Abu Dhabi-UAE: 14 April, 2014 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced that a project presented by its Social Computing & Artificial Intelligence Lab has become one of the 10 finalists out of 652 entries submitted for the Telecom Italia Big Data and Trentino Open Data Challenge 2014.

The Masdar Institute project was presented in Italy by Aamena Alshamsi, a UAE national PhD student, who is part of a team headed by Dr. Iyad Rahwan, Associate Professor, Computing & Information Science. Other team members include Maryam Almehrezi, Edmond Awad, Vahan Babushkin, Pai-Ju Chang, Zakariyah A. Shoroye, and Attila Peter Toth.

The Masdar Institute entry titled ‘Misery Loves Company: Twitter Sentiment Reveals Assortative Mixing of Aggregate Happiness in Urban Communication Networks’ was chosen from among 652 entries submitted to the Challenge. A committee comprising prominent international experts in academia and research evaluated the ideas for the contest that was open to individuals and teams belonging to any academic institution or companies.

The Big Data Challenge was organized by Telecom Italia, in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, Politecnico di Milano, Trento RISE (with the contribution of Fondazione Bruno Kessler and University of Trento) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) ICT Labs.

The contest was designed to stimulate the creation and development of innovative technological ideas in the field of ‘Big Data’. Participants were asked to transform existing data sets into innovative final products such as applications and ‘infographics’. Professionals and enthusiasts in the industry competed globally by choosing one of the three ‘Tracks’ – app, data analytics and data visualization. The Masdar Institute entry also came among the six finalists in the ‘data analytics’ track.

The ‘Misery Loves Company’ project by Masdar Institute’s Social Computing & Artificial Intelligence Lab investigated the relationship between communication among different geographic areas within an urban center and the ‘happiness’ levels in those areas, as measured by social media content production. The study has revealed that ‘unhappy cells attract a disproportionately larger volume of communication compared to happy cells’ and ‘communication plays an important role within each cell’.

Results from the study may help contribute to greater understanding of the relationship between social structure and urban psychological well-being, which has consequences on productivity, innovation, and crime. Furthermore, the findings also inform the design of policies and strategies for improving urban well-being by taking into account the urban communication structure.

Dr. Rahwan said: “Being among the 10 finalists out of 652 teams in an open international challenge means we were in the top 1.5%. This victory is a testimony to the fact that Masdar Institute is now among the leading research universities in the world in the analysis of big data. We could not have done this without the tremendous effort by the MSc and PhD students, who worked relentlessly on making a solid submission. Congratulations to the students whose dedication has brought us this success.”

Team member Aamena Alshamsi said: “Some members of the committee showed genuine interest in our project and encouraged us. Many including some of the organizers and members of the committee found our project very interesting.”

The Social Computing & Artificial Intelligence Lab has had a number of international successes in recent years. In 2012, Alshamsi won the ‘Young Emirati Researcher’ Award, which was convened by the National Research Foundation (NRF). Also in 2012, the Lab won the ‘US State Department’s Tag Challenge’, a one-off international competition to test the power of social media in locating individuals. The Lab also has the distinction of publishing the first-ever paper from the UAE in the respected journal Science.

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 17 April, 2014 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced that its Institute Center for Microsystems (iMicro) will be gathering top delegates from the major global semiconductor industry leaders for an Open House in Abu Dhabi.

The event will showcase the world-class research currently being conducted at Masdar Institute’s iMicro in all areas of micro- and nano-technologies, including semiconductors, photonics, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), and photovoltaics. iMicro focuses on advanced research and innovations in microsystem technologies that are vital to the UAE’s emerging semiconductor industry.

Scheduled to be held on 22 April 2014 at Masdar Institute, the Open House will coincide with the first anniversary of the ATIC-SRC Center of Excellence for Energy Efficient Electronic Systems (ACE4S) that was set up last year by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). The event will be attended by Technical Advisory Board (TAB) delegates from GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Intel, Texas Instruments, IBM, Freescale, Applied Materials, and Mentor Graphics. In addition, high-ranking officials from Siemens, GE, Air Liquid, Tawazun, BP, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, and NYU Abu Dhabi will also attend the event.

