Qatari students were among those celebrated in the Shell NXplorers Awards held at the Qatar Science & Technology Park.
Outstanding student projects that showed the diversity of innovation in Qatar’s schools were recognised through Shell NXplorers – a partnership between Qatar Shell, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), and Qatar Scientific Club.
Top students, teachers and STEM ambassadors who created 70 creative ideas to tackle pressing local and global issues were honoured.
The ceremony was a celebration of a shared objective to empower youth in Qatar with STEM habits of mind to become agents of change and leaders of tomorrow, which will contribute to realising the national drive toward economic diversification and sustainability. The 2022 Shell NXplorers competition in Qatar involved 70 teams from nine schools, of which 10 teams exhibited outstanding achievement at the awards ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by members of Qatar’s education community, including Maha al-Rowaili, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the MoEHE; Richard Tallant, managing director and chairman of Qatar Shell Companies; Rashid al-Rahimi, executive director of Qatar Scientific Club; and Nayef al-Ibrahim, founding partner and CEO of Ibtechar Digital Solutions.
Al-Rowaili said, “It is the ministry`s responsibility to offer students various approaches to new opportunities and enhance their life chances. It is also always imperative to celebrate their successes and keep working on motivating them to excel, particularly in the direction of working on solving the world's problems. This partnership with Qatar Shell has provided 20 educators with unique programme material and tools that enrich and enhance STEM provision in nine schools reaching 400 students. NXplorers is trying to build awareness, develop knowledge and empower youth and, therefore, is very much aligned with the ministry's vision and strategic plans. Hence, we highly appreciate their efforts.”
The NXplorers workshops introduce concepts such as complexity and NXthinking, which help students explore real-world issues related to energy, food security and water security. In addition, the students were empowered with tools used to analyse their chosen issue, explore future scenarios and brainstorm solutions. It is a transformational skillset for students and future leaders that provides the capabilities for inter-disciplinary thinking through real world issues.
NXplorers encourages students to appreciate the strong partnership between the educational institutions and industry, and links the students with exceptional peer leaders, instructors and industry experts who provide positive role models for STEM.
Shell’s NXplorers programme currently operates in 18 countries around the world and has benefited more than 35,000 students. It is principally focused on addressing issues surrounding food, water and energy.
 
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