The Science and Engineering Roadshow, organised by Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner university, aims to promote an interest in science and engineering in school students. Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has presented more than 160 shows to more than 25,000 students across Qatar.
The roadshow is led by Benjamin Cieslinski, STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Initiatives and Laboratory manager at Tamuq with the support of Tala Katbeh, STEM instructor and programme co-ordinator. The university maintains a dedicated STEM outreach team to provide teachers and students programmes and tools to grow their knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical topics.
The goal of the Roadshow is to entertain and educate students using engineering and science. It consists of demonstrations of chemistry, physics, and engineering using props and gear. Topics covered include reactions, pressure, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, polymers, and much more. Students have the opportunity to interact with some demonstrations for a fun, hands-on experience.
“Having the students witness science and engineering coming to life first hand makes them more inquisitive and eager. We hope it will make them more interested in understanding how everything around them works, and be a pathway to possibly pursuing careers in STEM, Cieslinski said.
The main campus of Texas A&M University in College Station has a chemistry roadshow running successfully for more than 30 years, and this was the inspiration to launch the initiative in Qatar.
Eli Palm, a fifth grader at ACS International School, said that the roadshow was very educational. “They did some very cool experiments, and helped us learn a lot of interesting scientific facts. We learned about liquid nitrogen and about why a ball curves through the air. I really enjoyed the show.”
Jamila al-Suwaidi, a year 11 student at Al Bayan Secondary School for Girls participated in the roadshow when it visited her school. She said, “This helped me realise that I am interested in science and engineering.”
Chelsea Mullan, STEAM Facilitator at Qatar Academy Doha Primary School, a Qatar Foundation school, appreciated how Cieslinski and Katbeh catered to their audience. Schools can register to have the roadshow presented for their students by visiting STEM.qa
The goal of the roadshow is to entertain and educate students using engineering and science.
The goal of the roadshow is to entertain and educate students using engineering and science.
