Qatar University (QU) chemical engineering teams AlBarQ (female) and Al Annabi Group (male) placed first and second, respectively, in their category at the closing ceremony of the recent ChemE Car Competition.


  
The high school winning team at the award ceremony.

Tariq Bin Ziyad Independent Secondary School and Jassim Bin Hamad Independent Secondary School were named first- and second-place winners in their category.
The competition was organised by QU College of Engineering (CENG)’s Department of Chemical Engineering, in collaboration with its AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) student chapter, and sponsored by Oryx GTL Qatar.  It was the first time for the competition to be hosted in Qatar – it is held annually by the AIChE for undergraduate chemical engineering students in the US.
Three other teams from the college - OryxQ, OryxLeap and Pearl - and four other high-school teams participated in the competition.
The department’s aim was to encourage creativity and innovation among its students and also to reach out high-school students to motivate them towards studies in chemical engineering. 
The competition required participants to design and race a small car that is operated through chemical processes and carrying a load of water (0-500g) for a distance of 15-30m. Teams were given information of the load amount and distance about two hours before the competition.
In the lead-up to the competition that started in January, the high-school teachers were oriented on competition requirements, provided safety training and worked collaboratively with university personnel at the QU laboratory facilities. The competition organisers, in turn, visited the high schools in February to follow up on their progress and respond to questions and concerns. 
CENG dean Dr Khalifa al-Khalifa applauded the effort and support the principals and teachers provided to their students, noting that the competition was part of the college’s ongoing activities to promote Stem subjects and engineering majors among secondary school students. “We look forward to making this an annual event on the CENG calendar,” he said.
Oryx GTL chief QHSE officer Mohamed al-Enazi said the event was part of Oryx GTL’s CSR and they aimed, through this support, to participate in the process of refining the talents and developing the skills of chemical engineering students at QU.  
Department head Prof Ramazan Kahraman noted that by including high-school students in the university event, the organisers aimed to “expose them to the engineering experience and spirit of innovation to motivate them towards becoming the next generation of engineers”.
Sarah Shahid from AlBarQ said, “It was a thrilling experience knowing that we were competing with some of the best chemical engineers in the university.”
The male team said they gained experience in working under pressure, teamwork skills, fighting to the last moment, believing in their abilities and never giving up.