Ya hala!to new academic year

Transcription

Exchanging ideas
Curt Kenoyer, Student Center Director, explains the
importance of having a dedicated facility for staff,
faculty and students to interact Read more on page 7
IS QF’S EMPLOYEE HOUSING
OF AN ADEQUATE STANDARD?
QF has more than 1,000 employee housing units to take care of. Are flats
and houses comfortable, clean and well-maintained? Find out on page 4
issue 41
Thursday 8 september 2011
Education Record number of students flock
to welcoming event at the Student Center
Ya hala! to new
academic year
The new academic year started with
a bang this month as more than 400
students packed the Student Center
for the Ya hala! welcoming event.
A party atmosphere prevailed as
students from Qatar Foundation
(QF) branch campuses thronged
the center, enjoying live music, raffle
competitions and video presentations
of QF facilities, as well as learning
about a wide range of activities at
various information booths.
Ya hala!, which translates as ‘welcome’ in Arabic, marked the culmination of two weeks of formal student
orientation events across QF and was
designed to allow both new and returning students to socialize, build
strong community links and enjoy
the lighter side of life before commencing their studies.
Student Center Director Curt
Kenoyer of the Office of Faculty and
Student Services, which organized
the event, officially welcomed the
students.
“I am delighted to see so many
people here and to be able to welcome you to QF,” he said. “This is a
ALLEY CATS
QFTelegraph puts
the Student Center’s
bowling alley and
video game arcade
through their paces
See page 14
great opportunity for you all to start
the academic year in a really positive
way by making new friends, finding
out about programs and initiatives
you can get involved in, and trying
out the excellent leisure facilities we
have here at the Student Center.
“I have no doubt that you will all enjoy your time at Qatar Foundation and
that, if you make the most of the opportunities you have here, you will benefit enormously from the experience.”
Raffles were then drawn and prizes
handed out to the winners before the
students browsed the many stalls set
up to publicize groups such as Al
Fakhoora, which supports education in Gaza, and ECUnited4Afrika,
which raises money to help alleviate
the famine in the Horn of Africa.
The assembled students also heard
a speech by Campus Correspondent
Florent D’Souza promoting myeducationcity.com, an online forum for
students, faculty, staff and alumni to
share information through blogs and
social media platforms.
Ya halla! , continues on page 2
“We have built flexibility
into the program because
we want the candidates
to explore many avenues
and select the one that best
exploits their skills”
Dr Ayman Bassil on Research Management. See page 6
MORAL COMPASS
Expert cartographer
explains how crisis
mapping can help
tackle humanitarian
disasters See page 5
2
News
Write to us: [email protected]
Environment University looks to the future with green initiatives
“This was
the fourth
Ya hala!
event and
the turnout this
year was the
largest we
have ever had”
See Ya hala! to new
academic year
News in Brief
QatarDebate
team’s UK trip
n Five pupils traveled to
Scotland for an international
contest.
QatarDebate entered the
World Schools Debating
Championships, held in
Dundee from 16 to 26 August.
The team comprised
Reem Hani Ballan Safar of
Al Resalah Independent
Secondary School, Khalid Al
Khulaifi of Doha Independent
Secondary School, Yousef
Nabeel Fakhroo of Tareq Bin
Zyaid Independent Secondary
School, and Safa Fajr Kashaf
and Majed Al Ansari, both of
Park House English School.
Georgetown drives
sustainability projects
at Georgetown
University – School of Foreign Service in Qatar have rolled out a series
of co-ordinated programs aimed at
cutting waste and increasing the sustainability of the university building.
The university’s Facilities Management department has focused efforts to reduce energy use, increase
recycling, cut water usage and raise
awareness of green issues among students, faculty and staff.
The schemes were prepared over
the summer and launched in part in
August, with further initiatives being
unveiled throughout the academic
year. Building Services Manager Jill
McSorley is leading the recycling
drive while Building Operations
Manager Stephen Heath is tackling
energy usage and student involvement, with Facilities Management
Staff members
Director Clare Wait overseeing the
combined projects. Housing and Immigration Manager Hussein Aldobashi is tasked with reducing water
usage.
Wait explained the background to
the project. “It has always been part
of our objective to not only promote
sustainability among the students but
“It is incredibly
important to
reduce our carbon
footprint – we have
to remember that
we are custodians of
fossil fuels for future
generations.”
to actively pursue and implement
measures that have a direct impact
on the sustainability of the university,” she said.
Measures include putting paper recycling trays on desks in every office,
replacing approximately 500 conventional 50W bulbs with dramatically
more efficient 4W LED substitutes,
and raising the temperature of the
air-conditioning throughout the
building.
Heath said: “We have been collecting data for around three months so
we can work out exactly what our
carbon footprint is, so that we can
see what sort of improvement we get
from the measures we are taking.
“It is incredibly important to reduce our carbon footprint – we have
to remember that we are custodians
of fossil fuels for future generations.”
Editorial
Editor
Richard Harris, [email protected]
+974 3386 6376
Senior Writers
Gemma Taylor
John Hayward
Lauren Steadman
Design
Creative Director
Fredrick Dittlau
© 2011. Qatar Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced without the written
permission of Qatar Foundation.
Ya halla! , continued from page 1
He said: “The aim of the website
is to document what is happening
at Education City and to facilitate
the growth of the real community
through online exchanges.
“We want people in the university
community to follow us on social media, volunteer information, promote
their events on the website and create
a thriving online community.”
It was not only university students in
attendance at the event. Saeed Al Hajri is enrolled at the Academic Bridge
Program. He said: “I think Ya hala! has
been great – great people, great presentations and a great atmosphere.
“It is a nice way to start the year
before we get ready to begin working
hard and concentrating on our studies. I am looking forward to improving my English and completing my
IELTS test. One day I want to study
in America and become an engineer
in the petrochemical industry.”
“The goal of
Ya hala! is to
introduce students
to the facilities
available here”
contact us
communication Directorate
Rima Ismail, [email protected]
+974 4454 0960
Ghada Saade, [email protected]
+974 4454 0961
Chris Goward, [email protected]
+974 4454 1019
Ya hala! to new
academic year
QPO’s Economou to
conduct Romeo and Juliet
Music. Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s fall season will open
with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet.
Michalis Economou will conduct the orchestra for the first
time since being appointed Musical Director.
Economou has won 11 national and international
competitions, including the ALEA III International Composition
Competition and the Dimitris Mitropoulos International
Composition Competition.
Back on air by popular demand
n Al Jazeera Children’s Channel has announced the return by
popular demand of its family sitcom Taymour for a second season.
Filmed in Qatar, the show tells the story of central character
Taymour and features a host of popular Arab actors and actresses.
Catch the show by tuning in on Thursdays and Fridays at 2pm, 7pm
and 10pm.
He studied musicology at Athens University and trained in
violin, theory and composition at the National Conservatory of
Athens.
He later moved to Boston to study orchestral conducting and
composition at Boston University.
For more information about Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra
visit http://qatarphilharmonicorchestra.org. For timings and
ticket information, see Listings on page 16.
Campus Life Co-ordinator Justin
Jeffery of the Office of Faculty and
Student Services was the lead organizer of the event.
He said: “This was the fourth Ya
hala! event and the turnout this year
was the largest we have ever had, so
we are incredibly pleased.
“The goal of Ya hala! is to introduce students to the facilities available here and we were happy to see
people exploring the entire Student
Center.
“Ya hala! lets our students know
they have somewhere they can relax and de-stress away from classes,
which is crucial to their overall success as students.”
New recycling system
n Msheireb Properties has announced it has engaged the services of a
Swedish company to install a state-of-the-art recycling system capable
of handling up to 80 percent of household waste. The system offered by
ENVAC AB will have three separate chutes for different types of waste
in each building and will send materials to a centralized collection point
up to three miles away using sophisticated air-pressure technology.
News
Follow us on twitter.com/QFTelegraph
Publishing BQFJ cements commitment with open access association membership
Boost for open access publishing
Freedom of information has re-
ceived a boost following the announcement that Bloomsbury Qatar
Foundation Journals (BQFJ) has
become a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association
(OASPA).
OASPA is a global organization
that represents the interests of all
open access journal and book publishers, covering technical, scientific
and scholarly disciplines. By joining
the OASPA, BQFJ strengthens its
links with the international community of open access publishers, allowing both organizations to benefit
from exchanging information, setting
standards of best practice, co-ordi-
nated advocacy, education and the
promotion of innovation.
BQFJ is committed to the widest
possible dissemination of research
outputs and as such offers open access to peer-reviewed technical jour-
“Our own
publishing
operation is one
of the most open
access of all
publishers”
nals through its online publishing
platform, QScience.com.
Arend Küster, Managing Director
of BQFJ, said: “We support OASPA’s
mission to share experiences and best
practice for open access publishing.
We are delighted to be able to join its
community and take an active part in
developing policies and technologies
that we believe are important to open
access publishing. We are excited to
be a part of this growing open interactive community and support researchers in disseminating research
freely, widely and without barriers.”
Christopher Leonard, Editorial
Director at BQFJ, said: “Our own
publishing operation is one of the
most open access of all publishers.
We offer ‘gold road’ open access,
which means that the articles are immediately and permanently available
online, in an easily readable format.”
Caroline Sutton, OASPA President, praised BQFJ’s decision to join.
“On behalf of the board I am delighted to welcome Bloomsbury Qatar
Foundation Journals as a member of
OASPA,” she said.
“BQFJ publishes a multi-disciplinary portfolio of open access journal
titles through the QScience.com site,
all of which meet the OASPA membership criteria. We look forward to
BQFJ’s engagement.”
Students visit Italy for leadership seminar
education. Five first-year students
at Texas A&M University at Qatar
(TAMUQ) recently visited Italy for
a seminar on how to succeed as academic and social leaders.
Held at the Santa Chiara Study
Center in Castiglion Fiorentino, the
Champe-Fithugh International Honors Leadership Seminar provided sessions on transition to university life and
what to expect from Italian culture.
Baher Azzam, an Egyptian student,
said: “I consider what we learned
from our student leaders and former TAMUQ students during their
presentations to be the most valuable
information in the seminar. I learned
how to make a great first impression on my professors and maintain
a healthy relationship with them by
engaging in research.
“We also learned how to stand out
in university by not making the mistakes most freshmen make due to their
inexperience. These are mistakes that
our student leaders and guest speakers
made, learned from and shared with
us so that we can avoid.”
Azzam plans to apply the lessons he
learned in the seminar to his time at
TAMUQ.
Rachel White, Program Co-ordinator for Student Engagement at TAMUQ, said: “This program affords
some of our incoming students an
Dina Khaled, left, Jayati Desai (back), Baher Azzam, Mohammed Al Sooj,
Mohammad Al Ramahi and Omar Suleman
opportunity to become leaders within
their class before new student orientation even begins.
“During the program, we support students’ goal-setting and help
them create plans for how to leave
a positive impact on Texas A&M at
Qatar throughout their undergraduate experience.”
SFS-Qatar launches 2011 alumni program
n Georgetown University – School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar)
launched its 2011 alumni program with a Suhoor event at the W Hotel
tent. Fifty students from both the Qatar Foundation and Washington,
DC, campuses were in attendance. Charles Nailen, SFS-Qatar Executive
Officer for Outreach and External Relations, said: “It is wonderful to be
able to bring our alumni community together to celebrate Ramadan.”
In addition to discussing university
life, the seminar also sought to expand the international awareness of
students as they adapt to an increasingly globalized world.
Mohammad Al Ramahi, a Palestinian student, said: “If I had to pick
one lesson that I’ve learned from this
trip, it’s that mingling with and learn-
ing from other cultures can be a very
interesting and insightful experience.
“This by itself can teach you many
lessons, broaden your horizons and
may completely change the way you
perceive things. After this seminar,
I’m more motivated than ever to
seek knowledge about everything
around me.”
3
Students fly
in for global
gathering
event. Reach Out To
Asia (ROTA) provided
support to an international
humanitarian organization
when 20 students from
across the world visited Doha
to take part in the Global
Citizen Corps (GCC) youth
gathering.
Organized by
MercyCorps, the event
was hosted at Georgetown
University – School of
Foreign Service in Qatar
and saw students aged 16
to 25 discuss the five key
issues GCC focuses on:
environment and climate
change, education, food
security and hunger, health,
and peace and conflict.
The five-day gathering was
attended by students from
Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan,
Palestine (Gaza), Pakistan,
Indonesia, the US and the
UK. Students attended
workshops to learn skills to
help them promote and plan
community projects, such
as filming and photography
techniques, public speaking
and how to use advocacy
to bring about positive
community change.
MercyCorps is currently
helping to combat the
effects of the drought and
famine in the Horn of Africa.
Working within a partnership
agreement signed in 2008,
ROTA provides funding and
support to help the
organization meet these
objectives.
Essa Al Mannai, Director
of ROTA, said: “In order to
fulfill our mission of ensuring
that children across Asia have
access to quality primary
education, we seek out
international partners with
similar visions. MercyCorp
is active all across the globe,
setting up sustainable
programs targeting youth in
crisis areas. “The synergies between us
were natural and, as a result,
they have become one of our
key partners, both in Qatar
and abroad.”
Successful science forum to be repeated
n Qatar Foundation’s second Annual Research Forum will be held
in November, Qatar Research Institutes has announced. The first
event, held in December 2010, highlighted QF’s research strategy and
celebrated the achievements of its stakeholders and partners. The twoday forum aimed to promote higher standards, build a community of
researchers in Qatar and improve ties with scientists worldwide.
4
Hot Topic
Is QF’s employee housing
of an adequate standard?
Have your say
Imran Aslam
Senior Research
Programmer,
Carnegie Mellon
University in Qatar
“I’ve lived in
a one-bedroom apartment at
ECCH for three years and I’m
very happy with the overall
quality and maintenance. If
something breaks someone comes
to fix it very quickly. The only
problem I’ve had is that there
seems to be something wrong
with the electrics because the light
bulbs blow out really frequently.
In fact, I’ve given up having a
light in my bedroom because I
got fed up of changing the bulbs.”
Katie Wildman
Assistant Director,
Housing and
Residence Life
QF employees are provided with living accommodation as part of their contract
Accommodation can be either inside QF’s own housing facility or off-site in leased
properties But are all of the housing units provided by QF good quality? And are they
maintained to a satisfactory and consistent standard?
The majority of QF employees are
accommodated in Education City
Community Housing (ECCH), a selfcontained residential complex with wide
roads, spacious landscaping, gardens, a
children’s play area and parking facilities.
Next door to ECCH is the Clubhouse and
a shopping mall. However, because ECCH
is not sufficient to meet the expanding
employee population, QF leases a
significant number of housing units in
and around Doha.
Ibrahim A Al Obaidli, DirectorGeneral Services at the Support
on 25 august we asked
you: Do large-scale
projects really serve
QF’s vision?
Here’s what you said.
n Yes
n No
62%
38%
Services Directorate, is responsible
for overseeing both QF-owned and
leased employee accommodations.
He said QF has 1,140 housing
units for employees, of which 623
units are owned by QF and the remaining 517 are leased from private
landlords. With such a large estate
to manage, how does QF ensure all
properties are maintained properly?
Al Obaidli said: “The QF-owned
compound must be maintained to
excellent standards because we value
the quality of life of the staff very
highly. The compound was designed
to include green areas, places where
children can play outside and to be
easy to get around. There is a bridge
linking it to the Clubhouse, so there
can be no risk of accidents from
crossing the road, and we have a welltrained security team.
“We have got contractor staff to fix
the day-to-day problems that might
occur in QF-owned property, such
as leaky taps, broken washing machines and malfunctioning AC units.
However, we have to rely on private
landlords to ensure QF standards are
maintained in the leased units as well.
“With the leased units we have
strict protocols and guidelines in
place for private landlords to ensure
high standards of safety, security and
“The QF-owned
compound must
be maintained
to excellent
standards because
we value the
quality of life of the
staff very highly”
maintenance. QF controls the contracts and supervises the activities of
the landlords. If high standards are
not met in maintaining the leased
property, then the contract will
Is QF’s employee
housing
of an adequate
standard?
Readers of QFTelegraph can vote
anonymously on a hot topic of debate.
Simply send us an email at [email protected].
qa (‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the above question
followed by a sentence stating your
reason). All submissions will be kept
strictly confidential. Poll results will be
published in our next edition.
not be renewed. If maintenance jobs
are not carried out properly, we send
our own contractor to do the work
and then invoice the landlord.”
But why have any leased units at all?
Al Obaidli said: “We have to use
QF’s money responsibly and for
strategic reasons it is sensible to
have a mixture of rented and owned
properties. The employee population is changing constantly and
having leased properties gives us
flexibility to deal with this. This is
also helping us to lease new buildings near to employees’ workplaces,
which can be surrendered when not
required.
“Furthermore, if house prices fall
and QF owns all its accommodation,
the organization loses money. But
when that happens, we conduct
negotiations with the landlord during the time of renewals to reduce
the rental cost. Again, if there are not
sufficient housing units available,
employees are given the option to
stay elsewhere.”
He also said plans had been drawn
up to improve landlords’ performance in terms of maintenance.
“Accordingly, we are putting in place
supervision of landlords to make sure
all the leased properties have the very
highest standards of maintenance.”
“I have a
two-bedroom
apartment in Lot 2 and it’s
fantastic – spacious, modern,
clean and everything works.
When I moved in there
was a problem with the
air-conditioning but the
maintenance guys came
and changed a part and
had it working again almost
immediately. I have to say that I
have been very impressed.”
Ahmed Mohamed
Kafood
Management
Accountant
Finance
Directorate
“The accommodation is quite nice
to be honest, and all the houses
are very tidy and comfortable
and everything is provided for.
Sometimes people say it’s really
nice and some of the houses are
better than the houses in the UK,
so it’s a great community to be
a part of. It’s very modern and
some people get houses with
gardens, which is great for kids
because each villa has three to four
bedrooms. Services like wireless
networks are really top quality.”
Markus Elbaus
Photographer,
VCU-Q
Communications
Department
“I have lived in a
semi-detached unit at ECCH for
one year and I find the standards
to be good. There are always
problems with new properties,
but I have found the maintenance
teams are always there when
you need them. They do a good
job at maintaining and repairing
whatever is broken.”
Perspective
5
opinion
Bruce Volstad
A summer
well spent
Human Rights Using technology in international development
Mapping international crises
Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) has announced that Patrick Meier, a renowned authority in
crisis mapping, will give the inaugural lecture in the new QCRI Seminar
Series.
Crisis mapping uses social media to pinpoint disaster damage,
document human rights abuses, and
monitor elections in countries under
repressive rule.
Meier’s presentation, ‘Changing
the World, One Map at a Time: The
Power of Crisis Mapping’, will explain how live mapping technology
combines crowds and cloud computing to drive social change. Meier will
discuss real world examples of crisis
mapping from Kenya, Haiti, Egypt,
Libya and Somalia.
Dr Ahmed Elmagarmid, Executive
Director of QCRI, said: “His presentation will be of great interest to anyone concerned with how computing
can save lives during a disaster.”
The director of crisis mapping and
partnerships for Ushahidi, Meier is a
recognized expert and thought leader on the intersection between new
technologies, crisis early warning,
humanitarian response and human
rights.
He is the co-founder of the International Network of Crisis Mappers
and has consulted with several international organizations, including
the UN.
Every crisis map is different, Meier
said. “Crisis mapping a place like
Libya or Sudan is definitely no Haiti.
Unlike Haiti, we didn’t have to recruit
and train volunteers from scratch.
The Task Force already had over 160
volunteers from 18 countries.”
Patrick Meier
These screenshots of Libya provide a good example of what the
crisis map platform looks like. In the
first 48 hours since the activation of
the Task Force, more than 220 individual reports were mapped, many
including pictures and some with
video footage.
“Creating a live map of a hostile
situation still unfolding is trickier
than somewhere like Haiti, which
provided a more stable, permissive
environment, politically and geographically,” Meier said.
Crisis mapping hostile environments can hold serious challenges.
The crisis map of Khartoum, at the
request of local Sudanese activists,
was a “stressful” deployment but one
that was able to provide an important
window into what was happening in
the city.
“Computing is no longer a support system relegated to working in
the background of disaster relief,”
said Elmagarmid. “Technologies like
crisis mapping put computing in the
forefront of humanitarian efforts
around the globe.”
The QCRI Seminar Series is part of
the research institute’s outreach program designed to educate decision
makers and the public about technology and its role in shaping modern
life.
Meier’s talk will be held at 7pm
on 22 September in the auditorium
on the mezzanine level of Al Nasr
Tower A.
July saw students from
high schools all over Qatar
enroll and participate in
summer programs at several
QF universities, including
Carnegie Mellon University
in Qatar (CMU-Q), where I
am Manager of Pre-College
Programs.
I organize various programs
for young people throughout
the year, but I feel students
gain the most from summer
camps, where they can spend
an extended period of time
gaining an understanding of
what university life is all about.
Speaking from my
experience of the summer
program at CMU-Q, I can
see a number of reasons why
students should take advantage
of these opportunities. From
an academic perspective, the
program offers a substantial
amount of coaching in the
core subjects of math and
English. If they were under
any illusions about what
standard of work will be
required of them at university,
the rigor of these classes
dispels that.
In addition, summer
programs encourage students
to mature quickly and take
responsibility for themselves,
as well as opening their eyes
to the level of discipline
required to become successful
university students. We
employ strict timetabling
and keep attendance records
for all classes to emphasize
to students how important
punctuality is. This isn’t just
being tough on them for the
sake of toughness, but to
teach them good habits and to
underscore the fact that being
late or skipping classes at
university has consequences.
But if summer programs
were all about discipline,
they wouldn’t be much use.
Fortunately, there are two
sides to the coin and the
flipside is that programs like
the one we run at CMU-Q
offer support and tuition
What do you think?
Send us your opinion at [email protected]
“Summer
programs give
participants the
opportunity to
experience life
as a university
student over an
extended period
of time”
to help students build the
skills they need to cope with
university life – skills like time
management and goal setting.
At the same time as tutoring
students in these crucial
skills, summer programs give
participants the opportunity to
experience life as a university
student over an extended
period of time, and I think
that is a really worthwhile
process. Students can work
out if the major programs
they are interested in are really
what they want to study, or if
their skills are better suited to
something else.
This glimpse into the world
of higher education benefits
students in different ways and
it can sometimes be hard to
gauge if they have taken in
what they have been taught.
However, the reactions of
parents at program graduation
ceremonies are telling – they
come and tell me that their son
or daughter has acknowledged
they need to study harder at
math, have changed the major
they wanted to study and
become more confident about
their future.
That personal growth is
what summer programs are all
about.
columnist
Bruce Volstad
is Manager of Pre-College Programs,
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
6
QF Spotlight
how do I?
QFTelegraph helps
you make the most of
your life at QF
n What is Reach Out To Asia?
ROTA is a nongovernmental organization
dedicated to providing
access to primary and
secondary school education
for children and young
people living in crisisaffected areas of Asia.
ROTA welcomes anyone
to join its programs as a
volunteer, whether for oneday events, ongoing projects
or field trips abroad.
n How do I apply?
Volunteer application
forms are available in both
English and Arabic on
the ROTA website, www.
reachouttoasia.org. Simply
fill in the form and click a
button to submit it by email.
n What sort of programs
can I help with?
Volunteers can assist with
administrative tasks, help
run knowledge-transfer
workshops or get their
hands dirty by assisting
with construction work.
Previous projects include
a trip to Indonesia in
May 2011 to run skills
development workshops
in an area that suffered
earthquake damage in
2006, as well as initiatives
serving thousands in Gaza,
Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Thailand, Cambodia,
Nepal and elsewhere.
n Do I have to go abroad to
get involved?
No. ROTA runs many
fundraising events, youth
training programs and
conferences in Qatar, and
always welcomes help with
these from volunteers.
ROTA also accepts
donations via its website. It
offers internships to college
students to carry out
development-orientated
research studies and gain
practical experience in the
charity sector.
For more information visit the
website, email [email protected]
or call 4454 1603.
Do you have work-related
questions? Email us at
[email protected], and we will do
our best to help you.
Education QSLP is dedicated to establishing a generation of scientific leaders
Nurturing local talent
Attracting highly-skilled scientists
by building state-of-the-art research
facilities has formed a key plank of
Qatar Foundation’s mission to establish a thriving hi-tech community in
Doha, and has met with some notable success. However, ensuring this
blossoming science community takes
root requires something more than financial investment: the establishment
of a generation of scientific leaders
native to Qatar.
To plant the seed from which this
new generation will grow, Qatar Science Leadership Program (QSLP)
was created in 2007.
The two-year program is divided
into two tracks: candidates who have
demonstrated excellent academic
ability by gaining a minimum Grade
Point Average of 3.5 or a UK upper
second class honors degree in any
field related to science, engineering,
or medicine are eligible to join the
Research Scientist Track. The program will support them as they undertake master’s degrees or PhDs at
elite universities such as Cambridge,
Oxford or Imperial College London
in the UK, or at US institutions such
as Harvard, Stanford or Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Students who have graduated with
degrees in business, marketing, inter-
“We have built
flexibility into
the program
because we want
the candidates
to explore many
avenues and select
the one that best
exploits their skills”
national relations or communications
can join the Research Management
track with a view to becoming key
players. They will go on to provide
the auxiliary expertise needed to take
scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace and, ultimately, to profit.
Research Management candidates
spend 24 months in on-the-job training to learn the skills needed to become high-level research administrators. Training involves working for
spells of approximately six months
with QF’s various research partners,
including Qatar Science & Technology Park, Qatar Research Institutes,
Qatar National Research Fund, or at
one of QF’s branch campuses. Overseas training can be arranged at institutions such as the France-based
pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Aventis
and the US-based medical research
agency National Institutes of Health.
Dr Ayman Bassil, Head of the Office of Research Training and Development, Research Division, said
a high level of academic discipline is
expected from all candidates. “Research Scientist track candidates are
sponsored to pursue master’s degrees
or a PhD at one of the elite universities,” he said. “This is a wonderful
opportunity, but we demand very
high standards of our candidates.
They must show great ability and
enthusiasm for a research area that is
useful to Qatar’s vision for development.”
Discussing the Research Management track, he said: “We have built
flexibility into the program because
we want the candidates to explore
many avenues and select the one that
best exploits their skills.
“For instance, a candidate may
come to us after having spent his or
her degree working in labs developing excellent knowledge of engineering, biology, chemistry or physics,
but find they have more of a talent for
managing and promoting research
projects. Through the program they
can develop those skills and become
able to take both their research and
the research of others to companies
and to the market.”
Research Track candidates who
meet the rigorous demands of the
program are offered positions within
the Research Division or at one of
QF’s research centers, a prospect that
Bassil finds encouraging.
“We have received some excellent
candidates since the program began,”
he said. “I believe these are the ones
who are going to become the leaders
of scientific research and development in Qatar.”
Director’s Note
7
Connecting
and engaging
Curt Kenoyer, Student Center Director, explains the importance of
having a dedicated facility for staff, faculty and students to interact
Picture these: Nine students
sitting around a table discussing their
organization’s next big event; a small
study group huddled in a coffee
shop reviewing for an upcoming
exam; colleagues enjoying a student
exhibition in an art gallery; friends
debating club football results over a
game of billiards; fans cheering their
university basketball team to victory;
500 community members listening
attentively to an international expert
on sustainability; a student employee
answering questions for a visitor
at the Information Desk; faculty
members discussing research interests
over lunch in the food court. This is
a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a
university student center.
Traditionally considered the
“living room” of campus, student
centers serve as a hub for both
formal and informal interaction
between students, faculty and staff.
It is a building full of vitality and
host to a wide variety of educational,
cultural, social and recreational
activities.
Florent D’Souza, a senior at
Northwestern University in Qatar,
says: “The Student Center is
quickly becoming the hotspot for
anything and everything students
in Education City do. It is equipped
with social spaces, meeting spaces
and quiet spaces – everything that a
student needs.”
Our mission at the student center
is to connect, engage and create a
community in the heart of Education
City. As a student-centered and
educationally purposeful facility, we
“Student centers
serve as a hub
for both formal
and informal
interaction
between students,
faculty and staff”
strive to deepen the student learning
experience and develop community
across traditional institutional
boundaries. This work is done
in collaboration with our worldrenowned university partners and by
providing involvement opportunities
for all university students in the areas
of student organizations, service
learning, leadership development,
as well as sport and recreation.
By engaging students outside
the classroom we aim to develop
improved self-awareness, foster
open communication and dialogue,
cultivate greater intercultural
understanding, develop students’
leadership capacity, and promote the
value of global citizenship.
Another cornerstone of our work
is providing a myriad of employment
opportunities for university students.
The Student Center currently
employs approximately 75 students
as Building Managers, Information
Desk Attendants, Sport and
Recreation Staff, Office Assistants,
Graphic Designers, Website
Contributors, etc. Philosophically
we want university students to be
the face of the building, contributing
directly to the day-to-day operations
while earning some pocket money as
well as developing valuable on-thejob skills and experience that will
serve them in the future regardless of
their academic major.
According to Ahmad Hamed, a
second year pre-medical student at
Weill Cornell Medical College in
Qatar: “Student employment has
shown me what it’s like to be on the
other side of the cash register. In
addition to the social experience and
work ethic that I have gained, it has
also become a nice break from the
protocol of daily college life.”
The Student Center is currently
home to the Office of Faculty and
Student Services, which includes
units such as Campus Life, Housing
and Residence Life, Faculty and Staff
Life, University Recruitment and
Outreach, Student Employment, etc.
While the primary focus of our
work is enhancing the educational
experience for university students,
the Student Center is open and
welcome to all members of the Qatar
Foundation community. If you
have not had the chance to visit this
incredible new facility, I encourage
you to come over and see it for
yourself. We are sure that when you
experience what we have to offer,
you will come back time and time
again.
Facilities
Student Center facilities currently
include a testing center, small
and large conference rooms, a
multipurpose hall, art gallery, cinema,
black box theater, cafeteria with food
court, commercial vendors, games
room, TV lounge, video arcade,
bowling alley, indoor sport courts,
fitness rooms and sculpture garden.
For more information please visit
www.myeducationcity.com.
Students
Medicine Plaudits for medical student who helped sick man
Student aids distressed traveler
A medical student has won praise for
her quick thinking and compassion
that helped a distressed foreign national to receive the healthcare he required and be reunited with his family.
Rana Emam, a third year student at
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar
(WCMC-Q), came on duty at Hamad
Medical Corporation to find that doctors were struggling to treat an Italian
businessman who had been taken ill
while transferring to a connecting flight
at Doha International Airport.
The patient was uncooperative,
refused treatment and spoke no English, causing difficulties for doctors,
who initially believed he was suffering from alcohol intoxication. Nonetheless, Rana insisted on finding an
interpreter for the gentleman and
contacted WCMC-Q’s Center for
Cultural Competence in Health Care
(CCCHC). CCCHC medical interpreter Huda Abdelrahim managed
to track down Dr Ahmed Kahlout,
an Italian-speaking Arab doctor from
another medical facility. Thanks to his
arrival it was subsequently discovered
the man in fact suffered from epilepsy
and he was treated accordingly.
Rana said: “It is important to consider all factors involved in a patient’s
wellbeing when they are admitted to
hospital. Without being able to clearly
understand him, we wouldn’t know if
other factors might also be attributed
to his symptoms and behavior. That
is why I thought of contacting CCCHC to see if they could help.”
campus life
Haya Al Mannai
The tweet life
Maha Elnashar together with Rana Emam
Dr Kahlout was then able to use
contacts at the Italian Embassy to
reunite the ill man with his family,
who had become distressed when he
did not arrive in the Philippines from
Venice, Italy, as planned. Representatives from the embassy visited the
man in hospital and were able to let
his family know he was safe and well.
Having received appropriate treatment, the patient was then able to
complete his journey on to Manila.
Maha Elnashar, Director of CCCHC, said: “We are very proud of
Rana for being proactive. CCCHC
guides students to be proactive in
eliminating any barriers that may affect the quality of healthcare.”
Campus support team takes shape
Community. Thirty students who
returned to university a week early
to train as campus support workers
were rewarded with an Iftar meal at
the Student Center in August.
Twenty-two of the students will
spend the academic year working as
Community Development Advisors
(CDAs), helping other students living in university accommodation
with day-to-day problems. The rest
will work as Orientation Peer Advisors (OPAs) to help new arrivals settle into their branch campuses.
Both groups are administered by
the Campus Life and Residence Life
team in the Education Division’s
Office of Faculty and Student Life.
Residence Hall Directors Arooj Rana
and Jessica Young are responsible for
supervising the CDAs and OPAs.
Young said: “The CDAs play a
very important role in supporting
their fellow students. There are 22 of
them supporting about 450 students
of 40 nationalities so we make sure
they receive good training.
“They have been taught skills in
9
conflict management, cultural sensitivity and event planning. Their role
is to report any problems to us, but
also to focus on developing a strong
community in the residence halls.”
Describing the role of the OPAs,
Rana said: “They help us bring the
new students onto campus. They go
to the airport to welcome them, show
them around the campus, go to the
bank with them to help them set up
their new account and generally help
them settle in.”
OPAs also have responsibility for
helping their CDA colleagues plan
student events throughout the year.
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Business Administration student
Noor Daqaq, 18, is working as a CDA
this year. She said: “The training has
been good and I have gotten to know
all the other CDAs, so we are already
forming a strong community.”
As a journalism student,
learning about social media
and its impact in today’s world
has been enjoyable.
I applied to Northwestern
University in Qatar (NU-Q)
in February 2010 and found
that I had been accepted in
early April. I’ve always had a
love for reading and a passion
for writing, and when I
found out that Northwestern
University had been the latest
American university to open a
campus here in Qatar, I knew
that I had to apply. The first
reason was because one of the
majors Northwestern offers
is journalism, and the second
reason was because the Medill
School of Journalism – part
of Northwestern University
– is ranked as one of the best
journalism schools in the world.
During the spring semester
of my freshman year at
NU-Q, we started studying
social media and its growing
importance in journalism.
In order to get a sense of the
impact of social media sites,
our professors asked us to
create Twitter accounts in
February 2011.
During the course we were
taught how to write posts in
Twitter and keep them under
the limit of 140 characters,
and how to shorten articles
into tweets and post links on
Twitter posts. We also studied
the role Twitter played during
the Arab Spring.
The Twitter account that
I created is not solely for
academic purposes. I also
use it to tweet about topics
related to Qatar, the Middle
East, politics and Islam.
Furthermore, I share links
that I find interesting and that
are mainly related to the Arab
Haya Al Mannai studies Journalism
at Northwestern University in Qatar
“I believe that
over the years
social media will
continue to have
a growing impact
globally”
world, religion, culture and the
Arab Spring.
During my spare time,
I intern at Al Fakhoora, an
organization under Her
Highness’s Office that offers
scholarships to students in
Gaza so that they can come
and study in universities at
Qatar Foundation. My job at Al
Fakhoora focuses on the social
media field, and I tweet on Al
Fakhoora’s behalf on its official
Twitter page. Al Fakhoora also
organizes a videoconference
called Virtual Majlis once a
week during the academic year.
The Virtual Majlis aims
to create dialogue between
university students from
Gaza, the United States, the
United Kingdom and Qatar.
It also further aims to foster
understanding and raise
global awareness through
social media and other forms
of connectivity. When the
videoconference starts, I tweet
the topic of discussion as
well as the highlights of what
the students say during the
videoconference.
The significance of social
media and its usage has been
increasing, and I believe that
over the years it will continue
to have a growing impact
globally, whether that includes
overthrowing dictators or
building an online community
where users can communicate
and share information with
other people around the world.
10
Focus
“I believe
Qatari
artists now
open their
eyes and
follow
what’s
going on in
the world”
See A brush with Qatar’s past
my qf
Patricia Duignan
Title: Fashion Lecturer at
VCUQatar
Years at QF: 2
Describe your role: I was
lecturing in the fashion
department when Student
Affairs asked if I could get
involved in some community
work. This involved teaching
public school Arabic students
the basics of art and design.
Ninety percent had never
taken formal art classes
because it’s not a part of their
syllabus.
What I like about my job is…
Working as a fashion
professional is a different side
of the business. I worked as a
professional designer for more
than 15 years for high street
stores like Marks and Spencer’s
and Jasper Conran. It’s great to
pass on industry knowledge in
an environment where fashion
is still at such a fledgling stage.
The younger children are
unpredictable in their reactions
to a project. They loved the
task where they had to draw a
pepper from memory and then
from reality. The results were
astounding and
supported the
theory from
Drawing with
the Right
Hand Side of
the Brain that
everybody
can draw;
you just need
to learn how
to look.
Want to be featured in
MY QF? Send us an email at
[email protected]
Meike Kaan
Meike Kaan was born in Germany and moved to New York when she
was 20. She lived in the United States for two decades before moving to
Doha last year to take up the post of Executive Director of Communications at
Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. She shares her love of literature and
her experiences of living far from home.
I think if I had any role model, it
was her. If I think about people I
really admire there are quite a few,
generally people who have the
ability and conviction to
inspire others to do great
things. One is Geoffrey
Canada, an AfricanAmerican social activist
and educator. He’s
head of the Harlem
Children’s Zone
in New York. It
supports children
living in that area
educationally and
socially, from very
early years all the
way through college.
What are you reading?
I have just re-read The Sheltering
Sky by Paul Bowles. It’s a beautiful,
eerie, strange story about three
Americans, post-war generation,
travelling through northern Africa.
I enjoyed it the first time and
I am thoroughly enjoying it
the second time – it’s a
beautiful book.
I am also reading
a great book called
Made to Stick:Why
Some Ideas Survive
and Others Die by
Chip Heath and
Dan Heath. It’s
a great book for
communications
professionals or
strategists.
If you could live in
another historical
period, what would it be?
Who is your role
model?
I am a huge fan of
Jane Austen, so I think
I would have to pick
the time she wrote in.
I would be incredibly
My grandmother
was a wonderful,
strong generous,
kind person, and
A window to Qatari art
Decades of change remembered as Qatari art is exhibited at Mathaf
“If you go gradually
from period to
period, from time
to time, from
school to school,
Qatari artists now
are dealing with
abstraction, they
are dealing with
surrealism”
Cultural
Review
Scenes from days gone by sit
next to bold abstract paintings in
a display showcasing the efforts of
Qatar’s leading artists.
‘Swalif: Qatari Art between
Memory and
Modernity’ features
pictures, sculpture and
ceramics from the 1960s to the
present day.
Much of the work depicts scenes
of everyday Qatari life – housewives
cooking, boys fishing and a girl in
an ornate headdress playing the
traditional game al laqfah.
Other pieces are more
experimental, influenced by global
art trends and techniques.
Mathaf’s founder, His Excellency
Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohamed Bin
Ali Al Thani, worked with painter
curious – I have so
much admiration for
her as a female writer
of that period of time
and I would love to
have a peek at what was
really happening.
Has technology changed your life?
The internet is such an important
aspect of both my personal and
professional life. I read a lot of
international news websites, from
the BBC to National Public Radio
in the US to Der Spiegel, which is a
German publication. Then I have to
say Skype has changed my life. Not
living close to my family, it’s made all
the difference in the world. I can see
them, we can talk and my five-yearold daughter has a direct connection
to her grandparents on both sides of
the globe. Her father’s parents are in
the US, in Seattle, and my parents
are in Germany, so we rely on that
on an almost daily basis.
What is your greatest achievement?
On a professional basis, and on a
personal one, too, it’s having moved
across the world to a different
country. I’ve done it twice – when
I was a young woman I moved to
the US from Germany – and it was
a huge challenge. It pushed me
really, really hard but I also think it
made me a better person. The same
just happened a year ago when we
moved our family over to Doha and
were really allowed to experience
this beautiful country.
Yousef Ahmed on the project, which
features work by 24 people.
Ahmed, Swalif’s Senior Curatorial
Advisor, said many artists had been
influenced by studying abroad.
He said: “If you go gradually from
period to period, from time to time,
from school to school, Qatari artists
now are dealing with abstraction,
they are dealing with surrealism…
“I believe Qatari artists now open
their eyes and follow what’s going on
in the world.”
He said people featured in the
show were pioneers of Qatar’s
creative scene, adding some had
been surprised to see work they
produced decades earlier on display.
Wafika Sultan Saif Al Essa, an
interior decoration consultant, stood
proudly beside her paintings of
Qatari jewelry.
She said: “It was made a long time
ago, in the nineties, and I am like:
‘How did I do this?’
“It is like a dream. You forget how
you made it, how you displayed it.
“Even I forgot them completely.
But now I’m quite happy.”
‘Swalif: Qatari Art between Memory
and Modernity’ runs at Mathaf: Arab
Museum of Modern Art until 29 October
2011. For details call 4402 8855 or visit
www.mathaf.org.qa.
Community
11
Reflections
on the event
New event season unveiled at QF
Toy exhibition to be highlight of Recreation Center’s
fall calendar as Suhoor rounds off Ramadan festivities
THE Qatar Foundation (QF)
community can look forward to
an action-packed entertainment
program this fall.
Paintball, a swimming gala and
an exhibition of action figures
are among exciting events in
the pipeline, say staff from QF’s
Community Support department.
Youssef Youssef, Community
Support Supervisor, said: “QF is a
diverse foundation and we do take
culture into account.
“We want to put on events that
everyone can appreciate, regardless
of their background.”
Youssef’s colleague Khalid
Omar Zaghmout, an action figure
enthusiast, will unveil his massive
collection of film memorabilia, toys
and remote-controlled vehicles.
He said: “They are unique toys
which are collectibles. We’ve never
heard of anything like this in the
Middle East before – it’s very nice
and new, and people can come and
learn about this.
“I was thinking about this three
months ago, but sometimes, in
our religion, they say statues are
forbidden. But I decided to do it
and, Inshallah, hopefully we will do
it soon.”
Zaghmout has been collecting
action figures for more than 20
years. He has more than 1,200 items,
“This event
gives us a
feel for the
Ramadan
heritage and
traditions
of Arabs,
Muslims
and all
nationalities”
Mohamed Said Telouine is
QF’s Community Support
Administrator.
Khalid Omar Zaghmout
including Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles, characters from the Batman
films, wrestlers and even Michael
Jackson.
He said: “I have all characters.
Name the character and if it’s
famous I will have it – from every
film and cartoon.
“I also like to collect motorcycles,
but real ones. Inshallah, we will
display them.”
Bellal Ali Nasser, Supervisor of
Club Operations at QF Clubhouse,
said: “The list is endless. He has
collectible clothing sets for these
toys as well. It’s unique and I’m sure
everybody will appreciate it.
“It’s bound to turn a few heads
and I can guarantee that attendance
will be incredible.”
The exhibition will take place in
Traditional crafts, gypsum carving, basket weaving and henna hand decoration
were among attractions at a Suhoor organized by Community Support.
Suhoor is the meal traditionally eaten just before sunrise, but the Recreation
Center event ran from 9pm to 1am on 17 and 18 August to fit in with its opening
hours.
On 17 August visitors were greeted by Qatari women with steaming pots of food.
Upstairs, Sharq Village & Spa served a feast of Arabic and Western cuisine.
QF’s Recreation Center or Student
Center.
A paintball tournament will be
held at Recreation Center’s soccer
court – strictly for over-18s due to
the sport’s hazardous nature.
Children will be welcome at a
one-day swimming gala, which will
include a barbecue. Other activities
include film screenings and a carnival.
Telouine says Qatar is
very different from his
native Tunisia but that the
Recreation Center event
brought people of different
nationalities together.
“I am the organizer and a
customer at the same time,”
he said. “This event gives us a
feel for the Ramadan heritage
and traditions of Arabs,
Muslims and all nationalities.
“Muslims and nonMuslims can be friends, as
brothers, and have a sense of
community. It gives people a
sense of being related.
“In Tunisia the way we
spend our days during
Ramadan is different, as
the climate in north Africa
is different. But in other
ways it’s the same, because
Ramadan is something you
can’t describe.
“I can feel I am in your
country, you can feel you are
in Tunisia – the sense is of
Muslims and non-Muslims
as one.
“The aim of Ramadan,
the theme of Ramadan, is
family.”
12
Focus
my diary
Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al Kuwari describes a typical day
Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al
Kuwari is one of Qatar’s
leading Arabian horse
breeders.
Not afraid to get his hands
dirty, he is in charge of the
straight Egyptian breeding
program at the prestigious Al
Shaqab equestrian center.
“I make sure
I get updated
every day with
the latest events
and champion
horses in the
world”
7.00
am I regularly
come to work
at 7am. The first thing I do
is turn on my computer
and check my emails. After
scanning the latest ones I reply
to important messages that
need urgent responses and
action.
11.00
8.00
12.30
am Part of
my morning
routine is to visit the stables
at the Breeding and Show
department. I go, stable by
stable, to personally check the
horses, the foals and also the
breeding horses to make sure
they are being properly taken
care of.
