Qatar University (QU) has hosted a ceremony to honour the students who won the first place in scientific and improvisational challenges in the Destination Imagination (DI) 2018 which took place in Tennessee, US, on May 23-26.
Students Aldana Ali Alyafei and Suhila Tariq Zaffer (QU-College of Engineering), Sameera Hamad AlMuraikhi (QU-College of Business and Economics), Sumaya Tariq Zaffer, Raja Mohamed Aderdor and AL-Anqa Alharbi (QU-College of Arts and Sciences), and Fatima al-Mansouri (QU-College of Education) represented QU Destination Imagination competition in the scientific and improvisational challenges. 
Attending the events were QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, Student Services and Activities director Dr Abdulla al-Yafei, and Al Faisal Without Borders (Alf) general manager Abdullatif al-Yafei, as well as other QU officials and staff. 
The finals of the scientific challenge witnessed a strong competition between Qatar, China and the US. As the culminating event of the DI season, Global Finals provides finalists the opportunity to showcase their top-scoring innovative solutions in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), as well as service learning and improvisation, at the world’s largest celebration of creativity. The solutions were assessed by a panel of trained judges, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to engineers, and were scored on a variety of elements, including originality, workmanship, presentation and teamwork.
Dr al-Derham congratulated the winning students saying: “We at Qatar University believe that the student activities and the university life are not less important than the academic aspect. These activities contribute to building the students’ personalities and their confidence, and to developing their skills and capabilities in the field of leadership, teamwork and research. Additionally, we are keen to provide our students with the opportunity to participate in international events, which allow them to interact and exchange their ideas with their peers from various cultures and backgrounds.”
Dr al-Yafei said: “We are proud of our students’ achievement. The university is not limited to classroom learning as the labour market seeks for graduates who have the theoretical and practical skills. The Destination Imagination competition contributes to strengthening the students’ leadership, problem-solving and teamwork skills. QU is committed to encourage and support its students to participate in various competitions at the national and international levels.”