Staff Reporter
IN keeping with the commitment to its host country, Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) has hosted Environmental Chemistry II, a tailored course specific to the Qatari audience.
Sponsored by the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Centre at the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and co-sponsored by ExxonMobil Qatar, the course had 32 participants, including 15 from the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves (SCENR).
“We not only brought the state of art and current information about all technologies, but also tailored the course to local needs and issues, including sea water pollution, ozone pollution,” main instructor Dr M Sam Mannan told Gulf Times.
A professor in TAMU’s chemical engineering department and director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Centre, he termed the programme as a success.
“The attendees from SCENR and other government agencies were very interactive and interested in knowing all the information about environmental issues,” he recalled.
One participant, Abdulrahman al-Muftah with the SCENR’s monitoring section, said that the course provided him with new methods to deal with environmental issues, in addition to an update on the scenario.
Co-instructor Dr Ahmed Abdel-Wahab, who is also the assistant professor in chemical engineering at TAMUQ, observed that the course gave a background to the participants in environmental chemistry and related issues.
“For example, if you look at the participants from the SCENR, they are beginning their career and this course gave them a very good starting point, a general picture to start from,” he explained.
Dr Abdel-Wahab also stated that subsequent courses would focus on specific topics such as air quality issues, water treatment, and hazardous waste management.
ExxonMobil’s environmental adviser Caroline Martin said that the company is keen to participate in community programmes contributing to educational and environmental awareness.
“This is the second environmental workshop we are co-sponsoring, and we hope to continue this partnership,” she added.
TAMUQ dean and CEO Dr Mark Weichold and associate dean for research and graduate studies Dr James C Holste were also present at the valedictory ceremony. |
