Qatar University
Researchers at QU
Seafood fraud, renewable energy and figuring out ways to get people to care about science are just some of the topics that undergraduate students will study after being awarded grants from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).
This week, QNRF announced that 37 students out of a total of 146 applicants from six Qatar universities were selected for the grants.
QNRF has not yet responded to a request for how much money the grants are worth.
But it said the students will work with 69 faculty members and mentors on their projects.
Qatar University
Qatar University
Officials added the proposals reflected an “evolution” in the type of research being conducted at an undergrad level.
Most of the grants went to Qatar University (26 out of 37), and will benefit 102 students.
QU’s total grant amount of QR1.6 million will be spread out among various fields, including engineering and technology, natural sciences, social sciences and medical and health sciences.
Other schools that won grants include:
- Texas A&M University at Qatar (5);
- Northwestern University in Qatar (2);
- University of Calgary in Qatar (2);
- Hamad Bin Khalifa University (1); and
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (1).
QNRF’s mandate is to enhance a research culture that supports and builds on Qatar’s innovation and technology capacity.
Science majlis
Most of the UREP grants this cycle will involve coordinating across multiple disciplines.
For example, NU-Q Assistant Prof. Anto Mohsin is looking into the effects of the Science Majlis, a monthly public outreach program by the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI).
The goal is to assess whether the majlis helps contribute to the public understanding of and engagement in science in Qatar.
QEERI
Science majlis
Meanwhile, HBKU Prof. Amine Bermak is advising and guiding students who are developing a smart platform to monitor health issues.
The devices are currently focused on foot injuries caused by diabetes, a major illness in Qatar.
Speaking to Doha News, Bermak said:
“The project won a grant of $19,982 and will lead to a three-tier novelty in biomedical devices. One, that will be around wearable health care platform for monitoring shoe pressure.
Two, develop absorbent dressing. Three, smart compressive orthotics which are shoe inserts that support and align the foot and lower extremities.”
Seafood fraud
Another grant of interest was awarded to Dr. Kuei-Chiu Chen, a senior biology lecturer who was awarded $30,000 to study seafood fraud.
Her study will compare barcoding gene sequences from tissues of packaged seafood in Qatar with similar global databases.
Omar Chatriwala/Flickr
Photo for illustrative purposes only.
Chen hopes with her findings to help seafood regulators develop sound practices and safeguard both consumers and endangered species.
Meanwhile, TAMU-Q has won five awards amounting to $75,150.
One of the university’s main projects involves looking into alternative and renewable energy. Speaking to Doha News, primary research mentor Dr. Hassan Bazzi said:
“Today the world is facing an urgent need for renewable energy technologies.
Several countries have recently developed solar cells based on organic photovoltaics, which have the potential to allow less expensive manufacturing processes – thus potentially increasing the energy supply from this technology and advancing its competitiveness with fossil fuels.”
Thoughts?
(The post Science, seafood and sun: Qatar undergrads awarded research funding is from Doha News.)