Doha, Qatar - Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 [ME NewsWire]
As one of the world’s leading oil and gas suppliers, Qatar attracts engineers and other professionals from across the world to work in the peninsula state, eager to share their expertise.
But Qatar University (QU) is playing an instrumental role in the country’s vision to train Qataris to take on many of these crucial jobs which build the Qatar of the future.
A new project is aimed at making science and engineering more accessible to high schools students. An initiative of QU’s Materials Technology Unit (MTU), Al Bairaq World works on developing high school students’ skills in scientific experiment and research combined with scientific knowledge and critical thinking to improve their understanding and appreciation of science. This project has become popular among schools, teachers and industry and has to date benefitted over 500 high school students in Qatar. There has also been international interest and plans are now underway to expand it to the Gulf region.
Al Bairaq first started in 2007 as a “Fun with Physics” program to encourage high school students to discover science and innovation through fun interactive sessions guided by MTU faculty and research staff. A later project “Discover Materials Science” introduced a series of workshops whereby students joined with MTU research teams for scientific practice and experiments. Building on this success, Al Bairaq World was launched in September 2011.
The first set of workshops of Al Bairaq was themed “I am a Researcher”. Over two weeks, 20 boys and 15 girls from five independent schools were exposed to an intensive competitive program of professional-level experiences in research, scientific innovation, writing, and problem-solving.Activities also included the students documenting the various stages of their projects with guidance from experts from QU and the Doha Film Institute.
In a separate project under the Al Bairaq theme, 300 high school students recently researched and designed projects with an environmental focus.The winning entry – by four female high school students - involvedusing natural vegetable dyes on solar cells which could absorb solar energy and store it to be used as an environmentally-friendly back-up generator, particularly for hospitals.
At a prize-giving ceremony, Qatar Gas Venture Manager Salman Ashkanani told the students: “You are the future leaders of Qatar. For some time this country has been importing knowledge – now it is time for the state to harness its own talent and export knowledge to the rest of the world.”
MTU Head Dr Mariam Al-Maadeed stressed that the program was open to all students, not just the brightest or most interested in science. She said: “The idea behind Al Bairaq World is for students to overcome their fear of university labs, professors and researchers. We want to change their minds about science – that it can be fun and easy.”
About Qatar University:
Qatar University is the first and only national university in Qatar. Established in 1973, it serves over 8000 students and offers more than 60 specializations. The organization is committed to providing high-quality education to Qatari and international students in areas of national priority. Its academic programs are aligned with established international standards and best practices. This was achieved through accreditation of many of its colleges, programs and courses by leading international accrediting bodies such as ABET and AACSB.
Contacts
Lesley Walker,
QU Media section, Department of External Relations
+ 974 7779 3546
lesley_mair43@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment