Australian Organization Seeks More Students from Masdar Institute for Conducting Research on CO2 Post-Combustion Capture and Solar Energy

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 14 August, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced it will further strengthen collaboration with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the biggest research organization in Australia, in the field of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) and solar energy.

At present, Adewale Adeosun, a student from the Chemical Engineering program at Masdar Institute, is spending his three-month summer internship at CSRIO, working on testing and characterizing new solvent blends using the available test facilities at CSIRO. At Masdar Institute, Adewale works in the Separation Technology Laboratory of Dr. Mohammad Abu Zahra, Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering.

The focus of Adewale’s research in Australia is on the selection, characterization and testing of amine-based aqueous solutions for CO2 capture applications. His thesis work is part of the Masdar Institute-MIT collaboration project between Dr Alan Hatton of MIT and Dr Abu Zahra on the ‘Development of New Sorbents Systems for CO2 Post-Combustion Capture’.

CSIRO officials in Australia have been extremely impressed with the commitment and the talents of Adewale Adeosun that they have requested more students from Masdar Institute to join their facility to conduct research. Currently, discussions are under way with Dr Paul Feron, OCE Science Leader, Advanced Coal Technology Research, CSIRO, on the number of students from Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programs at Masdar Institute to be sent to the Australian organization. Dr Matteo Chiesa, Associate Professor – Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering, Masdar Institute, had met with CSIRO officials during his recent visit to Sydney.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “Our mandate is to build human capital and develop innovators of the future. In line with this and as directed by the country’s leadership, our faculty and students portray Masdar Institute’s high-caliber learning and the rich academic environment, through their dedication and involvement in research projects across the world. We are privileged to have students such as Adewale Adeosun, who are expertly guided by renowned faculty members, bringing us international acclaim.”

Dr. Abu Zahra said: “The scope of the collaboration with CSIRO in the field of CO2 post-combustion capture is focusing on three major areas of common interest – advance solvent systems, environmental impact of CO2 capture and process integration. On the solvent development, Adewale is testing some new solvent blends during his internship and the results of this work will be published and evaluated jointly by Masdar Institute and CSIRO.

“Another project we started at Masdar Institute is on the CO2 solvent thermal degradation and Hessa Al Shehhi, another student from Chemical Engineering is working on that project. We have Dr Paul Feron from CSIRO as a member of her research committee. In this project, CSIRO will support our data analysis and we will have access to their experimental data for the purposes of comparison and the work will be published jointly.”

Earlier in March this year, Dr Paul Feron had visited Masdar Institute for a seminar about the work and potential collaboration between CSIRO and Masdar Institute in the area of CCS. His visit was the starting point for initiating some collaboration on carbon capture and Adewale’s current student internship was the first step in this initiative. Dr Feron is currently spearheading Australia’s post-combustion carbon capture research and development as part of a global effort to reduce emissions from coal-fired power generation.

Dr Matteo Chiesa said: “CC is one of the topics we are actively collaborating, but there are a lot of ongoing activities in the solar energy domain. Masdar Institute and University of Sydney work together and publish together since we have found that we can complement each other. Last year, we published a feasibility study on the unique concept of solar assisted carbon capture that aims at making post combustion carbon capture more feasible.”

During his visit to Sydney, Dr Chiesa also met with Dr Sarah Miller, Solar Thermal Research Project Manager at CSIRO.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

One Provisional Patent Filed in US as EPE Faculty Show High Per Capita Ratio in Journal Publication during Last Year

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 13 August, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced at least four new courses will be added to expand the scope of the Electrical Power Engineering (EPE) Master’s program in the coming academic year.

The EPE program is function-oriented and innovative on relevant industrial development. The applications focus on new research topics for renewable energy, electric vehicles, modern power systems, smart grid with emphasis on power electronic applications for grid interface, distribution and transmission level integration, and interconnections. The program dedicates its research towards developing Abu Dhabi’s future power systems.

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “Our academic programs contribute to enhancing specific skills sets of students in clean energy and sustainable technologies. We aim to create the leaders of tomorrow with capabilities to manage smart power grids and intelligent transport systems, as directed by the country’s leadership. Expansion of existing programs will further strengthen our interdisciplinary course offerings, while providing wider options for students to select their area of academic pursuit.”

Over the last year, the EPE faculty and students have presented a record 18 papers at major international conferences and reviewed more than 100 journal submissions, while the expertise of the Masdar EPE has been recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) societies, including industrial electronics, power electronics and power & energy systems.

