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This year’s winning research projects cover important sectors in the society and it is expected that the outcomes of such research projects will contribute to finding solutions to many problems

Strategic research is funded by His Maj-esty’s annual trust Fund grant which began in 2000. research projects funded by this

scheme are one of the most important research ef-forts conducted annually at Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity. this scheme gave a significant boost to the University’s research programme. the findings of such projects are expected to lead to significant breakthroughs and technological excellence in the long run and will bring important economic ben-efits for the Sultanate.

University academics from all colleges and disciplines — medicine, engineering, agriculture, environment, education, science and arts — com-pete annually to win these strategic research grants. With this year’s six research proposals winning grants, the total number of research projects funded by this scheme so far reaches 53.

the winning research proposals for this year address topics related to medicine, agriculture, education, environment and arts and social sci-ences. the winners are: Dr Yahya Mohamed al Farsi (college of Medicine), Dr thuwayba ahmed isaa al Barawania (college of education), Dr azza Habib Mustafa (college of education), Dr Othman abdul Khaleq (college of Science), Professor Mohamed Shafiur (college of agriculture and Marine Sciences) and Dr anwar Mohamed al rawas (college of arts and Social Sciences).

Selection Procedureabout the selection procedure Dr reginald Vic-

tor, Dean of research, says: “this year we received 19 proposals from different colleges covering the following areas: medicine, agriculture, environ-ment, marine sciences, economics, education and tourism. the selection procedure is based on three main sources of input. First, assessments of rel-evant external reviewers (from outside the Sultan-ate) are solicited. these academics are prominent and specialised professors from renowned univer-sities. Second, assessments of relevant government institutions on these research proposals are also requested. the aim of this second form of input is to make sure that the research proposals actually fulfil a pertinent need in the social and economic development of the Sultanate. third, the Univer-sity’s assessment provided by the academic coun-cil is also called upon. the principal investigator makes a presentation showing the aims and objec-tives of the project, methodology and the expected outcomes and the significance and role of such out-comes in supporting research in the Sultanate.

Autismthe study entitled

“autism in Oman: epi-demiology and etiology” conducted by Dr Yahya al Farsi from the Depart-ment of Family Medicine and Public Health in the college of Medicine aims to identify the es-timation of prevalence in Oman, quantification of malnutrition among autistics and verifying the potential relationship between lack of breastfeeding and autism. On this Dr al Farsi says: “Until recently, little information has been known about autism in Oman, so autism research group (arg) at SQU initiated in 2008 research activities on this disorder and was able to make a significant progress in its activities.” He adds: “in order to know more about this disorder and its causes and how to deal with it, i suggested in the proposal submitted that this project aims to conduct an array of research studies and infrastruc-ture development of autism services. the studies are: (1) Situational analysis of hampering factors in notification and timely-diagnosis of autism, namely knowledge, attitude, and practice among healthcare providers and school teachers; (2) eval-uation of the social and economic burden on autism families in order to facilitate transnational research

and formulation of a national policy for autism; (3) Biochemical exploration of the potential role of breast milk, glutathione, and cysteine metabolism on the occurrence of autism in Oman; and (4) ex-ploration of functional genomics of autism candi-date genes among Omani population.”

He points out that “the results of these studies are expected to advance the infrastructure of au-tism research, clinical management, and communi-ty services in Oman, and lead to better understand-ing of autism etiology.”

Measuring Against Expectations

the study entitled “Measuring against ex-pectations: Development of a Multidimensional Profile of college readi-ness of Sultan Qaboos University intake 2010 — 2012” conducted by Dr Thuwayba al Bar-wani from the curricu-lum and instruction De-partment of the college

of education is a descriptive and correlational re-search study that analyses cross-sectional quantita-tive data from several tests and surveys.

Dr Barwani points out the significance of this project saying: “the study will enhance our under-standing of: (1) the knowledge, motivation, skills and attitudes of students entering Omani higher education institutions in 2010-2012; (2) the differ-ences in academic performance between the gen-eral education and the first students to have com-pleted 12 years of Basic education curriculum; and (3) the knowledge and skills that contribute posi-tively to higher education academic success.” She adds: “understanding these areas will enhance the ability of faculty to design and implement degree programmes that prepare graduates who are ready to meet the social and economic goals of Oman as documented in 2020Vision (MoNe, 1995). to identify student knowledge, skills and attitudes, we will use SQU as a case study and will collect and analyse data from several sources including school diploma test scores, foundation test scores and the results of three instruments.” She clari-fies that “these three instruments focus on critical thinking skills, motivation, study skills and social factors that have been shown in prior research to affect academic success. the data will be analysed against the students’ academic performance dur-ing the first two years at SQU. With university gPa as the dependent variable, researchers will use multiple regression analysis to identify which independent variables most affect or possibly pre-dict university success.” Dr Barwani concludes “the sample for this study is the population of all SQU first year students for 2010, 2011 and 2012 (approximately 2,700/year X 3 years = 8,100 stu-dents). Lastly, as a follow-up to an earlier study, faculty will be surveyed about their perceptions of the students’ readiness skills. By using SQU as a case study, the research team will not only develop the database about SQU students but will also vali-date the research protocol, instruments and statis-tical programming which can then be used by all higher education institutions.”