10.00
am To ensure
the wellbeing
of the horses, I frequently
visit the clinic and meet the
vet responsible for breeding
in the Breeding and Show
department. We discuss some
technical issues and reports on
the program.
am At around
this time I
return to my office where I will
study more about the breeding
programs that are applicable
to our department. I compare
ones I have researched
and then compile them for
reference.
pm It is
imperative
that I see my manager every
day to report all the issues
I have encountered during
my rounds at the stables –
especially issues regarding the
condition of the horses, the
foals and the breeding mares. I
also discuss any emails I have
received and my response to
them.
1.00
pm I go back to
my office again
to check more of my emails
and follow up some issues.
This is my time to reply to
any inquiries that may have
come in from various breeding
centers, agents and vendors.
2.00
pm I make sure
“I personally
check the
horses, the foals
and also the
breeding horses
to make sure
they are being
properly taken
care of ”
Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al Kuwari
is Al Shaqab’s Breeding Specialist
I get updated
every day with the latest events
and champion horses in the
world. I watch the shows
on the internet to get the
latest news and events in the
Arabian horse world.
3.30
pm If I don’t have
any scheduled
meeting I leave the office after
3.30pm.
Building future leaders
Learning theory is no substitute for the real thing. QFTelegraph finds
out how a student trip to South Africa was organized.
Georgetown University – School
of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFSQatar) students recently traveled
to South Africa for lessons in
sustainable economic development
and post-conflict peace building.
The staff at SFS-Qatar believe
that in a subject like foreign affairs,
it is paramount to build leaders who
realize that the work of a government
is built on service to the community
it represents.
The complex issues of global
governance and the effects of
poverty, conflict, and lack of access
to education and health do not
have national borders anymore.
Therefore, these trips are vital for a
holistic understanding.
Uday Rosario, Service Learning
Co-ordinator, talked to QF
Telegraph about the preparations
involved. “The trips that we
arrange for our students go through
a comprehensive process of
preparation. We spend a lot of time
analyzing countries and looking
for case studies that are relevant
to our students’ learning. Once we
have agreed on a location, we look
for resources within government,
academia and civil society who could
add value to our program. We then
spend some time learning about the
socio-economic and political aspects
of the country, community or issue
that we have chosen to study.”
“We have received
wonderful
feedback from the
people that we
engage with”
Rosario said: “Regarding SA, and
in all our other locations, we have
received wonderful feedback from
the people we engage with. Since we
started these programs we have met
with former heads of states, Nobel
Prize winners, diplomats, business
tycoons, authors, activists and, most
importantly, community leaders.
“All of the people we meet are
exceptional leaders and share
qualities of passion, enthusiasm,
courage, determination and the lack
of fear to speak one’s mind.
“Due to the training that we
provide our students, they are in
a position to pose some pretty
challenging questions to the people
that we meet, and we have always
had great reviews of our students
from the people and communities in
which we engage.”
All the students have to go
through a comprehensive selection
process and commit to a 30-hour
co-curricular before they travel.
The classes include guest speakers,
watching films and multiple
readings. There are also team
meetings before the trip, where
students are introduced to the
logistics and the safety and security
aspects of the trip.
Rosario sees students returning
with “new stories, and new
philosophies that they inculcate into
their own lives”.
Experiencing the aftermaths of a
conflict first-hand or being part of
a rural rehabilitation program can
help students understand the human
side of conflict and reconstruction –
something you can never get from a
lecture, book or film.
This is followed by a preparatory
trip where staff members meet with
contacts and derive the various
narratives that they have to offer.
At this stage learning objectives
are charted and the different sites
visited. In addition, a basic safety
and travel assessment is carried out
to ensure students are not placed in
harm’s way.
Sports
13
“The new QF
logo proved
a good luck
charm for the
Catalan
giants as they
triumphed 3-2
in the return
fixture”
Read QF logo lucky for Barca
news in brief
AL SHAQAB
BUILDING
SHORTLISTED
n QF’s Al Shaqab equestrian
venue has been shortlisted for
an international architecture
award.
The building, home to Al
Shaqab’s breeding program,
equestrian arts facility and
riding school, is shortlisted
in the sports section of the
completed buildings category
of the World Architecture
Festival Awards 2011.
The winners will be
announced at the festival,
which is to be held in Barcelona
from 2 to 4 November.
Correction
QF logo lucky for Barca
FC Barcelona have played their first competitive match
in the new jerseys sporting the QF Foundation logo.
Lionel Messi, David Villa and their teammates kicked
off the new campaign in the first leg of the Spanish Super
Cup, the traditional season opener, against arch rivals
Real Madrid. The game, played between the winners of
the previous season’s Copa del Rey – Real – and La Liga
– Barca – ended in a 2-2 stalemate at Madrid’s Bernabeu
Stadium. Messi and Villa were on the scoresheet for
Barcelona, while Madrid’s goals were scored by Xavi
Alonso and German star Mesut Ozil.
The new QF logo proved a good luck charm for the
Catalan giants as they triumphed 3-2 in the return fixture
in front of their home fans at Camp Nou, with two goals
from the talismanic Messi and one from Andres Iniesta,
making the aggregate score 5-4. Real’s goals came from
Christiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
The game was also notable for the first appearance
of Barcelona’s new signing, Cesc Fabregas, who finally
returned to his boyhood club from English Premier
League side after a long and drawn-out transfer saga.
Privilege program
QF members are entitled to discounts and special rates at a variety of outlets and amenities upon showing their QF ID.
n Issue 40 of QF Telegraph
stated that Magdalena Rostron
was a member of staff at Qatar
Faculty of Islamic Studies’
Language Center.
She is actually a member
of the English Faculty at
Academic Bridge Program.
We apologize for any
confusion.
valid to 31 jan 2012
Al Jaber Watches
15-50%
Royal Plaza
Aldo10%
Hyatt Plaza, City Center, Villagio
and The Mall
Aldo Accessories10%
City Center
Almuftah Center
10-35%
Al Sadd Road
Arts & Gems25-40%
Al Saad Street
Bench 10%
Hyatt Plaza
Charles & Keith
10%
Hyatt Plaza and City Center
DHL Express Qatar Ltd
Salwa Rd, Doha
20%
Dune10%
Fauchon Paris10-20%
Salwa Road
Fifty One East
Salwa Road, adjacent to Jarir
and City Center
20% on fashion, 10% on cosmetics and
fragrances, 15% on watches and gifts
Four Seasons Hotel, DohaQF BPA*
Garage10%
City Center
Grand HyattQF BPA*
Grand RegencyQF BPA*
Guess15%
Royal Plaza
Inglot10%
Hyatt Plaza
InterContinental HotelQF BPA*
Karisma Lingerie10%
Royal Plaza
Kiddy Zone10%
Hyatt Plaza and Landmark
Lab20%
The Mall
La Cigale HotelQF BPA*
Levi’s15%
Royal Plaza
Lone Star Jewelry25%-35%
Sheraton Hotel, The Mall,
Lulu Gharrafa, The Center, City Center
Marriot Doha HotelQF BPA*
valid to 9 June 2012
Millennium HotelQF BPA*
Marzooq Al Shamlan & Sons WLL25%
Morgan15%
Royal Plaza
other great deals
Mövenpick Tower & SuitesQF BPA*
Contours Express20%
Naturalizer10%
New Salata on packages and services
Hyatt Plaza
T.G.I Friday’s
10%
Nine West
10%
Landmark and Villagio
Hyatt Plaza, Landmark and City Center
Ramada Plaza DohaQF BPA*
Valid until 10 September 2011
Ritz CarltonQF BPA*
Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City
SR
Roots20%
Royal Plaza
Sharq Village & SpaQF BPA*
Sheraton Doha Resort & QF BPA*
Convention Hotel
Skechers
10%
City Center
Space Toys10%
City Center
Spring10%
*QF BPA = Blanket Purchase Agreement
Villagio
More details can be found on QF Portal or contact
W Doha HotelQF BPA*
[email protected] for more information.
SR = Special Rates
14
Lifestyle
“It’s great
to have the
alley right
here on
campus. It’s
a popular
place to
come and
socialize”
See Strike! Students show
how to unwind
qur’anic garden
Staying healthy in air-conditioning
We can’t live without it, but there are ways to protect yourself against the harmful effects of AC
The desert is one of the harshest
environments in the world. Intense
heat, searing sun and lack of water
are just a few of the challenges
animals and humans must contend
with. Fortunately, technology has
provided us with a system that cools
air. Unfortunately, this could be at
the expense of health.
dry, which in turn causes the lining of
the nose and mouth to become dry
and cracked, leading to nose bleeds.
The most susceptible are children,
pregnant women and the elderly,
especially those with respiratory
diseases and weak immune
systems. This group of people is far
more at risk if exposed to mold. The
most dangerous mold is that which
cannot be seen and therefore spreads
undetected.
Proper ventilation
According to The American
Cancer Society, benzene, which
can be found in cigarette smoke
and gasoline, is a carcinogen.
Studies have found that the level
of benzene in enclosed vehicles
can reach above those found to
be safe. And those levels can
be up to 40 percent higher in
the summertime than in cooler
months. So initially, open
windows in a hot car rather than
rushing to turn on the AC.
