MUSCAT -- The 2nd International Conference on "Applied Information and Communications Technology" (April 28-29) at the Middle East College ended yesterday and was a huge success. Applied Information and Communications Technology has become a global phenomenon with a significant presence in several areas ranging from business to the environment. The aim of the Middle East College (MEC) to organise this event was to encourage research aligned with institutional practices and international developments. The event featured seven distinguished speakers and researchers who discussed the cutting-edge developments in the field of Applied ICT. The focus of the conference was on the development of customised solutions for the Sultanate of Oman.
It provided a forum for participants to disseminate their research to a wide audience of scholars and practitioners of ICT in the Sultanate and beyond. The sub-themes of the conference were ICT and Engineering, ICT and Organisations, ICT and Education, ICT and Healthcare, ICT and Entertainment, ICT and Tourism, ICT & Agriculture, and ICT & Environment. Keynote speeches by eminent scholars from different parts of the world, and a host of workshops were organised to empower the researcher, academician, industrialist, and student audience. Keynote speakers included leading scholars in the field of ICT such as Dr Rammon Torrent, Dr Thomas Anderson and Dr Christian Langen, Dr Zahra al Rawahi, Dr Mark Neal, Dr Mangal Sain and Dr Ahmed Yusuf Abdelraheem.
Tijan Kamal Ramahi from Maastricht University, Netherlands; Chandra Shekhar Jajware, Chief Information Officer, Khimji Ramdas Group, Muscat; Maqbool Ramadan Ibrahim al Maimani, Senior Manager, IT and Infrastructure, Oman Air and Abdullah al Rashdi, Chief Architect Planner of Petroleum Development Oman conducted engaging and inspirational workshops on Applied ICT. The two-day conference brought together a diverse audience from several countries for networking and professional development opportunities. It helped to update participants on emerging trends, thereby providing a comprehensive vision of Applied ICT. 231 papers were received from 22 countries out of which 173 were accepted after blind review. MEC's research community contributed 55 of the accepted papers.
Elsevier, a global leader in scientific, technical and medical publishing, will publish the conference proceedings. To quote Dr Kiran G R, Director of Teaching and Learning, MEC and Organising Chair, ICAICT, "The immense interest shown in the conference was evident from the number of paper submissions from 20 different countries. The conference not only showcased the research capabilities of MEC but also its commitment towards fostering a strong research culture." Prof R C Bhattacharjee, Dean of Middle East College, expressed satisfaction on the overwhelming response received from the international community in participating in the 2nd International Conference on Applied ICT. He added, "Our experience of introducing a good academic model along with commitment to quality, and relevant research components to our teaching-learning process has been accepted by the society with tremendous enthusiasm.
As a result, with the grace of God, today, we have become the largest private higher education institution and the third largest higher education provider in the Sultanate of Oman, over a period of ten years." Earlier, Dr Thomas Anderson, ICT expert, spoke about the use of ICT as a tool for the internationalisation of higher education. His address was about the challenges and opportunities for ICT in the GCC countries. Workshops on applied ICT were conducted by Chandra Shekhar Jajware, CIO, Khimji Ramdas Group, Muscat and Abdullah al Rashdi, Chief Architect Planner, PDO.
Al Rashdi examined the different technologies that disrupt the way organisations operate their business and then discussed the importance of building the right strategies to cope with such disrupting technologies and the role of enterprise architecture in ensuring the success of the organisation. More than 45 participants presented their papers on the different sub-themes of the conference. The patrons of the event included, Dr Abdullah Al Sabahy, Chairman, MEC, Lafeer Muhamed, MD, MEC, Prof Glenn Christo Kharkongor, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Martin Luther Christian University, India, Prof R C Bhattacharjee, Dean, MEC, Prof Edwin Michael, University of Notre dame, Indiana, US, and DrShirin Madon, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
© Oman Daily Observer 2014
