May 5^th. The Graduate Studies International Conference on Science, Humanities and Engineering which was organized at An-Najah University between May 4^th and 5^th was successfully concluded and came up with a number of recommendations including: Reinforcement of scientific research and intellectual property rights among teachers and students of higher studies, supporting the culture of scientific research so that research becomes a tool for analyzing and solving scientific problems not just a mere information-collecting one, as well as establishing active scientific research centers that specialize in solving problems faced by the Palestinian society with respect to issues of water, environment, energy and health at the Palestinian universities.

In addition, the Conference recommended allocating annual budgets through a scientific research council at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, reinforcing scientific exchange between An-Najah and local, regional and international universities, linking universities’ programs with the job market so that qualified individuals are employed, deepening the connection between the universities and the local society to take advantage of experts in the academic and research fields, as well as activating the role of local industries and companies in supporting scientific research and intellectual property rights.

Other recommendations included: Reinforcing supportive home education for people with special needs in schools and universities, and reinforcing the scientific, lingual and astronomical culture among Islamic Law students at the different Palestinian universities.

The Conference’s second day sessions consisted of a number of work papers including: “Education for a Better World” by Professor V. Ramaswamy, “The Ethics of Scientific Research and Statistics in the Educational and Psychological Sciences” by Dr. Ziyad Barakat and Dr. Kifah Hasan, ““The Socio-economic Role of Islamic Banks in Palestine: Performance Analysis” by Dr. Rasem Kayed, “The Experience of Al-Quds Open University with respect to E-Learning” by Lina Amer and “The Extent of Knowledge and Application of the Total Quality Management at the Palestinian Education Directorates from the Perspective of their Employees” by Inaya Kdair.

Other work papers covered topics in humanities such as: “Building Global Entrepreneurship Program” by Professor Peter Koveos, “The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Financial and Real Investments” by Dr. Mahmoud Noor, “The Level of Satisfaction among Students of Higher Studies at An-Najah National University toward University Life from their Own Perspective” by Dr. Hasan Tayyem, “Simultaneous E-Learning: Its Definition, Importance and Impact on the Teachers’ and Students’ Orientations towards Teaching and Learning” by Mr. Hilmi Hamdan, and also the “The Impact of the Weakness in Civil Institutions’ Management on their Activities: Civil Institutions in Nablus, a Case Study”.

The third session included papers such as “From Major to Encyclopedic, a Reading in Three Scientists: Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali and Ibn Khaldun” by Professor Ameen Al-Kukhun, “Intellectual Extremism and its Impacts on Muslims in the West” by Dr. Muhammad Al-Shilish, “Rainfall Harvest and its Use in Agriculture Depending on GPS Systems and Remote Sensing –Application Case- The Western Southern Part of Hebron” by Riham Al-Thwaib, “The Level of Higher Studies Programs’ Contribution to Sustainable Development” by Samya Al-Deek and “Code Switching Within Sociolinguistic” by Nadia Jaber Thabet.

Other papers included: “The Extent to which Thinking Levels are integrated into the Books of Islamic Materials in Islamic Schools of the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments), Islamic Affairs and Sanctities in Jordan by Dr. Hamza Hammad, “The Reality of the Use of Future Study Techniques in Educational Higher Studies Research at the Palestinian Universities and the Methods of Development” by Dr. Mahmoud Assaf, and “The Role of Waqf in Preserving Quran Learning and Teaching” by Mr. Abdel Majeed Shaweesh.

The Conference also featured many papers that addressed issues in the field of natural sciences and engineering including: “Recent Developments in EMF and SAR Measuring Techniques Towards Reliable Assessment of Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields” by Dr. Mohammed Salhi, “MHD Rayleigh Problem Including Hall Effects” by Prof. Naji Qatanani, “Dielectric Response and Electric Properties of Organic Semiconducting Phthalocyanine Compounds” by Prof. Abdel Karim Saleh, “Indoor Radon-222 Concentration Levels Measurements  in the Offices and School Rooms in Bethlehem Province, West Bank, Palestine” by Prof. Mohammad Abu Samreh, “Temporal and Spatial Characterization of Trace Metals in Wastewater Streams in the West Bank” by Prof. Marwan Haddad, as well as “Testing and Evaluating of  Gradual Hydroponic Pot Experiment for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment in Rural Palestine” by Dr. Numan Mizyed.

