanted to meet in our group of researchers to discuss our papers, but had to switch to an online meeting last minute,” says Knebel. “It was interesting to see what the change of format brought, meeting within a limited timeframe of two hours instead of two days. Of course, we missed the informal chat and networking that always makes conferences a fertile ground for new ideas and new partnerships. But on the other hand, we worked so concentrated on the discussion of research papers. I had the impression that we were much more disciplined and focused than it is in live sessions sometimes.” The positive experience of this online conference led to the group wanting to continue meeting with this format for the time being. “However, our topic is urban studies, it is all about people and the public life in a city, which is quite the opposite of being quarantined at home or confined in an office. I can imagine that after this period of experiencing empty cities devoid of people we might appreciate the qualities of social life in urban spaces much more,” says Prof. Nikolaus Knebel.

Schlumberger Oman has donated Petrel and PetroMod Software to the Applied Geosciences Department

HALBAN Schlumberger Oman & Co. LLC. has donated recently two Computer Software packages Petrel and PetroMod to the Department of Applied Geosciences at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). The joint Schlumberger Geosciences Computer Laboratory using both software packages was inaugurated at GUtech in 2013.

The state-of-the art computer laboratory at GUtech has been used by BSc and MSc students and for various research projects. Petrel software helps to discover oil reservoirs and to optimize the petroleum recovery. The software divides the subsurface into cells and assigns present day properties to cells. PetroMod reconstructs the geological history in time: when, where and how the oil was formed in the subsurface.

“We were pleased to sign the second donation contract with GUtech recently. Schlumberger continues to focus on in-country value improvements. The software donation to GUtech is part of our commitment to support the development of young talents and expose them to the latest digital solutions,” said Naser Nasser Al Siyabi, Schlumberger Software Integrated Solution Manager at Schlumberger. He further added: “Engaging the students early during their studies is key to ensure that they are better prepared and aligned while using our Schlumberger software specialized in the Exploration & Production for their research. Globally, we have signed similar agreements. We continue to focus on the places where we operate.”

“The Schlumberger software is currently used in regular curricular activities, especially for geophysics courses at GUtech. This means that students are learning with a software that they will later on use in their professional careers. Last year, a team from GUtech used the software for the analysis of data from AAPG, winning the third place in the prestigious Imperial Barrel Award,” said Prof. Dr. Wilfried Bauer, Head of the Department of Applied Geosciences.

Caption: The Schlumberger Laboratory (photo from GUtech archive)

(c) GUtech/ Text & Photo: Dr. Manuela Gutberlet & Umaima Al Zadjali

 

Keep Learning during the Pandemic

It is unprecedented to move some of your learning into remote platforms, while other courses have been cancelled due to the COVID-19. We recognise the extreme burden this situation puts on you as a learner.

to guide you in your search for online resources, we thought of easing this task and let you focus on interesting online courses that are offered by leading universities in World Heritage Studies and ICT.

 

 

 

The Coronavirus pandemic is teaching us important lessons

“The internet should be seen as important as water and electricity. Companies should be prepared with online strategies”

The current epidemic with its impacts on the community shows the importance of the internet for communication, teaching, online learning and remote work. “Companies should be prepared in advance for such a crisis,” says Prof. Dr. Nabil Sahli, Head of the Department of Computer Sciences at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). Under Prof. Nabil’s supervision, the university has implemented online teaching and learning.

Prof. Nabil highlights the importance of advanced planning and strategies on various levels: “Schools and even companies and governmental agencies should have a clear strategy for online work and online teaching as part of their Crisis Management Plans (CMP). Like we train staff and students on how to evacuate a building in case of fire, we are currently witnessing the need to train them how to work from home. Once this crisis ends, we should all have a clear plan on how to deal with similar situations in the future, ” he says while adding that “the internet should be seen as important as water and electricity. Each single house should have access to internet with a reasonable speed. Unless we achieve this, we cannot provide synchronous teaching, which means live sessions, to students as this would exclude some of them.”

As a consequence, the teaching will be mainly asynchronous, through posting videos and materials in the Learning Management System and asking students to work on assignments offline, which according to Prof. Nabil Sahli, does not replace the traditional way of teaching. A lot of self-discipline and motivation is required from each student. “We all learned that self-discipline is crucial for survival. During regular times, students are used to attend classes according to a well-defined timetable, listen to their teachers, and do their homework. When confined at home, what would make a student follow the posted material and recordings on time and submit the requested assignment if it is not his or her self-discipline and determination?” asks Prof. Nabil.

Caption: Prof. Dr. Nabil Sahli, Head of the Department of Computer Sciences at GUtech.

(c) GUtech/ Photo & Text: Umaima Al Zadjali & Dr. Manuela Gutberlet & Prof. Dr. Nabil Sahli