Dr. Rafic Makki, Executive Fellow for GLOBALFOUNDRIES, will give a keynote address on the innovative spirit the has driven the phenomenal grow of the semiconductor industry, while Ms. Canan Anli, Head of Technology Ecosystem, ATIC, will highlight the need for building an R&D ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Ibrahim Elfadel, Head of iMicro, will offer an overview of the research center, while Dr. Bruce Ferguson, Head of the Institute Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (iInnovation), will speak about how Masdar Institute continues to remain an innovation hub. A tour of the ATIC Clean Room and Microscopy Suite will be led by Mike Tiner, Acting Director, Research Infrastructure and Laboratories, Masdar Institute. Several Masdar Institute faculty affiliated iMicro will give focused research presentations highlighting the multifaceted advanced work being conducted in nano and micro technologies at the Masdar Institute. In addition students working on iMicro research projects will present posters showcasing the important educational role iMicro is playing in the formation of high-skilled professionals for the emerging semiconductor ecosystem in the UAE.

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “The Open House reflects our intense involvement in cutting-edge research projects taken up in collaboration with various global leaders with the support of the UAE leadership. We believe experts gathering for events such as the iMicro Open House will provide us with further encouragement and the right guidance to pioneer breakthrough innovations.”

Dr. Elfadel said: “This Open House is essential for us as it is not only gathering experts in semiconductor industry but also professionals from the oil & gas, manufacturing, healthcare, and utilities sectors as well. We hope this interaction will strengthen our ties with existing local and international stakeholders, while paving the way for more collaborations that will bring true benefits to the UAE and the region.”

iMicro was established earlier this year to provide strategic and operational direction to basic and applied microsystems research to achieve excellence and generate knowledge and technologies that will help establish the UAE as a global leader in microsystem devices and materials research, process technology, circuit and system design, and photonics.

ACE4S is hosted jointly by Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, and Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi. In addition, iMicro also works with other sponsored research centers such as the TwinLab 3-Dimensional Stacked Chips Research Center (TL-3DSC) jointly led by Masdar Institute and the Technical University of Dresden, and the MEMS TwinLab jointly led by Masdar Institute and the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) Singapore.

As the UAE grows, its people need more water. We can’t keep taking ever more from the Arabian Gulf – so instead we are increasingly turning to wastewater as a source of fresh water.

There are already many ways of doing this, but they take time and money, and come with their own environmental impacts. We have to make wastewater treatment more effective, efficient and affordable.

MBRs offer a compact way to produce high quality water that can even be coupled with biogas recovery, resulting in two useful products – water and biogas. But this technology still faces challenges.

Nothing can get through the membrane’s pores, making it no use as a filter for wastewater – so treatment has to stop for the membrane to be either cleaned or replaced. The loss of productivity, along with the cost of the treatment chemicals or new membranes, reduces the cost effectiveness of the MBR.
A membrane that prevented biofouling could make MBRs a far more attractive option for water treatment. That is where our novel membrane comes in.
Building on European research, we have created a membrane that is highly resistant to biofouling and also improves the through-flow of water. This was achieved by improving the membrane structure, porosity, and surface chemistry.

The 3D pattern also increases the effective filtration area of membrane, giving it twice the filter surface area – and therefore twice the productivity. Lastly and most importantly, the improved flow hydrodynamic makes it harder for unwanted organisms to stick to the membrane.

Standard membrane bioreactor membranes need to be cleaned or replaced daily. After a month, our membranes were still fairly clear of biofouling and functioning as they should.

We hope this research can be utilized by industry and academia to make wastewater treatment and reuse through membrane bioreactors more widely adopted not only here in the UAE, but around the world.

 
Dr. Hassan Arafat is an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Dr. Muhammad Ro’il Bilad is a post-doctoral associate and Jehad Kharraz is a master’s student in the same department.

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 27 April, 2014 – More than 200 key stakeholders from government, academia, finance, business, industry and private foundations will be gathering for the UAE Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2014 in Abu Dhabi, the organizers announced today.

Hosted by Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, in collaboration with BP Exploration Operating Company Limited and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the second annual invitation-only Forum will be held on 28 April at the St Regis Abu Dhabi Corniche.

A plenary session, three simultaneous panel discussions and two innovation workshops will explore opportunities to accelerate innovation in higher education, energy, and aerospace. This industry-based approach to optimizing the innovation ecosystem follows recommendations of the previous Forum held last year. It will conclude with a tour of Masdar City.

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “This year’s Forum focuses on one of the nine recommendations made in the previous Forum to provide a strong foundation for future stakeholder initiatives. The support of the UAE leadership continues to enable us to organize regionally relevant forums on building capacities with an eye on the future. We believe this Forum will generate concepts that could inspire an innovation ecosystem for the benefit of the region.”

