American University of Sharjah (AUS) has recently received a delegation of the Higher Education Association of the State of Sao Paulo (SEMESP), Brazil. The visit was arranged by Ellucian, a global provider of software solutions and technology services for educational institutions. The meeting demonstrates Ellucian’s efforts to enable cross-border communication and best practice sharing among its 2,300 clients and the higher education community worldwide.

The gathering was led by prominent higher educational professionals from SEMESP, AUS Chancellor Dr. Peter Heath and officials from Ellucian Middle East.

The group discussed some of the challenges faced by the Brazilian private higher education sector including increasing competition, professionalization of administrative and governance functions, new international institutions entering the Brazilian market and investment in Brazil by private equity groups.

Speaking at the event, Rodrigo Capelato, Executive Director, SEMESP, said, “We are delighted to be part of this strategic collaboration with Ellucian and benefit from AUS’s expertise in developing a world-class institution of higher education in the region, while creating global connections and sharing best practices. Our visit to AUS offered us valuable insight into private education and governance structures in the Middle East. Our relationship with Ellucian opens opportunities to build international relationships with this exciting region, and allows us to further foster ties and information sharing between the UAE and Brazil.”

AUS Chancellor Dr. Peter Heath expressed his desire to continue to expand the network of like-minded research-orientated universities focused on academic excellence.

“The UAE is directly linked with Brazil and has daily flights between the countries. Although the languages are different, we are pleased to welcome our visitors to share the vision established by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi for University City and to reflect on our first 15 years as a university. We have many more exciting challenges ahead in building our research capacity and we recognize the vital importance of local collaboration, and regional and global partners to further this research mission.”

The visit reinforced the benefits of becoming part of Ellucian’s global community with a reach of more than 2,300 clients in 40 countries. The visit also reaffirmed Ellucian’s commitment toward promoting international academic collaboration.

“Ellucian approached AUS for this visit because of its reputation for excellence as a world-class institution,” said Mathew Boice, Vice President, EMEA India, Ellucian.

“It acts as a role-model institution and has been supportive of others through sharing best practices and ideas. This is the first time a large delegation of Brazilian institutions has visited the region, and we are delighted to help foster these ties between UAE and Brazil.”

AUS is a pioneer of private higher education in the Gulf region and acts as a success model for institutions globally.

AUS has adopted Ellucian’s Banner Digital Campus and Advance solutions to help create a digital environment that provides world-class services to students, faculty, staff and alumni.

GE is highlighting rewarding job opportunities for fresh Saudi nationals graduates in addition to selecting five senior students for their Co-op Programme, through its participation at the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Career Fair (KFUPM), being held until May 9.

The Co-op Programme is aimed at providing talented young Saudis the opportunity to work at GE’s facilities in the US. Through the Co-op Programme, GE Saudi will identify students from four key disciplines - electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and finance.

Five students have already been selected by GE for the programme last February and are now training at GE’s facilities in Austria and Germany.

The programme enables Saudi students to acquire cutting edge competencies by working with world-class facilities under the mentorship of accomplished professionals.

Walid Abukhaled, GE’s President & Chief Executive Officer for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said: “At GE we are committed to the guidance and advice of the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in supporting and developing Saudi youth of both genders to be qualified and able to compete at both a local and global level.

“We have signed a number of agreements with leading academic and educational institutes led by KFUPM and are currently developing the Kingdom’s first of its kind Fuel Research Center in partnership with KFUPM. GE is committed to technology transfer, knowledge sharing and creating a skilled pool of Saudi professionals, who will become active participants in the social and economic growth of the Kingdom.”

He added: “GE’s diverse businesses in the Kingdom are aligned to address pressing requirements as well as support the development plan outlined for Saudi Arabia in the Government’s Vision 2020. Young Saudi professionals have a key role in driving the Vision, and through our participation, we are putting the spotlight on the job opportunities within GE.”

This commitment of GE to empower Saudi youth with advanced technical and job skills builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the company last year with KFUPM to extend educational scholarships to 30 students of the university. Subsequently, GE announced 30 additional educational scholarships to be provided exclusively to female students from various Saudi universities. In all, GE is providing annual scholarships of over SAR22m that will benefit 60 Saudi students.

