Effat University Research Newsletter

RESEARCH NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2018

NEWSLETTER OVERVIEW

RISE IN RESEARCH OUTPUT: 2013-2018

MAIN HIGHLIGHTS................................ 1 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS.....................2 EFFAT RESEARCH LABS......................5 POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY & WELLBEING RESEARCH LAB ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN OF BUILDINGS LAB STUDENT RESEARCH...........................7 UPCOMING EVENTS...........................10 Effat University has been witnessing a steady, definite climb in its research output owing to the contribution of our committed faculty who are exerting strenuous efforts year-round to drive scholastic change. We have also witnessed an increase in student participation in research-based activities.

The total research output in 2017-2018 has been the highest compared to any previous years.

HIGHEST CITED RESEARCHER Dr. Abdulhamit Subasi is from the Information Systems department of Effat University's College of Engineering and is specialized in Machine Learning, Data mining and Biomedical Signal Processing. Concerning the application of machine learning to different fields, he has written one book, five book chapters and over 140 published journal and conference papers.

He has been awarded the Queen Effat Award for Excellence in Research, May 2018.

Between 2017-2018, his research papers have been co-authored with 38 students (involved in 17 research papers), 3 researchers from the CS department, 4 researches from IS department and 2 researchers from the ECE department. Till date, his research papers have been cited 4746 times.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

NextGAR Website is UP and running! Our university-based startup company NextGAR, which Dr. Hayssam Dahrouj from BSSL launched in collaboration with DR. Bernard Ghanem from KAUST, has its website up and running. More info can be found at: http://www.nextgartech.com/

NextGAR is a medication recognition system. aiming to enable a diverse augmented reality (AR) applications; which serve to enrich elderly, sensory impaired, & sick people’s lives and provide more insight in making decisions. In turn, this helps users learn about the type of medications within their vision sight and, at the same time, receive healthcare related instructions, i.e., drugs dosage, drugs side effects, drugs due- time, etc.

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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS 1. IEEE VEHICULAR

TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

Dr. Hayssam Dahrouj from Effat's College of Engineering represented Effat University at the 2018 IEEE 88th Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC’18) in Chicago, Illinois, USA (Aug’ 27 – Aug’30).

IEEE VTC is the semi-annual flagship conference of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society to discuss and exchange ideas in the fields of wireless, mobile, and vehicular technology.

Dr. Dahrouj participated at the conference and presented his BSSL accepted paper, which has been co-authored in collaboration between Effat University, California Institute of Technology (Caltec), and KAUST titled "Joint Scheduling and Beamforming via Cloud-Radio Access Networks Coordination".

2. SAUDI FOOD INDUSTRY

DR. HAYSSAM DAHROUJ WITH MARTY COOPER, INVENTOR OF THE CELL PHONE AT IEEE VTC 2018

DR. AHMED ATTIA FROM EFFAT'S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Dr. Ahmed Attia from the OPIM department at Effat University's College of Business has also published three journal papers in 2018 The papers are titled "Knowledge management capability and supply chain management practices in the Saudi food industry" V I Sintegration I T O R S in the co-authored with Ingy Salama, "Supply logistics Saudi food industry" (both published in the Business Process Management Journal) and "Organizational learning, knowledge management capability and supply chain management V E N D O R practices S AND in the Saudi food industry" co-authored withEIngy Essam XHIBITORS Eldin (published in the Journal of Knowledge Management).

