Director of the Environmental Research Center as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee meeting of the Building Research Department

Professor Dr. Zainab Baha Muhammad, Director of the Environmental Research Center at the University of Technology, participated in the tenth meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Building Research Department, one of the formations of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Public Municipalities, which was headed by Engineer Hussein Faraj Al-Hasnawi, Director General of the Department, where the research plan for the year 2025 was discussed and the achievements that were made under the supervision and follow-up of the Director General and the advanced staff in the Department were reviewed. The methods of maximizing the department's revenues in all aspects were presented, while the approval of His Excellency the Honorable Minister was presented to invest in the research entitled ((Production of Clay Bricks Using Red Kaolin Clays)) and also reviewed the special procedures for issuing the first issue of the department's scientific journal and discussed the possibility of conducting a training course for structural evaluation at the University of Technology for specialized cadres in our department, in addition to discussing the financial position of the department and administrative aspects and emphasizing commitment to controls and instructions and discipline in official working hours and directing members to carry out work with high accuracy and a reasonable time period. At the end of the meeting, Engineer Al-Hasnawi expressed his thanks and gratitude to Dr. Zainab Baha Muhammad and to the attendees and the department's staff and working in a team spirit to provide the best services for the sake of building and developing beloved Iraq.

Director of the Environmental Research Center as a member of the doctoral thesis discussion

Professor Dr. Zainab Bahaa Mohammed, Director of the Environmental Research Center, participated as a member of the doctoral thesis discussion committee for the student (Nour Qasim Sabri) Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Technology, specializing in (Water Resources Engineering) for her research entitled (Impact of climate changes on groundwater quality of Iraqi aquifers)
‏The researcher showed through her thesis what is the impact of climate on the quality of groundwater in Iraq and how these effects can be reduced.

Two research lecturers from the center participated in a workshop

Two research lecturers, Dr. Mukheled Amer Al-Sameraiy (Head of the Department of Environmental Pollution) and Dr. Abbas Jawad Kadhem (Head of the Development of Sustainable Department) from the Center participated in attending the workshop entitled (Environmental Management between Pollution Challenges and Treatment Methods) organized by the Renewable Energy and Environment Research Center-Industrial Research and Development Authority/Ministry of Industry on Thursday 24/10/2024. The workshop included four axes: the first axis was the national strategy and action plan to reduce pollution, the second axis was the economics of carbon markets, the third axis was the environmental impact at the site of oil licensing rounds and the fourth axis was air pollution and its relationship to human diseases: Covid-19 as a model.
After finishing the workshop, a consultative session was held to discuss these axes. Dr. Mukheled showed the importance of conducting the environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies in reducing pollution resulting from the operation of various projects. He explained to the attendees the high reputation of the Environmental Research Center at the University of Technology as a consultancy and environmental bureau accredited by the Ministry of Environment in preparing the official environmental impact assessment reports as well as the center has a long history in preparing these reports since its establishment until now. Dr. Abbas stated that the center has a department of sustainable development as a part of its scientific structure where it conducts research and studies aligning with environmental sustainability.
This participation is effective in opening the doors of scientific communication between the center and various scientific and research institutions in all ministries, expecting to find positive responses in the near future.

Electronic scientific symposium (online) entitled “Human Rights and Anti-Trafficking Legislation”

Under the patronage of the president of the University of Technology-UOT (Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Gaban) and the direct supervision by Prof. Dr. Zainab Bahaa Mohamed-the director of the Environmental Research Center (ERC)-UOT, the ERC-UOT organized an electronic scientific symposium (online) using the FCC platform entitled “Human Rights and Anti-Trafficking Legislation” on Saturday, 26th October 2024 at 8.00 p.m. This symposium was electronically managed by Dr. Mukheled Amer Al-Sameraiy (head of electronic activity committee at ERC) as a coordinator with the assistance of Dr. Zahraa Z. Farhan (lecturer at ERC). The lecturer, Ass. Lect. Haneen Rasheed Mageed (Psychological Counselling and Educational Guidance Division-UOT, specialized in General Psychology) gave a lecture on the above-mentioned topic. The lecturer explained that human trafficking is a process to buy and sell the individuals for intended purposes, concerting forced labour, sexual slavery and sexual exploitation for commercial targets through smugglers and other beneficiaries.
Human trafficking may include the removal of organs and tissues, surrogate pregnancy, and egg transfer. Human trafficking varies from one country to another to include more than one country (transnational crime). Also, human trafficking is a crime directed against the individual in terms of violating the victim's rights related to freedom of movement and the exploitation that the individual is exposed to for commercial purposes
The lecturer pointed out that human trafficking can cause psychological, health, economic and political effects. As a result, the severe harm to the trafficked persons is expected. At the end of her lecture, she recommended that the adoption of an effective strategy to combat human trafficking that includes a set of programs. These are a program to enhance the preventive aspect, an education and training program for human elements, an academic program to prepare relevant studies and research, and a program to focus on the internal environment of the family and youth.

Finally, the participants were allowed to discuss, express opinions and dialogue with the lecturer, which finally led to establish a set of recommendations. These recommendations will be actively considered and announced later.
In conclusion, the coordinator of the session expressed his sincere gratitude to the lecturer and all participants for attending in this symposium.

Director of the Environmental Research Center as a member of the PhD thesis discussion

Prof. Dr. Zainab Bahaa Mohammed, Director of the Environmental Research Center, participated as a member of the committee to discuss the doctoral thesis of the student (Masoud Mohsen Hazaa) College of Engineering - Tikrit University on his research entitled (Removing Nutrients from Wastewater Using the Modified (Bardenpho) System, The researcher created a system to treat nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) using the Bardenpho method.