President of Umm Al-Qura University Dr. Bakri bin M'atooq bin Bakri Assas congratulated students of the College of Dentistry who were qualified for Mitacs Summer Research Program 2018 amounting to seven students including six from the College of Dentistry and one from the College of Medicine. This came while honoring them in the meeting hall at his office in the university campus in Abdyia, in the presence of the UQU Vice President for Educational Affairs Dr. Abdul-Aziz bin Rashad Al-Sorouji, Dean of Dentistry College Dr. Abdul-Aziz  Khotani and the college vice deans. 

He then praised the efforts exerted by the Dean of Dentistry College Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Khotani and congratulated the students who were qualified for Mitacs summer program 2018 which will help them to honing and boosting their scientific and research skills after they have entered a competition with the students of other universities to participate in this program. He indicated that such training program will contribute to boosting academic research skills through research cooperation and the participation in research programs. 

Within the same vein, the UQU Vice President for Educational Affairs Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Sorouji lauded the excellence and the achievements of the College of Dentistry saying that qualification of its students for this program comes as part of the support and attention paid by the UQU President Dr. Bakri Assas and his keenness to see all college of the university achieving excellence wishing all success to all students involved in the program.   

For his part, the Dean of Dentistry College Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Khotani said the qualification of the students to this program comes as part of the efforts of the college to upgrade the research and academic skills of the students through the research cooperation with the summer research programs outside the Kingdom.

He added that such step is intended to boost students skills in the field of scientific research and to take advantage of the existing cooperation between the Canadian Mitacs institution and the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom to provide research training opportunities in the Canadian universities during the 2018 summer  and to help the students in the final years to submit research proposals under the supervision of the faculty members in the Canadian universities with whom the student will start his research proposal for a period of 12 weeks.

He went on to add that students are very keen to enter in all international competitions due to the high qualification they are receiving while studying in the college depending on the internationally accredited programs given to them. He said that such step comes in coordination with the college vice deanship for scientific research to seize all opportunities which enable male and female students to participate in any international research program in line with the college plan. He explained that the program will be carried out in four Canadian universities including; Calgary, British Colombia, Manitoba and Alberta.

Wrapping up his speech Dr. Al-Khotani lauded the permanent support provided by the UQU President Dr. Bakri Assas and UQU Vice President for Educational Affairs Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Sorouji for the college and for hailing  such step which comes as part of several steps adopted by the college. 

At the  conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Assas honored the students involved in the program and wished them all success.