Three researchers from Yarmouk University got funding for their research projects from the Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Dr. Ahmad Dagamseh from Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology got the support for his research project entitled "Developing a Noninvasive Instrumentation System for Acetone Concentration Measurement in Exhaled Breath". The project is to develop an easy and reliable measurement system to detect and measure the concentration of acetone in the gaseous state of exhaled air using optical technology. Thus, it is to facilitate the detection and diagnosis of many diseases associated with the presence of acetone in exhaled air. However, the project team includes Dr. Qasem Qananwah from the Department of Systems Engineering and Biomedical Informatics from Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology and Dr. Ayman Hammouda from the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science.
The second funded project is for Dr. Qasem Qananwah from Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, and it is titled " Design and Implementation of Cardiac Output Monitoring System". This project seeks to develop a new technology, i.e. system, capable of measuring the blood flow from the heart in a non-surgical way. Also, the system is to measure the vital signs in the brachial artery using optical technology. However, the project team includes Dr. Ahmad Dagamseh from Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology and Dr. Khaled Ibrahim from the University of Science and Technology.
The third project is by Dr. Mohammed Obeid from the Faculty of Pharmacy, and it is in the Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Sector under the title: “Formulation of Lipid Nanoparticles for MOMIPP Encapsulation to Induce Cancer Cell Death through Novel Non-apoptotic Mechanism (Methiosis)". The project aims at developing a unique preparation for the treatment of cancer cells in a unique way called unsystematic death by using the low-solubility mump compound and encapsulating it inside nanocarriers to improve the compound's solubility and effectiveness. The research team for the project includes Dr. Haneen Amawi and Dr. Alaa Al-Jabali from the Faculty of Pharmacy.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, discussed ways of scientific and research cooperation with a delegation from Bonn Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in Germany headed by the Director of the Office of International Affairs, Dr. Wang Yi. Massad said that the University is always keen to enhance opportunities of cooperation and effective academic and research partnership with various prestigious international universities like the German University of Bonn Rhein-Sieg, which is widely known by the applied side of the various disciplines it offers, including digital journalism, computer science, information systems, and engineering. He also stressed the need to get out of the limitations of traditional education and respond to the changes of the era through the use of modern education methods, such as distance education.
Wang Yi expressed the University of Bonn's readiness to enhance cooperation with Yarmouk in areas of common interest, i.e. exchange experiences and scientific visits for faculty members and students, and conduct joint scientific projects and research in various scientific fields. He then reviewed the establishment of Bonn Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, which grants bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees in many disciplines, such as business administration, computer science, engineering majors, journalism, and natural sciences, stressing the University’s interest in the practical aspect of sciences, as it provide students with the necessary skills to meet the demands of the labor market.
Deputizing for the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Mamoun Al-Dubai’, inaugurated the activities of the third international week of Yarmouk University, which was organized by the Department of International Relations and Projects. The three-day event witnessed extensive participation of international universities, academic institutions and organizations, and diplomatic missions and cultural attachés from various countries of the world.
Al-Dubai’ declared that the economic modernization will be implemented through eight economic factors, including the factor of leadership and creativity that includes higher education, vocational and technical education and training, research, development and innovation, and small and medium-sized companies and entrepreneurship. He also pointed out that approximately 68,000 graduates complete their university education annually at the national level and that graduates are an asset to Jordan, the region, and the world, stressing the importance of finding solutions for the increasing problem of unemployment. Al-Dubai’ also stressed the importance of e-learning and blended learning strategies at this stage to achieve the desired educational outcomes, highlighting the need to find adequate funding and provide strong and capable management of the quality of education.
The President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, welcomed the participants in the event, which provides a platform for partnerships, scientific and research cooperation, and an opportunity to open channels of communication, encourage dialogue, and exchange the experience between the various participating higher education institutions. He then pointed out that during the activities of the week, several topics will be discussed, such as equity and inclusion in the university, digital transformation in higher education, integrating sustainable development goals into higher education strategies, exchange of students and employees, innovation and employment, and promotion of vocational education and training. He also said that the University's strategic plans are derived from the royal visions of His Majesty King Abdullah II and that Jordan’s higher education requires to keep pace with the rapid technological developments to fulfill the demands and needs of the labor market. He then mentioned that Yarmouk University has developed several new academic programs at all levels, pointing to Yarmouk's interest in strengthening its partnerships and cooperation with various international universities with regard to implementing research projects and exchanging students and employees.
