In celebration of International Inventors’ Day, Qatar’s EduTech team is hosting a series of interactive online workshops and a professional development (PD) session aimed at nurturing creativity, innovation, and technological skills among students and educators.

The program, taking place on November 9, brings together youth from various age groups to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, coding, biotechnology, and data science through engaging, hands-on learning experiences.

• Coding Metabot Workshop (Ages 7–10)
  A fun and interactive introduction to block coding where young participants will learn programming logic through a virtual robot simulation.
• AI Code for Climate Workshop (Ages 11–14)
  This session focuses on how artificial intelligence can help address climate challenges, encouraging students to combine technical learning with environmental awareness.
• Living Data Workshop (Ages 15–18)
  An innovative experience blending bioinformatics, technology, and creativity exploring how biotechnology and AI are reshaping the digital world.
• Visual Intelligence: Exploring Data with AI (Educators)
  A professional development session for teachers on using AI-powered tools such as Julius.io to analyze and visualize data, while understanding the limitations of AI in climate-related research.

The sessions will be led by a team of passionate experts:

• Zaid Abusini – Senior EduTech Instructor specializing in digital fabrication and electronics.
• Leyla Tawfik – Senior EduTech Designer focused on AR/VR and interaction design.
• Mohammed Mohammed – EduTech Instructor specializing in game and app development.
• Soumia Dedache – EduTech Instructor focusing on biotechnology and advanced scientific learning.

This initiative reflects Qatar’s commitment to empowering youth through STEM education and promoting innovation as a driver of sustainable development.

For more information, contact the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Digital Youth Strategy, STUDIO 5

Email: studio5.info@mcit.gov.qa

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Studio5qa

Instagram: www.instagram.com/studio5qa/

Twitter: twitter.com/Studio5qa

Phone: +974 335 56 554

Address: Innovation enter-Al Bida park, Doha, Qatar 

A team of researchers from Qatar University Young Scientist Center (QUYSC) has developed and tested a novel model based on a new theoretical framework for enhancing research competencies and learning outcomes among undergraduate students in STEM fields. This model is grounded on the new research learning theory named “Research Cognitive Theory (RCT),” established by QUYSC under the leadership of Prof Noora J. Al-Thani.

This pedagogical model called the Outcomes-directed Research Internship Model (ODRIM), is a first-of-its-kind model that is believed to offer an impactful learning framework for universities worldwide to tailor teaching and learning experiences to bridge the gap between classroom theory and practical experience. It is grounded in the principles of Research Cognitive Theory (RCT) and integrates the concepts of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) and Outcomes-based Education (OBE) to offer students a comprehensive and immersive research experience.

The researchers empirically tested the effectiveness of ODRIM; it significantly improved students’ abilities in conducting research, demonstrating technical skills, collaborating within teams, and disseminating research outcomes. ODRIM yielded tangible outcomes in the form of scholarly publications in high-impact journals and conferences, demonstrating the potential of this approach to foster innovation and creativity among undergraduate students.

This study, titled “A tailored innovative model of research internship” has been published in the journal “Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning”.

www.emerald.com/insight/content

The researchers believe their innovative model can inspire other higher education institutions to adopt similar approaches to enrich the research learning environment for undergraduate students in STEM disciplines. “The theoretical framework of this model is truly revolutionary, and this recognition underscores the QUYSC’s commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and innovation. We invite universities and educators to join us in harnessing the transformative potential of this model and, together, redefine the STEM education landscape,” said Prof. Noora J. Al-Thani, the Director of QUYSC.

For more information, please contact:

Qatar University Young Scientists Center, Email: quysc@qu.edu.qa

In this context, Qatar University Young Scientists (QUYSC), published a peer-reviewed book edited by Prof. Noora J. Al-Thani and Dr. Zubair Ahmad entitled “Rebuilding Education: STEM Education Practices and Research during the Post-COVID-19 Era” in Sustainability, MDPI. The volume consolidates diverse STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) approaches, integrating 12 peer-reviewed articles worldwide to remediate the confrontations associated with the COVID-19 era, which prompts us to explore the myriad of underlying factors for a sustainable STEM education.

COVID-19 has resulted in an unprecedented educational transformation with a significant shift in the different domains of education. On investigating the uncertainties posed, especially in interdisciplinary STEM education, it was observed that the academicians faced diverse challenges in instruction and learning. Thus, it is quintessential to delve into contemporary pandemic-mediated educational research to remediate and nullify these challenges.
Some significant contributions presented in this special issue include groundbreaking approaches to overcoming most classroom drawbacks by implementing flexible and remote learning. However, considerable issues have been argued about STEM education, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach. In this context, several researchers have made substantial exertions in STEM-driven multidisciplinary approaches involving diverse pedagogies (project-based, STEAM-based, flipped models, etc.) to improve STEM education during the pandemic. Meanwhile, some of the other contributions on the list include novel approaches to overcoming e-learning challenges and enhancing online ICT (information, communication, and technology). Finally, critical investigations regarding adaptability and the resultant emotional development have been made in the psychology and behavioral domains to comprehend and remediate the vulnerable situation of students and teachers during the pandemic. Conclusively, this peer-reviewed volume showcases the evolution of diverse educational realms from the pre-COVID era to the post-COVID era, converging on sustainable takeaways that need to be sumptuously explored to create productive STEM education models.

