DOHA: An image of a novel species of fungi discovered during the analysis of sediment collected from Salwa beach in Qatar has won the first prize in the ‘Best Representative Image of an Outcome’ (BRIO) competition organized by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).
The prize-winning project was entitled ‘mapping the microbial diversity in the Arabian Gulf surrounding Qatar using genomics, metagenomics and culturing approaches.”
Through the project Dr Rashmi Fotedar, a Leading Principal Investigator from the Ministry of Environment, and her team demonstrated that Qatari marine sediments could harbour a variety of yet-to-be-discovered fungal species.
The competition launched in September last year aimed at encouraging QNRF-awarded research teams to use artistic images and visuals to highlight the outcomes of their research to a wider audience.
Second prize went to an image taken using a high-speed camera operating at 20,000 frames per second, and was entitled ‘converting liquid fuel into small droplets during spray process to enhance engine performance’.
The picture showed the relevance of predictive models for fuel spray research in a real-life application, and was captured by Dr Kannaiyan, a principal investigator in the project. The project called an ‘In-depth Characterization of Spray and Combustion Performance of Alternative Jet Fuels at Gas Turbine Combustor Conditions’ is led by Dr Reza Sadr from Texas A&M University,
An image entitled ‘Fat Stem Cells Full of Red Fat Droplets’ submitted by Dr Mohamed Elrayess and his team from the Anti-Doping Lab Qatar took third place. The research relates to fat deposition on the liver, kidney, and heart, and illustrates sensitivity to type-2 diabetes.
From 50 entries, 10 were shortlisted and three outstanding images have been awarded. The shortlisted images will be displayed by QNRF during QF R&D’s Annual Research Conference (ARC’16), and the winners will be recognised during the award ceremony of ARC’16. Several images will be featured on the QNRF website, in books, and online publications in order to encourage research teams to compete in future competitions.
The Peninsula
