By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
An educational computer game developed by Ghanim al-Mansouri and Hussam Aitel Qadi, students of Omar Bin Abdulaziz Secondary School for Boys, won the first position at the inaugural Qatar Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math Fair (Qatar STEAM) yesterday.
Their research project entitled “Innovative Game Software for Improving the English Language Skills of Non-Native Speakers” is aimed at students in high school who want to learn English.
The competition was organised by Qatar Foundation Research & Development (QF R&D), Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), a member of QF R&D, and the Supreme
Education Council (SEC).
The competition aims to facilitate an environment in which the nation’s young scientists can thrive through early research. More than 160 students from 40 schools had participated in the inaugural
edition of the competition.
The winners were honoured at a special function at Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday. Mohammed al-Housani, an engineer and winner of the reality show, Stars of Science, Season 6, motivated the students by narrating his path to success at the event. The winners of the competition will represent Qatar at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, USA, in May.
More than 80 research projects in seven different scientific categories were presented at the competition. Out of them, eight students were awarded the Grand Awards as the overall winners while three top positions were awarded in each category of the
competition.
“The success of the first Qatar STEAM Fair and the number of participants indicate a growing interest in scientific research among the country’s youth. The skills, the students have gained from their participation in Qatar STEAM, will not only help their overall academic development, but also enable them to conduct sound research at later stages in their growth and development,” said Dr Dirar Khoury, executive director, research co-ordination and special initiatives, and acting executive director of Education, Training and Development at QF R&D.
Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie, executive director, QNRF, said, “Qatar STEAM enables middle and secondary school students to nurture their inquisitive minds through the development of critical thinking skills, which complements QNRF’s mission to support scientific research of direct relevance to the Qatar National Research Strategy. Therefore, it is a delight to see such interest in research at the school level, since it is these participants, and the rest of their peers, who will go on to contribute to the development of a sustainable knowledge-based economy as envisaged in the QNV2030.”
“The Supreme Education Council sought to support and nurture creativity and innovation through Qatar STEAM, which is a unique opportunity in which secondary school students were able to conduct meaningful scientific research, that will not only contribute to their overall academic development, but also to their future impact on Qatar’s development,” said Dr Asma al-Mohannadi, head of Scientific Research Team, SEC.
The overall winners of the competition with officials. PICTURE: Nasser T K
