Qatar Academy for Science and Technology (QAST), part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre-University Education, kicked off its inaugural school year with an engineering camp. It was organised in collaboration with Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), a QF partner university.
During the week-long camp, students designed and built their own model drones, and were introduced to basic microcontrollers, aviation dynamics, and programming. The camp concluded with a programming challenge, which saw students autonomously fly their drones through an obstacle course.
Fajer Al Shamari, a Grade 9 QAST student, said, “I really enjoyed programming the drones. It was really interesting - you do not know what you are capable of until you try something, and practice. It gave me a whole new perspective on perfecting work through precision.”
Haiqa Massoudi, another Grade 9 QAST student, said: “It was a unique experience and I learned something new through collaborating with fellow classmates and teachers during the process.”
Dr Gregory J. Moncada, Director, QAST, said, “The program was created to introduce engineering fundamentals to the students, while highlighting creativity and skill development. Ultimately, the objective of the program is to prepare students to, in the future, address Qatar’s challenges through research and innovation.” The drone program was developed by members of TAMUQ through the STEM Hub, a joint initiative of TAMUQ and Qatar National Research Fund, a member of QF, and aims to nurture innovative thinking and a talent for original design in Qatar’s young students.