Alhosn University, a leading Abu Dhabi-based university dedicated to high-quality, value-based education, joined more than 26 corporate and educational entities in discussing job market trends and requirements as well as the educational standards needed to gain a competitive edge in the market during the 4th Al Ain Education and Career Fair held recently at the Al Khabisi Hall in Al Ain.

During the fair’s three-day run, Alhosn University explained how its philosophy of ‘global knowledge with local vision’ can help students pursue productive careers while contributing to the development of their community. University representatives also recommended alumni to the region’s top employers, discussed career opportunities within the organization, and highlighted the various career paths that students can take under ALHOSN’s wings.

“The employment landscape has been dramatically changing over the past years, so it is important that students acquire the right skills and competencies to land the right job. The Al Ain Education and Career Fair enabled us to show the career options Alhosn University offers from our diverse academic programs, which have been crafted by some of North America’s top educators. We also encouraged students to take a holistic view of their growth and development and actively participate in important advocacies we support, such as environmental protection, women empowerment, and preservation of culture,” said Prof. Abdul Rahim Sabouni, Vice Chancellor and CEO, Alhosn University.

The annual Al Ain Education and Career Fair provides opportunities for students, UAE National job seekers, working professionals and fresh graduates to interact with recruiters from leading companies, agencies and educational institutions and learn about available training, education and career options across all work fields. Similar to previous years, this year’s edition was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Named after Abu Dhabi’s historic ALHOSN Palace, Alhosn University was founded in 2005 by the Abu Dhabi Holding Company in response to growing local demand for high-quality, value-based educational institutions. It currently offers 12 undergraduate and 7 graduate programs under the Faculties of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Business, and Arts and Social Sciences. ALHOSN accepts students of all nationalities and also accommodates youths with special needs. All its programs are accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

May 5 2012, Amman - The Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) has officially launched the Queen Rania National Entrepreneurship Competition (QRNEC) for the year 2012, seeking to raise awareness among youth about Entrepreneurship and means of taking their ideas to the next level.

The fifth round of the competition aims to fuel the spirit of creativity and innovation among students in Jordanian schools and universities, and to help  them to turn their business ideas into successful projects that service their community.

In his comment, the Executive Director of QRCE, Eng. Farhan Kalaldeh, said that this round is directed only to the Jordanian academic sector, noting that registration forms will be received starting from the launch date of the competition till mid-May. 

“Financial support, comprehensive training, and expert advice are among the important tools that provide Competition participants with a suitable environment for utilizing capabilities and transforming innovative ideas into promising projects,” Kalaldeh added, praising the sponsors, including the Jordan Ahli Bank, Intel Corporate, and N2V, besides QRCE’s strategic partners “YED” and “Takaful” initiatives.

For his part, Deputy CEO, Head of Group Strategy and Corporate Communications at Jordan Ahli Bank, Saad Mouasher, said: “As part of its social responsibility towards the society, the bank’s administration is keen on promoting the culture of leadership among youth across the kingdom and helping them turn their innovative ideas into successful enterprises capable of supporting the growth of the national economy.”

“Our sponsorship for QRNEC’s award stems from our belief in the critical role it plays in pushing the wheel of national economic development further out through creating job opportunities for young people and attracting investments to different industries,” he added.

In turn, Intel Corporate Affairs Manager for Levant and North Africa, Rula Habash, stated: “We at Intel Corporate consider education, investment, and infrastructure as important pillars that help advance the culture of business leadership. Therefore, we have been always willing to cooperate with governments, educators, non-profit organizations, and industrial sector bodies to give young innovators and entrepreneurs the chance to develop their capabilities in these fields.”

Highlighting the role of Intel’s Global Entrepreneurship Leadership Program in empowering youth and providing them with expert advice and technical resources needed for building successful enterprises, Habash added: “This competition which has been a great hit since its inception falls within Intel’s programs which aim to encourage gifted business leaders to efficiently utilize their potentials and skills for creating pioneering projects which will develop new job opportunities for them and others.”

The Marketing Manager at N2V, Naji Salloum, said: “As a pioneering company specialized in sponsoring regional technical projects, N2V is eager to pursue its support for the QRNEC Award, being driven by the results of the previous years which exceeded all our expectations with regard to the number and quality of the participating projects.” 

