A group of students from Qatar University (QU)’s Young Scientists Centre (YSC) won a gold and bronze award each in the Fifth Korea International Youth Olympiad 2020, organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the International Federation of Inventors’ Association.
The QU projects that won were among 210 advanced projects from 20 countries.
The first project, titled Marine Biodegradable Plastic from Soybean byproducts, won a gold award and a special award in the “Best of Best Invention” category.
Sharifa al-Mohannadi, a student at the College of Engineering, developed the project during her participation in one of the YSC’s programmes, “I am a Researcher”.
This innovation is about manufacturing a new type of biodegradable polymer from soybean residues for use in safe and environmentally-friendly packaging applications.
This type of plastic will help address the problem of recycling and treating plastic waste, which has become one of the main concerns around the world.
The invention was carried out and developed under the supervision of researchers at the QU, using the latest in equipment and manufacturing and testing methods.
The second project, Fabricate Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites for Transparent and Eco-friendly Electronics, won the bronze prize in the Olympiad’s Team Competition for Creativity category.
This project aims to manage electronic waste by making biodegradable products.
Sarah al-Maadeed and Sham al-Homsi implemented the project in QU’s specialised laboratories over several months.
The same project is nominated in the National Research competition in Qatar 2020.
The annual Olympiad is an opportunity to share ideas, innovations, inventions and IP (intellectual property) projects with the world.
The YSC mainly focuses on engaging youth in scientific and research activities, and building their competencies in advanced sciences (related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
So far, students participating in various programmes have won 34 local and international awards since its initiation in 2010.
YSC director Dr Noora al-Thani expressed her pride in the success achieved by students affiliated with the centre, who competed with their peers from all over the world.
She thanked YSC partners Unesco Doha Office, the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the sponsors of the centre, Ras Laffan Industrial City Community Outreach Programme.
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