Qatar Foundation Hosts Thirty-two Talented Students from Singapore

Doha, December 20 (QNA) - Thirty-two talented college students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore arrived in Doha Tuesday to engage with top Qatari students on topics of sustainable development at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), and to learn about Islamic and Qatari culture. Providing first hand experience of all the advanced technologies QF has to offer, QF Assistant Vice President for Faculty and Student Services Dr. Dennis Roberts, organized a tour of the Student Center, Carnegie Mellon University at Qatar (CMU-Q), Texas A&M at Qatar (TAMU-Q), and the brand new sustainable living residence halls designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards. CMU-Q and TAMU-Q, for example, have created unique centers for scholarship and research, becoming the ideal complement to QF's vision for achieving a knowledge-based economy. "Qatar Foundation is honored to host over 30 students from NTU. In partnership with the University of Dubai, the visitors toured Hamad Bin Khalifa University buildings, and interacted with a cross-section of Qatari and international students. The similarities and differences between Singapore's institutions and Qatar's commitment to environmentalism, learning, and cultural understanding were explored through briefings, tours, and student-to-student interaction," said Dr. Roberts. Students from NTU, the fastest-rising Asian unviersity and ranked the eighth "Most-Cited Insititution in Engineering," by ScienceWatch.com, also had the opportunity to meet Sustainable Living Ambassadors (SLA's), students from Education City who are employed by QF to promote energy efficiency around campus. This year, SLA's are creating a green certification program to recognize and positivally reinforce those around campus who express environmentally friendly behaviors. Dr. Rajab A. Al-Esmail, Professor at Qatar University (QU), presented on Islamic and Qatari culture, which was followed by a Q&A session where Qatari students from Hamad Bin Khalifa University sat on an open panel discussion with NTU students. In Dr. Al-Esmail's opening remarks, he explained Qatar as a small country, at the crossroads of East and West, learning to adapt to change while still retaining its cultural identity and Islamic values. "If you want to open yourself to new challenges, then you have to accept everybody," said Dr. Al-Esmail. By providing university students from both Qatar and Singapore the opportunity to exchange ideas about culture and tradition, QF is achieving its goal of building human capacity. Furthermore, shared interest between Singapore and Qatar for promoting sustainable development around the world is enhancing research for environmentally friendly practices on a global stage. (QNA)