Qatar University (QU) Young Scientists Centre (YSC) concluded the final ceremony for the second cycle of the Design Thinking and Innovation Programme for the secondary stage.
The cycle began in January this year, with 163 participating students from six schools in Qatar.
The schools were Rawdha Bint Jassim Secondary School for Girls, Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration School for Girls, Al-Zubara Primary, Preparatory and Secondary School for Boys, Nasser Al-Attiyah Secondary School for Boys, Ahmed Ibn Hanbal Secondary School for Boys and Simaisma Secondary School for Boys. The Design Thinking and Innovation programme includes several research activities and scientific experiments based on the STEM curriculum: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The effective learning strategies used in the programme also enhance students’ scientific knowledge and stimulate their creativity, in addition to developing 21st century skills, including critical thinking, collaboration, scientific communication and problem-solving skills.
During the final ceremony, the qualifying groups competed to create innovative projects, evaluated by a committee of professors and specialists at QU to select the winning group. At the end of the ceremony, the first-place winning groups were announced and honoured: The QBS group from the Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration School for Girls and the Newton Group from the Nasser Al-Attiyah Secondary School for Boys.
Professor Dr Noora Jabor al-Thani, director of the YSC, said: “Design thinking empowers students with 21st century skills that enable them to use strategies innovatively and find new ways of thinking to develop solutions creatively and develop the skills necessary to deal with complex problems, which enhances students’ abilities to innovate.”
She also thanked the partners of QU-YSC, such as the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and the Unesco office in Doha.