“We seek to back those start-ups which operate in domains related to our core business like websites and mobile phone applications to help them grow and expand,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that participants in the competition will undergo a comprehensive training program under the supervision of an elite team of Business instructors and experts. In addition, several visits to different universities across the kingdom is being organized to promote the competition and explain the benefits and process. 

Remarkably, QRNEC awards amount to over $30,000, awarded to projects in the fields of ICT, Biotechnology, Agricultural Technology, Renewable Energy, Water, Life Sciences, and Advanced Technologies.

Sony, the consumer electronics brand, hosted the first of 14 educative shows for children in Dubai and Abu Dhabi-based schools as part of the brand’s corporate social responsibility outreach. This season, the sessions are anticipated to engage a total of 5,000 children from 29 schools.

The Sony Science Show inculcates heightened levels of interest in science among children through simplified explanations and practical illustrations. Hosted at the Knowledge Village Auditorium in Dubai and Abu Dhabi Theatre in Abu Dhabi, the shows offer students an opportunity to observe renowned entertainer and science enthusiast, Soichi Nishimura, demystify complex scientific concepts such as aerodynamics, gravity, electromagnetism and conduction in a fun-filled manner.

Hiroyasu Sugiyama, Managing Director, Sony Gulf FZE, said, “Year after year, the Sony Science Show records overwhelming responses from schools and families in the UAE. The event is an integral part of Sony’s social commitment that allows us to add a new dimension to scientific literacy in the region. Engaging more schools every year in this interactive educational initiative helps us develop an appreciation and understanding of science and its practical aspects among children from a very young age.”

Since its inception, Sony has carried on the tradition of contributing to the society and meeting the evolving needs of consumers through activities that leverage the company’s core expertise. Consequently, Sony’s social contribution initiatives focus on the use of Sony technologies and products to foster creativity among children. Such activities include the Sony ExploraScience Museum in Tokyo, Sony Wonder Technology Lab in New York, Science Centre in Singapore City, Sony Science Program, Sony Education Foundation, Sony Preschool Education Program for Children, and the Sony Science Teachers Association (SSTA). In Saudi Arabia, Sony conducts the annual Sony Creative Science Awards jointly with Modern Electronics Company Limited.

Apart from engaging schools, the Sony Science Show opened its doors to families through free registrations last year. The two special shows that drew huge interest from families have led to a consecutive edition this year and will be held on Friday 4 May at the Knowledge Village Auditorium, at 11:00am and 3:00pm.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Ministry of Education and the Abu Dhabi Education Council continue to support the Sony Science Show as strategic partners and have helped the initiative reach over 15,000 students to date.

Reach Out to Asia (Rota), Qatar’s leading educational non-profit organization, is celebrating the inauguration of two new community schools serving 344 primary and secondary students in Khost Province of eastern Afghanistan.

With funding support from Rota, on October 2011 CARE International in Afghanistan began implementing a three-year project that draws on its extensive experience and lessons learned in community-based education.

The project is designed to establish and support Community Based Education (CBE) classes to assist the Government of Afghanistan in meeting the right to quality basic education for 3,154 children (54 percent girls) in respective grades (2,554 primary and 600 lower secondary).

In particular, education services are being emphasized for returnees, IDPs and communities prone to conflict in three provinces of Afghanistan (Kapisa, Ghazni, and Khost), specifically in areas where government education facilities do not reach.

Further, CARE is maintaining its focus on girls’ secondary education while continuing to support community-based primary education. Both primary and secondary approaches are incorporating CARE’s experience in adapting INEE guidelines (ineesite.org/index.php/post/inee_handbook/) to ensure effective and healthy learning environments even in the harshest of rural situations.

A strength of the CBE model is that it focuses on setting up quality education services in communities beyond the reach of the education system, by establishing classes in homes or mosques and training local residents known and trusted by the community to serve as teachers.

As the community gains an appreciation of its own education services it tends to raise the issue of constructing its own school. Thus, these two new schools in Khost province - designed with three classrooms, an administration room, toilet facilities, a playground and a secure surrounding wall - are an indication of these communities’ increased appreciation for the value of education for their children, including their girls.

In line with CARE’s Education program “ground up” approach to improving access to education through high level stakeholder engagement (particularly community members through male and female School Management Committees [SMCs]), the construction of the schools was a community-centered process throughout all phases (including the allocation of land for school construction, the selection of teachers, and monitoring of school affairs and progress). As such, CARE has taken key steps to fostering community ownership and long-term sustainability together with Ministry of Education (MoE) stakeholders.