INTERNATIONAL 3. CONFERENCE ON EVENTBASED CONTROL, COMMUNICATION AND SIGNAL PROCESSING

DR. SAEED QAISAR FROM EFFAT'S COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Dr. Saeed Qaisar from Effat's College of Engineering also represented Effat University with three research papers at the International Conference on Event-Based Control, Communication and Signal Processing (EBCCSP-2018) in Perpignan, France. His papers were titled "Event Driven ECG Processing for Diagnosis of Cardiac Diseases" (co-authored with Dr. Abdulhamit Subasi and Effat students), "An Event-Driven Efficient Segmentation and De-noising of Multi-Channel EEG Signals" (co-authored with Dr. Abdulhamit Subasi and student Reem Ramadan) and "An Efficient Isolated Speech Recognition Based on the Adaptive Rate Processing and Analysis"

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UNIVERSITY OF PERPIGNAN WHERE EBCCSP'18 WAS HELD

4. HEND AND THE SOLDIERS The dean of College of Humanities, Dr. Sanna Dhahir's latest translations into English include a novel by Badriah Albeshr that has been published as "Hend and the Soldiers" (2017) by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas Press. She has also translated In collaboration with the Alexandria Trust & the College of Humanities several Macat seminal publications, with the aim to increase the Arabic content in the Internet and benefit students and scholars writing in Arabic. So far, the College has translated seven volumes.

AUTHOR FOCUS: 5. DR. ABDEL MONEIM ELSHORBAGY

DR. ABDEL MONEIM ELSHORBAGY FROM EFFAT'S COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Dr. Abdel Moneim ElShorbagy has recently published a total of three fascinating books all detailing traditional and vernacular architecture in vibrant imagery: 1. Hassan Fathy: The Language of Traditional Architecture examines renowned earth architect Hassan Fathy’s buildings from the perspective of principles combining traditional prototypes and the composition of their imposing exteriors.

2. Hassan Fathy: The power of belief takes an in-depth study of the life of Hassan Fathy’s childhood, background, education and what shaped his attitudes towards his celebrated architectural approach.

3. 20th Century Egyptian Architects: An investigation into the biography of top-notch Egyptian architects whose architectural approach revolutionized 20th Century Egyptian architecture.

BUSINESS INNOVATION 6. & ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH CENTRE (BIERC)

DR. ABDEL MONEIM ELSHORBAGY'S PUBLISHED BOOKS

BIERC operates under Effat University's College of Business and is directed by Dr. Muhammad Khan from the same college.

The Centre has two sets of activities: applied & academic research and entrepreneurial undertakings, where it endeavors to develop the entrepreneurial spirit and startups. The centre has published studies on women startups, family businesses, franchising, B2B relationships and strategy. The Centre launched the first ever Journal of Entrepreneurship from Middle East, i.e. Middle East Journal of Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Sustianable Development with a forthcoming issue in April – May 2019. The Centre held three startup bootcamps in 2017-18. The bootcamp challenges were developed based on KSA Vision 2030. The centre has also helped students establish the “Entrepreneurship Club” to foster entrepreneurial activities. It routinely participates in the events organized by Monshaat (SME Authority), KAUST, MBSC, JCCI and other stakeholders.

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ANNUAL DESIGN 7. RESEARCH CONFERENCE The Annual Design Research Conference (ADR) is a major two-day design research conference within the Australian region. ADR 2018 took place in the prestigious University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning that is celebrating the centennial of excellence this year (ranked 16 within the world's schools of architecture). ADR 2018 united presenters and stunning exhibitions in its conference offering new readings, visions and interpretations for the Architectural design education & practice from different schools of design and architecture worldwide.

Dr. Mohammed Shokry from Effat's College of Architecture & Design participated in ADR 2018 and presented his research paper titled “The Death of Modern Hospital: Towards a restorative healthcare architecture: the death of modern hospitals architecture”. Additionally, Dr. Shokry has also recently received accpetance on the ARCHNET-IJAR journal

8. NON-ELECTRIC CHAIR FOR PRAYER PATENT The non-electric prayer chair that does not require any manual operation to be adjusted is a patented invention by Dr Wadee Alhalabi from Effat University's College of Engineering.

This prayer chair has a back that is inclined leaning forward and a sitting area composed of springs connected to the sides of the chair’s back legs.

