On April 23, members of the GW Engineering Environmental and Energy Management Institute (EEMI) met with delegates from the Sultanate of Oman to discuss collaborative research activities. Representing GW were Professor Scott Sklar, EEMI Director of Sustainable Energy, and Jonathan Deason, EEMI Executive Director. Attending from Oman were Dr. Mohammed Saif Al Kalbani, Director-General of the Oman Environment Authority; Counselor Eng. Nasr Khalaf Al Saidi from the Oman Foreign Ministry; and Dr. Saleh Nasser Al-Saadi, Director of the Sustainable Energy Research Center at the Sultan Qaboos University near Muscat.
The discussion centered on establishing a framework for international collaboration to provide researchers access to partnerships between GW and the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in the environmental and energy area. It also included promoting research and capacity building and strengthening international networks, consistent with SQU’s strategic goal of improving the internationalization and global standing of SQU’s research endeavors.
Specifics of the discussion included a focus on the severe impacts of global climate change on the Sultanate of Oman and the use of relevant technologies, such as the latest developments in reflective coatings, that could improve adaptation activities in the hot climate of Oman. Prof. Sklar will serve as the GW point of contact for follow-up activities with Oman.