For her part, Margaret Spears, Deputy Director of the United States Agency for International Development in Jordan, USAID, delivered a speech during the opening ceremony, in which she affirmed the interest of the United States government represented by USAID to support Jordan through cooperating with the various institutions of the public and private sectors. She added that the program of preparing teachers before service, which is implemented by USAID in cooperation with four public universities (Yarmouk University, University of Jordan, Mutah University, and Hashemite University), is considered one of the most successful programs executed by the agency. Spears also expressed USAID's pride in implementing such a program, which aims at preparing teachers to enter the classroom and perform the tasks entrusted to them in an adequate manner.
However, during the activities of the week, the Secretary-General of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, Dr. Abdullah Al-Mousa, talked about "Biodiversity and Sustainable Development from an Economic Perspective", and Marjorie Cabrol, Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Irbid, talked about "Providing Education Opportunities for Refugees in Institutions of higher education".
A student project titled "Smart Gloves Based on the Internet of Things for the Deaf and Dumb" by students Husam El-Din Musallam, Afnan Al-Saqer, and Muhammad Musallam from Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology at Yarmouk University received support from King Abdullah II Fund for Development in cooperation with the Jordanian Center for Design and Development. The project, which was supervised by Dr. Sherif Abdel-Razek from the Department of Communication Engineering, aims at designing smart gloves that can convert the sign language into spoken language in both Arabic and English and that can display speech on a touch screen. Also, the gloves can help the elderly who are deaf and dumb to control home appliances and take periodic readings of the vital indicators of the body, such as heartbeats, body temperature, and blood pressure. In case of any abnormal readings, an alert is sent to the doctor or specialist using the Internet of Things and the cellular communication network.
The Student Welfare Department at the Deanship of Student Affairs at Yarmouk University, in cooperation with the Sudanese embassy in Amman, organized a celebration for the Sudanese community at the University campus on the occasion of the Sudanese National Day, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan in Amman, Hassan Saleh Swar Al-Dahab, who was accompanied by the consul and cultural attaché at the embassy, Fatima Mohieldin. Siwar Al-Dahab expressed the Republic of Sudan's pride in the brotherly and friendly relations with Jordan noting that such relations have always been a source of pride for the Sudanese leadership and people.
In return, Thiabat affirmed Yarmouk University's pride in participating Sudan, its population, and the Sudanese students at the University in their celebration of the Sudanese National Day, stressing the University's interest in taking care of its Sudanese students and supporting them to complete their academic studies. Besides, Dr. Safaa Haddad, the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at the University, congratulated the Republic of Sudan, Ambassador Swar Al-Dahab, and the Sudanese on occasion of the Sudanese National Day, expressing Yarmouk's pride in the event. She then thanked the Faculty of Fine Arts for its keenness to participate in the ceremony.
Moreover, Yarmouk’s Sudanese students expressed their joy in organizing this celebration, which enabled them to express their belonging and love for their homeland, appreciating the efforts made by the University, represented by its Deanship of Student Affairs, to organize such a gathering. The representative of the Sudanese community at the University, student Samira Muhammad, delivered a speech in which she expressed the Sudanese students' pride in celebrating their country's national day and thanked Yarmouk for its support of the Sudanese students.
Interestingly, the celebration included an artistic segment of the Sudanese artistic heritage, during which a number of students from the Sudanese community presented Sudanese patriotic songs that expressed the ancient history of Sudan. In addition, other folk songs from the Jordanian and Sudanese heritage were performed by students. Besides, Siwar Al-Dahab inaugurated the diverse heritage exhibition organized by the students of the Sudanese community. The exhibition included a group of models, tools, and heritage pieces that reflect the Sudanese customs and traditions. At the end of the celebration, Thiabat presented the ambassador a souvenir carved from a natural stone crafted by the sculptor Shafie Al-Saybarani.
Participants in the Fifth International Conference " Refugees in Jordan: A Vision for the Future", which was organized over two days by Yarmouk University in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, discussed a number of themes related to issues of asylum, displacement and forced migration. The main session of the conference, organized by Yarmouk’s Center for Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies and the ALECSO Chair for Asylum, Displacement and Forced Migration, and chaired by the former Minister of Culture and Youth, Dr. Muhammad Abu Rumman, tackled a number of topics, such as “the psychological and social effects of asylum,” “politics and media”, “the legal dimension and the rights of refugees”, “the environment and technology: shaping the future”, “the mental health and therapeutic methods”, and “the economic empowerment of refugees”.
