We are excited to share the incredible accomplishment of Mohamed Omar, a Lecturer in Computing at our Aylesbury campus and Course Leader for T-level Digital Production, Design and Development Year 2, who has recently had a journal paper published in one of the top journal publishers ‘Springer Nature’.
The work is titled “Exudate and drusen classification in retinal images using bagged colour vector and angles and inter colour local binary patterns”, and in the latest revision Mohamed has chosen Buckinghamshire College Group to be his affiliation. Here is a link to the published article - https://rdcu.be/drdcS
Here is what Mohamed had to say about his accomplishment.
Tell us a bit about you?
I have been with Northumbria Uni since 2014 where I had my PhD in 2018 and I was working with them since 2016 as associate lecturer and project supervisor. I started working as a lecturer in Computing at Bucks College Group in August 2023.
Could you briefly summarise your published article?
This research is to develop an automated diagnostic tool which is particularly useful in health camps, especially in rural areas in developing countries, where a large population suffering from these diseases goes undiagnosed. Diagnosing these diseases in their early stages is extremely useful for effective treatment since they are usually treatable. This tool distinguishes between diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and normal fundus images through accurate classification of exudates and drusen lesions.
In this work, the system has been shown to offer high classification performance and has a superior ability to help doctors to distinguish between eye diseases with great accuracy and for the patient to receive the appropriate treatment according to their disease.
This accomplishment required a great deal of dedication and perseverance on my part for almost 2 years.
Despite, the incredible work Mohamed has accomplished, he wanted to share his experience working at Bucks College Group, so far, as the main achievement. Mohamed has also received great feedback on his teaching here at the College, and one student in particular was happy to share why:
Omar is an amazing teacher who knows exactly how to connect with his students. He's patient and never talks down to us, always treating us with respect and positivity, which in turn makes us want to learn from him. When we don't understand something, he asks questions about it to encourage our own way of problem solving. He promotes curiosity, and doesn’t ridicule questions no matter how simple or insignificant they are. Omar encourages us to be curious and always answers our questions, big or small. He doesn't put limits on our creativity; instead, he asks for our ideas and our input. Omar genuinely cares about us. He doesn't just say it; he shows it through his actions. If we're struggling with something, he explains it in different ways until we get it, checking in with us every step of the way. He also knows that coding for hours can be tiring, so he gives us small breaks in the lesson and suggests other things to do. Most importantly, he never lets us fall behind; he sticks with us until we understand the work. If I were to choose some things he could improve upon it would most likely be giving us more practical work, such as letting us create our own programs without any intervention unless we ask, and providing us with examples of previous year 2 exams. Omar is more than a teacher; he's a supportive guide who makes learning a great experience for all of us.
What a fantastic example Mohamed is setting within the College and we congratulate him on the incredible accomplishment of his published journal paper!
