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Tribune News Network
Doha
STEM expert from Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner university, mentored middle- and high-school students for the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) world championships, held recently in Houston, Texas (USA).
The students were the winners of the 2022 FTC Freight Frenzy Qatar Championship, hosted by Tamuq and Qatar National Library (QNL), with the support of the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
FTC is a robotics programme for students from grades 7 through 12 in which teams design, build, code and operate advanced robots to play a themed floor game. This is the first time Qatar has been represented at the international level of this competition, which included participants from more than 40 countries.
In 2020, Tamuq signed an agreement with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to host an annual contest in Qatar, and Tamuq’s STEM and robotics expert Dr Mohamed Gharib was named First Programme Delivery Partner in Qatar.
Training sessions for both teachers and students were developed and delivered before the competition by Gharib at Tamuq in its STEM Hub, a joint initiative teaching space sponsored by QNRF. The teacher training was designed to prepare new FTC mentors in Qatar to help students develop science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills and practise engineering principles while realising the value of hard work, innovation and working as a team.
Gharib said, “Being selected by First as a Programme Delivery Partner reflects the rapid progress and impact of Tamuq STEM and outreach team in the field of STEM education in Qatar.”
The 2022 theme for both the national and international competitions was ‘Frieght Frenzy’, in which teams explored the future of transportation. From the shipment of packages in rural and urban areas, to disaster relief delivery and high-tech air transit, teams reimagined faster, more reliable, inclusive and sustainable transportation innovations that better connect and grow communities and economies around the world.
Gharib said,“I am also incredibly proud of our students who did exceptionally well at the world championships. We had the opportunity to meet many talented students, volunteers, and mentors and see some really interesting projects. I am positive that the experience provided a great learning and knowledge sharing platform for everyone.”
Mohammed Bakri, a student at Tariq Bin Ziyad Secondary School and Captain of Team Qatar, said, “It has been an inspirational journey, from participating and winning here, to representing Qatar at the world championships. Apart from the technical knowledge in engineering and robotics, we gained from our mentors at Texas A&M at Qatar, we also learned about the value of teamwork, time management and innovation, while also having a lot of fun.”
Majida Timimi, Director of STEAM and Practical Applications Programmes at the Michael E. DeBakey School at Qatar, said, “The FTC has provided DeBakey students with invaluable experience and understanding of robotics, engineering, teamwork, technology and innovation. This challenge would not have been possible without the leadership of Dr Gharib and his team at the STEM HUB of Texas A&M whose commitment to student learning is inspiring!”
Doha
STEM expert from Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner university, mentored middle- and high-school students for the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) world championships, held recently in Houston, Texas (USA).
The students were the winners of the 2022 FTC Freight Frenzy Qatar Championship, hosted by Tamuq and Qatar National Library (QNL), with the support of the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
FTC is a robotics programme for students from grades 7 through 12 in which teams design, build, code and operate advanced robots to play a themed floor game. This is the first time Qatar has been represented at the international level of this competition, which included participants from more than 40 countries.
In 2020, Tamuq signed an agreement with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to host an annual contest in Qatar, and Tamuq’s STEM and robotics expert Dr Mohamed Gharib was named First Programme Delivery Partner in Qatar.
Training sessions for both teachers and students were developed and delivered before the competition by Gharib at Tamuq in its STEM Hub, a joint initiative teaching space sponsored by QNRF. The teacher training was designed to prepare new FTC mentors in Qatar to help students develop science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills and practise engineering principles while realising the value of hard work, innovation and working as a team.
Gharib said, “Being selected by First as a Programme Delivery Partner reflects the rapid progress and impact of Tamuq STEM and outreach team in the field of STEM education in Qatar.”
The 2022 theme for both the national and international competitions was ‘Frieght Frenzy’, in which teams explored the future of transportation. From the shipment of packages in rural and urban areas, to disaster relief delivery and high-tech air transit, teams reimagined faster, more reliable, inclusive and sustainable transportation innovations that better connect and grow communities and economies around the world.
Gharib said,“I am also incredibly proud of our students who did exceptionally well at the world championships. We had the opportunity to meet many talented students, volunteers, and mentors and see some really interesting projects. I am positive that the experience provided a great learning and knowledge sharing platform for everyone.”
Mohammed Bakri, a student at Tariq Bin Ziyad Secondary School and Captain of Team Qatar, said, “It has been an inspirational journey, from participating and winning here, to representing Qatar at the world championships. Apart from the technical knowledge in engineering and robotics, we gained from our mentors at Texas A&M at Qatar, we also learned about the value of teamwork, time management and innovation, while also having a lot of fun.”
Majida Timimi, Director of STEAM and Practical Applications Programmes at the Michael E. DeBakey School at Qatar, said, “The FTC has provided DeBakey students with invaluable experience and understanding of robotics, engineering, teamwork, technology and innovation. This challenge would not have been possible without the leadership of Dr Gharib and his team at the STEM HUB of Texas A&M whose commitment to student learning is inspiring!”