Currently, the Mata Cheena Community School, located in Matun District, provides educational opportunities for 244 female students (44 secondary and 200 primary), while the Hassan Mohammad Community School in neighboring Mandozi district ensures educational opportunities for approximately 100 female students (33 secondary graders and 67 primary graders).

“Investment in education is the best defense against poverty and suffering in Afghanistan. In partnership with CARE International, we are committed to providing a comprehensive community based learning environment that sets high standards for its students while strengthening families’ abilities to be strong advocates for their children’s education,” expressed by Rota Director, Mr. Essa Al Mannai.

The inauguration ceremonies for the Mata Cheena and Hassan Mohammad community schools were held on March 25 and 26 respectively, and were attended by community members, MoE District Education Officials, local authorities, CARE representatives, parents, teachers, and students enrolled in the schools. During the ceremonies, project stakeholders at all levels voiced the importance of community support in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the newly-built schools.

The excerpts below capture the shared sentiment among participants: “Every speaker reiterated their support for a common mission - to encourage Afghanistan’s younger generation in obtaining a good quality education in a safe and secure environment. The walls of the school buildings were decorated by posters encouraging parents to support the children’s right to a quality, equitable education for both girls and boys, “expressed by Mr. Essa Al Mannai.

“All the students, teachers and community members are incredibly proud and thankful for the new Rota community schools as it’s the first time any child in either district has been able to begin the academic year in a new school building,” expressed by Lamis Sabra International Programs Manager.

In the period ahead, CARE intends to expand school construction to support girls’ secondary CBE education in Kapisa province, where classes are generally held in makeshift learning spaces (e.g., a house, mosque, or village hall).

Furthermore, CARE will also continue to work district and provincial education departments of MoE to identify eligible communities for project assistance (i.e. communities where there is long-standing unmet needs, which are beyond the coverage area of government and other agencies) and to build their institutional capacity to provide advisory and supervisory support to these communities. Through previous and ongoing initiatives, the CBE model has proven effective in addressing the twin challenges of lack of government capacity to serve remote areas and community reluctance to girls’ school attendance.

To cite the words of Mr. Essa Al Mannai:

“The reconstruction of the Afghan educational system is far from complete. More girls are now attending school in Afghanistan, yet there are still around two million students living in rural areas, many in refugee camps, who continue to be denied their right to education.”

99 centimetres record to beat as AIESEC introduce Marshmallow Challenge at Al Ain Education & Career Fair

Al Ain, 2 May, 2012: Teamwork and creativity skills of Emirati school leavers and job seekers at the Al Ain Education & Career Fair are being put to the test this week, as they look to shatter the record for the highest free standing tower made from just marshmallow and spaghetti.

Armed with one marshmallow, 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape and one yard of string, groups of between four to ten Emirati youngsters have only 18 minutes to build the tallest free-standing structure, and beat the current record of 99 centimetres placing the marshmallow on top.

Called the Marshmallow Challenge, the exercise is being introduced by the student-run youth leadership development organisation AIESEC UAE at the three day fair, which opened on Monday and concludes today (Wednesday 2 May) at the Al Khabisi Wedding Celebration Hall.

First presented at a TED conference in 2010, the Marshmallow Challenge was subsequently popularised by engineering and design expert Tom Wujec, and has now become one of the most popular cognitive group exercises aimed at challenging assumptions while improving innovation and creativity.

And while the record for the almost one metre tower still stands, Yana Makaveeva, President of AIESEC UAE believes that the Marshmallow Challenge at the Al Ain Education & Career Fair is a unique way for participants to discover new ways to successfully innovate in an individual and teamwork environment.

“The Marshmallow Challenge is a fun and interactive design exercise that encourages teams to experience simple but profound lessons in teamwork, innovation, and creativity,” said Makaveeva.

“We decided to run it as part of our assessment programme at the Al Ain Education & Career Fair so that we can propose something fun and entertaining at first glance, but with a deeper meaning behind.  The exercise reveals the true nature of collaboration and fighting assumptions and we hope that we can topple the 99 centimetre record during the event.”

