A new TEMPUS project was launched at DU on Jan. 9th in the School of Civil Engineering. A four-day workshop inaugurated the project which aims to develop a new higher education Hydrology approach in Syria.
The project will seek to train academicians in this vital field by developing two graduate level degrees (Master and Doctorate). Capitalizing on an interdisciplinary approach, particularly with Basic Sciences was among the issues discussed, in order to create new niches for learning and research, such as Ecological Technology.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Scientific Research, Dr. Najeeb Abdul Wahed, pointed out in the opening session to the importance of this project in a world where water resources are becoming increasingly scarce, particularly in light of the impact of global climate change and the steady rise in population numbers around the world.
Prof. Wael Mualla, DU president, said
that increasing demands on water, particularly in the field of agriculture requires professional hydrologists and water engineers, hence the idea of launching the new graduate programs in this field. He also appreciatively noted the significant experience acquired by Syrian scholars pursing their graduate degrees in European universities in the framework of existing cooperation between MHE and the TEMPUS Program.
Dr. Rami Ayyoubi, TEMPUS NTO in Syria presented an overview of TEMPUS in Syria, and of the various joint projects that Syrian universities participated in with TEMPUS since 2002.
Partners in this project include MHE, the four major public universities, the Public Agency for Engineering Consulting and Studies, ACSAD, the Higher Institute for Water Management, University of Dresden, Universitaet Rostok, Hochschule fuer Technik and Wirtschaft Dresden, Stadtenwaesserung Dresden – Gelsenwasser, M&S Umweltprojekt GmbH in Germany, Universitaet fuer Bodenkultur in Vienna, and the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague.
In attendance were the Dean of DU’s School of Civil Engineering, Prof. Amjad Zeino, and Project Manager Prof. Peter Wolfgang Graber from the University of Dresden, and a number of interested faculty members.
