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GORD unveils its unique Bright Minds programme

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Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD), the leading Qatari organization in research and consultation, in cooperation with Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), the world pioneer in petrochemicals, has unveiled its Bright Minds programme, supported by the Supreme Education Council. The programme is the first of its kind in the country, as it nurtures budding talents 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.

Given the attention it pays to the human factor in Qatar, inline with the wise vision of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar and Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, GORD seeks to turn Qatar into a regional model in terms of sustainable development in all sectors, especially human development.

Inspired by the words of his H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, The Heir Apparent of the State of Qatar, who stated: “Qatar has achieved outstanding progress that reflected positively on the country and its citizens, creating in the meantime various challenges that we need to overcome through better executive capabilities. Our national development strategy provides a more consistent method towards achieving sustainable development, especially through investing in human resources.”

Commenting on the project, Dr. Yousef Mohammad Al Horr, Founding Chairman of GORD, said: “The launch of 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.”

Dr. Mohamed Al Mulla, VC & CEO of QAPCO described the Bright Minds program as “An excellent educational project as it will inspire and motivate young students to learn more about the fundamentals of engineering.” Dr. Al Mulla continued, “What has impressed me most about this new initiative is the focus on creativity and the innovative approach to learning that GORD have designed. I am excited about collaborating with Dr. Al-Horr and his team and I hope that as Industrial partners QAPCO will be able to offer practical support to the students that will assist them in their development.”

Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Saadi, Head of the Office of Research and Policy Analysis (PARO) at the Supreme Education Council, commented: “This program is a great academic initiative that boosts the abilities and skills of the next generation, while introducing them to the basics of engineering sciences. We are pleased to cooperate with GORD, and we will offer our support and help students to develop their skills, and hope the programme achieves its goals. We at the Supreme Education Council support this initiative and look forward to further contribution by other organizations in the society.”

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.