The Foundation

SCIENCE.
ENCOURAGING
QATAR’S NEXT
GENERATION
High-achieving Qatari students are being
shown the possibilities that science and
engineering offer for their careers, and
their country’s development
When mapping a path
to Qatar’s future, the
role of engineers is
pivotal.
Moving beyond oil and gas, the
creation of a knowledge-based
economy under Qatar National
Vision 2030 relies strongly on the
nation’s ability to educate new
generations of engineers who are
capable of responding to Qatar’s
Grand Challenges related to water,
energy use, environmental needs,
and cyber security.
This was the thinking behind a
new summer program to engage
some of Qatar’s brightest young
minds, introduced under the
umbrella of a wider engineering
education initiative created by
Texas A&M University at Qatar
(TAMUQ), a partner university of
Qatar Foundation (QF), in
exclusive partnership with Maersk
Oil Qatar (MOQ).
The inaugural Summer
Engineering Academy, an elite,
10-day academic enrichment
program, was designed for
academically outstanding Qatari
students entering Grade 12 this year.
A total of 23 students were
selected as National Vision Scholars,
based on their academic record, an
application, and an interview.
Selected students were then divided
into five groups to work closely with
prominent faculty researchers,
investigating how engineering could
provide the answers to research
issues directly related to Qatar’s
Grand Challenges.
For example, students in the water
group examined how engineers
played a vital part in ensuring that
Qatar’s water supply was safe to
drink, as well as gaining a better
understanding of the search for
alternatives to the expensive
process of desalination.
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