Qatar University (QU) hosts the first National 3MT Competition in its campus, with the participation of six local universities, as part of its keenness to strengthen collaborations among universities in Qatar.
The 3MT Competition is an academic competition that challenges Masters and PhD students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience. The 3MT Competition celebrates the discoveries made by graduate students and encourages them to communicate the importance of their research to the broader community. It is a unique opportunity to celebrate Qatar’s graduate students and to highlight the many opportunities for graduate study available here in Qatar.
QU has successfully conducted this event annually over the past four years, and this year is taking the competition to the national level. Universities participating include Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Al Rayyan International University College (ARIU), Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar (VCU-Q), Texas A&M University, Qatar (TAMU-Q) and University of Calgary-Qatar.
Seventeen finalists representing the seven institutions presented the significance of their thesis research in three minutes to a panel of distinguished judges and a general audience of nearly 500 attendees at the hybrid event. HE Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Khalifa Al Naimi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education opened the national finals by noting the increase in higher education institutions in Qatar in recent years, particularly in the private sector, which provides more opportunities for students in Qatar to pursue higher education.
QU President, Dr. Hassan Al-Derham, added, “The National 3MT competition is another good step on the path to strengthening collaboration among higher education institutions in Qatar and for encouraging talents and building capabilities. Its returns are not limited to the prizes awarded to winners, but rather a bridge between contestants and the audience and a move towards the labor market as strong researchers and scholars who are ready for the challenge of leading the progress and prosperity of society.”
In addition, Mr. Todd Creeger, President of ConocoPhillips Qatar, the events sponsor, commented saying, “This is a monumental event celebrating graduate education in Qatar and the remarkable research efforts of some of the country’s finest scholars. It is our honor and privilege to support this unique event because we fully understand the important role research plays in advancing society and the invaluable contribution of Qatar’s graduate students.”
National 3MT judges, Dr. Khalid Al-Ali, Dr. Samer Adham, Dr. Buthaina Al Ansari, Emad Al Khaja, and Mohamed Al Jefairi, were tasked with the challenge of selecting the top three finalists from among the competitors.
Taking first place and a cash prize of 15,000 QAR was Sara Amani from the doctoral program in Interdisciplinary Engineering at Texas A&M, Qatar. In her winning presentation, Sara spoke about her research investigating the attractiveness of the engineering profession among women in Qatar and the importance of addressing women’s concerns about the workplace to realize the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Nour Hisham Al-Ziftawi from QU’s College of Pharmacy took second place and a cash prize of 10,000 QAR for presenting her research comparing the safety, effectiveness, and affordability of two breast cancer treatment medications.
Third place and a prize of 7,000 QAR was awarded to Muhammad Danyal Imam of the Master of Science program in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M, Qatar for presenting his research on photocatalysis and the development of green hydrogen as an alternative fuel.
Additionally, the audience-voted People’s Choice Award was presented to Amani Allouh of the Curriculum and Instruction program at QU’s College of Education for presenting her research on teacher self-efficacy during emergency online teaching in government schools in Qatar.
In her address to the competition winners and other national finalists, Professor Mariam Al-Maadeed, Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies at Qatar University, said, “You are all role models for the quality of graduate research in Qatar and you have proudly represented your universities today.” Professor Mariam went on to thank the participating universities for supporting the efforts of the finalists as they prepared for the national stage and, once again, extended an invitation to participate at next year’s competition.
Source: Qatar University