Palestinian National Authority Palestinian Water Authority

ANNOUNCEMENT
The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA)and Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) Announce a 2011 Scholarship Fund for Students of Gaza and the West Bank. Date: Contact Tel. Fax. Email. Website. June 15, 2011 Rebhy El Sheikh, Deputy Head of PWA 972 8 2827409 972 8 2826630 ralsheikh@pwa-gpmu.org www.pwa.ps Shannon McCarthy, Deputy Center Director, MEDRC 968.24.415-500 968.24.415-541 info@medrc.org.om www.medrc.org.om

In Ramallah, the MEDRC and the PWA thru their Center of Excellence (CoE) in Desalination and Water Reuse announced a scholarship fund for 2011. The scholarship program offers students in Gaza and the West Bank the opportunity to receive scholarships for Master (MSc) study at local universities with a focus on desalination and waster reuse processes. The aim of the program is to allow students to gain skills and expertise to make a long-term contribution to the further development in water management, desalination, and water reuse activities for Gaza and the West Bank. To implement this program, MEDRC-PWA CoE have established a Scholarship Review Committee (SRC) made up of professors from universities in Gaza and the West Bank who are also part of the CoE Steering Committee. The general criteria for eligibility of a MEDRC-PWA MSc scholarship award is as follows: 1. Applicants must be nationals from Gaza and the West Bank holding the equivalent of a B.Sc. 2. Applicants must obtain acceptance from a university located in the west Bank or Gaza to be eligible for a MEDRC-PWA CoE scholarship. 3. Applicants must demonstrate a desire to contribute to advancement in the field of desalination and water reuse technology for application in Gaza and the West Bank. Application and Selection

Applicants should apply directly to a local university. Applicants need to directly contact a professor to agree on a topic in water management, desalination or water reuse. The university should provide MEDRC-PWA with documentation of their acceptance of the student and a recommendation that the student receive an MSc scholarship. The student should submit a statement of purpose describing how he/she will use the advanced education for the benefit of Gaza and the West Bank. These documents should be submitted to the MEDRC-PWA CoE Secretariat, which will forward them to the MEDRC-PWA CoE Scholarship Review Committee. The scholarship application will be reviewed by the MEDRC-PWA CoE SRC. The SRC will reply to the Secretariat, which will then reply to the university involved as to whether or not the scholarship application is acceptable. Since the number of scholarships given each year is limited, selection will be made on a competitive basis. Fair distribution of scholarship funds across Gaza and the West Bank will play an important role in the final selection process. Priorities will be given to scholarships that are part of a research project, which addresses an immediate need of Gaza and the West Bank. The MEDRC-PWA Center of Excellence (CoE) is designed to be a central coordinating point for desalination and water reuse research and training activities in Gaza and the West Bank. It is expected to provide programs related to direct needs of the PWA in partnership with local universities, NGOs and the private sector. The Mission of MEDRC is to conduct, facilitate, promote, co-ordinate and support applied research and training in desalination and water reuse technology and supporting fields. To raise the standard of living in the Middle East and elsewhere by cost reduction and quality improvement in the technical processes of water purification.

For more information on the MEDRC-PWA CoE Scholarship program and how to apply, please contact Dr. Rebhy Al Sheikh, Vice Chairman of the PWA at ralsheikh@pwagpmu.org or Shannon McCarthy, Deputy Center Director of MEDRC at info@medrc.org.om