Maintenance for safety
symptoms
are natural
responses to unnatural
coldness. It is not just a
matter of temperature:
air-conditioning units are
not generally fitted with a
humidifying function. This
causes the air to be very
Sickness
Plant’s Name
Scientific name: Olea europea L.
Arabic name: Zaytun
English name: Olive tree
About the plant
Olive is considered one of the
oldest trees known to man. Its
fruit is edible after preparation,
and oil is pressed from it. The
timber may be used for making
brushes and sticks. The olive
tree may survive for hundreds
of years, and ranges in height
from five to 12 meters.
Two main causes of
air-conditioner-related
sicknesses are unnatural
coldness and mold. Runny
noses and other flu-type
QFTelegraph checks out the leisure facilities at the Student Center
Strike! Students show how to unwind
Tried &
Tested
Plant in the Holy Qur’an
and Hadith
Zaytun (olive) appears in six
places in the Holy Qur’an. Allah
the Most Sublime describes
Zaytun as a blessed tree. Also
the terms Zayt or Duhn mean
olive oil, and are mentioned in
the Holy Qur’an. The Prophet
Mohammed (PBUH) said to his
companion: “Eat the Zayt (olive
oil) and use it as an ointment,
because it is produced by a
blessed tree.”
Did you know?
The olive fruit is highly
nutritious. It contains a large
amount proteins and minerals.
Ahmed El Gharib
Assistant Researcher
To find out more about
the Qur’anic Garden, email
[email protected]
Maintenance is important, but make
sure the cleaners do a thorough job.
The use of a vacuum and brush will
not be adequate as this procedure will
only loosen the mold and bacteria, so
when the air-conditioner is in action,
the spores will fly around, causing
further health problems.
Ideally, the filters should be
cleaned once a month. Portable airconditioners run for a quarter of the
price of fitted air con units and have
multiple filters that are accessible for
cleaning. Many are also fitted with
humidifiers, which help to prevent
the dryness associated with the usual
central air-conditioning units.
Enjoying the student center’s bowling alley are (clockwise from left) recreation
staffers Sumya Khandaker and Katja Novakovic, CMU-Q student Tasneem Jahan
and CMU-Q graduate Shahriar Haque
Every good student knows
that the key to success
at university is plenty of
dedication and hard work. But
taking a little time off to wind down,
socialize and recharge the batteries
is also crucial to good academic
performance. Students at QF branch
campuses have ample opportunity
to do so thanks to facilities like the
bowling alley and video game arcade
in the Student Center.
Equipped with eight regulationlength lanes and an electronic
scoring system, the 10-pin bowling
alley is as well appointed as largescale commercial venues, but a game
costs a fraction of the price. Students
pay just QR5 each to play, while
QF employees can enjoy a game for
QR10 each.
Second-year Carnegie Mellon
University in Qatar student
Mohammed Alhadhrami enjoys
visiting the bowling alley to relax
after a hard week’s study on his
Business Administration course.
He said: “It’s great to have the
alley right here on campus. It’s a
popular place to come and socialize.
During term time I bowl about once
a week and it’s a great way to work
out any stress you might have.
“At the weekend the place is
buzzing with people so it’s a nice
place to come to relax and chat.”
Sending a ball crashing through
the pins for a strike certainly does
seem to relieve tension and students
at the alley appeared relaxed
and carefree, despite their hectic
schedules.
Next door to the alley and equally
popular is the video game arcade.
Students flock there to take a
breather by playing virtual guitars,
racing motorcycles and cars and
vanquishing on-screen zombies for
only QR1 per game.
Student Center Director Curt
Kenoyer said the bowling alley and
arcade also served another useful
purpose.
“We have two students staffing
the facilities throughout the week
as part of our student employment
program,” he said.
“It’s a great real-life learning
experience for them and we also
like students to be the face of the
building as much as possible.”
Time Off
15
my favorite
Book
review
[email protected]
Al Bayda Al Ageeba
Emily Gravett
Translated from English by
Hanouf Al Buainain and
Amira Abed
Beautifully illustrated and
written with extraordinary
charm, Al Bayda Al
Ageeba, Bloomsbury Qatar
Foundation Publishing’s
(BQFP’s) Arabic translation
of the award-winning The
Odd Egg, is an endearing
gem of a book that will
delight and captivate
children aged four to eight
years.
Written and illustrated
by Emily Gravett, the
winner of the 2009 Best
Illustrated Book Awards, this
deliciously simple book is
“…exquisitely expressive”
(The Times), and is told with
“…great skill and humour”
(The Scotsman).
Al Bayda Al Ageeba tells
the story of Duck, who
is jealous of all the other
mother birds for having eggs
– and so decides to adopt a
big egg that has green spots
that match his feathers.
When Duck finds an egg of
his own he’s delighted: it is
the most beautiful egg in the
world. But all the other birds
think it’s a very odd egg
indeed and everyone’s in for
a big surprise when the egg
hatches...
Gravett is an awardwinning children’s author
and illustrator who lives
in Brighton, England. She
is the winner of the Kate
Greenaway Medal for
Wolves and Little Mouse’s Big
Book of Fears.
As the Guardian
newspaper says, this
charming children’s book
“…will delight again and
again”.
Owned by Qatar
Foundation and managed by
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc,
BQFP publishes books of
excellence and originality in
English and Arabic.
Available from all major
bookstores in Doha and from
BQFP, Villa 3, Qatar Foundation.
For more information contact:
[email protected]
Jill Duffy
Student Development Co-ordinator at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
One of my favorite things to do is to take photographs. By no
means am I a professional photographer, but I enjoy trying to get
interesting shots or use editing programs to make an interesting
image.
I’ve been fascinated for some time with the radical change taking
place in Qatar. The landscape alters from day to day – buildings are
going up all the time. I recently decided to take some photos of one
such site, and what you see above is the product of that project.
I believe that, with all the change happening in Qatar, photography
is more important than ever. As the physical appearance of this
country evolves, photography is one way to document not only the
changes, but to preserve the history of this place.
Al Shaqab riders
triumph in France
Endurance Team rides to
success in long-distance races
Abdul Rahman Sulaiteen
Hassan Al Naimi
The Al Shaqab Endurance
Team continued its amazing
success in its summer
campaign in France,
dominating the three races
held in Monpazier over Eid.
In all the team rode away
with two gold medals and a
silver in 90-kilometer, 130km
and 160km races.
Hassan Tahous Al Naimi
won gold in the 90km race
and silver in 160km. He
crossed the finish line in
the 90km race on board P
Dragon. Riding RP Attual
in the 160km race, Al Naimi
was just one second behind
the winner, clocking 8:37:34
against a field of 43 riders
from around the world.
In the 130km competition,
Abdul Rahman Sulaiteen was
the gold medalist with a time
of 6:38:38, seven minutes
ahead of the second-placed
rider. Sulaiteen and his horse,
ZT Faa Gey, competed
against a field of 52.
Manager Hadi Nasser Al
Naimi coaches the Endurance
Team under the guidance
of Fahad Saad Al Qahtani,
Director of Al Shaqab.
His Highness Sheikh
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani,
Amir of Qatar, founded Al
Shaqab in 1992.
In 2004, it became a
member of Qatar Foundation
with a mission to be a
global leader in preserving,
improving and promoting the
Arabian horse breed.
16
Listings
facilities
“Sajjil is a
remarkable,
comprehensive
cross-section
of art from the
Arab world
produced over
the past 100
years”
See Sajjil: A Century of
Modern Art
announcements
A real community exists
within Qatar Foundation and
as with all communities there
are moments of real joy and
celebration as well as sadness.
That is why the
QFTelegraph is giving our
readers the chance to place
family announcements within
the pages of the newspaper to
share with the community.
n Qatar Foundation
community would like to pass
on their heartfelt condolences
to Ali Atiq Al Abdulla, Activities
& Volunteerism Officer, Qatar
Career Fair, for the sad passing
of his brother, Saoud Atiq Al
Abdulla; to Ibrahim Al Obaidli,
Director – General Services,
Support Services Directorate,
following the sad death of his
sister; and to Fatima Al-Subaiei,
Senior Supervisor, Auxiliary
Services, on the sad passing of
her grandmother.
garage sale
Recreation
Center Charity
Garage Sale
HEALTH & FITNESS
Dental clinic
Sat – Thurs: 9:00am – 11:30am,
07:30pm – 10:00pm
The dental clinic operates on an
appointment basis only. Call 4454
1244 for more information.
Fitness Center
Sun – Sat: 5.30am – 10pm
General Physician (GP) clinic
Sat – Thurs: 8.30am – 1.30pm, 7.30pm –
12:30pm, Fri: 6:30pm – 11:30pm
The GP clinic treats walk-in patients as
well as those with appointments.
Ladies Fitness Room
Sun – Sat: 5.30am – 10pm
The Medical Center at QF Recreation
Sun – Thurs: 8:00am – 2:00pm
Sat: 8:00pm – 12:00
Swimming Pools
Public swimming (Olympic Pool – laps
only): Sun – Sat: 12.00pm – 3.00pm
Public swimming (all 3 pools):
Sun – Sat: 3.00pm – 12midnight.
