Rema Amawi
Biology and Chemistry Coordinator, Assistant Professor of Science
Rema Amawi
Biology and Chemistry Coordinator, Assistant Professor of Science
Bio
Dr. Rema Amawi is the Biology & Chemistry Coordinator at RIT-Dubai, bringing over 16 years of diverse teaching experience to the role. She has expertise across a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, including Analytical & Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Cellular & Molecular Biology, and Anatomy & Physiology. Her extensive knowledge and dedication to education have made her a key figure in shaping the academic development of students in these fields.Dr. Amawi has played a pivotal role in expanding the science course offerings at RIT-Dubai, enriching the curriculum to meet evolving academic and industry needs. She has also fostered strong research collaborations, both locally and internationally, involving students and faculty in cutting-edge projects, further bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Dr. Rema Amawi completed her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at Wichita State University in Kansas, and went on to earn her master's degree in Chemistry from Baylor University in Texas. She then pursued her PhD at the prestigious Munsell Color Science Laboratory (MCSL) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York. Her doctoral research explored the intricate relationship between pill colors and a diverse range of demographic factors, focusing on how these elements influence human perception and expectation.
Her primary research interests lie in the psychological and perceptual effects of color, particularly in the context of medicine. This includes investigating how pill colors, emotional responses to color, the meaning ascribed to different colors, and various color associations shape the perceived efficacy of medications. In addition to her work on color science, Dr. [Her Name] is also focused on integrating technology-driven tools, such as machine learning, to evaluate the impact of natural oils on Alzheimer's disease progression. By leveraging data-driven approaches, she aims to uncover potential therapeutic benefits of natural remedies in slowing or managing neurodegenerative diseases.
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Amawi, R.M.; Al-Hussaeni, K.; Keeriath, J.J.; Ashmawy, N.S. A Machine Learning Approach to Evaluating the Impact of Natural Oils on Alzheimer’s Disease Progression. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 6395. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14156395
Al-Hussaeni, K.; Karamitsos, I.; Adewumi, E.; Amawi, R., 2023. CNN-based Pill Image Recognition for Retrieval Systems. Pharmacy. Applied Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13085050
Psychology Today - Could Pill Color Matter? 2022 - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-innovator-next-door/202212/could-pill-color-matter
Amawi, R. & Murdoch, M., 2022. Relating Color Associations to Pill Colors and Expected Efficacy. CIC30. https://doi.org/10.2352/CIC.2022.30.1.11
Amawi, R. & Murdoch, M., 2022. Understanding Color Associations and Their Effects on Expectations of Drugs’ Efficacies. Pharmacy. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy10040082
Amawi, R. & Murdoch, M., 2022. Effects of pill colors on human perception and expectation of drugs' efficacy. Color Research and Application. https://doi.org/10.1002/col.22798
PhD Thesis: Color in Pharma: Color Associations and Expected Efficacies (May 2022)
The above research resulted in the development of a tool to help identify the most suitable pill color for pharmaceutical companies and medical practitioners to better design and prescribe medications, with the hope of maximizing the drug's expected efficacy on patients and increasing compliance rates. The tool can be found on her website: http://www.colorinpharma.com.
STEM Magazine, 2021 - The Pandemic Has Shown Us That We Can Put No Boundaries on Education:https://stem-magazine.com/the-pandemic-has-shown-us-that-we-can-put-no-boundaries-on-education/
MS Thesis: Synthesis, crystallization, and characterization of Silver (I) Salts with Amino Phosphines and Coordination Polymers (March 2008)
Experimental & Computational Investigation of Metal Ion-Thymine Complexes. (March 2005)