An extensive and in-depth research portfolio is a key asset any engineering student hopes to have when applying to graduate schools. Unfortunately, those kinds of research opportunities often aren’t readily available to many undergraduate students. The story at Texas A&M University at Qatar, however, is different.
“I was given research opportunities that only graduate students usually get access to, all while I was a TAMUQ undergrad,” said Rawad Yazbeck, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M at Qatar. Ralston Fernandes, another mechanical engineering graduate, agreed.
As undergraduate research assistants at Texas A&M at Qatar, both students were mentored by Dr. Sami El-Borgi for a couple of years in the fields of applied mechanics and structural dynamics –– particularly in developing computational models and conducting experiments to monitor vibrations in oil and gas piping systems and in developing solutions to mitigate them.
Advisor El-Borgi said, “I strongly believe that there is a lot of value in providing research training opportunities for highly motivated and competent undergraduate students. You need to give them time and effort and you will notice how quick learners they can be. In a couple of years, they will have the skills to face the challenges of graduate studies. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to supervise and mentor students who are doing some incredible research work during their undergraduate years here at Texas A&M University at Qatar.”
Both Fernandes and Yazbeck said this experience exposed them to critical aspects of research such as performing exhaustive literature reviews, reproducing published data, developing new ideas for research, designing experiments, validating theoretical and simulation results with experiments, writing academic papers, presenting at conferences and writing research proposals.
Students at Texas A&M at Qatar have access to these experiences through financial support from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and Texas A&M at Qatar’s Responsive Research Seed Grants, which aim to build human capacity for the State of Qatar.
During his time at Texas A&M at Qatar and through El-Borgi’s international research collaborations, Fernandes worked with research teams in Canada and the United Kingdom to delve deeper into his areas of interest, an opportunity that is uncommon for undergraduate students, Fernandes said. After finishing his undergraduate career at Texas A&M at Qatar, Fernandes worked as a research assistant at his alma mater, where he was credited in seven journal publications.
Yazbeck, while a student at TAMUQ, was part of a QNRF-funded project involving researchers from both Texas A&M campuses that has filed a patent related to vibration suppression in oil and gas piping systems, as well as another project that allowed them to start studying tensegrity projects –– key structures in civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering. The projects led to two journal paper publications. He said that even today, these projects have had an impact on the pipeline infrastructure in Qatar and will have an important impact on space exploration with tensegrity structures.
Both Fernandes and Yazbeck applied to the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M for graduate school. Fernandes has earned a QNRF research grant to help fund his graduate studies over the next three years. Yazbeck was awarded the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Excellence Fellowship in his first year for demonstrating excellent academic and research potential.
Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “At TAMUQ, we have the advantage of a small student-to-faculty ratio which allows us to provide exceptional research opportunities. Through this, our students get a glimpse into real-world engineering that solves real-world challenges –– all while positively impacting Qatar’s local economy.”
Fernandes recently defended his Ph.D. thesis in May 2022 and was a Graduate Teaching Fellow, whose responsibilities include teaching an undergraduate course in aerospace engineering. In recalling his experience teaching undergraduate students, Fernandes said he felt proud to see his students implement everything he taught them, and said, “It’s an amazing feeling and thing to see.”
Yazbeck has completed his first year in the aerospace engineering program and said he is excited at the prospects of continuing his research and teaching. “I appreciate the knowledge given by my mentors and I want to continue passing knowledge down to future generations,” Yazbeck said.
After being asked what advice they both had for Texas A&M at Qatar students hoping to continue their studies after their undergraduate career, Fernandes and Yazbeck urged students to form relationships with their professors and be proactive in seeking out research opportunities from early on. Yazbeck said, “TAMUQ gives you amazing research opportunities that most students on the main campus dream of being able to pursue, so make the most of it.”
Source: Texas A&M University at Qatar