These rear legs of the chair consist of segments that are expandable or contractible and are adhered to each other by a bonding substance where the sliding mechanism is placed between the sides of the chair. This is what allows flexible movement in the chair so as to be able to expand & shrink as needed. When it expands backwards, it is pressed down (by feet) and when the pressure is removed, it automatically bends forward with the sitting area inclined via the spring mechanism to adjust to the praying position of the person praying,

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ADR 2018

DR. WADEE ALHALABI FROM EFFAT COLLEGE OF ENGINERING

GET TO KNOW: EFFAT UNIVERSITY RESEARCH LABS 1. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND WELLBEING RESEARCH LAB (PPWRL)

ONGOING PROJECTS

The Positive Psychology and Wellbeing Research Lab (PPWRL) is an ambitious project made possible by individuals who value the scientific pursuit of answers. The lab is a true testament to the unlimited possibilities of an effective team.

This particular research lab is committed to providing a safe space where inquisitive minds can explore and inquire about truly fascinating subjects such as resilience, hope, love, empathy, health, wellbeing, stress, depression, emotions, spirituality, mindfulness, etc. The lab welcomes students from all disciplines and endeavors to provide them with a nurturing environment where they can inquisitively explore the world together.

The Effectiveness of the Mindful Jeddah Program in a Saudi Arabian Workplace Public Perception of Women Driving in Saudi Arabia and its Relationship to Personality (First one out of three studies) Validating the School Spirit Scale in a University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia The Effect of Gratitude on Life Satisfaction, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Wellbeing, Spirituality and Happiness in Saudi Arabian Society Investigating the relationship between obesity and Psychological Wellbeing: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia 5

2. THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN OF BUILDINGS LAB

The Environmental Design of Buildings Lab at Effat University headed by Dr. Mohammed Mady was established in fall 2017 to host computer-based simulations and physical modelling as a resource to facilitate the early stages of design for buildings through providing scale modelling assessment for different design ideas. The lab helps users achieve and assess the required environmental analysis of buildings to cover the department's students, faculty and researchers activities. In addition, this is to be highly utilized as part of the Architectural Consultation Unit

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Currently, the lab activities are in collaboration with King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) and supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

STUDENT RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

ADMISSION AT INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL GRADUATE UNIVERSITIES: In Fall 2018, our ECE Alumni (and one of the former BSSL group members), Bayan Al-Nahhas, joined the master’s program at The University of British Columbia (UBC, Canada), which consistently ranks among the top 20 public universities in the world.

Other ECE alumni, Esraa Fakeih, Meznan Al-Bahri, Reham Yousif, and Al-Hanouf Al-Thunayyan, joined the master’s program at KAUST which, according to the 2016 Nature Index Rising Stars, ranks among the top 20 fastest rising universities for high quality research output in the world.

ALHASHMIAH ALSHAREEF AT KAUST

KAUST RESEARCH INTERNS In Summer, 2018, ten ECE students did their summer research internship at KAUST as part of the KAUST summer internship program, which is the highest number of students coming from all Saudi universities. Effat University students reflected an impressive image of our university with their KAUST research supervisors and mentors.

NARGEES AL RUWAISI & WARDAH AL ZAHRANI

3RD IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Effat University student, Lamees Jambi from the ECE department participated in the 3rd IEEE International Conference for Image and Signal Processing in Shenzhen, China. She presented her group’s (Lamees Jambi, Dr. Saeed Qaisar and Sultana Alsubaie) Bachelor senior research paper on “An event driven power efficient surveillance and lightning system in the Saudi Arabian perspective”.

LAMEES JAMBI, ECE STUDENT

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ISLAMIC FINANCE RESEARCH Dr. Shabbir Ahmed has also been supervising two highly commended thesis for his master students. The first thesis is titled “A Comparative Performance Evaluation: Islamic Mutual Funds Vs. Conventional Mutual Funds in Saudi Arabia” of recent graduate Danyah Alsharif. Additionally, he is co-supervising another graduate student, Maryam Hammad’s thesis titled “Profitability and Stability of Banks: A Comparative Study of Islamic and Conventional Banks in MENA Region”

MINDFUL JEDDAH PROGRAM Another student from the Psychology Department at Effat University, Afeefah Salim is in the process of getting her research published. The aim of the research is to test the effectiveness of a new mindfuless based well-being program- Mindful Jeddah Program on a Saudi Arabian academic society.

