Qatar University’s (QU) Young Scientists Center (YSC) students continue to succeed in International competitions for invention and innovation. The most recent achievement is victory of a group of students in the Fifth Korea International Youth Olympiad in 2020 with innovations developed at the center.
The announcement of winners were made on Wednesday, October 14. A number of students at the center which included a student from QU won gold and a group of high school students won bronze.
The annual Olympiad is an opportunity to share ideas, innovations, inventions and IP projects with the world. It aims to nurture future world leaders and encourage them to be creative, develop their talents and broaden their horizons by exchanging ideas with students from all over the world. The annual Olympiad is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Federation of Inventors' Association. This big win was achieved for Qatar University and the participating students from 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 this project during her participation in one of the center’s programs, "I am a Researcher". This innovation is concerned with 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 solve the problem of recycling and treating plastic waste, which has become one of the first concerns around the world. The invention was carried out and developed under the supervision of researchers at Qatar University, using the latest equipment, manufacturing and testing methods.
As for the second project, it was titled “Fabricate Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites for Transparent and Eco-friendly Electronics” and it won the bronze prize in the Team Competition for Creativity category. This project aims to manage electronic waste by making electronic products that are biodegradable. This will lead to natural and quick degradation without harming the environment. The two students, Sarah Al-Maadeed and Sham Al-Homsi, implemented the project in Qatar University's specialized laboratories over several months. It is worth noting that the same project is nominated to win the National Research competition in Qatar 2020.
The Young Scientists Center mainly focuses on engaging youth in scientific and research activities and building their competencies in advanced sciences (related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The center also works continuously with Qatari youth and encourages them to participate in scientific research and innovation competitions to present their distinguished works and at the international and locally. So far, students participating in the center's various programs have won 34 local and international awards since its initiation in 2010.
Dr. Noora Al-Thani, Director of the Young Scientists Center, expressed her pride in the great victory achieved by the students and said in a speech, "I am happy with the success achieved by the students affiliated with the center who competed with their peers from all over the world.” She hopes that these competitions will constitute the beginning of their lives."
Dr. Noora thanked those who believe in the center’s outputs of promising Qatari competencies, namely the partners UNESCO, the Doha Office, the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the sponsors of the center, namely Ras Laffan Industrial City Community Outreach Program.