Dr. Hatem Zeineldin, Head of Electrical Power Engineering, said: “The accomplishments of the EPE program can be measured by the publications and international conference appearance. Since September 2011, among four EPE faculty members, 15 peer-reviewed journal papers have been published and accepted by the renowned international journals, including 13 IEEE transactions. These were in addition to a US patent that aims to bridge the R&D technology development on smart grid and renewable energy systems that remain relevant to Abu Dhabi’s future energy plan.”

“Illustrating the extent of the program’s success were the IEEE transactions that are considered the top journals in the area of electrical and electronic engineering.  Considering the publication ratio per capita per year and the size of EPE including four faculties, the EPE program at Masdar Institute is among the top ones available in the world today.”

The EPE program gains relevance following an analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s Global Smart Grid Market Research report which has found that the market earned revenues of US$23.97 billion in 2010 that are estimated to reach US$125.15 billion by 2017. At the same time, the cumulative smart grid technology markets of China, Japan, and South Korea are currently valued at nearly US$8.5 billion, with another firm GTM Research forecasting that the value is expected to grow to US$19 billion by 2016.

Smart grids reflect only one aspect of the ambit of the EPE program, which additionally include technologies in other areas such as electric vehicles (EVs), advanced wind energy systems, and power system control, as well as large-scale demonstration of innovative transmission system integration and operation solutions for integrating large scale renewable energy systems.

The invitations extended by international bodies to serve on organization committees and technical session chairs further suggest the renowned status of the EPE faculty. Dr. Vinod Khadkikar was the technical chair, while Dr. Hatem Zeineldin chaired the session ‘Power Electronics-II’ at the second International Conference on Electric Power and Energy Conversion Systems (EPECS2011), at Sharjah, UAE.

Dr. Weidong Xiao was one of the committee members organizing the 21st IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE2012), in Hangzhou, China. He served both as the tutorial chair and technical session chair in May 2012. Prof. Mohamed El Moursi was assigned for the GCC CIGRE Technical Study committee on “System Performance Development and Renewable Energy”.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Participants Excel in Research Projects Seeking Innovation in Clean Energy and Advanced Technology Fields

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 12 August, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced it marked the successful conclusion of the second annual research-based summer internship program, displaying the research outcome of most of the projects undertaken by the interns.

A special ceremony on the occasion was attended by Dr Ken Volk, Head of Outreach, faculty members and officials of Masdar Institute.

A total of 16 UAE national university seniors and/or those graduating this year with science, engineering or computer science as major subjects participated in the six-week internship program that commenced in July. The programs focused on advanced technology and sustainability, covering areas such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), water recycling, solar energy, applications for healthcare data and power grid systems simulations.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “The second summer internship program has provided the right platform for the participating students to get themselves acquainted with the research offerings at Masdar Institute. As directed by the country’s leadership, we aim to generate interest among university graduates in sustainable fields and offer them hands-on laboratory training. With the completion of the six-week internship, we believe the participants have been adequately prepared for taking up higher studies in renewable energy and sustainable technologies.”

Research outcomes of projects including Testing and assessment of Dye-sensitized solar cells under the real outdoor conditions of Abu Dhabi   and Carbon Capture and Storage in Abu Dhabi: An Economic Analysis on the Optimal Regulatory Scope of CO2 Capture were on display at the campus. Prior to the closing ceremony, students presented the highlights of their summer research projects to fellow interns, professors and guests. They also answered questions about their projects and had the opportunity to reflect on their accomplishments.

Dr Kenneth Volk said: “The research-based internship program at Masdar Institute aims to effectively contribute to the overall human capital development efforts of Abu Dhabi. From the knowledge and insight provided by the faculty, the program participants have strongly demonstrated their innovation potential in diverse clean energy research areas this year. Our programs will continue to focus on fostering students in research and development, while raising awareness on the need to be proactive in renewable energy.”

Dr. Mahieddine Emziane, Associate Professor, Solar Energy Materials & Devices Laboratory, had two interns working on areas related to the use of solar energy.

Dr. Emziane said: “Both interns were passionate about what their research and worked hard. As I told them from day one, they were here to learn not only technical aspects but also a set of transferable skills. For their level, the quality of their work was improving every day and they could see that. It was therefore encouraging and inspiring for them. Now, they are aware of our learning and research environment at Masdar Institute and are keen to join once they graduate.”

Interns with Dr Hassan Fath, Professor, Water and Environmental Engineering, were doing research in ‘Testing a novel desalination process using Nano Particles’ and ‘Development of Agriculture Green House Self Sufficient of Energy & Irrigating Water’. Dr Fath pointed out that the summer internship program proved to be a useful training for the interns who became familiar with the R&D work at Masdar Institute.

