•    Qatari secondary school students transformed their creative thinking into innovative practical projects Exemplified by a model of a “Smart House”

  •    QAPCO to conduct tours for Bright Mind students throughout its facilities 

Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD), the authority of sustainability in MENA region, in cooperation with Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), the world pioneer in petrochemicals, organized a commencement ceremony for the Bright Minds programme, supported by the Supreme Education Council. 

Through this exemplary program, the students were able to learn basic theoretical and practical principles to further enhance their engineering finesse. Subsequently, the students brought their abstract ideas to life through numerous models applied in the construction of the “Smart Home" model. The followings summarize work done: 

  1.    An independent Solar Energy source for Homes using Photo-Voltaic Panels & Control Circuits to provide their own power supply during power shortage.
  2.    Low Power LEDs for Home Lighting.
  3.    Outdoor Night Light Management using Sensors and Lighting Control System.
  4.    Indoor Light Management via Motion Sensors and Lighting Control Systems.
  5.    Smart Room Temperature Control System via Temperature Sensors and AC/Fans.
  6.    Indoor Moisture level management using controlling the Exhaust Fans via Humidity Sensor and Control System.
  7.    Intrusion protection at the Doors using Laser Beams & Warning Lights.
  8.    Intrusion protection at the Windows using Magnetic Switches & Alarms.
  9.    Smart Counters coupled with Laser Beam & Light Sensor used to display the real-time number of Occupants & total visitors to the house.
  10.  A Smart Energy Monitor with LCD Display providing real-time power usage information of the house including total energy consumption.

Commenting on the project, Dr. Yousef Mohammad Al Horr, Founding Chairman of GORD, said: “The graduation ceremony for the Bright Minds programme came to reinforce GORD’s efforts to support Qatar’s National Vision 2030, with specific attention to the human pillar. According to latest international research, creativity depends largely on the proper environment and systematic training, and helping the young generation at such an early age provides the perfect opportunity to create a generation of innovators who will contribute to further development of the country.” 

At the Graduation Ceremony Eng YousufRabeeh, Chief Operation officer at QAPCO, representing Dr. Mohamed Yousef Al Mulla, QAPCO’s VC&CEO stated, “It has been a great privilege to support this program as QAPCO is committed to encourage young students to develop an interest for engineering and a passion for science. At QAPCO, we believe sponsoring STEM related programs and activities that promote learning and development is valuable, for us, for our industry and for the nation. Innovative organizations such as GORD are certainly contributing to the advancement of our industry and paving the way to a sustainable future".
Eng Yousufcontinued, “Learning should be fun and exciting for students but they should also discover what the fundamentals of Engineering are and how these principles are applied to real-life situations. Hands-on programs such as Bright Minds encourage them to do this in a creative and innovative way.”

The programme at a glance:
The programme is the first of its kind in the country, as it nurtures budding talent through the organization’s excellence center, GORD Academy. Targeting Qatari secondary school students aged 15-16 years and interested in scientific and engineering disciplines. The programme mainly aims at enhancing students’ knowledge and improving their skills, while encouraging them to convert their creative thinking into innovative practical projects. This comes as part of a series of various activities conducted by GORD Academy to spread knowledge and nurture innovation, to become a path towards sustainability in all aspects.

Programme outlines: 
Highlighting the programme’s outlines, Dr. Al Horr explained that it would cover various scientific and technical subjects in the fields of electronic, electric and mechanical engineering, as well as engineering sciences, where students will be asked to present a graduation project to be offered participation certificates as follows: 

  –    Level (I) Innovation Certificate: Students will be awarded this certificate to be qualified for next advanced courses.
  –    CAS Certificate: A Community Service certificate will be provided for participants upon the end of the programme. 

The one-year programme encompasses weekly three-hour workshops, where students will be working at GORD’s research laboratory at the Qatar Science and Technology Park, with supervision and guidance by the organization’s experts, in addition to attending group workshops and other activities including lectures, field trips and laboratory visits. 

To this end, Dr. Al Horr added: “The organization’s efforts also contribute to building a knowledge based economy, supported by research, development and innovation while playing a vital role in protecting the environment and the natural resources, as Qatar focuses its attention towards securing human and economic resources to prepare creative thinkers who enjoy high levels of knowledge and productivity, and realizing the importance of instilling the concept scientific research  at such an early stage.”

The programme also seeks to advance creative thinking from an early age, such as thinking outside the box and troubleshooting problems that never existed before, with a main purpose of achieving change towards a better future. This does not only require improving the students’ skills and increasing their productivity, but also includes widening their horizons to inquire, analyze and investigate discoveries in various research and scientific fields. 

The project also promotes hands-on and practical experience, with students using their hands as an effective tool during the secondary grades. Participants acquire their first practical experience through the programme when presenting their graduation project, which paves their way to the next stages of college years. 

Several engineering-related topics are discussed in the programme, such as recognizing the types of electrical and electronic components, the proper use of measuring equipment, testing and troubleshooting electrical and electronic components, building and connecting different electronic circuits as well as physically converting ideas and thoughts into models based on scientific bases.