In this session, the former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment, Dr. Jawad Al-Anani, presented a paper titled "Jordan’s Owned Rights in exchange for hosting Palestinian Refugees", the former Minister of Education, Dr. Ibrahim Badran presented a paper entitled "Human Dignity and Asylum", and the former director of the Center of the Refugee Studies Center at the University of Oxford, UK, Dr. Don Chatty, presented a paper titled " Displaced Syrians and the Global Compact on Refugees: Reflections on the gap in understanding forced migration between researchers and practitioners."
The Director General of the Arab Council for Social Sciences, Dr. Stanay Shami, presented a paper titled “Refugee Studies as an Academic Field: Long Term View", the former Director General of the Palestinian Affairs Department, Eng. Yassin Abu Awwad, presented a paper titled "the Palestinian Refugees: Future Prospects", and the Mayor of Greater Irbid Municipality, Dr. Nabil Al-Kofahi, presented a paper titled "the Role of Irbid Municipality in Integrating Refugees." Also, the session included a discussion of "Orange Knowledge Program in Jordan and Future Opportunities" presented by the Regional Director of the OKP Program, Dr. Reem AlKhader, while the representative of the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Jordan, Ms. Lara Nassar, presented a paper titled "Challenges and Success Factors for Capacity Development and Upskilling of Syrian Refugees in Jordan", and the Director General of the International Medical Aid Society, Dr. Yarub Al-Ajlouni, presented a paper on "Scenarios Addressing the Future of Syrian Refugees in Jordan". Noteworthy is that the activities of the first day included two working sessions: the first discussed the theme "Sustainable Development: Challenges and Opportunities", and the second session discussed the theme "Human Dignity: Empowering Women and Children".
The activities of the second day of the conference included six working sessions, two of which were chaired by the former Minister of State for Information Affairs, H.E. Sameeh Al ma’itah, and the former Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Mansour. During the sessions of the second day, a number of scientific papers were delivered before the audience. Dr. Muthanna Shehab and Prof. Fadel Hussein from the Iraqi University of Diyala presented a paper titled “Immigration and Diaspora from an Islamic and Legal Perspective, Causes and Solutions”, Dr. Hijazi Da’ajna and Dr. Hassan Qaddoumi from the Palestinian University of Hebron presented a paper titled "Spatial Analysis of the Water Pollution Problem in Al-Fawar Camp - Hebron", Dr. Faten Muhaidat and Aseel Al-Sarhan from the Hashemite University presented a paper titled "The Effect of a Group Counseling Program on Reducing Depression and Improving Self-esteem among a Sample of Syrian Refugee Women in Mafraq”, Dr. Riad Yasen and Dr. Mahmoud Jad-allah from Yarmouk University presented a paper titled "the Return Challenges of Syrian Refugees to their Home Country".
The conference also included several training workshops offered for students and the local community. These workshops dealt with a number of topics, such as the national and international framework for refugee protection, the role of the Ministry of Education in teaching Syrian students, and the electronic knowledge platform for reproductive health for young people.
On the sidelines of the conference, a competition for documentaries, drama, and awareness films was held, and it was judged by a group of Jordanian artists and academics from various Jordanian universities and the Royal Film Commission. The competition resulted in declaring the win of Ahmed Gharaibeh for the movie “With Blood We Water Hope” in the first place, Muawiya Al-Omari for the movie “Bella” in the second place, and Muhammad Al-Azab for the movie “This Is My Story” in the third place.
It is noteworthy that this conference was sponsored by His Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, and it was opened by the former Minister of Social Development, Hala Bseiso Lattouf.
Yarmouk University has recently obtained the five-star rating of QS ranking system, an achievement that reflects the University's excellence in meeting the demands and standards adopted by QS Stars for evaluating the performance of world universities. This achievement is significant for the University, as it contributes to marketing and promoting the university locally, regionally, and globally. It will positively reflect in attracting more Arab and international students, and networking with various institutions and universities around the world.
The University's application to QS Stars was subjected to eight evaluation criteria: First, the standard of learning and teaching, which is related to the evaluation of the educational environment in terms of the ratio of the number of students to the number of faculty members, the extent of students’ satisfaction with the quality of education, the percentage of graduates, and the percentage of faculty members holding the PhD. The second criterion is related to measuring the employment rate of the university graduates, employers' satisfaction with the characteristics of graduates, and the career guidance for students. The third criterion deals with globalism in terms of the percent of international students and teachers at the university. The fourth criterion includes the academic development of faculty members, in addition to the university's membership in local, regional, and international academic networks.
