The Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) and Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) recently organised a commencement ceremony for the Bright Minds programme, supported by the Supreme Education Council.
Through this programme, the students are able to learn basic theoretical and practical principles to further enhance their engineering finesse and bring their abstract ideas to life through numerous models applied in the construction of the “Smart Home” model.
Some of the projects done under the programme include:
♦ An independent solar energy source for homes using photo-voltaic panels and control circuits to provide their own power supply during power shortage.
♦ Low Power LEDs for home lighting.
♦ Outdoor night light management using sensors and lighting control system.
♦ Indoor light management via motion sensors and lighting control systems.
♦ Smart room temperature control system via temperature sensors and AC/fans.
♦ Indoor moisture level management using controlling the exhaust fans via humidity sensor and control system.
♦ Intrusion protection at the doors using laser beams and warning lights.
♦ Intrusion protection at the windows using magnetic switches and alarms.
♦ Smart counters coupled with laser beam and light sensor used to display the real-time number of occupants & total visitors to the house.
♦ A smart energy monitor with LCD display providing real-time power usage information of the house including total energy consumption.
Dr Yousef Mohammad al-Horr, Founding Chairman of GORD, said: “According to latest international research, creativity depends largely on the proper environment and systematic training, and helping the young generation at such an early age provides the perfect opportunity to create a generation of innovators who will contribute to further development of the country.”
Yousuf Rabeeh, Chief Operation Officer at Qapco, said at the graduation ceremony, “At Qapco, we believe sponsoring STEM related programmes and activities that promote learning and development is valuable, for us, for our industry and for the nation. Learning should be fun and exciting for students but they should also discover what the fundamentals of engineering are and how these principles are applied to real-life situations. Hands-on programmes such as Bright Minds encourage them to do this in a creative and innovative way.”
The programme is the first of its kind in the country, as it nurtures budding talent through the organisation’s excellence centre, GORD Academy. It targets Qatari secondary school students aged 15-16 years and interested in scientific and engineering disciplines. The programme mainly aims at enhancing students’ knowledge and improving their skills, while encouraging them to convert their creative thinking into innovative practical projects. This comes as part of a series of various activities conducted by GORD Academy to spread knowledge and nurture innovation, to become a path towards sustainability in all aspects.