Muscat – The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, is participating in the Falling Walls Lab competition, which is being held in Berlin, Germany, from November 7-9.

The Omani team is represented by – Maira Ahmed al Qaidi, Dr Faisal Rashid al Marzuqi and Emad Abdullah Alobiadoon – the three winners of the Falling Walls Lab competition at the national level.

Maira, who won first place in the local competition, participated in the global Falling Walls Lab Finale, which included around 80 participants from all over the world, with her project ‘Breaking the Wall of Unsustainable Wastewater Quality Monitor’.

She also attended the Falling Walls Science Summit that took place, which is considered as one of the most prestigious global gatherings, organized by the Falling Walls Foundation. The summit included many lectures and training sessions in cooperation with several scientific institutions in Germany in conjunction with the Berlin Science Week.

With regard to the significance of participating in such an important international scientific event, Maira said, “It is a great opportunity to present my project on the invention of a biosensor based on microbial cells to measure a very important parameter in contaminated water (COD). I presented my idea to a group of scientists and researchers, and the main guest of honor of the Berlin Science Summit, in addition to a jury made up of specialized experts that will help me in improving the development of the device.”

Dr. Marzuqi participated with his project ‘Breaking the Wall of Sea Water to Drinking Water’, which is about a new and innovative way to produce water without relying on traditional sources of energy and electricity. His method relies on sunlight and nanometer thermal catalysts.

Dr. Faisal said, “This participation will undoubtedly be very beneficial to me, and will refine the basic idea of the project by discussing it with the most prominent researchers and innovators in the field. It will also allow me to see the latest developments in research and innovation around the world.”

Alobiadoon’s participated with his project ‘Breaking the Wall of MOFs (Metal-organic frameworks ) for Climate Change’, which involves capturing gases that affect climate change, including carbon dioxide, methane and others, and turning them into environmentally friendly compounds, like methanol, formic acid and urea.

He said, “It has been a wonderful experience and I learned a lot from it. The participation also allowed me to see the latest scientific studies in various fields and meet many of the contestants who I was able to exchange knowledge with.”