CMHS Awards Top Three Oral and Poster Presentations at First Undergraduate Research and Innovation Conference
Conference Features 20 Papers and 40 Posters on Wide Spectrum of Research and Design Projects in Medicine and Healthcare
Top three oral and poster presentations were awarded at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences鈥� (CMHS) first Undergraduate Research Conference that was organized to provide a platform and showcase research, design prototypes, and independent research study results to a broader multidisciplinary academic audience.
The conference, which featured 20 podium presentations and 40 posters, was led by Dr. Kinda Khalaf, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, and organized by Dr. Gihan Daw Elbait, Senior Lecturer, Biology, and Dr. Maria Fatima Domingues, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, as well as the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) student chapters at CMHS. The multidisciplinary nature of the conference exposed students to a wide spectrum of research and innovation in medicine and healthcare.
Biological Sciences students Sami Nakaweh and Samira Babiker received the top award for their paper titled 鈥�Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Mutant Isoforms of the Sperm Factor Phospholipase C Zeta鈥�, while Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology students Jaafer Alzaiwary, Tariq Abdallah, Saleh Alghailani, and Ahmad Oweis won second place for a paper titled 鈥� Design of a Novel 3D-Printed Polymeric Knee Implant.
The paper on 鈥�Whole-Genome Sequencing and Phylogenetic Insights into Marine Turtles of UAE Coasts: A Pathway to Conservation and Sustainability鈥� by Waad Fadul, Judy Bassaleh, and Maryam Alsuwaidi of the Mubadala senior research project won third place.
In posters, the top spot was a tie between two teams 鈥� 鈥�Flexible Antioxidant and Antibacterial Skin Flap for Curing Full Thickness Burn Wounds鈥� by Muzoon Alblooshi, Tasnim Almeghari, and Amna Alnahdi, and Flare-Sensitive Injectable Hydrogel for Rheumatoid Arthritis by Alreem Balfaqih, Hasa Al Hammadi, and Noor Alhashmi.
The poster on 鈥�RNA Analysis of Chondrocytes Treated with Periostin鈥� by Roba Hamed Lulu, and Bassam Yassen won the second place, while the poster on AI-Powered Mobile App for Early Alzheimer鈥檚 Diagnosis Through Voice Pattern Analysis by Rawdha Al Hammadi, Maitha Alyammahi, Meera Aldhaheri, and Layla Husain won the third place.
Dr. Khalaf said: 鈥淭he first CMHS undergraduate research and innovation conference at Khalifa University provided students with a strong sense of pride and accomplishment and added a positive capstone experience to their academic journey. The presentations not only included results from senior design/research projects, but also the dissemination of independent research work, as well as research results obtained under the new Mubadala Undergraduate Research Fund. The level of multidisciplinary engagement and the quality of the presentations and posters exceeded expectations, highlighting the professional calibre of student work and the high level of scientific discussions it generated. We look forward to making this conference an annual event and to including clinical and industrial stakeholders in the near future.鈥�
