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Promoting hygiene

The newly refurbished mobile unit of the Health faculty at Sharjah Women's College (SWC) recently visited Mariam Primary School for Girls in Sharjah to promote health services and hygiene.

The mobile unit was staffed by students and faculty members who introduced the children to a range of learning materials on health, safety and cleanliness. Students listened as teachers explained the dangers of bacteria, germs and other nasties. They also did some basic tests for sugar levels, and checked their height, weight and blood pressure.

Health faculty superviser Loay Othman said the venture was the first of many successes. "Our plan is to make this a regular event and we hope to visit as many schools as possible."

"It is of benefit to the schools that we visit and to our health students who receive valuable work experience and practice."
Othman said the mobile clinic and school visits were enthusiastically endorsed by the Sharjah Education Zone.
The faculty members who assisted with the mobile unit at Mariam Primary included students from Health Education, Health Information Management and Medical Laboratory Technology classes.

Aisha Al Hamily, headmistress of Mariam School, expressed her gratitude for this visit and was very pleased with the communication and cooperation between the institutions. She described the experience as extremely useful for the school children and said she was looking forward to other projects that she has requested, such as a health education campaign for parents regarding hygiene and nutrition.

ZU accreditation celebrated

Zayed University (ZU) last week celebrated its achieving international accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education during a gala dinner held at its Dubai campus.

Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and President of ZU, attended the event.

Dr Sulaiman Al Jasem, Vice-President of ZU, said the accreditation was a significant achievement as the university is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. He said that the accreditation was the result of more than five years of hard and intensive work during which 120 experts from ZU cooperated with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, that assessed the university's institutional and administrative efficiency as a higher educational institution, the suitability of the curriculum in both baccalaureate and masters programmes, as well as faculty and staff quality, consistent standards for student admissions, appropriate orientation and placement systems.

Dr Al Jasem also stressed that acquiring the prestigious accreditation was not an easy process, as it had specific, strict requirements and obligations, which required achieving high-quality standards in all aspects of the university's work.
"This international accreditation confirms what everyone knows about the quality of education at ZU, and proves that we are not only interested in developing academic competence, we are also interested in developing critical thinking, independence, global awareness, and the ability to deal with a world without borders."

"He said the accreditation emphasised ZU's position as a leading university in the region, embodying the same rigorous standards and intellectual elements found in major universities throughout the world.

Medical programmes
By Maysam Ali

The Gulf Medical University (GMU) launched two new medical programmes this academic year: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). Both six-year programmes, with the final year consisting of an internship at a hospital, are accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, according to Rashmi Pramod, assistant to the promotions manager at GMU.

The DMD programme prepares future dentists with fundamental knowledge in biomedical and behavioural sciences. The tuition fees are Dh50,000 per year and the programme can accomodate 35 students with seats for two more applicants, according to Glenda Ong, assistant registrar for undergraduate admissions. The dental medicine programme is the first of its kind in the region, according to Pramod.

Students from both programmes attended a White Coat Ceremony for the new programmes, which signifies the students' official entry into the profession.

PharmD graduates pharmacists who can work in clinical settings in the hospital, community, research and development divisions in the pharmaceutical industries, or as self-employed professionals in the health sector and academicians in educational institutions. The tuition fee is Dh35,000 per year and the programme can take up to 10 more applicants.

"Students have to register soon if they are considering joining because the classes already started on October 15," Glenda said. Applicants must submit a copy of their high school grades, copy of their passport, TOEFL or IELTS scores, as well as the university application. "We evaluate the documents then have an oral test in chemistry and biology, then we send students the offer letters if they are accepted," Glenda said. For more information, inquirers should visit the Admissions Office at GMU.

Young designers
By Maysam Ali

Ten students at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) were part of a team who worked on a soon-to-be-published book titled Design School Confidential. Authored by Steven Heller and Lita Talarico, the book was the result of a project aiming to develop strategies, processes and resultant forms that could highlight what an identity could be in today's visual culture.

The project, titled IDENTITY!, began two years ago when students examined specific outdoor sites in Dubai and Sharjah and were asked to employ a variety of methods and media to document the site, conceptualise it and finally produce the outcome in three formats: a poster, a 200-page book and a short video.

The students were to engage the site and allow it to affect them in turn. Students visually and verbally presented their interaction at the visual communication and multimedia design studios at AUS.

Each student had his or her own interpretation of what gives a place an identity.
For Farnoosh Rezapour, AUS graduate in multimedia design, the best way to show her interpretation and the influence of the site on her was by focusing on the remains in the site, in addition to the colours black, yellow and white.

"I went with the human aspect of the site, noting the things that were left behind by whomever the visitors were… whether construction workers or pedestrians," Farnoosh said.

She added, "Everything in life keeps us designers…. Behind every object, book, film, photograph, person, logo… is a concept, which we learn from every day. Therefore, just observing my surroundings keeps me going and wanting to create."

As for visual communication graduate Raed Skaik, the fourth year project was the most challenging one during the years of study.

"As visual communicators, we communicate through a range of visual devices such as colour, line, type, montages, collages and juxtapositions. Creating a logical way to express the relative importance of different visual elements can create the story," Skaik said.

It's game time
By Manal Ismail

Over 350 companies from around the world and 15,000 trade visitors and dealers attended the Dubai International Character and Licencing Fair 'Character Dubai' and the Dubai World Games Expo (DWGE) recently. DWGE drew more than 10,000 participants for the electronic games championship.
Both three-day events were held for the first time in the Middle East and aim at the promotion, intimation and licencing of characters and the electronic games industry.

A mobile future
The Dubai World Games Summit (DWGS) highlighted issues and challenges in the video game industry.

Speaking on the development of the mobile gaming industry, Kay Grunwoldt, head of marketing at Nokia, says, "The future is mobile."

"Only about 10 to 12 per cent of smart phone users utilise their phones to merely make calls," he said. "The rest use the device to do a number of other things, whether it's browsing or using other internet-based applications, including games."

Noting that game users comprise only about 5 per cent of smart phone consumers, Grunwoldt said that this statistic holds promise.

"It's a small number but it's also good news," he said. "It means we have huge potential."

Combating piracy

Speaking to Notes, Ola Khudair, deputy CEO of the Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance, said that the UAE is currently the leader in the Middle East in combating piracy.

"We have been able to do so thanks to the support of the Ministry of Economy, police and municipality," she said.

"It's not just about making the laws, it's about enforcing them effectively."

Khudair highlighted the importance of creating a healthy consumer environment and the domino effect this has on other factors such as employment and prices.
"The problem is that the market is not fully educated on the hazards piracy will pose to the economy," she said. "When there is a healthy economic environment, investors are motivated to open businesses in the region, thus creating more job opportunities, and competition, which results in lowered prices."

Other highlighted topics during DWGS included online gaming and creating global games with local appeal.

- For more information and details on the event visit www.index.ae.