Early Childhood Education

the study entitled “early childhood edu-cation: towards Quality early childhood educa-tion in Oman: Moving from Licensure to ac-creditation” conducted by Dr Azza Habib Mustafa, from the early childhood education De-partment, college of ed-ucation aims to (1) con-struct and validate a standardised instrument that measures quality in early childhood Programmes in Oman and (2) provide empirical data of the qual-ity of early childhood programmes in Oman. as to the study profile, Dr Mustafa says: “the study will involve a 50 per cent stratified sample of kin-dergartens and head teachers in those classrooms from all regions of Oman. Needed data will be collected using a culturally adapted version of the early childhood classroom Observation Scale (eccOS; National association for the education of Young children, 1991) to collect observational data from kindergarten classrooms, the classroom Demography information Sheet to obtain informa-tion regarding programme characteristics, and the teacher Questionnaire and interview to assess kin-dergarten practices involving parents.”

Groundwater the study entitled

“estimating natural groundwater recharge and discharge in North Oman using Hydro-chemical and Modelling approaches” conducted by Dr Othman Abdul Khaleq from the earth Sciences Department, college of Science, aims to estimate temporal and spatial recharge/discharge rates in North Oman us-ing Hydrochemical and Modelling approaches. Dr Othman maintains that the study also aims to as-sess groundwater residence time and identifies are-as of replenishment and depletion because ground-water recharge and discharge fluxes are important components in any hydrologic cycle and they are necessary for water budget analysis, especially in arid areas like Oman. reasonable assessment of these fluxes will provide key information for water development/management plans and water legisla-tions and abstractions.”

Biomaterialsthe study entitled

“Value added Functional Products from Less Uti-lised Biomaterials Lo-cally available in the Sultanate” conducted by Professor Mohamed Shafiur, from the Depart-ment of Food Science and Nutrition, college of ag-riculture and Marine Sci-ences aims to explore the possibility of developing

value added functional products using waste or less utilised local bio-materials. On the significance of this study professor Shafiur says: “the development of these types of functional products usually does not require mass production and does not utilise ex-cessive resources since the source of raw materials already exists locally. However significant research activities need to be conducted in order to devel-op the new technology and to assess its structural characteristics, functionality and safety for human consumption.” as to the objectives of this research project, Professor Shafiur adds: “they are to develop functional products using less utilised bio-materials available locally in the Sultanate. in this project

only 3 locally less utilised bio-materials (date-pits, seaweeds, and pomegranate skins and seeds) will be used to develop value-added functional ingredi-ents or products. He continues: “several functional products (such as food ingredients as fibers, biode-gradable packaging materials, and fuel source for fish smoking) will be developed using less utilised date-pits. Different treatments will be performed on the date-pits in order to change its structure for de-sired functionality.”

Media and Socialisationthe study entitled

“the impact of the New Media on Socialisation: an interdisciplinary study on Oman” conducted by Dr Anwar al Rawas, from the Department of Mass communication aims to achieve a number of objectives: (1) to iden-tify Omani families pat-terns of use of the new means of communication, (2) to explore the cultural impact of new media (satellite channels, internet, and mobile phones) on the young generation, (3) to examine the impact of some demographic vari-ables such as family size and level of education on the socialisation process, and (4) to set criteria and standards that can direct new media to play a more positive role in the socialisation process. this study is based on the general System theory, cultivation theory and gratification approach. as to the mo-tives of this study, Dr al rawas says: “Socialisa-tion is one of the most important processes in all societies. it has, therefore, been an essential topic of inquiry in different fields of social sciences. With the enormous scientific and technological develop-ments in media and telecommunications in the last quarter of the twentieth century and the beginnings of the new millennium, new media means (satel-lites, the World Wide Web, and mobile phones) and their multiple applications have emerged as a serious challenge for the family and other institu-tions of socialisation. We believe that examining these variables is important to identify their degree of influence on the socialisation of individuals in the society.” Dr al rawas adds: “the present study is a descriptive study based on a survey distributed in all regions and governorates of the Sultanate of Oman to a random sample of 8,000 students in the age group (6-16), 2,000 parents, represented in the parents’ boards, and a number of experts in the fields of media and socialisation.”

Strategic Research Grant for six proposals