HE Dr Hassan Lahdan Al-Mohannadi honors day 2 of QU Annual Research Forum and Exhibition

Qatar Minister of Justice H.E. Dr Hassan Lahdan Al-Mohannadi honored the Day 2 of Qatar University (QU) Annual Research Forum and Exhibition which was yesterday held at QU Research Complex.

Themed “Research Beyond Boundaries”, the 2-day event (May 3-4) aimed to address the community’s challenges through research anchored on a vibrant partnership between academia, industry and other stakeholders. It brought together students, researchers and academics from QU and the organization’s partners and stakeholders to assess and review QU research enterprise. It was sponsored by ExxonMobil Qatar (Platinum Sponsor), and Qatar Rail, Dolphin Energy Limited and Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) (Silver Sponsors).

H.E. Dr Hassan Lahdan Al-Mohannadi was joined by Chairman of The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, QU President Dr Hassan Al Derham, British Ambassador to Qatar H.E. Mr Ajay Sharma, QU VP for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Mariam Al-Maadeed, and ministry and embassy officials, as well as QU leadership, faculty, students and staff. The Day 1 of the event included presentations by QU Director of Research Planning and Development Dr Husam Younes and QU Dean of Graduate Studies Dr Ahmed Elzatahry. They presented on “Strategies for Future Research” and “Current and Future Graduate Studies Programs”. It also featured the presentation of outstanding research projects by graduate students and the displaying of the winning entries of the Visualization Challenge.

Winners of the Outstanding Thesis Awards were Aisha Al-Saygh (College of Arts & Sciences), Lubna Zeedan (College of Health Sciences), Soumaya Allouch (College of Pharmacy), Ahmed Khan (College of Engineering), and Jawaher Al-Haj (College of Sharia & Islamic Studies). Ahmed Saeed Ibrahim won the Graduate Research Award. In the 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Competition, Sameera Shaikh was first with Dina Abushanab and Nesreen Koffa coming second and third respectively. In the Visualization Challenge, Salma Hadi AlHajri’s entry “Damselfly” (An insect that belongs to order Odonata) won in the Scientific Photography category, while Shilu Mathew Mathew’s entry “Epigenetics has transformed the way we think about genomes” won in the Illustration and Graphics category. Winners in the Video category were Nesrin Mashhour for her entry “Flying Aid Drone” and Dr Noora Fetais, Engy Soliman and Salma Tarek Shalaby for their interactive entry on “Electricity consumption in Qatar”.

The Day 2 of the event featured three panel discussion sessions entitled “Future of Research in Qatar”, “Hand in Hand to Optimize Resources”, and “QU-Industry and Social Sector Partnerships - Highlights of Successful Stories”. They were moderated by QU Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) Director Dr Hassan Al-Sayed and QU College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Dr Rashid Ahmed Al-Kuwari. Discussions focused on a wide range of topics such as “Micro-algae carbon sequestration in Qatar”, “Process Development for CO2 Capture: Bench Scale Tests of Selected Chemical Solvents”, “Life of Marine Turtle in Qatar”, and “Consanguineous Marriage Survey in Qatari Society”, among many others.

The Day 2 of the event also included the distribution of Research Excellence Awards and Research Poster Awards. (Winners and their poster titles are listed below). In his remarks, Dr Hassan Al Derham said: “At Qatar University, we aim to achieve the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030 in transforming our homeland into an advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development through the provision of quality education and excellent research opportunities and facilities.”

Prof Mariam Al-Maadeed said: “Our aim is to be a noted research and learning university and in this context, we have been recording breakthroughs in our research endeavors every year with the active collaboration and support of our industry partners. The Annual Research Forum and Exhibition offered Qatar University the opportunity to address issues that are of the interest of the community through research anchored on a vibrant partnership with industry and various other stakeholders. This aligns with QU’s commitment to advance its position as a leader of economic and social development in Qatar through signed agreements and strategic partnerships with industry, government, academia, business and civil societyin Qatar and beyond. These collaborations contribute to promoting quality education and research in Qatar and the region. They provide a myriad of opportunities for students to advance in their academic and research experience in their relevant disciplines in line with QU’s strategies towards improving student outcomes and maximizing their potential.”