The fifth criterion is the educational environment that is related to health, sport, and library services provided to students and cadre. The sixth criterion focuses on the culture and arts: it includes the quality of museums, cinema halls, radio services, and the artistic and cultural events and awards obtained by the university. The seventh criterion is inclusiveness, which focuses on the university's interest in helping students through loans and grants and the extent of its commitment to providing services to students with special needs. The eighth criterion is the strength of academic programs, which measures the level of students' satisfaction with their university's academic services and the local and international accreditation for its academic programs.
The President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, congratulated the University's teaching and administrative staff, and its students on this great achievement, indicating that the Five-Star Rank is a clear indication of the University’s endeavor towards professional leadership and excellence in the fields of education, scientific research, and community service. He also asserted that the achievement represents the vision of Yarmouk university since its establishment in 1976 in being a beacon of excellence in the various fields of knowledge at the local, regional, and global levels. He also pointed to the role of the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Center in contributing to the University's strategy and permanent aspirations towards innovation and excellence.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan in Amman, Hassan Salih Hassan Swar Al-Dahab, who was accompanied by the Consul and Cultural Attaché at the Embassy, Fatima Mohiuddin, during their visit to Yarmouk to participate in the activities of the celebration organized by the Deanship of Student Affairs on the occasion of the Sudanese National Day. At the beginning of the meeting, Massad congratulated the guest delegation on the occasion of the Sudanese National Day, wishing Sudan security and safety and pointing to the strong relationship between Jordan and Sudan. He then highlighted the value of strengthening the bonds of scientific, academic, and cultural cooperation between the various Jordanian and Sudanese higher education institutions, expressing the interest of Yarmouk to receive more Sudanese students in its various disciplines. He also called on the Sudanese embassy to build bridges of cooperation between the various Sudanese universities and Yarmouk University by activating student exchange programs, exchanging faculty members, and enhancing research cooperation in various fields.
In return, Siwar Al-Dahab affirmed the keenness of the Sudanese embassy to consolidate relations of cooperation with the various institutions of Jordan. He also praised the prestigious academic reputation of the Jordanian higher education institutions, especially that of Yarmouk University, expressing the embassy's readiness to consolidate scientific, academic, and cultural cooperation between the various Sudanese and Jordanian higher education institutions, which may reflect positively on the development of the educational process in the universities of both countries. Noteworthy is that the meeting was attended by Dr. Mowaffaq Al-Amoush, Dr. Riyad Al-Momani, Dr. Muhammad Al-Thiyabat, and a number of University officials.
On behalf of the President of Yarmouk University, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Musa Rababaa, sponsored the ceremony organized by the Department of Modern Languages at the University to celebrate the International Day of Francophonie 2023. Rababa pointed out the keenness of the Faculty of Arts to celebrate the International Day of Francophonie, which comes with the aim of showing the importance of the French language in communication and interaction between cultures and civilizations, noting that language is a key to establishing a humane dialogue, consolidating humanitarian principles, and bridging the gap between different cultures. He then pointed out that the celebration of the Francophonie has become an important tradition and a unique ritual, and that the Faculty of Arts is keen annually to prepare a program that includes various events and activities for students of the French Language Department.
The representative of the Francophone University Agency at Yarmouk, Dr. Mamoun Al-Shteiwi, said that during the month of March of each year, efforts are made to strengthen linguistic and academic relations between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the member states of the Francophone Organization, especially France, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium. Al-Shteiwi stressed the importance of the French language, which is the second international language taught in Jordan, emphasizing the need to develop the methods for teaching modern languages and train their teachers on how to provide students with various language skills.
The student Farah Abawi delivered a speech in French indicating that the celebration of Francophone is the recognition of the capabilities of language and culture to unite people and create spaces of solidarity and mutual understanding. Moreover, the celebration activities included an introductory video about Francophone, a lyrical introduction titled "Centiano & Aisha", a play titled "Classe Zero", cultural competitions for the audience, a theatrical sketch Un français chez nous, a presentation on the experience of teaching the French language, a dialogue on bullying, and a short story.
The preparation of scientific competencies in various fields of knowledge, and the production of innovative scientific research aims to serve society by providing exemplary education in an intellectually stimulating university environment.