Mooza Saeed Al Ali, an intern, worked with Alam Hossain Mondal, Post-Doctoral Researcher, under the guidance of Dr Toufic Mezher, on ‘Long-term policy planning towards sustainable energy system development: UAE case’. The project aimed to develop a reference energy system for UAE to analyze the policy implications for deployment of renewable energy technologies.

Alam Hossain Mondal said: “Mooza Saeed Al Ali has shown an incredible dedication to her assigned responsibilities during her internship. In particular, she has identified key input parameters (historical and forecast) for the optimization of renewable energy technologies for the UAE, reiterating the commitment of the future energy leaders to steer the country towards clean energy adoption and implementation.”

Dr Toufic Mezher said: “In general, internship initiatives provide a platform for prospective students to engage on short or mini-projects, while working alongside more experienced colleagues and researchers. I strongly believe that this summer internship program has created significant motivations for the interns to consider a higher degree in a reputable institution like Masdar Institute.”

A sizeable number of students chose the project titled ‘MATLAB Simulation Development for Power Grid Systems Development’ led by Dr Amro M. Farid, Assistant Professor – Engineering Systems and Management program.

Dr Amro M. Farid said: “During the internship, Muna Abdulla, Samah Al Akberi, and Abdulla Al Bloushi worked as a team to develop MATLAB simulations that demonstrate the response of the Smart Grid under fluctuating and perturbed conditions. In so doing, they gained valuable insights into power flow and transient stability analysis; and two foundational studies central to the design of the next generation power grid. Beyond power engineering, the experience they gained in MATLAB simulation helped them to develop their own code, retrofit it to existing work and most importantly do so in a team development environment. These interdisciplinary skills of engineering systems, power engineering, and team work exemplify the post-graduate research and education that occurs at Masdar Institute every day.”

Dr. Inas Khayal, Assistant Professor, Engineering Systems and Management, said: “Hazza Ali Bani Malek spent his six-week internship designing and developing a MATLAB Graphical User Interface to visualize ‘Sleep Data’. He collaborated closely with graduate students from the Sustainable Health Lab to understand the structure and variability of the data coming from the, currently in progress, ‘Sleep and Ramadan Study’. Hazza’s experience at Masdar Institute allowed him to learn a new programming language, gain certification in human subjects, research ethics, understand the particulars of running a research study, work in an interdisciplinary environment and take the time to ponder the role of academia in his career.”

The other project that attracted larger group of students was ‘Detection and Quantification of Emerging Contaminants in Abu Dhabi Recycled Water Using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)’ that was led by Dr Farrukh Ahmad, Associate Professor – Water and Environmental Engineering program.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Faculty to Further Intensify Overall Offerings Following Productive Academic Year

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 31 July, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, has announced the Water and Environmental Engineering (WEN) Master’s program further amplified its contribution to clean energy knowledge building in the UAE and worldwide following the creation of the UAE Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment.

One of the most important recent contributions from the WEN program came through the Center, which was instrumental in developing and officially releasing the UAE Solar Atlas in June at the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil. The hourly/daily/yearly solar irradiance maps for the Solar Atlas that were produced by a robust satellite-based mapping tool developed and validated at the Centre, are expected to accurately assess and simulate the efficiency of available power generation technologies.

In addition, the funding of two flagship proposals that was approved by the Joint Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Masdar Institute Steering Committee, and the involvement in the organization of the first International Water Summit in Abu Dhabi will mark a successful year for the WEN program.

Dr. Marwan K. Khraisheh, Dean of Engineering at Masdar Institute, said: “We offer programs that underpin the philosophy of knowledge building that is relevant to the UAE and the region, in addition to developing international students. The Water and Environmental Engineering program creates more specific skills that guide the youth towards innovation in this key sector. The renowned faculty members further enrich the students’ academic and research experience at Masdar Institute and we hope to nurture students who will lead the energy industry of the future.”

The significance of the WEN program at Masdar Institute reflects the UAE leadership’s keenness to tackle future water supply challenges.

With four core course, ‘Chemicals in the Environment: Fate and Transport’, ‘Desalination’, ‘Industrial Ecology’, and ‘Wastewater Treatment Engineering’, the multi-disciplinary WEN program offers 12 courses as part of the curriculum. Among the class 2012 batch of 55 students, nine graduated from the WEN program and received their Master’s degrees in May 2012.

