Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak honors university students for award-winning sustainability research

This story was originally published in Arabic in Emirates News Agency-WAM

His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan, honored students from UAE universities who won gold, silver and bronze awards for their research projects focused on climate change, the circular economy and sustainability values.

This recognition was in appreciation of the efforts of university students who submitted numerous research projects focusing on vital topics related to sustainability, as part of a competition recently launched by Sandooq Al Watan, with the participation of universities from across the UAE.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak expressed his pride in the creativity and innovation displayed by students from UAE universities, emphasizing that the bright future of nations and peoples is shaped by the ideas and visions of talented individuals in various fields. He noted that this is the primary mission of Sandooq Al Watan, which, through dozens, if not hundreds, of innovative initiatives, seeks to empower the nation’s youth.

His Excellency highlighted the commitment of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to ensure that the country thrives through the abilities of its citizens, grounded in noble human values. He added that the nation's youth are proud of their national identity and are deeply committed to these values.

He also expressed his full confidence that UAE youth will be a dynamic and creative force within society, each possessing a clear vision for the future, with dedication to continuous learning, exploring new ideas, striving for excellence and working towards positive and lasting change.

His Excellency stressed the importance of such competitions, initiated by the Sandooq Al Watan, which encourage university students to explore areas like the circular economy, climate change and social sustainability, equipping them to propose solutions for a brighter future for humanity.

He explained that the competition aimed to raise environmental awareness among youth, particularly university students, and to foster a new generation skilled in sustainability and committed to promoting it.

Yasser Al Gergawi, Director-General of Sandooq Al Watan, expressed his confidence in the ability of the new generation to develop creative solutions to environmental and sustainability challenges, as well as issues related to the circular economy.

He emphasized the vital role of youth in shaping a sustainable future and contributing to the UAE’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Al Gergawi noted that under the leadership of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Sandooq Al Watan is strongly focused on fostering creativity and innovation among youth, particularly university students, by supporting researchers and encouraging them to tackle topics such as climate change, sustainability, the circular economy and other key areas.

The gold award was presented to UAE University students Nora Al-Dar’ei, Lynn Ahmed Tyara, Layal Ibrahim and Maha Al-Muhairi for their research on climate change, titled "Designing Seven-Level Inverters for Residential Solar Energy Systems."

University of Sharjah students Muath Ahmed Falahi, Rashid Al Shamsi, Abdullah Al Faihan, Salah Mehdi and Abdullah Jassim Al Ali also received the gold award for their outstanding research, "Towards Sustainable Roads: Enhancing Asphalt Pavement Performance Using Treated Styrofoam and Rubber Additives."

American University of Sharjah students Lamees Bougas, Amaan Memoun, Latifa Al Shalahi, Nada Nasser and Khalifa Al Duhoori won the silver award for their research on "Recovery of Lithium from Spent Lithium-Based Batteries."

Hisham Kazim, also from American University of Sharjah, won the silver award for his research titled "Source Apportionment, Backward Trajectory and Forecasting of PM2.5 for Air Pollution Control."

Abu Dhabi University students Nora Al Alawi, Sumaya Al Shamsi, Zainab Abu Ouda, Shorouq Ramadan and Noor Salam received the silver award for their research titled "Smart Sustainable Palm Harvesting with Deep Learning for Date Fruit Classification."

UAE University students Reem Rashid Al Naqbi, Khadija Abdulwali, Maha Al Ghaithi, Rawda Abdulrahman and Hind Al Mutawa were awarded the bronze prize for their research on "Recycling Carbon Fibers to Strengthen Sustainable Polymers and Plastics."

American University of Sharjah students Hessa Al Suwaidi, Roudha Al Hajeri, Sara Al Hammadi and Maryam Al Jasmi received the bronze award for their research on "Manufacturing of Phenolic Foam Insulation Incorporating Bio-based."

UAE University student Alyazia Al Marzouqi also won the bronze award for her research on "Using Geographic Information Systems to Identify Flood Risk Areas in Ras Al Khaimah for Urban Planning."

University of Sharjah students Amina Al Murshid, Fatima Al Mazmi and Majid Al Bastaki won the bronze award for their research titled "Al Falaj Resort: Where Agriculture Meets Architecture."