Qatar University (QU) has said its Al-Bairaq programme “continues its journey of excellence” by winning 14 awards and honours in the National Scientific Research Competition (NSRC), with the students being honoured during the annual National Scientific Research Week.
Al-Bairaq is a non-traditional educational project in which students in Qatari secondary schools work in teams with university-level scientists on practical scientific problems.
Faculty members train and mentor the future generation of scientists and help develop and enhance their critical-thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills, according to a press statement from QU.
Al-Bairaq participated in the NSRC with research entries in five categories: chemistry, material science, engineering, environment and earth science.
The research was carried out in QU under the supervision of expert professors at the Centre for Advanced Materials and Al-Bairaq team members.
QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham said: “Al-Bairaq affirms each year its importance in simplifying complex scientific ideas, which increases the students’ passion to innovate, aiming to prepare a generation capable of digesting science and participating in the knowledge industry.”
Al Bairaq programme president and head of Communication and Outreach at QU Dr Noora Jabor al-Thani said that Al-Bairaq has “a great responsibility to upgrade education in Qatar”.
Al-Bairaq was on the right track to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030, she added.
Al-Bairaq won three grand awards that qualify for participation in international competitions.
In addition, the programme won three category awards, four special awards and four honours.
A research titled ‘Value Added Sensors from Environmental and Industrial Wastes’ on the use of plastic waste and industrial wastes — resulting from the aluminium industry — in the manufacture of smart sensors that cost less than the sensors currently used in the market, won two grand awards and will represent Qatar at Itex Malaysia 2020 and Intel ISEF in the US, the statement notes.
The same research won first place in the engineering category, as well as two special awards, one from Barzan Holding and another from ExxonMobil.
Another research titled ‘Development of Lightweight Al-SiO2 Nanocomposites for Automotive Applications – Qatar Electric Cars 2022’ received a grand award and will represent Qatar at Itex Malaysia 2020.
It also won first place in the chemistry and material science category.
The research is about improving the properties of the aluminium used in the manufacture of electric cars in Qatar 2020 by forming a composite with SiO2.
In addition, a third research titled ‘Ductile Fibre Reinforced Ultra High Performance Concrete DFRUPC’ won third place in the environment and earth science category.
Two research works, one titled ‘Fabrication of Nanocomposite Humidity Sensor’ and the other ‘Fabrication and Testing of Toughened Novel Epoxy Composites for Lightweight Automotive Application’ won two special awards from Barzan Holding.
The Al-Bairaq programme was also honoured for its initiatives and efforts in the education field.
In addition, the programme received two honours for conducting a workshop at the conference titled ‘Increasing Students Engagement in the Educational Process’ and for presenting a poster titled ‘Integrating Art in Science through Photography’.
QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham with some of those honoured.
