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Issue 2
July - August 2023
Pandemic & beyond
The world was quiet.
Schools shuttered. Workplaces suddenly became ghost towns. Shops and entertainment venues locked their doors. Social events were canceled. And we adapted with e-learning and telecommutes, increased online purchasing, streaming services and Zoom calls.
COVID-19 left its mark on all aspects of human activity. But slowly life returned to if not normal, then a new normal, where we all know what PCR tests are and understand intimately how easily a new disease can upend our lives and livelihoods.
And a scientific community that itself was hamstrung by closed labs and an interrupted supply chain is looking back at what we can learn from it all as well as forward to the next inevitable pandemic.
In this issue of KUST Review we look into a few of the things those scientists and researchers are telling us.
For instance, Habiba Al Safar talks about the labs that were established during the pandemic to detect the COVID-19 virus. And Nawaf Al Moosa writes about how his team leveraged its capabilities in machine learning to support the response to the COVID pandemic.
This showcases the strength of universities and their ability to leverage research in science and technology to find proactive solutions and support local governments during crises and disasters.
Suzanne Condie Lambert looks at what we know about long COVID and how monitoring wastewater can offer real-time information on the health of a community – and give a heads up when a new disease arises. Jade Sterling investigates where the research dollars were focused and traces the history of mRNA vaccines in a graphic collaboration with artist Anas Albounni.
Other stories in this issue include how technology is preserving history, language and traditions for the Arab people of UAE and beyond.
You’ll find even more at our website, www.KUSTReview.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube @KUSTReview. So page, click, subscribe and follow to get the best of our coverage of science in the Middle East and around the world in English and in Arabic.
Be informed and stay curious.
Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi
Editor-in-Chief