Supported by the Emirates National Development Programme, and strategically located in Al Ain due to its large population of Emirati school leavers and university graduates, Al Ain Education & Career Fair focuses on career, training and education opportunities in the UAE for young Emiratis contemplating their future educational aspirations and career direction.

Providing a dual platform for education providers and employers in the UAE, the exhibition is Al Ain’s annual showcase event for universities and training institutes seeking students, and for leading employers searching for talented UAE Nationals in an effort to support their Emiratisation initiatives.

The UAE Presidential Guard – Diamond Sponsor of the event – and Gold Sponsors Etihad Airways, Etihad Rail, ADNOC, and Etisalat, all have a number of positions available for UAE Nationals as they look to keep their Emiratisation targets for the remainder of 2012 well in their sights.

Other major employers signed up include the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), Mubadala Aerospace, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Farmers Services Centre, and General Holding Corporation, the UAE’s largest industrial conglomerate, whose companies include Emirates Steel, Arkan, Agthia and the National Petroleum Construction Company.

The Al Ain Education & Career Fair returns from 22-24 April, 2013 at the Al Khabisi Wedding Celebration Hall, and is partnered with NAJAH Education, Training and Careers event, taking place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 16-18 October 2012.  For more information, visit www.alaincareerfair.com or www.facebook.com/alaincareerfair. 

Sidra Medical and Research Center together with Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) honored professionals who recently completed qualitative research training as part of Sidra’s community engagement initiative in an awards ceremony at Sidra offices in Doha.

Twenty five men and women were awarded certificates upon completing the Qualitative Research Interview Skills Workshop. The workshop was designed to support researchers in collecting unbiased and high-quality data where human inter-phase is required, especially in multi-cultural settings such as Doha. Over the course of two months, trainees spent 24 hours on in-classroom training, matched by out-of-classroom coursework, and eight to 12 hours of field observation.

Trainees learned a transferable skill set of research practices that can be used in their everyday jobs. In addition to international and cross-cultural interviewing, informed consent, active listening techniques, qualitative data gathering and data processing, students were also trained in validation and verifying skills.

The Research Interview Skills Workshop is an integral part of the CCP, which aims to gather insights about women’s health from the local Arabic-speaking community, to help inform services being planned for Sidra.

“The vision for Sidra first emerged from the needs of the local community, and we have continued to involve these communities in planning the center’s service offerings. Sidra will have an organic connection with the community through on-going engagement with the public in a culturally sensitive and effective manner, an engagement rooted in the CCP. The Workshop goes even further in helping Sidra and the local communities support each other’s progress, by offering our trainees a chance to learn new skills,” said Olufunke Ilori, Sidra senior planning consultant.

The CCP was started in 2009 as part of Sidra’s commitment to engage with the community through enhanced and individualized communications efforts that would help ground Sidra’s services and approaches to health care in the needs of the community. The project aims to inform and gather views, concerns and opinions from women planning to use health services at Sidra, to ensure that the services are culturally sensitive. To date, the CCP has matriculated 38 professionals through the workshop.

Dr. Cindy McKeon, director of clinical research at WCMC-Q, said: “The collaboration between WCMC-Q and Sidra was highly successful and demonstrates what can be achieved by sharing expertise and knowledge. As such, both WCMC-Q and Sidra are keen for the collaboration to continue and for further joint research workshops to be offered in the future.

“The program has allowed WCMC-Q to augment its clinical research practices as it provides for enhanced interaction between the researchers and patients and affords the researchers greater insight into what the patient has to say.”

Participants saw their role in the CCP as a valuable experience to learn marketable new skills and play a significant role in building the community.

“I’m eager to take part in future research to help inform planning for medical services at Sidra. Having the opportunity to help inform the innovative design and care model planned for Sidra allows me to play my part in improving standards of health and wellbeing for women and children in the community, and create a brighter future for the people of Qatar,” said Abdulla Jassim Abdulla, head of policy analysis and development at the Sidra Executive Project Office.

Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) took part in the Al Ain Education and Career Fair, inaugurated yesterday in Al Ain under the patronage of HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

ADFCA’s participation is the fair is specifically aimed at attracting UAE national graduates looking for jobs in the areas of animal wealth, research and development, food safety and agriculture. The Authority is one of the most successful government entities in terms of emiratization, as 71% of its workforce at present are UAE nationals.