26 participants from a private university in Jeddah, KSA, completed a 3 week program after being randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group and findings revealed that the Mindful Jeddah program has a significant effect on life satisfaction of participants.

STUDENTS RESEARCH GRANTS

The Mindful Jeddah Program on a Saudi Arabian academic society paper was also presented by Afeefah Salim in the First Positive Psychology Symposium in Saudi Arabia that took place from March 28-29, 2018

DR. MADY MOHAMED FROM THE COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IS INVOLVED IN 2 INTERNAL RESEARCH GRANTS OF EFFAT UNIVERSITY'S MASTER STUDENTS:

1. Ghadeer Alwai Research Team: Dr. Tarek Ragab and Dr. Mady Mohamed Grant Title: Sustainable Waterfront Development : An Integrated socio-bioclimatic Design Approach Ghadeer's research follows a “research by design” approach. It focuses on developing sustainable urban design guidelines governed by both social & climatic aspects in Saudi Arabia.

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2. Zeina Beydoun Research Team: Dr. Mady Mohamed and Dr. Ahmed Refaat Grant Title: Investigating the Health-Based design aspects of the promenade urban space – Al-Rawda Promenade in Jeddah as case study Zeina's research proposal studies the relationship of Jeddah’s promenade and its direct effects & impacts on the health and well-being of its users.

RECENT EVENTS GRADUATE STUDIES OPEN HOUSE SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 The Graduate Studies Open House took place this Fall to give a preview to students on the university’s offering of 100% and 50% scholarships in its 4 masters programs: Masters of Science in Finance, Masters of Science in Energy Engineering, Masters of Science in Urban Design and Masters of Science in Translation Studies.

It was an evening of enthusiastic interaction as students, instructors and deans of different colleges gathered together to discuss the opportunities that the university has to offer for postgraduates.

WORKSHOP: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL ASPECTS IN SHAPING THE IMAGE OF FUTURE CITY 30 OCTOBER 2018 The Master of Science in Urban Design (MSUD) program recently organized a workshop titled “The Role of Social Aspects in Shaping the Image of Future City”. The workshop was organized by Prof.

Mohamed Fekry where four experts in the field of Urban Design were invited to participate in the workshop as speakers. They presented introductory speeches were on the following topics: Impact of Future Technologies on Social Needs, The Role of Culture & Creativity in Shaping our Cities: New Visions, Future City Architecture: Urban Imagination and Social Aspirations and the Role of Identity and Public Participatory in Forming Future Cities. Several faculty members at the Architecture department joined the MSUD students in an engaging roundtable discussion on the presented topics.

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UPCOMING EVENTS CONFERENCES

WORKSHOPS DATA DIAGNOSTICS IN EVIEWS Dr. Shabbir Ahmed will be conducting a workshop on Data Diagnostics in Eviews in mid-November When: 14th November Where: E-View Lab, College of Business " URBAN OBSERVATORIES-BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE is a workshop being organized by the Master of Science in Urban Design (MSUD) program.

When: Monday, Nov 12, 2018 10:00 to 12:00 pm Where: COaD 109

The Islamic Finance Conference this year will be held on 5th December, 2018 in the Effat Library and Cultural Museum.

SPSS WORKSHOPS Dr. Shabir Hakim will be conducting two back-to-back workshops in November on the topic of SPSS: beginners and intermediate level. The first workshop is titled "SPSS for beginners" When: 22nd November Where: To be announced

WANT TO GET FEATURED IN THE UPCOMING NEWSLETTER? We're listening and want to hear all about the great work you have been doing. For feeback, announcements and sending over your research highlights, please contact us at RCI@effatuniversity.edu.sa

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CREDITS: DESIGN AND MAIN EDITING BY NASHWA KHAN. ASSITANT EDITORS: HALA FATAERJI AND ZAINAB HAMIDADDIN