Dr. Charles C. Cooney, Faculty Director, Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation and the Robert T. Haslam Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT said: “As a research-driven academic institution, MIT is keen to collaborate with others in organizing events that highlight the need to boost innovation. Actively engaging various industry stakeholders is one of the key options to drive innovation and build an effective ecosystem for the UAE. We hope the forthcoming UAE Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2014 in Abu Dhabi will analyze specific opportunities that will help usher in new concepts in the industry sectors.”

AbdulKarim Al Mazmi, General Manager and Chief Representative for BP UAE, said: “BP focuses a great deal on innovation in our business. We see opportunities like this to bring together experts from different industries and academia as a great way to collaborate and to share knowledge. Our support for the UAE Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2014 is about taking an opportunity to engage with others on how to develop an innovation ecosystem and to think about the role that BP can play in promoting and harnessing technology innovations to meet the challenges of the future.”

Speakers at the Forum will include Frank Wouters, Deputy Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Tony Douglas, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, and Dr. Anant Agarwal, edX President. Panelists will include Professor Brian Norton, President, Dublin Institute of Technology, Professor Karen Gleason, Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, Jeffrey Johnson, President, Boeing Middle East, Mohammed Alaoui, Senior Vice-President, Aerospace & Engineering Services Unit, Mubadala, Dr. John Evans, Vice President for International Engineering and Technology, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Prof. Mohamed Yousif Baniyas, Vice Chancellor, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Graham Walker, VP Reservoir Development, Middle East Region, BP, Her Excellency Fatima Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of Energy, and Dr. Alejandro Ríos Galvan, Director, Sustainable Bio-energy Research Consortium, and Professor of Practice, Masdar Institute.

Dr. Charles C. Cooney, Faculty Director, Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, will moderate the panel discussion on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education, while Dr. Nawal Al Hosany, Director, Zayed Future Energy Prize, and Director of Sustainability, Masdar, will lead the discussions for the panel titled ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Energy’. Dr. Bruce W. Ferguson, Professor, Masdar Institute, Head of Masdar Institute Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (iInnovation), and Co-Founder, Orbital Sciences Corporation, will moderate the panel on aerospace. Dr. Mohamed Sassi, Interim Dean of Faculty, and Professor of Mechanical and Materials Sciences, Masdar Institute, will lead the innovation workshop on ‘Fracturing’, while Ms. Sarah Amiri, Project Manager, Advanced Projects, Emirates Institution for Advanced Science & Technology (EIAST), will conduct the ‘Aerospace Innovation Workshop: How to Build a Small Spacecraft, and Why You Might Want To?’.

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 19 May, 2013 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced the participation of its Ocean Color Group in an international conference in Oman, where they generated significant interest for collaboration in seawater quality monitoring, including detection and tracking of coastal water threats.

The Masdar Institute Ocean Color Group participated in the International Conference on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and Desalination 2014 that was held recently in Muscat, Oman. Hosted by the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC), the conference attracted more than 150 world-known scientists and stakeholders from seawater monitoring and desalination sectors.

The participation was led by Dr. Marouane Temimi, Associate Professor, Water and Environmental Engineering program, and included post-doctoral scientist Dr. Jun Zhao, PhD students Muna Al Kaabi and Maryam Al Shehhi, Research Engineer Nahla Mezhoud, and Master’s student Sheikha Al Kitbi.

The Ocean Color Group focuses on studying coastal processes in terms of hydrodynamic circulations and seawater quality monitoring, which includes detection and tracking of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and oil spills using satellite imagery. The Group’s research activities triggered the interest of several regional and international collaborators. 

Dr. Temimi said: “The presentations given by our students and post-doc have generated interest among regional managers and decision-makers, who expressed their willingness to build a partnership with Masdar Institute. We believe that our remote sensing capabilities, the numerical models that we developed, the regular field experiments that we conduct in the Arabian Gulf, and the exceptional lab facilities we have at Masdar Institute position us as a key regional player in marine ecosystem monitoring and assessment because of the support of the UAE’s leadership.”

Dr. Temimi chaired a technical session on ‘Technologies for HAB Detection and Forecasting’ that included presentations about techniques to detect harmful blooms using satellite imagery and in situ observations, and monitoring and forecasting algal toxins in seawater and drinking water. The presentations emphasized the role of remote sensing and the importance of early detection and monitoring of HABs in the region. Panelists also focused on novel pretreatment technologies and the best management practices for desalination plant operators to address algal bloom outbreaks.

Three posters on research at Masdar Institute were also presented at the conference in Muscat. Muna Al Kaabi’s poster focused on mapping water turbidity in the Arabian Gulf using satellite imagery. Nahla Mezhoud, a Research Engineer with the Ocean Color Group, presented, in collaboration with Sheikha Al Kitbi, a poster on the field experiments conducted in the Arabian Gulf by the Ocean Color Group team members. The third poster from Masdar Institute by Dr. Jun Zhao focused on the mapping of HABs and oil spills in the Arabian Gulf region as main threats to operational water desalinations.

In the oral presentations, Maryam Al Shehhi, highlighted the analysis of the frequency of harmful algal bloom outbreaks in the Arabian Gulf region through satellite observations. Dr. Jun Zhao’s presentation focused on the characterization and the monitoring from space of a specific outbreak that occurred in the fall of 2013.

The Ocean Color Group’s marine environment monitoring strategy is based on numerical models to determine sea currents and weather conditions in the Arabian Gulf and satellite remote sensing for an early detection, tracking, and potential landfall forecast of HABs and oil spills. With vessels provided by the UAE Navy and Bayanat, students and researchers of Masdar Institute conduct field ship-based surveillance cruises to collect sea water samples and analyze them in Masdar Institute’s labs for a thorough characterization of the Arabian Gulf waters.

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 27 May, 2014 –The Institute Center for Smart and Sustainable Systems (iSmart) at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has advanced several research projects in collaboration with Abu Dhabi partners to meet the economic aspirations of the emirate.

The center, which was launched early this year, recently signed a research agreement with the Abu Dhabi Ports Company to optimize operations at Mina Zayed Port, which can help contribute to Abu Dhabi’s efforts to position itself as a leading global port and diversify its economy.

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “The growing relevance of smart systems infrastructure in today’s world makes research in this area highly essential. The support of the UAE leadership continues to guide us and encourage our researchers to seek productive solutions, as witnessed by the number of research papers. We hope faculty and students associated with iSmart will continue to undertake cutting-edge research for the benefit of humanity in general.”

iSmart is also working with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to develop scenarios and models supportive of realizing a renewable energy vision for Abu Dhabi, which can play a significant role in helping the emirate achieve its economic and development goals. iSmart is also leading collaborative research with the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport to understand how electric vehicles and wider adoption of public transportation canreduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable transport in Abu Dhabi. New areas of iSmart research will begin this fall, when Masdar Institute launches its Sustainable Critical Infrastructure Master’s program, with the aim of providing graduates, research and intellectual property that will contribute to the sustainability of Abu Dhabi’s development efforts.
 
In addition to these activities, research is ongoing iSmart in areas ranging from machine learning and neural network algorithms to biofuels, smart grids and energy policy, with multiple peer-reviewed papers published since the center’s launch.

Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis, Associate Professor, Engineering Systems and Management, and Head of iSmart, said: “At this point, our aim is to strengthen our capabilities and so that the UAE government and private sector organizations will entrust our research teams with their medium and longer-term needs. Organizations like Abu Dhabi Ports Company and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have already awarded significant projects.”

iSmart is mandated to apply systems analysis techniques in the design and development of sustainable infrastructure systems that interface between technology and society. Since its launch, the center has been active and recently hosted a symposium on sustainable critical infrastructure with significant industry participation, where the new Master’s program in sustainable critical infrastructure was launched, taking the total number of Master’s programs currently offered at Masdar Institute to nine.

Dr. Sgouridis explained: “We intend to create a strong core of students before scaling up activities. What we are looking for now is a small group of dedicated and engaged students, willing to put extra effort to build up our course and research portfolio with their support.”

One of the graduating students associated with iSmart is Reem Ketait, of the Engineering Systems and Management program, who has been working under Dr. Toufic Mezher, Professor. Her research focuses on the ‘Formulation of an integrated energy strategy for Abu Dhabi based on a holistic optimization of the country’s electricity sector’.

Ketait said: “I plan to seek the next challenge and allow the knowledge I have acquired from Masdar Institute to fuel my curiosity and propel me to contribute to making the UAE’s sustainability goals a reality.”

Through such research initiatives, iSmart aims to facilitate faculty and student research in the envisioning, design, and analysis of sustainable infrastructure transformation on the urban and regional scale integrating socioeconomic, technical, and policy-oriented perspectives.

As iSmart expands its activities, it will be participating in workshops and exploring project collaborations with some of the leading global corporate brands like GE and Siemens. The center will also be also hosting events on smart cities and smart infrastructure in collaboration with leading institutions such as the INCONET-GCC, a science and technology international cooperation network for Gulf Cooperation Council countries aiming at the promotion of bi-regional dialogue. The center is also in talks with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to host another event on sustainable cities.

 

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 02 June, 2014 – Since its launch earlier this year, the Institute Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (iInnovation) at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has been focused on developing new programs and partnerships to leverage the UAE’s strengths with other innovation hubs across the world.

It is helping to develop a new Masdar-centered innovation hub in the UAE, learning from the best of other innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley and building mutually beneficial collaborations between academia and industry. 

As part of its mission, iInnovation seeks to contribute useful new ideas for discussion with government, industry and other stakeholders, in response to the UAE government’s active leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship. During the coming year the Center will contribute creative proposals for new programs in response to the UAE government’s increasing willingness to experiment and seek innovative solutions. The Center plays a key role in translating technology developed by the four other Masdar Institute Research Centers (iCenters) into commercial products, services and processes.

Masdar Institute’s graduate engineering students already show entrepreneurial instincts. Recently, a Masdar Institute MSc student won the Khalifa Fund’s Technopreneur competition for his technology-focused business concept. Two students have also formed startup companies, while five students have won national or regional business plan competitions. Additionally, two students have been selected to compete in the second round of the Khalifa Fund Ibtikari Competition.

One of the most exciting developments of the year for iInnovation was the formation of a new multi-year collaboration with BP to develop new ways to accelerate technology innovation in the UAE. The collaboration with BP has already accelerated the introduction of new student scholarships, seed grants and seminar speakers. The new scholarships are expected to further encourage pre-graduation student start-ups.  Two new iInnovation seed grant programs for faculty, one conducted jointly with MIT, will focus on translational research with commercial outcomes. At the same time, the iInnovation Laboratory (iLab) offers space and basic facilities for small faculty-student teams internally working on technology translation.

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “The research and innovation drive at Masdar Institute assumes significance not because it is a novelty but more so, it is a necessity considering today’s economic and social realities. The UAE leadership recognizes this and supports us in continuous innovation that remains relevant to the wider community and targets future generations. We hope the initiatives undertaken by iInnovation will encourage young entrepreneurs and help more technology start-ups to be established in the UAE.”

Dr. Bruce Walker Ferguson, Head of iInnovation and Professor, Engineering Systems and Management, Masdar Institute, said: “At this stage, iInnovation is more action-oriented than research-oriented, with most of our work directed to developing new programs and partnerships. We are proud of the new BP Innovation Scholarships, which represent an innovative way to integrate entrepreneurship and education by encouraging students to create new companies before they graduate.”

In March 2014, the Center completed a case study on a UAE-based sustainability company Keep It Clean. Authored by Dr. Ferguson along with Noora Ahmad Abdulrahman and Yusra Ahmad Abdulrahman – two UAE National interns from the University of Arizona  –  the case study provides insights into the challenges and opportunities of sustainability-focused entrepreneurship in the UAE.

Dr. Ferguson added: “We have also considered the question of how to create a UAE-optimized entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports the formation of new companies. The UAE Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, co-sponsored by Masdar Institute and MIT in 2013 and also co-sponsored by BP in 2014, helps to identify how the UAE can ensure growth in entrepreneurship and innovation. Given the UAE’s potential to play a dynamic role in global innovation, I foresee tremendously interesting and productive new relationships over the next year.”

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 24 July, 2014 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced that its summer research internship programs for undergraduate students is working to contribute to Abu Dhabi’s human capital development.

The summer research internship program is targeted at talented UAE national undergraduates majoring in Science, Engineering or Math. The program offers students a critically important research experience, motivating them to innovate and obtain new solutions in clean energy and advanced technologies. It is also expected to encourage them to seek higher learning opportunities at Masdar Institute. To be accepted for the highly competitive internship, interested students must apply for specific projects proposed by Masdar Institute faculty. Selected students then undergo a six-.week long internship.

This internship program reflects only one aspect of Masdar Institute’s initiative to contribute to the overall human capital development efforts in Abu Dhabi. Throughout the year, Masdar Institute organizes knowledge-sharing forums, workshops and other such events, in line with the Abu Dhabi leadership’s directive to transform the emirate and the UAE into a center for knowledge and intellectual capital.

Dr. Lamya Fawwaz, Executive Director, Public Affairs, Masdar Institute, said: “Supported by the country’s leadership, our annual research internship programs are designed to build capabilities of UAE nationals in science and technology. In line with the UAE directive, Masdar Institute will continue to develop future programs in areas of new technology that will be offered to undergraduate interns every year. We believe the current group of students has gained fresh insights into conducting research with advanced laboratory equipment.”

Dr. Ken Volk, Outreach Manager, Masdar Institute, said: “We have 15 UAE nationals participating in the summer research internship program, which we believe will enrich their academic and laboratory experience . We thank the UAE leadership for their continuous support to our human capital development initiatives.”

Participating interns under the summer internship program are excited about the research experience they are receiving and the modern cutting-edge laboratory facilities at Masdar Institute.

Asmaa Almazrouee’s research focuses on ‘Graphene Nanostructure Advanced Characterization’ and she is advised by Dr. Adel Gougam, Assistant Professor, Material Science and Engineering. A University of Sharjah student, Almazrouee said: “This research experience has been special because I was working with two doctors, instead of just another intern student. With more practical experience, I hope I can do something useful at Masdar Institute and publish a paper in the near future.”

Mariam Ahmed Ali Salem Al Dhaheri from the UAE University participated in Masdar Institute Ektashif program last summer and she loved the experience. Al Dhaheri is doing her ‘Core Research Laboratory’ internship, advised by Dr. Mustapha Jouiad, Microscopy Suite Manager and Principal Research Scientist at the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. The program involves learning to set up and operate electron microscopes. Her project is titled ‘Characterization of API X52 steel pipelines using metallography and electron microscopy’.

About her experience, Al Dhaheri said: “This is a golden chance for me to get engaged in research and learn the proper scientific approach. I will definitely apply for Master’s degree at Masdar Institute after my graduation.”

Dina Muraish from Abu Dhabi University is also doing a ‘Core Research Laboratory’ internship with electron microscopes. She feels that, unlike other educational institutes or even companies, Masdar Institute, has within a short period of time, proven its place not only in the UAE but also worldwide because its dedicated researchers seek worldwide sustainable solutions – an area she is keenly interested in.

Muraish added: “I have acquired more practical skills in high-tech laboratories, which I have never experienced before. I have gained worthy knowledge from highly qualified faculty that definitely did help me in getting a better insight into the many environmental problems that the UAE and other countries face and how they could be resolved. The knowledge that I gained over here has given me more awareness to assist in making the UAE an environmentally better place for future generations.”

Abu Dhabi produces almost a million tons of municipal solid waste every year, as well as a considerable amount of garden, agricultural and industrial waste.

As the emirate develops and grows, there’s only going to be more. Much of this waste ends up in landfill. Unchecked, that would make the emirate’s landfill in Al Dhafra the size of Abu Dhabi city within 35 years.

It’s a lot of landfill. As well as being unsightly and unpleasant, it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and can contaminate soil and groundwater.

It is a problem that Abu Dhabi’s leadership takes so seriously that it has set a target of near-zero waste in Abu Dhabi by 2018.

One potential solution could be to turn Abu Dhabi’s waste into biofuel and biochemicals. Biological conversion of organic fraction waste has great potential to produce renewable fuels and biochemicals. It also has a valuable byproduct – a nutrient-rich residue that can be used as fertilizer or compost in combating desertification by putting nutrients back into the UAE’s farmlands.

We at the Masdar Institute are engaged in a comprehensive research project that aims to address Abu Dhabi’s waste problems in a sustainable way that affords multiple benefits.

We are exploring technologies and methods to produce biofuels and useful biochemicals from Abu Dhabi’s waste. Our research specifically aims to provide the protocols for production of biofuels from plant dry matter and waste from agriculture, industry and municipal activities.

We are also exploring how to integrate the production of biofuels and added-value products such as fertilizer; making sustainability assessments; and implementing sustainable production schemes in Abu Dhabi.

We have divided our scientific research into four areas: biogas, assessments and experimental work; dark fermentation, assessments and experimental work; energy crops assessment; and compost assessment.

The biogas-focused research aims to assess the potential of biogas production from organic wastes in Abu Dhabi, and perform experimental biomethane potential quantification of organic residues.

Initial results show that biogas produced from municipal organic waste could generate 18 megawatts of power a year for Abu Dhabi, which would help Abu Dhabi achieve its goal of generating 7 per cent of its power needs from renewable sources by 2020.

The electricity surplus generated from the biogas and compost could respectively earn Abu Dhabi US$6.2 million (Dh22.76m) and $23m a year. Turning biogas into liquid fuels to be used in place of diesel or petroleum is also being explored.

The dark fermentation-focused research is assessing and experimenting on organic acids produced from organic waste.

It aims to do the following: convert organic waste into valuable products via dark fermentation; complete experimental work on dark fermentation of organic waste, and upgrade organic acids into the more useful hydroxyacids by using metabolically engineered E. coli bacteria in the laboratories of our partner, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Research on energy crops is focused on crops that could be turned into aviation biofuels, in response to Etihad Airways’ goal of using such fuels.

It is a preliminary effort to estimate how much biofuels – bioethanol, biobutanol, or methane – could be produced from the fermentation of energy crops.

Research on compost is focused on assessing the compost and water availability in the UAE in relation to food security. Agricultural activities in the UAE face challenges from the country’s extreme climate, shortage of rain and poor soil nutrient content.

Preliminary results show that converting all of Abu Dhabi’s agricultural waste into compost could meet 4 per cent of the UAE’s total fertilizer demand.

With this research project, we hope to contribute to Abu Dhabi’s goals of near-zero waste, while contributing to its renewable energy aspirations and overall economic strength.

Dr. Jens Ejbye Schmidt is a professor at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and the head of the Institute Centre for Energy.

 

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 08 September, 2014 – The UAE continues with its concerted action to overcome the urgent global challenges of food security, climate change, water insecurity and infrastructure development, following the UAE government’s commitment to achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  by 2015, remarked Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister for International Cooperation and Development.

Delivering a lecture titled ‘Towards Sustainability: The Role Of The UAE As A Key Player In Global Human Development’, Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna added that the UAE’s initiatives are the outcome of the vision and commitment of the leadership to widen the country’s contribution to sustainable development goals. Sustainable development goals are expected to be adopted as the next stage of action for the eight MGDs by the United Nation’s member states at a summit in September 2015.

The lecture was organized under the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Masdar Institute campus. Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna was earlier received by Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, who introduced her to the audience. A number of government, non-government and private sector stakeholders including His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State, Chief Executive Officer of Energy at Mubadala and Chairman of Masdar, His Excellency Philip Parham, British Ambassador to the UAE and official representatives from United Nations in the UAE were present. Students, faculty and staff members from Masdar Institute and other universities also attended the lecture.

During her talk Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna pointed out that the UAE remains committed to helping partner countries achieve their MDGs through the delivery of foreign aid in the form humanitarian and development assistance. The country also prioritizes ‘developing global partnerships for development’ and ‘eradication of poverty and hunger’, while seeking to achieve the MDGs locally. She emphasized that the programs and projects initiated by the UAE leadership in poor countries will contribute to improved food supply, greater environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation, as well as better water management, child vaccination campaigns and meaningful support for global polio eradication efforts.

In order to achieve a world of prosperity, equity, freedom, dignity and peace, the United Nations is working with governments, civil society and other partners to build on the momentum generated by the MDGs and carry on with an ambitious post-2015 sustainable development agenda. The sustainable development agenda, which covers sustainable development goals, includes leaving no one behind; putting sustainable development at the core; transforming economies for jobs and inclusive growth; building peace and effective, open and accountable institutions for all; as well as forging new global partnerships.

Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna added: “As part of its contribution towards achieving sustainable development goals, the UAE specifically will endeavor to address the causes of poverty including conflict, fragile statehood, social exclusion, economic under-performance, under-mobilization of national resources in poor countries, inadequate governance and under-investment in education and health.”

According to the UN 2013 MDG report, there are new and emerging global challenges. Annual earth depletion has jumped from 60% in 1990 to an alarming 150% in 2010, while the bottom billion of the world’s population is severely impacted by widespread deprivation despite progress towards MDGs. The challenge is growing manifold since the earth’s population is forecast to reach eight to 10 billion by 2050, the report adds.

The Masdar Institute Distinguished Lecture Series frequently hosts corporate leaders, renowned professionals and academicians for knowledge sharing and interactive sessions as part of its human capital development efforts.