Oman Observer
MUSCAT, MAY 20 – Abdulrahim Rashid al Balushi, a PhD student in Theoretical Physics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, and Dr Sausan al Riyami, Renewable Energy Researcher at The Research Council (TRC), will be the Sultanate’s representatives in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting 2019. Both of them will have the opportunity to meet up with around 600 young scientists from 89 countries from around the world. In addition, they will have the opportunity to meet with the Nobel Laureates who will be attending the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting this year.
The 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting dedicated to physics will take place from June 30 to July 5. The key topics of this Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting will be dark matter and cosmology, laser physics and gravitational waves.
Dr Obaid Mohammed al Saeedi, Director of Programmes Department at The Research Council (TRC), said, “Research and scientific progress are two integral factors that contribute in the development of the Sultanate. With the Sultanate participating for the fourth consecutive year at Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, The Research Council has once again pushed forward the importance of research, power of knowledge and innovation in the country.”
“The Research Council aims to instil the interest for research and innovation among the Omani youth through the Sultanate’s participation in Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. After all, the youth are the future leaders that will drive the country in a pathway of success and prosperity,” Dr Obaid added.
Abdulrahim al Balushi expressed his happiness on being selected to the Lindau Meeting. “I look forward to the event and I am thankful to TRC for the nomination and to the Lindau committee for its selection,” he said.
“Many areas in physics are seeing rapid progress in both theory and experiment. Attending this meeting is a great opportunity to learn about recent advances in physics research from the researchers making them, get valuable insights from the top scientists in the field, and be reminded about the relation of it all to other disciplines of enquiry and to society at large,” Abdulrahim added.
Dr Sausan al Riyami is looking forward to explore the latest discoveries and development in physics field, and to learn more about dark matter and cosmology, laser physics and gravitational waves, which will be the topics of focus of this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.
“It is a great pleasure to be selected among high standard Omani candidate researchers to attend a prestigious event like the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting,” Dr Sausan added.
It is worth mentioning that TRC is an academic partner to the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings since 2015.
Every year, a scientific review panel appointed by the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings is responsible for evaluating the numerous applications submitted by young scientists to participate in a Lindau Meeting.
Eligible candidates must not be older than 35 years old, showing a genuine interest in science and research, receive strong support of their application by their academic advisor and/or by internationally renowned scientists, not had participated in previous Lindau Meetings, and commit themselves to being present for the full duration of the meeting.
It is worth mentioning that Rahma Khalfan Saif al Busaidiya, a demonstrator at the Department of Physics at SQU, was the first researchers to represent the sultanate in the 66th Nobel Laureate Meeting dedicated to physics in 2016, while Reem Abdullah Mohamed al Alawi, a PhD student at SQU attended the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting that was dedicated to Chemistry in 2017.
In 2018, Dr Haitham al Mahrouqi, an Ophthalmology Resident Doctor at Oman Medical Speciality Board, represented the Sultanate in the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.