Mohamed Jalal Al Reyaysa, Director of Communication and Community Service at ADFCA, said the Authority would take part in all important career fairs in the country with a view to reach out to potential recruits among young men and women of the UAE. “Currently, we are exploring the possibility of emiratizing all technical sectors in the Authority. We have about 50 vacancies in agriculture, food safety and veterinary sciences,” he pointed out.

Explaining the successful track record of the Authority in recruiting national employees, Al Reyaysa said that 90% of administrative staff at ADFCA were UAE nationals. “95% of staff in agriculture sector, 50% in animal wealth sector, 70% in food safety sector, 50% in research and development sector and 48% in policy and regulation sector are UAE nationals,” he added.

“We are looking to recruit staff in a number of areas, including food and agricultural risk management, retail food supply sector, research on fruits and dates, pest management, irrigation systems and veterinary research. Most of these are for work in ADFCA’s research stations,” Al Reyaysa explained.

During its participation at the fair, ADFCA presented models of model farms, new plastic green houses, products of the Research and Development sector such as honey and other details about the Authority’s work.

Qatar University’s College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is working on introducing 5 new degree programs — 3 undergraduate, 1 Masters and 1 PhD — to begin in Fall this year. The PhD follows the College’s Master’s program in Environmental Sciences that was launched last year.

This announcement was made by CAS Dean Dr Eiman Mustafawi who outlined details of the new programs at a press briefing held yesterday which included CAS Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Dr Wesam Al Madhoun and Associate Dean for Research Dr Mohammed Ahmedna who highlighted the achievements the College made over the last academic year in academics, student affairs, and research towards fulfilling its Strategic Plan.

Undergraduate programs in Psychology, Public Health, and Policy, Planning, and Leadership were developed due to the high demand for specialized personnel in the three professional fields, Dr Mustafawi said.

Psychologists are urgently needed to provide services to the community, and researchers in this field are increasingly important for Qatar as the country tries to find a balance with growing globalization changes while preserving its traditions and values, she explained.

Public health is an area that is seriously undersubscribed in Qatar and based on the national health strategy, the country needs to build human capital of health experts and researchers who are skilled in the field, Dr Mustafawi said. She further added that the Policy, Planning and Leadership program will aim to produce professionals with the skills and knowledge to engage in and find solutions to the country’s energy and environmental challenges.

Additionally, a minor in Translation Studies will begin in Fall. “There is a huge demand for translators - people who are capable of translating and communicating in both languages,” Dr Mustafawi said. A minor in Philosophy is under consideration with the possibility of it becoming a major at a later date, she added.

Describing the MSc in Materials Science, Dr Mustafawi said it is a much-needed program which will help in solving key issues of energy, the environment, healthcare, and transport.

Dr Al Madhoun discussed the recent activities and achievements of the College in terms of strengthening the academic advising program, establishing internships internationally for CAS students, student participation in local, regional and international conferences, student exchange program, and continuing education training.

“CAS set up an academic advising office which will facilitate our advising of over 4000 students and so improve the process,” Dr Al Madhoun said. On internships, she noted that the College has formalized arrangements with institutions in Japan, Germany, France its students for summer 2012. She went on to discuss students’ accomplishments in participating in research conferences around the world for which they received impressive feedback.

Dr Al Madhoun also highlighted the exchange program in which students from UK, Germany and the US are studying Arabic Language at CAS, and which has now expanded to them pursuing science and arts courses for which they will gain credit hours that can be transferred to their universities at home.

Dr Ahmedna outlined details of CAS’ research achievements, noting that the College gained grants close to QR80m covering 30 external and 32 internal projects. Eighty nine students are currently working on projects that are funded by research grants, he said.

He said further that the College also established an annual Research Day to be held in June in which students will present and discuss all their research projects to an audience which will include high level individuals from various sectors in Qatar.

CAS faculty is active and productive in terms of published articles, giving presentations at international conferences and symposia, and providing consultancies in their specialized areas, Dr Ahmedna said. “To date, the faculty had over 400 publications, and 161 participated in international conferences this year,” he said.

In recognition of the extensive research activities of students and faculty, CAS has established research awards for humanities and the arts, and sciences for the most outstanding research projects of the year, Dr Ahmedna stated.

He added further that the College’s programs and research activities are built on national needs and as a response to the objectives outlined in Qatar National Vision 2030.