Mustafa Tiam: My goal is to gain knowledge and experience with the talented professors of University of Tehran/ The position of the field of petroleum engineering in Iran is very significant

The University of Tehran, emphasizing the development of international relations and scientific diplomacy, has always given a special place to the presence and activities of international students. For this reason, Hedieh Mirzaei, the university's public relations expert, in a series of conversations with top international students, investigated their concerns and the opportunities and challenges of international students' studies at Tehran University.

Mustafa Tiam, the top international student of the University of Tehran, started his words with the words "Bismillah Rahman Al Rahim / There is a key in the treasure of the wise" and introduced himself like this, I am Mustafa Tiam, a PhD student in petroleum engineering at the College of Engineering  and from Senegal. . The country of Senegal is located in the west of the African continent. After obtaining a diploma in physics and chemistry, I was accepted at "Sheikh Anti-Diop University of Dakar", which is one of the largest universities in Africa. I completed my master's course with a focus on applied physics with an equivalent of 15.16. Currently, I am studying for a doctorate in petroleum engineering at University of Tehran , and by the grace of God, I have passed my courses with an GPA  of 17.76.

Mustafa Tiam, in response to a question about the purpose and criteria he had for choosing University of Tehran as the university where he studied, said: " University of Tehran ranks first among Iranian universities and it can also be said that it is one of the best universities in Asia." My goal in choosing  University of Tehran to continue my studies is to gain knowledge and experience with capable professors in the field of petroleum engineering. I hope that I can provide this knowledge to the people of my country and share this knowledge and experience with them so that, by the grace of God, we can take positive steps in the field of discoveries, extraction and suitable production, according to the needs of the world today.
The student of the College of Engineering decided to change his field of study due to the discovery of oil and gas fields in Senegal in recent years, and this issue coincided with the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Senegal for training students in the field of oil engineering . Based on this, Mustafa Tiam was among those who were selected to continue his studies in Iran and was accepted to University of Tehran in 2019.

He pointed out that studying at University of Tehran has various advantages, such as the variety of courses, the quality of classes, and the possibility of entering international arenas in a professional and advanced environment. From this student's point of view, graduating from a prestigious university like University of Tehran can provide work and research opportunities in various fields.

The top international student of University of Tehran continued: "After initially enrolling in the PhD program, I took the basic courses of oil and gas before starting the main course. In the beginning, due to the novelty of the courses and the new educational system, it seemed that studying in these conditions would not be an easy task, and it required a lot of courage and self-sacrifice to be able to handle this task. After finishing the prerequisite course, I just got acquainted with the Iranian education system and found that it is a precise and efficient system and requires a lot of activities outside the classroom. Professors with my experience always tried to present the most content and tips in the classroom, of course, I had to study the rest at home.

Mostafa Tiam, regarding the way of cooperation and interaction with other students, said that he has a very good relationship with foreign students and their relations are friendly and brotherly. Considering that there are less non-Iranian people in the field he is studying, he is mostly in contact with his Iranian classmates, but in the dormitory he is more friendly and interacts with Lebanese students.
From the point of view of the students of technical faculties, in group activities, each person expresses his opinion and tries to find suitable scientific answers. He has had several group projects as well as individual projects, and he believes that more fruitful and beneficial results are obtained in research conducted as a team, and he strongly believes in teamwork.
In another part of this conversation, in response to a question about the level of interest in his field of study and its advantages and applications, he explained as follows: "Despite the intense competition in some professional fields, for example, the oil industry, having a specialized degree in this field is considered an advantage. As I mentioned at the beginning, after the discovery of oil and gas in recent years in Senegal, my desire to participate and work in the oil industry increased;

Because I can use this knowledge to solve the major problems that my country is facing. Currently, Senegal is considered as one of the oil-rich countries, but the number of specialized human resources in this field is small. This makes me more motivated to gain experience and skills in the field of oil and gas so that we can do exploration, extraction and production based on the advances and techniques of the world today.
This top international student went on to describe the advantages of the oil industry, according to him, this source of energy is relatively cheap, efficient, safe, reliable, and easy to maintain and transport.

The oil industry is one of the resources that can lead to the development of any country and create employment for hundreds of thousands of people. According to this student, the oil industry has many challenges along with many benefits, and that the recovery of unconventional oil is expensive and reduces the return on investment. Also, public opinion is very concerned about the dangers of oil pollution and its effects on the environment, while the amount of oil production in the world is increasing.
Mustafa Tiam also states: "Among the new industries, oil is an area that can still offer many prospects. My experience in this field is small and limited, however, my studies show that research and research in the field of oil is necessary due to its high complexity.
From my point of view, in the field of petroleum, all the academic fields are interesting, but I am mostly focused on the specialization of production engineering. It must be said that in order to better understand this field, mastery of other related fields is also needed.
From the point of view of the students of engineering faculties, Iran has a very long history in the field of oil and the field of petroleum engineering in this country is very advanced and it is one of the countries with the largest oil and gas reserves in the world. The position of petroleum engineering in Iran is very significant; because Iran is one of the oil extractors, producers and exporters in the region and around the world.

This top international student, in response to what he expects or requests from the university authorities to improve approaches such as education and research, said: "My requests regarding the improvement of academic conditions are not many, but the university authorities can increase the capacity of certain laboratories in terms of equipment. Increase for advanced research. If we can take advantage of internships in companies or oil industries to consolidate our achievements, this approach will be very useful, because research combined with practical work is much more practical."
He said about how he got acquainted with the Persian language that at first he faced major problems to learn the Persian language.
As soon as he arrived in Iran, he registered at Shahid Beheshti University's Persian language training center and completed the language training course in seven months. Learning the language in the environment has been able to help him a lot and his understanding of Persian language has become easier. This student has been able to improve his Persian language level in the community and especially with his Iranian and foreign friends.
Mustafa Tiam also talked about Iranian civilization, art and culture and that Iranians have a very old civilization and tried to learn about ancient Iranian civilization. Iranian art has surprised him since the moment he arrived in Iran.

Also, in Iranian culture, social equality and, in his interpretation, their hospitality and love for foreigners have influenced him. In the art department, he also expressed his interest in Iranian architecture, calligraphy and cinema.
This top international student further described University of Tehran as one of the prestigious universities known all over the world, which consists of top and distinguished students. He also listed the name of this university in the ranking of the best universities in the world in the Shanghai ranking system as an indication of the excellence and variety of studies and free education of this university.
He also considered the College of Engineering faculties of Tehran University to be composed of outstanding scientists who are ready to serve and impart knowledge to the professional world.
In the end, the student of the College of Engineering said: "In the end, I feel it necessary to thank the government system, private services and the professors who accepted me in this prestigious university. Also, I would like to thank the School  of Chemical Engineering, especially the Institute of Oil and Gas Engineering.