Omani student honoured by Cardiff University in Wales

Muscat: A young Omani has been honoured by Cardiff University in Wales for best performance in Civil Engineering for the master’s degree.
Munthir Al Araimi has been awarded for best overall performance in Civil Engineering by the School of Engineering at Cardiff University.
“I felt ecstatic; this was accompanied by a feeling of accomplishment and pride. I regard this achievement primarily a national success and secondly a personal one. This achievement is a true reflection of His Majesty’s vision and trust in the youth of Oman,” Al Araimi said.
His MSc dissertation was entitled, “Minimising Construction Waste in the Sultanate of Oman.” It identified the causes behind the generation of construction waste in the Sultanate and the possible solutions for rectifying its socio-environmental damage.
Al Araimi said: “What distinguished my research was it was mainly original work that has limited academic work available in public records, as well as it was a new idea that I pitched to the university, which appealed highly to my supervisor.”
“I have faced many challenges when I’ve started this research, some I forecast, while others were unexpected. It mainly stemmed from the fact that there is limited academic work available in public records in the field of construction waste management in the Sultanate. This required me to gather information through means of primary research. Most of the information I have acquired was from a questionnaire I have distributed to public and private organisations, as well as interviews I conducted with engineers, Al Araimi said.
He added that the main challenge was how to convey his research findings in words and numbers that depicts the current state of construction waste management in Oman.
“I aspire to land a job in a place that will develop my skills and expertise. And I would like my research to eventually be adopted by government environmental agencies that deal with construction waste in order to help drive this vital field forward.”
He added, “Additionally, I want to be an example for future students that nothing is impossible with perseverance and a focused mind-set.”