Men will be requested to leave at
9pm on Sun, Wed, Sat.
Swimming classes
Adult classes: Thurs: Adult Learn to
Swim 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Sat: Adult Breathing & Technique class
3pm – 4pm
Children’s classes: Beginners aged 3 –
5 yrs 1: Class A Mon 2.30pm – 3.15pm;
Class B Mon 3.15pm – 4pm; Class C
Thurs 2.30pm – 3.15pm
Beginners aged 3 – 5 yrs 2:
Weds 3pm – 3.45pm
Beginners aged 6 – 12 years 1:
Class A Mon 4pm – 4.45pm;
Class B Thurs 3.15pm – 4pm
Beginners aged 6 – 12 years 2:
Weds 3.45pm – 4.30pm
Intermediates (Guppies):
Sun & Tues: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Advanced (Seals): Sun & Tues:
3.30pm – 4.30pm
Ladies only Swimming (all 3 pools):
Sun: 5pm – 8pm, Wed: 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Sauna and Steam Room
Ladies: Sun, Mon: 4pm – 7pm
Men: Wed, Thurs: 4pm – 7pm
Spa
Men: Wed, Thur: 7.30pm – 11.30pm
Ladies: Sun, Mon: 7.30pm – 11.30pm
SOCIAL
Faculty and Staff Football
Sun: 6pm – 8pm
Ladies Soccer
Sun: 6pm – 8pm
Basketball
Tues: 7pm – 9pm
Badminton
Wed: 6pm – 9pm
Fri: 10am – 1pm
Squash
Fri, Sat: 2pm – 4.45pm
Mon, Thur: 8pm – 9.45pm
Wed, Sun: 7pm – 9.45pm
Lessons costs QR320 for 8 sessions.
Floor Ball
Tues: 7pm – 9pm, Sat: 10am – 12pm
Indoor football
Wed: 5.30pm – 7pm
Water Polo
Fri: 4pm – 6pm
Mon, 3 October
Second-hand items will be
sold to raise money for Qatar
Animal Shelter. Items can be
donated by dropping them at
Community Housing, Lot 1 6B
2033 or Qatar Academy Senior
School.
For more information call Anja
Djokic on 6662 7620.
Qatar Foundation Recreation
Center
FITNESS CLASSES
Aerobics
Ladies only: Wed, Sat: 9.30pm – 10.30pm
Mixed: Tue: 4pm – 5pm
Circuit Class
Mon, Thur: 3.30pm – 4.15pm
Sat: 10.30am – 11.30am
Ladies Spinning
Mon: 4pm – 5pm
Ladies-only spinning costs QR120 per
package or QR35 per lesson.
Ladies Fitness
Wed: 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Sat: 10.30am – 11.30am
Children’s Gymnastics
Wed: 1.30pm – 2.15pm (ages 4 – 6)
Have your event listed. Send
us an email at [email protected]
Location for all activities:
Recreation Center, call 4454 0805
or email [email protected]
2.15pm – 3pm (ages 6 – 8)
3pm – 4pm (ages 9 – 12)
Children’s Squash
Sun, Wed: 2pm – 2.45pm (ages 5 – 7)
2.50pm – 3.35pm (ages 7 – 9)
3.40pm – 4.30pm (ages 9 – 13)
Individual classes are given upon
reservation.
Children’s Ballet
Sun: 3.15pm – 4pm (ages 4 – 5)
4pm – 4.45pm (ages 5 – 6)
5pm – 5.45pm (ages 7 – 10)
Children’s Kung Fu (ages 5 – 14)
Tues: Beginners: 5pm – 6pm,
Advanced: 6pm – 7pm
Sat: Beginners: 12pm – 1pm,
Advanced: 1pm – 2pm
Tennis
Adults: Beginners
Group 1: Wed, Fri: 8pm – 9pm
Group 2: Wed, Fri: 9pm – 10pm
Adults: Advance
Group 1: Thur, Sat: 8pm – 9pm
Group 2: Thur, Sat: 9pm – 10pm
Individual classes: upon reservation.
Shopping
LuLu Express
Daily: 7am – 12am
Friday: Closed from 10.30am – 12.30pm
education
city
CLUBHOUSE
Clubhouse
Sun – Wed: 6am – 10pm
Thurs – Sat: 6am – 11pm
RECREATION FACILITIES
Tennis, Squash, Mini Football Pitch
Daily: 6am – 9.45pm
Basketball/Multi-purpose Court
Daily: 6am – 10pm
Swimming Pool
Sun – Tues: 9am – 6pm
Wed – Sat: 9am – 9pm
Fitness Room
Daily: 6am – 9.45pm
Fitness instructor available
Spa
Ladies: Sun, Mon: 9am – 2.45pm
Wed, Thurs: 11am – 9.45pm
Fri, Sat: 9am – 9.45pm
Men: Sun, Mon: 11am – 9.45pm
Wed, Thurs: 9am – 2.45pm
Fri, Sat: 9am – 9.45pm
Games Room
Circuit Class
Wed: 8.00pm – 8.45pm
Sat: 8.30pm – 9.15pm
Ladies Aerobics
Wed, Sat: 9.30pm - 10.30pm (Rec
Center)
Tues, Thurs: 9.30pm to 10.30pm
(Culbhouse)
Unisex Aerobics
Sun: 4pm-5pm (Clubhouse)
Tues: 4pm to 5pm (Rec Center)
There are 20 spaces per class. To
guarantee a place call the Rec Center
on 4454 0841.
Dining facilities
Lebaina Restaurant
Sun – Wed: 6am – 12am
Thurs – Sat: 6am – 1am
The Grill
Daily: 6pm – 12am
Meseika Snack Bar
Sun – Wed: 8am – 12am
Thurs – Sat: 8am – 1am
Nutrition services
Sun: 5pm – 8pm
Mon, Wed: 4pm – 6pm
Tue, Thurs: 9am – 12pm
To schedule an appointment, please
email [email protected]
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES
Please call the EC Clubhouse
reception (44540834) for any
enquiries.
Patrick Meier talks about Changing the World, One Map at a Time: The Power of Crisis Mapping
events
For more information visit
www.mathaf.org.qa
Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art
September 2011
Swalif: Qatari Art Between
Memory and Modernity
Sun, 14 August to Sat,
29 October
The work of Qatar’s most
influential artists is on
display at a new exhibition
which opened at Mathaf:
Arab Museum of Modern
Art on 14 August.
Swalif: Qatari Art Between
Memory and Modernity
features works spanning four
decades of art production,
presented in roughly
chronological order from
pieces created in the 1960s
through to the early 2000s.
Swalif, which in Arabic
translates as friendly,
informal conversations and
stories, invites visitors to
explore their own responses
to Qatar’s art story and
the relationships between
modernity, memory and art.
Artists collaborated with
the team of curators at
Mathaf, consisting of Senior
Curatorial Advisor Yousef
Ahmad, Assistant Curators
Mariam Helmy and Fatima
Mostafawi, and Exhibition
Designer Reem Al Thani,
to help with research into
the historical backgrounds
of their works and the
development of the art scene
in Qatar.
Mathaf: Arab Museum of
Modern Art
Until 1 October
There are just a couple
of months left to visit
the inaugural exhibition
at Mathaf. Sajjil is a
remarkable, comprehensive
cross-section of art from the
Arab world produced over
the past 100 years.
For more information visit
www.mathaf.org.qa
Mathaf: Museum of Modern
Arab Art
named 2011/12 music director.
Tickets will go on sale
at Virgin Megastore’s
Villaggio and Landmark
Mall stores, and at http://
tickets.virginmegastore.
me, about two weeks before
the performance. They can
also be bought at the Opera
House on the night between
6.30pm and 7.20pm.
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera House, Katara Cultural
Village
october 2011
Discover Education City Fair
Changing the World, One Map
at a Time: The Power of Crisis
Mapping
Thurs, 22 September, 7pm
Patrick Meier, an authority
on the subject of crisis
mapping, will give the
inaugural address in the new
season of lectures organized
by Qatar Computing
Research Institute. Meier
will explain how crisis
mapping uses social
media to pinpoint disaster
damage, document human
rights abuses, and monitor
elections. He will discuss
how the discipline has been
deployed in Haiti, Egypt,
Libya, and Somalia.
Mezzanine level, Al Nasr
Tower A, Doha
Email [email protected]/qa for
more information.
Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet
Sat, 24 September, opening
night, 7.30pm
Michalis Economou will
conduct the philharmonic
for the first time since being
Wed, 5 October, 6pm – 9pm
Prospective students and
their parents are invited to
visit Education City to learn
more about the academic
programs on offer and
admissions requirements.
Presentations will be
followed by opportunities to
meet representatives of the
branch campuses.
Student Center.
classes
Color collage and painting
Every Tue and Wed from 6 to
28 September, 4pm-6pm
Adult classes on the basics of
color, collage and painting.
Spaces are limited and
registration closes 31 August.
Qurm Hall, Recreation
Center.To register email
annettewendlingwilleke@
gmail.com

Ya hala!to new academic year

Transcription

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