10 March 2011
MUSCAT -- The Middle East College of Information Technology (MECIT) is organising an international conference on "Applied Information and Communications Technology" on March 22-23 at the college premises in Knowledge Oasis Muscat.
The conference aims to provide a forum to explore, understand and exchange approaches for successfully harnessing the potential of applied ICT through presentations, workshops and discussions.
Well known speakers, corporate personnel and presenters will share their rich experience in an effort to highlight the best practices in a variety of sessions. The conference will also provide academicians, students, educational administrators, researchers and industry practitioners and experts an opportunity to share knowledge, experience and expertise on benchmarks, best practices and latest developments in their field.
Dean of MECIT Dr T R Narayanan said: "The conference is part of the larger research strategy of the institution. We plan to conduct biannual conferences on selected themes and to bring out a journal incorporating best papers of the conferences in the year after the conferences are held. Given the prominence given to ICT as an enabler of the country and institutional expertise, the first conference is centered on the theme of applied ICT."
More than 100 participants from international universities and colleges including Oman are expected to be participating in the conference and workshops. Around 40-45 research papers will be presented through parallel sessions and about 14 workshops will be organised to encourage exchange of information on ICT interventions and on implementation of ICT in various field of operations, by experts from different ministries and private organisations in the Sultanate. Beyond this, approximately 100 undergraduate and postgraduate students will be taking part in the conference.
Some of the key speakers include Professor Ian Marshall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of Coventry University; Professor Rajkumar Buyya, Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering of University of Melbourne; Professor Edwin Michael, Department of Biological Sciences of University of Notre Dame; Dr Ali Sharaf Al Musawi, HOD of the Instructional and Learning Technologies Department, College of Education (COE), Sultan Qaboos University; and Dr Shirin Madon, Senior Lecturer in ICTs and Socio-economic Development at London School of Economics.
The conference will also have speakers from Ministry of Higher Education, Knowledge Oasis Muscat, Oman Research Council, BankMuscat, Nawras, Telecommunication Regulatory Authority and other leading public and private organisations.
Director of Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research, MECIT, Kiran said: "Oman has an extremely well planned and comprehensive strategy on ICT and our conference is in sync with the objectives of the government. The strategy addresses a range of subjects including infrastructure, capacity building, e-governance, use of ICT for sectoral and social development, improving organisational efficiency, encouraging ICT industry and entrepreneurship, etc. The penetration of ICT is key to the on-going successful and integrated programme of e-governance aimed at both improving efficiency as well as public service."
"The emphasis on education and training has also enabled the country's ability to harness ICT. The existence of well-developed institutions such as the Knowledge Oasis Muscat, Telecom Regulatory Authority, Information Technology Authority, and so on, provides the robust base for the overall development of the sector as well as use of ICT for the development of other sectors in the economy," Kiran added.
MUSCAT -- The Middle East College of Information Technology (MECIT) is organising an international conference on "Applied Information and Communications Technology" on March 22-23 at the college premises in Knowledge Oasis Muscat.
The conference aims to provide a forum to explore, understand and exchange approaches for successfully harnessing the potential of applied ICT through presentations, workshops and discussions.
Well known speakers, corporate personnel and presenters will share their rich experience in an effort to highlight the best practices in a variety of sessions. The conference will also provide academicians, students, educational administrators, researchers and industry practitioners and experts an opportunity to share knowledge, experience and expertise on benchmarks, best practices and latest developments in their field.
Dean of MECIT Dr T R Narayanan said: "The conference is part of the larger research strategy of the institution. We plan to conduct biannual conferences on selected themes and to bring out a journal incorporating best papers of the conferences in the year after the conferences are held. Given the prominence given to ICT as an enabler of the country and institutional expertise, the first conference is centered on the theme of applied ICT."
More than 100 participants from international universities and colleges including Oman are expected to be participating in the conference and workshops. Around 40-45 research papers will be presented through parallel sessions and about 14 workshops will be organised to encourage exchange of information on ICT interventions and on implementation of ICT in various field of operations, by experts from different ministries and private organisations in the Sultanate. Beyond this, approximately 100 undergraduate and postgraduate students will be taking part in the conference.
Some of the key speakers include Professor Ian Marshall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of Coventry University; Professor Rajkumar Buyya, Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering of University of Melbourne; Professor Edwin Michael, Department of Biological Sciences of University of Notre Dame; Dr Ali Sharaf Al Musawi, HOD of the Instructional and Learning Technologies Department, College of Education (COE), Sultan Qaboos University; and Dr Shirin Madon, Senior Lecturer in ICTs and Socio-economic Development at London School of Economics.
The conference will also have speakers from Ministry of Higher Education, Knowledge Oasis Muscat, Oman Research Council, BankMuscat, Nawras, Telecommunication Regulatory Authority and other leading public and private organisations.
Director of Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research, MECIT, Kiran said: "Oman has an extremely well planned and comprehensive strategy on ICT and our conference is in sync with the objectives of the government. The strategy addresses a range of subjects including infrastructure, capacity building, e-governance, use of ICT for sectoral and social development, improving organisational efficiency, encouraging ICT industry and entrepreneurship, etc. The penetration of ICT is key to the on-going successful and integrated programme of e-governance aimed at both improving efficiency as well as public service."
"The emphasis on education and training has also enabled the country's ability to harness ICT. The existence of well-developed institutions such as the Knowledge Oasis Muscat, Telecom Regulatory Authority, Information Technology Authority, and so on, provides the robust base for the overall development of the sector as well as use of ICT for the development of other sectors in the economy," Kiran added.
© Oman Daily Observer 2011