Other work papers also included: “Measurement of Soil/Dust Arsenic by Gas-Phase Chemiluminescence” by Dr. Maather Sawalha, “Overview of Quantity and Quality of Water Resources in the Faria Catchment, Palestine” by Dr. Sameer Shadeed, “Effect of a Magnetic Field on an Atomic Orbital” by Prof. Sami Al-Jaber, “The Energy Band Gap of ScN in the Rocksalt Phase Obtained with LDA/GGA+USIC Approximations in FP-LAPW Method” by Dr. Musa El Hasan , “Applications of Caenorhabditis Elegans Worm in Medical Research” by Dr. Ayman Hussein, and ” Nanoparticle CdS-Sensitized TiO2 Catalyst for Photo-Degradation of Water Organic Contaminants: Feasibility Assessment and Natural-Dye Alternatives” by Dr. Ahmed Zyoud.

Dr. Ahmad Abu Obaid spoke about “The Influence Of Surfactants On The Adsorption Of Heavy Metal Ions Using Inorganic Ligands In Selected Contaminated Soil Samples In Palestine” while Mrs. Rasha Sabri presented a paper titled “A New Visual Basic 6.0 Software Built-up For Solving-out Reduction Formula in Chemical Applications of Group Theory”. Mrs. Shaza Issa

Spoke about “Radon Concentration Measurements in the Drinking Water Supply of Nablus City, Palestine” while Mr. Abdullah Dweikat discussed “Integrated Manufacturing System Design for Food Production Facilities in Palestine”.

Additional papers included: “Association of Troponin-I and Mortality Rate in Non-Cardiac Critically Ill Patients Over 65 Years Old” by Mr. Ahmad Midani, “Risk Factors Associated with Coronary Artery Disease in Gaza” by Mr. Sami Khweiter, “Insulin, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and Lipid Levels Among  Obese Adult Males in Gaza Governorate” by Mr. Maher Al-Jedi, “Sources and Molecular Mechanisms of Oxidative Stress, and its Role in Disease” by Prof. Eva Liebau, “Tribological Properties of Composite Multi-Layer Coating” by Dr. Shehdeh Jodeh, “Integrated Exposure Assessment of Sewage Workers to Genotoxicants: An Urinary Biomarker Approach and Oxidative stress Evaluation” by Dr. Hamzeh Al-Zabadi, “Nurses' experiences of the Most Common Medical Errors in the Intensive Care Unit and the Coronary Care Unit A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study” by Dr. Aidah Al-Kaissi, “Risk Factors of Breast Cancer Associated with Hormone  Receptors Status Among Palestinian Women” by Mrs. Alaa Darwish, as well as “Geographic Variation of Incidence Rates of Cancer and Associated Risk Factors in Northern West Bank, Palestine (2005-2008)” by Mrs. Faten Tanjeer.

“Breeding for Disease Resistance” by Prof. Diego. Rubiales, “Partial Replacement of Barley Grains and Soybean Meal by Fleabane (Conyza Bonariensis) in Diets of Fattening Awassi Lambs” by Prof. Jamal Abu Omar, “Modeling of Wind Energy in Some Areas of Palestine” by Dr. Husain Alsamamraa, “Molecular Characterization of Genetic Diversity in Durum Wheat Landraces in Palestine” by Dr. Hiba AlFares, “Water Disinfection by Photo-Degradation of Microorganisms using Natural Dye-Sensitized ZnO Catalyst” by Ms. Sondos Ateeq, “Milk Production and Performance for Some Reproductive Traits of Sheep Breeds and Crosses in the West Bank” by Mr. Moayed Ahmad , “The Effect of Noise Pollution on Arterial Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate of Workers in the Hospitals of Nablus City-Palestine” by Mrs. Rowaida Sadeq, “The Effects of Noise Pollution on Arterial Blood Pressure and Heart Pulse Rate on Doctors in their Dental Offices in Jenin City – Palestine” by Mrs. Majd Sa'abnah, as well as “Management Engineering” by Prof. Dino Borri,

Furthermore, other papers were presented including: “Effects of a Perpendicular Magnetic Field in the Dipolar Heisenberg Model with Dominant Exchange Interaction” by Dr. Abdel Rahman Abu Labdeh, “First Principle Study of Rock Salt, Cesium Chloride and Zincblende for EuTe Compound” by Mrs. Rowaida Dweikat , “Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Zincblende Al1-xVxP Alloys” by Ms. Eman Rabi , “Preparation and Enhancement of CdS/ZnS Thin Films for Photovoltaic Purposes” by Mrs. Maysa Atatrah, “A New Technique to Prepare Nano-Sized CdS Films for Ligh-to-Electricity Conversion” by Ms. Sahar Kudruj , “Hydro-geochemical Characteristics and Evaluation of Drinking Water Quality in Gaza Strip” by Mr. Mohammed AlKhateeb, “Electrochromic Properties of Sol-gel NiO Films” by Mrs. Atheer Abu Yaqoup , as well as “Complexation between a Semiflexible Polyelectrolyte and an Oppositely Charged Dendrimer” by Mr. Azzam Abu Khaleel.