Tamuq mentors winning teams at International SeaPerch Challenge

 

 

Students from Qatar won numerous awards at the 2022 International SeaPerch Challenge under the mentorship of STEM experts at Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq). Team Oryx—which included students from QF’s Qatar Academy for Science and Technology—received the real-world innovation award and Team Falcons— which included students from Michael E DeBakey High School for Health Professions—won second place for the best team video. This is the first time that Qatar was being represented at the global competitions held in Maryland (US).The SeaPerch Challenge is part of an international STEM programme that focuses on the science and technologies behind Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), which are used in several industries and real-life applications, such as search and rescue, inspecting underwater pipelines or exploring shipwrecks. The students qualified for the international round after winning the Qatar round in a competition organised by Tamuq’s STEM team. The SeaPerch Challenge was established in Qatar in 2021 by Tamuq’s Dr Mohamed Gharib who is a member of the SeaPerch Regional Advisory Committee. Gharib developed the first ROV course for middle and high school students to expand knowledge within Qatar’s youth and drive them to choose pathways to careers in STEM. He also mentored the students for the competition. The workshop equips students and teachers with new skills that will enable them to tackle technical and design challenges while learning about ROVs.Hamza Alhalabi, a Grade 11 student at Michael E DeBakey School at Qatar, said: “As a diving enthusiast, I was very excited about this opportunity. I have seen the waste products on the seafloor, and it is a real challenge that we need to find solutions to. The innovation showcased at the competition was inspiring. I am grateful to Texas A&M University at Qatar for this opportunity; it was a fun way to learn about engineering design process and robotics concepts, and how it applies to real-world concerns.Abdulla AlDabbagh, Huxley Lewis, Bayan Khraisheh, Jenna Darweesh, and Sirine Hammoudeh were part of Team Oryx, and Team Falcon included Hamza Alhalabi, Mohamed Elosta, Mohamed Abdulla, and Maryam al-Mansouri, and Maya Zarka.