Oman professor to work on NASA project
STAFF REPORTER
Muscat, March 14
Professor Rakesh Belwal from the Faculty of Business at Sohar University has been selected as a social scientist for a prestigious NASA-awarded research project entitled 'Impact Assessment of the Decision and Information System for the Coastal Waters of Oman.' The announcement was made by Professor Dale Kiefer, Principal Investigator from the University of Southern California, USA, during his keynote address at the recent Unesco Conference organised by Sohar University. The grant is part of an ongoing initiative to assess the impact of the Decision and Information System for the Coastal Waters of Oman (DISCO), a system designed to improve coastal resource management.
DISCO, developed through a collaboration between a team of ocean scientists from the United States and the Marine Science and Fisheries Centre (MSFC) in Muscat, aims to empower MSFC in monitoring and forecasting coastal conditions and threats. These include harmful algal blooms, which can disrupt desalination plants, degrade water quality and impact fisheries and aquaculture. The system integrates satellite imagery, three-dimensional ocean simulations and systems-driven models to support decision-making for coastal stakeholders.
A team of ten scientists from the US and Oman was involved in the previous phase of the DISCO project.
'This initiative represents a significant step towards integrating cutting-edge digital solutions into Oman's coastal resource management framework. I am honoured to contribute to this project by analysing stakeholder engagement and ensuring that the benefits of the DISCO system reach all relevant sectors,' Professor Belwal expressed his enthusiasm.
With NASA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Oman supporting this effort, the research aims to pave the way for stronger scientific collaboration, enhanced digital literacy in marine sciences and sustainable management of Oman's coastal resources.
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