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Texas A&M at Qatar welcomes local high school students to week-long engineering program

Students familiarized with engineering disciplines and projects.
DOHA, Qatar -- Texas A&M University at Qatar hosted its third Electrical, Mechanical, Petroleum and Chemical Summer Program (EMPC Program) from 20-24 May. Fifty 11^th grade Qatari students participated in the program, which familiarized them with engineering and the educational programs available at Texas A&M at Qatar. Program activities and projects included solving real-life engineering challenges and participating in practice University entrance exams.

Representatives from Qatar Shell and Qatar Chemical Company (QChem), sponsors of the program, introduced prospective students to the energy and industry sector by providing examples of engineers' responsibilities and activities. Sponsor representatives also met with students one-on-one to discuss educational and career opportunities for them as engineers.

John Small, director of development and director of the Office of Student and Community Relations, discussed the goals of the program, saying, "The EMPC Program is designed to give high school students a better idea of what engineering means, both as a university degree and career, and to help them understand the admissions requirements for Texas A&M University at Qatar. We are proud of the success of the program and hopeful that we are offering a valuable service to students and their schools in Qatar."

Sarah Aboulhosn, program coordinator for student and community relations and one of the organizers of the EMPC Program, added, "We encourage high school students to pursue engineering as a University major, as this contributes to and supports the State of Qatar's need for engineers. Throughout this program, we introduced students to the various disciplines of engineering so they could gain a clearer understanding of each one. Students also participated in tours of the laboratory facilities at our campus, discussions about student life opportunities at the University and an introduction to local industry operations."

Students worked throughout the week on an open-ended engineering design challenge, the centerpiece of the EMPC Program, with mentoring and assistance from faculty and staff at the University. On the final day of the program, they presented their project results in front of a panel of faculty judges.

Dr. Ghassan Kridli, associate professor of mechanical engineering, explained the project, saying, "Teams of three or four students worked together to develop viable solutions to the address the functional needs based on 'customer requirements.' They were constrained in terms of the type of material they could use in the design and judged based on meeting the design objectives as well as the amount of material used in the design. This represents engineering in practice, where engineers work in teams to solve open ended problems, taking constraints into account, and ensuring that their solutions are technically and economically feasible."

Mohammed Ismael Al-Boainain, a participating student from Khalifa Independent Secondary School, said the EMPC program was interesting and beneficial to him. "I now have a much better idea about Texas A&M at Qatar and engineering," Al-Boainain said. "This program allowed me to better understand how it feels to be in a university setting, and what the atmosphere at Texas A&M is like, as I was able to interact with professors, staff and many students. I also learned about companies in the industry like QChem and Qatar Shell. This experience allowed me to confirm what I would like to pursue when I graduate from high school, and that is chemical engineering. Thank you for including me in this great program, and I look forward to becoming an Aggie soon."

About Texas A&M University at Qatar
Texas A&M University, recognized as having one of the premier engineering programs in the world, has offered undergraduate degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical and petroleum engineering at Qatar Foundation's Education City campus since 2003, and graduate courses in chemical engineering since fall 2011. Two hundred engineers have graduated from Texas A&M at Qatar since 2007. In addition to engineering courses, Texas A&M at Qatar provides classes in science, mathematics, liberal arts and the humanities. All four of the engineering programs offered at Texas A&M at Qatar are accredited by ABET. The curricula offered at Texas A&M at Qatar are materially identical to those offered at the main campus in College Station, Texas, and courses are taught in English in a co-educational setting. The reputation for excellence is the same, as is the commitment to equip engineers to lead the next generation of engineering advancement. Faculty from around the world are attracted to Texas A&M at Qatar to provide this educational experience and to participate in research activities now valued at over $100 million, and that address issues important to the State of Qatar. Visit www.qatar.tamu.edu.

For information contact:
Elisabeth Kent
Texas A&M University at Qatar
elisabeth.kent@qatar.tamu.edu
+974.4423.0291
+974.6686.0428

© Press Release 2012

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