More than 30 high school students participated in the Future Engineers programme organised by Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner.
They were introduced to engineering elements in freight transportation, the fundamentals of robotics, 3D CAD design, and basic programming and spent a week designing and building a focused engineering project based on this year’s theme: robotics and transportation.
The students learned about mechanical design, radio-controlled systems and taking experimental measurements.
Benjamin Cieslinski, STEM laboratory manager at Tamuq said: “The Future Engineers Programme encourages students to think out of the box, and to build robots from the scratch. Our participants had to assess the gaps in the freight transportation industry and then address those with their novel creations. The workshop also showcases how engineering is not just about building something, but about addressing real-world concerns.”
At the end of the programme, the students competed in teams to design, build, program, and test an advanced robot that can transport freight between various shipping locations. Using state-of-the-art components and engineering materials, participants were able to build a robot to complete the assigned mission. They also presented and defended their designs to a panel of robotics experts.
Dawud Baker-Markar, a student of the Gulf English School, said, “ We learned to convert a few metal pieces and nuts and bolts into a functioning robot. And to see it come together has been very exciting and informative. This workshop has been a lot of fun, and we have learned a lot about engineering too."
The programme aims to encourage the youth and increase their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Twelfth-grader Meenakshi Ram said that participating in Future Engineers was a productive experience.
“When I joined the programme, I — like the rest of my team — had no experience in robotics,” Ram said. “I still can’t believe that we managed to build, code and customise a robot in just one week. The approach to the sessions were quite refreshing and engaging.”
The students learned about mechanical design, radio-controlled systems and taking experimental measurements.
Benjamin Cieslinski, STEM laboratory manager at Tamuq said: “The Future Engineers Programme encourages students to think out of the box, and to build robots from the scratch. Our participants had to assess the gaps in the freight transportation industry and then address those with their novel creations. The workshop also showcases how engineering is not just about building something, but about addressing real-world concerns.”
At the end of the programme, the students competed in teams to design, build, program, and test an advanced robot that can transport freight between various shipping locations. Using state-of-the-art components and engineering materials, participants were able to build a robot to complete the assigned mission. They also presented and defended their designs to a panel of robotics experts.
Dawud Baker-Markar, a student of the Gulf English School, said, “ We learned to convert a few metal pieces and nuts and bolts into a functioning robot. And to see it come together has been very exciting and informative. This workshop has been a lot of fun, and we have learned a lot about engineering too."
The programme aims to encourage the youth and increase their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Twelfth-grader Meenakshi Ram said that participating in Future Engineers was a productive experience.
“When I joined the programme, I — like the rest of my team — had no experience in robotics,” Ram said. “I still can’t believe that we managed to build, code and customise a robot in just one week. The approach to the sessions were quite refreshing and engaging.”