ExxonMobil Qatar President and General Manager Mr Alistair Routledge said: “This year, we are participating in Qatar University’s Annual Research Forum and Exhibition as its platinum sponsor. The forum involves participants and presenters from multiple sectors who share a commitment to research and innovation and to learning from one another. It provides an excellent opportunity for practitioners, scientists and graduate students to display results of their research or practical work; it also enables research staff to share best practices and common issues across research institutes and centers in Qatar. We look forward to contributing to the discussion and to witnessing the forum’s success.” 

QAPCO Managing Director and CEO Dr Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla said: “QAPCO is pleased to support this event as research is so important both to QAPCO and to the future of Qatar – it is a way to build knowledge and enable effective learning. Participating in such event is part of QAPCO’s overarching goal of research and development for sustainability as it contributes in creating value for the company, its stakeholders and the State of Qatar.”

Dolphin Energy Limited General Manager – Qatar Mr Hassan Al-Emadi said: “We are very proud to support the Annual Research Forum and Exhibition in Qatar. As technology is progressing at breakneck speed, it is important we encourage our young talented students to embrace research in the interests of developing solutions that will help drive the industry forward. Platforms such as this exhibition are necessary to enhance students’ learning process and help put in place a roadmap for scientific progress for future generations.”

Qatar Rail Managing Director and CEO Eng Abdullah Al Subaie said: “The partnership between Qatar Rail and Qatar University continues to grow stronger and more strategic. We strongly believe that research is vital to realize the connection between research activities and Qatar industry demands. This forum will help us all gain valuable insight into new innovations. I would like to thank Qatar University for giving Qatar Rail the opportunity to witness exciting groundbreaking research presentations.”

Research Excellence Awards

Sciences and Engineering category: Dr Samir Jaoua (College of Arts and Sciences).

Humanities and Social Sciences category: Dr Ahmed Mohamed Megreya (College of Education).

Research Poster Awards

Sciences and Engineering

Faculty and Postdocs category: Dr Khaled Ahmed, Dr Mohamed Al-Khawaja, and Dr Muhannad Suleiman -- “Less Cooling for Colder Buildings Using GSHP”.

Graduate students: Israa El-Nemr and Hammad Asim -- “Evaluation of Hygiene Practices and Food Safety Knowledge Levels of Workers at the Fresh Produce Market in Doha, Qatar”.

Undergraduate students: Mohamed Amin Ibrahim, Mohamed Anan Masoud, Abdelaziz Elyas Mohamed, Naeem Nasser Albeitjali, and Ahmad Al Jayyar -- “Flexural behavior of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams with Basalt FRP Reinforcing Bars”.

Humanities and Social Sciences

Faculty and Postdocs category: Majed Mohammed Hassan Al Ansari -- “A Minority of Citizens: The Effects of Religious, Social and Political Values on Trust in Immigrants in Qatar”. 

Graduate students: Sara Salmeh and Nurgul Oruc -- “Impact of Cross-Cultural Miscommunication on ESL Students in Qatar University Foundation Program”.

Undergraduate students: Maha Abdulaziz Alshaikh, Hanadi Abdulrahman Alhabshi, Sheroug Saeed, Bashayer Hassan Al-Ahbabi, and Maryam Abdulrahman AlKabbi -- “Qatar Food Security and International Trade Law.”

Medical, Biomedical and Health Sciences

Faculty and Postdocs category: Pejman Hanifi-Moghaddam (main author) and Nader AL-Dewik (co-author) -- “Learning from the Enemy of your Enemy: Engineered Phage Receptor Binding Domains as the Next Generation of Antibacterial Agent”.

Graduate students: Oraib Amjed Abdallah -- “Evaluation of Community Pharmacists’ Preparedness for the Provision of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment and Management Services: A Simulated Patient Study in Qatar”.

Undergraduate students: Salma Nagy Younes and Israa Magdi Khalaf -- “Effect of high and low molecular weight combined iron chelation therapy on iron overloaded zebrafish”.