In co-ordination with Qatar University College of Education (QU-CED), ExxonMobil Qatar arranged for 28 male and 30 female students from high schools in Qatar involved in the College’s Stem Adventure Week to visit ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ) at the Qatar Science & Technology Park over two consecutive days. 
Stem Adventure Week is an exciting five-day active learning experience for preparatory students, sponsored and organised by the college’s National Center for Educator Development (NCED), and has been supported by ExxonMobil Qatar for three years.
Stem Adventure Week targets students from grades seven to nine within Qatar’s independent school system, and brings them together with industries that require professionals with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and math (Stem) to be part of their operations. This year’s Stem Adventure Week took place between January 17-21, and gave students the opportunity to engage with practising Stem professionals and educators. The students also took part in stimulating and fun Stem activities with the EMRQ staff, and asked them questions about their jobs such as why they chose their particular careers and what made their jobs interesting. Furthermore, the visit gave the students a wonderful opportunity to look closer at careers they are interested in and consider other options as well. 
During the visit, the students toured the facility’s laboratories, which include an advanced 3D virtual environment used to conduct research on a system that will train workers in the oil and gas industry in an immersive, simulated environment. The students also listened to explanations by EMRQ’s experts on geological core exploration; coral reefs and coral reef zonation; and marine environments. In addition, they participated in a fun hands-on cake decorating session where they used icing to create coral reefs.
Dr Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Technical Interface Co-ordinator for EMRQ, who gave the students a detailed presentation on the facility, commented on the visit by saying, “The practice of science is a wonderful thing to be engaged in, and I’m extremely pleased to see such keen interest from our students at Qatar’s independent schools. It was a pleasure to host both groups and to share my own experiences with them through the Stem lens. EMRQ is a hub for Stem-related innovation and technology, and is a model of how technological and scientific research can contribute to a sustainable world.” 
“I would like to thank Qatar University for co-ordinating this visit, and for sharing our commitment for ensuring that Qatar’s students have the opportunity to nurture their passion for Stem subjects,” he added.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Walid Zakariya from Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib Independent School for Boys explained, “This is first time I’ve had an experience such as the visit to EMRQ, and I had a great time. After the tour and listening to the exciting presentations on geological core exploration, I think I’m going to look more closely at geological sciences, although I’ve always been more inclined to study engineering.”
“I learned about historical and coastal geology, and structure and landforms during our visit to EMRQ. We looked at old fossils and shells that are thousands of years old,” said Fatima Rashid al-Naimi from Maria Al Qibtiyya Independent School for Girls, one of the participating students. “I enjoyed learning so many new things - it was really interesting for me,” she added.