Doha, March 13 (QNA) - The Qatar University Young Scientists Center (QUYSC) has officially launched the 24th cycle of the "I Am a Researcher" program during an opening ceremony held at Qatar University (QU), attracting high-achieving Qatari high school students, representing seven schools across Qatar.

The 'I Am a Researcher' program is an educational initiative that fosters research, experimentation, and innovation. It equips students with essential scientific research skills, enabling them to identify research issues, formulate hypotheses, design scientific experiments, analyze data, and draw conclusions. Through this program, students gain fundamental academic competencies that will support them in their university studies, including scientific writing, laboratory techniques, and handling advanced scientific equipment. Additionally, participants develop analytical skills, critical thinking, effective communication, and teamwork, all of which are crucial for excelling in science, engineering, and technology within a real research environment. The program serves as a gateway to a promising scientific future, preparing students for higher education and research careers.

In his speech, Director of QUYSC Dr. Saeed Hashim Al Meer emphasized the program's role in fostering a scientific research culture among students, saying: "The 'I Am a Researcher' program empowers students with scientific research skills and enhances their ability to investigate and analyze scientific methodology. The program seeks to provide students with the tools to conduct high-quality research that contributes to the advancement of knowledge and provides them with the opportunity to engage in a stimulating academic environment that supports innovation and critical thinking. We are proud of the achievements of the program over the past years, as its students participated in many local and international research competitions and achieved impressive results by winning a large number of 95 awards from prestigious entities such as the "ISEF" competition in the United States, the "iCan" competition in Canada, and the Innovation Fair in Turkiye. The participants' research was distinguished by their ability to provide innovative scientific solutions to real-life challenges, reflecting the quality of the academic preparation provided by the program and the continuous support of the researchers.

This year, the program features seven cutting-edge scientific research projects, including "Remediation of the soil in Qatar to handle harsh environments using sustainable biodegradable polymers" and another research entitled "Experimental Optimization of Electron Transport Layer Materials for Enhanced Perovskite Solar Cells." The third research is "Investigating Density and Viscosity Properties of Alternative Diesel Fuels at Various Temperature and Pressure Conditions;" another research is "IOT-Enabled Precision Agriculture for Smart Farming." (QNA)