Prof. Noora J. Al-Thani, Director of QUYSC, states, “We believe this peer-reviewed volume will be an appreciated addition in reinforcing the sustainable STEM education aiding in the survival, adaptation, and progressions in this recklessly transforming world.”

Rebuilding Education: STEM Education Practices and Research during the Post-COVID-19

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, a form of interdisciplinary education, successfully implements competency-based teaching in educating the young generation. It enhances employability and the ability to solve complex engineering problems. In fact, STEM education is a crucial education model for boosting human capacity building and RDI talent.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created considerable rifts in the learning attainment of students worldwide due to a lack of access to a regular learning system. The learning gaps were hugely prevalent in the STEM learning areas, whereby students were deprived of hands-on and collaborative learning experiences in both informal and formal settings. Hence, this Special Issue aims to create a collection of papers on specific topics related to STEM learning and research practices in the post-COVID-19 rebuilding phase. The intention is to build a community of authors and researchers to discuss the latest research and develop innovative teaching ideas, solutions, and research directions for global educators in STEM education.

The Special Issue invites the papers addressing how the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic has affected STEM education, and what measures (teaching tools and research practices) are being applied to combat the learning gaps in STEM education in the post-pandemic era. We invite researchers engaged in STEM educational practices to share and exchange research experiences, including methods, pedagogical approaches, and environments which they are practicing in the post-pandemic era. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited, to the following:

• STEM curriculum development, STEM teaching models, STEM competencies, and learning outcomes in the post-pandemic era;
• The impact of COVID-19 on the revolution of online-based pedagogical environments such as digital resources, eBooks, online conferencing platforms, online collaboration tools, etc., on informal and formal STEM settings;
• The new directions of pedagogical approaches, tools, strategies, evaluation, and assessment methods for pandemic-affected STEM education;
• Exploring the critical factors to fill the gaps in students’ learning performance affected by the pandemic;
• Significance of educational games and other ICT learning tools in the post-pandemic environment.

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI’s English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section “Sustainable Education and Approaches”.

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2022.

The registration opening of CIF 2021 opened on July 7th until September 10th. After that, the final list of participants who would compete physically in Doha was announced. In this matter, eighty-four inventors from 32 countries were accepted to showcase their projects and inventions in Qatar.

On November 7th, 2021, the Challenge and Innovation Forum started with the inventions exhibitions for two days, and after that, The Hackathon continued the invention fair for another two days. On the last day of the Challenge and Innovation Forum on November 11th, the closing ceremony was held in the presence of many prominent people of Qatar and the field of invention and innovation. The minister of culture and sports of Qatar, Mr. Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, the Director of Innovation and IP Office of Qatar University, Dr. Hareb Al-Jabri, and the President of the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations, IFIA, Mr. Alireza Rastegar, were some of the people present at the closing ceremony. On this day, the Challenge and Innovation Forum came to an end, and the awards were granted to the selected inventors with a total prize of 250,000$. Plus, traveling and accommodation expenses were covered under supervision of IFIA by the hosting country, Qatar.
In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that because Qatar is going to host the following FIFA World Cup in 2022, we can assure you that the next Challenge and Innovation Forum, CIF 2022, will be more productive and will expand the culture of invention and innovation on a worldwide scale.

250,000$ was awarded to selected inventors from all around the world in the Challenge and Innovation Forum. “CIF 2021”

After four days of physical exhibition and months of preparation and registrations, finally, the Challenge and Innovation Forum, CIF came to an end and is ready to come back in 2022 in Qatar. The Challenge and Innovation Forum, (CIF 2021) is considered a unique event in The Middle East region under the patronage of IFIA. It included a number of competitions, events, and interactive science programs aimed to motivate and encourage inventors from all over the world to participate in this huge event.
Accordingly, CIF presented some projects that reflected the roles of research, development, and innovation in achieving a knowledge-based economy. Also, the Challenge and Innovation Forum contributed to directing the attention of the international community to learn more about the latest developments in the fields of innovation and modern technologies.
CIF Qatar 2021 included two main competitions; Best Inventions and Hackathon.
The best inventions competition aimed to showcase individual inventors’ projects for the first two days, and then, the participants were divided into groups where they competed to develop their unique ideas from scratch to a startup within just 48 hours with a total prize of 250,000$.
In the invention exhibitions, the inventors showcased their invention in an exhibition-style event where they had a dedicated booth, and a group of judges evaluated the best ideas over the first two days.

The Challenge and Innovation Forum (CIF), is considered a unique event in the region. It includes a number of competitions, events, and interactive science programs aimed at motivating and encouraging inventors, from all over the world, to participate in this huge event. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the hosting country.

CIF will present a number of projects that reflect the roles of research, development and innovation in achieving a knowledge-based economy.

The forum will also contribute to directing the attention of the international community to learn more about the latest developments in the fields of innovation and modern technologies. In addition, to provide an opportunity to get acquainted with a number of participation and achievements of the youth. The idea of the competition is based on the participation of all innovators who have been accepted, whereby their individual inventions will be presented during the dedicated exhibition, which will happen during the first two days of the event.

Challenge and Innovation Forum (CIF) Qatar 2021, is the first forum of its kind in the region. It includes a number of competitions and events with the aim of motivating and encouraging inventors around the world.