Qatar University Young Scientists Center (QUYSC) empowers Qatari youth to participate in scientific research, motivating them to innovate to pursue a future career in scientific fields. Students Hind Al-Boainain and Shamma Abdulla, members of the center’s research program, have made their home proud by winning silver medals at the International Invention Competition for Young Moslem Scientists (IICYMS) 2021 held in Indonesia. They were awarded in the Mechanical & Engineering category at the university level for their Innovative product, “Crowd Alarm Badge: a social distancing aid for all,” developed after an intensive research training program at QUYSC. The two innovators were struck with the winning product idea as the world sought diverse solutions to combat the difficulties caused by the pandemic Covid-19.
International Invention Competition for Young Moslem Scientist (IICYMS), a program of the Indonesian Young Scientist Association (IYSA) collaboration with Universitas Islam Negeri Gunung Jati (UIN) Bandung, is one of the biggest International Invention Competition in Indonesia. In addition to discovering creative Islamic students from different countries, they offer them the opportunity to share and display their projects to encourage and enhance the quality and type of project that contributes to developing the world. Union of Arab Academics also supports this event, International Avicenna Research Center, Departemen Aktuaria ITS, Universitas Islam Nahdlatul Ulama, and Institut Pertanian Bogor. Fifteen countries participated with 154 projects in 9 categories at three levels, elementary, secondary, and university in this 4-day program. The ceremony was held virtually from July 1 to July 4, the last day announcing the winners.
The winning product is intended to cultivate a ‘socially distancing behavior’ as it reminds young children of the presence of an approaching person or crowd. The young innovators were vibrant and determined to develop the product to contribute to the community’s betterment. They advocate that this device could be provided by every school authority to all students and teachers to promote a healthy environment and reduce the number of Covid-19 affected cases within the surroundings. The product is currently under further development at QUYSC for registering for Intellectual property rights.
Prof. Noora Jabor Al-Thani, Director of QUYSC, addressed the students, stating, “It is a very proud moment for Qatar and QUYSC to witness very young talented girls making their imprint in science, engineering, and technology through innovation and research.” She also added, “This achievement inspires us further to contribute to a promising future aligned along with national capacity and sustainable development.” Prof. Noora also thanked Ras Laffan Community Outreach Program, the center’s sponsor program, and the partners, namely UNESCO, the Doha Office, and the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science, for their extended support and efforts.
Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY
