Please give us an overview of your project; where the idea stemmed from; phases it is currently undergoing; any elements of practical implementation; and/or types of technologies used?

COVID-19 and previous efforts to contend with pandemics provided the backdrop for a recent webinar organized by the Sheikh Muhammad Bin Hamad Al-Thani Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization (CMCC) at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

Doha, September 9, 2020 – The impact of COVID-19 on commercial contracts and sovereign borrowing was the subject of a recent webinar organized by the College of Law (CL) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC). The event featured a distinguished panel of experts with vast experience in Qatar and foreign legal systems.

On May 28, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 9 as the International Day to Protect Education from Attack. Initiated by the State of Qatar with the support of 60 states, the occasion will serve as an annual call for international action to safeguard education in armed conflict zones.

Doha, September 7, 2020: Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) has announced a month-long discount of 25 percent on all HBKU Press books from September 8 – 30 to coincide with the start of the new academic school year and International Literacy Day which falls on September 8, 2020.

With Qatar now in Phase 4 of its re-opening, we spoke to all six colleges at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). In our second in a series of two features, the deans of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Science and Engineering, and the College of Health and Life Sciences share their thoughts on lessons learned from the pandemic, reasons to be hopeful and cautious, and their predictions for what the future may hold in their respective fields.

Dr. Amal Mohammed Al-Malki, Founding Dean, HBKU College of Humanities and Social Sciences

With Qatar now in Phase 4 of its re-opening, we spoke to all six colleges at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). In our first in a series of two features, the deans of the College of Public Policy, the College of Law, and the College of Islamic Studies share their thoughts on lessons learned from the pandemic, reasons to be hopeful and cautious, and their predictions for what the future may hold in their respective fields.

Dr. Leslie A. Pal, Founding Dean, HBKU College of Public Policy

What are your preparations at the College for the new academic year? How many students are enrolled in your respective Colleges this academic year and how does the pandemic affect the enrollment situation (number)?

The entire university is preparing by offering all courses online for the first part of the term. The College of Public Policy also took the step of offering an online course over the summer for our students, so that they could get ahead of their requirements, depending on the challenges COVID might pose in 2020-21. 

“Nature’s gift to science,” was how 2002 Nobel laureate Sydney Brenner once described the small roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans. Nearly 30 years after the first breakthrough in aging research by Dr. Cynthia Kenyon, C. elegans - sharing many of the essential biological characteristics that are central problems of human biology - remains instrumental to understanding how we age.

It is now almost three months since George Floyd was murdered. I can clearly recall my feelings when a friend here in Doha showed me the widely circulated video on his mobile: revulsion, anger, sadness, and a strong sense of transnational solidarity. After all, by the time I viewed the footage, the Black Lives Matter movement was igniting on a global level – including here in Qatar, where I am studying.