Dr. Taha B.M.J. Ouarda, Professor and Head, Water and Environmental Engineering program, Masdar Institute, is also the Deputy Director of the UAE Research Centre for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment. Dr Hosni Ghedira, Associate Professor, is the Director of the Centre.

Dr. Ouarda said: “This academic year has remained productive with a number of key achievements. Several papers have been presented by the WEN faculty at key global platforms. We also add further value to the program through conducting a large number of research projects. These projects mainly focus on renewable energy, climate change analysis and adaptation, water treatment, desalination, water resources development and management, climate modeling, environmental monitoring, industrial ecology, biofuels, ecology, remote sensing, hydrology, and waste management.”

With the successful year behind, the WEN program aims to intensify its efforts further to expand its dynamic offerings for the coming year. These include better coverage of various fields in the ‘water and environment’ general sector, world class faculty, and closer integration. The program already incorporates features such as ‘Inclusion of dust and local climatic conditions in the modeling of renewable energy resources’ and ‘Focus on the arid climate constraints in water resources management’ that are not available elsewhere in the region.

Equipping its students with knowledge and skills of high relevance for sustainability-driven decision-makers and environmental managers, the WEN program aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenging compromise between sustainable development and access to clean water. In the UAE, water and energy supply are closely interlinked due to the predominance of desalination as the primary supply option.

The faculty, students and research staff also have the opportunity to lead research in advanced desalination technology, high-efficiency water distribution and use, as well as integrated water and energy policy.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Internationally Renowned Experts to Offer Unique Learning Experience in Real World Issues and Analytical Approaches to Transportation

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 30 July, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced one of its graduate students and member of the Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) program will be participating in a five-day course on sustainable transport in Finland.

Mohamed Al-Sharhan of the Engineering Systems and Management program at Masdar Institute is the only student from the UAE who will be participating in the Helsinki Summer School for Transportation 2012. Scheduled to be held from 13-18 August at Aalto University, Helsinki, it will be themed ‘Concepts and Practices about Sustainability in Transportation’. The Summer School is intended for transportation professionals, managers in transport agencies, transport and traffic engineers, planners, consultants, citizen advocates, educators, and graduate students.

A visit to the Helsinki Metro construction site will be part of the course, in addition to two team exercises that will apply the concepts and approaches in real world transport planning situations. It will be a unique experience in which both the real world issues and the analytical approaches will be presented by internationally renowned experts. The Instructors will include Dr. Shinya Kikuchi, Professor, Virginia Tech, US, and Dr Antti Talvitie, Professor Emeritus, Chief Researcher, Aalto University School of Engineering, Finland.

Dr. Tapio Luttinen, Professor in Transportation Engineering, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be Mohamed Al-Sharhan’s guide at Aalto University, while Dr Sgouris Sgouridis, Associate Professor, will be his advisor at Masdar Institute. Al-Sharhan is currently working on ‘Public Transportation for Abu Dhabi: Potential for a Sustainable Public Transportation System’ under the supervision of Dr. Sgouridis.

Dr Sgouris Sgouridis said: “The Helsinki Summer School in Transportation has established itself as a premier program offering innovative and practical approaches to tackle complex transport challenges. The School offers an intensive learning experience to transport professionals and graduate students of varying backgrounds and we believe it will prove beneficial to Mohamed Al-Sharhan, whose research is closely related to the course’s main theme. The course will further enrich Al-Sharhan’s learning experience and will positively impact his research outcome.”

Other participants at the Helsinki Summer School for Transportation 2012 include representatives from Technical University of Denmark, World Bank, Finland’s Destia Corp., University of Oxford in the UK, Virginia Tech, US, and University of California, Davis, US.

Al-Sharhan said: “The enrollment in this summer school in Finland will add considerable value to my research and provide me with an opportunity to get in-depth insights in this field. I believe attending this summer school will widen my knowledge and help me to better represent my research, especially now when I am progressing mid-way.

“Moreover, the participation will help me to highlight the advantages of Masdar Institute and initiate relations with students and experts from other top universities and institutions around the world. As a member of the YFEL program I am keen to bring back the rich insights I gain at the course and put them into my research project on my return to Masdar Institute.”

Al-Sharhan earlier participated with the YFEL members in the IEEE Technology Time Machine Conference 2012 in Dresden, Germany. He was also part of a 12-member group that visited southern India to assess to poverty-related challenges in one of the poorest regions in the world, propose solutions related to energy and human development, as well as establish long-term collaboration with the organizations and local communities to implement a project for sustainable development.

YFEL offers participants exceptional and unmatched access to top global leaders, senior business executives and academics engaged in alternative energy and sustainability through events such as World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi and other major events held globally. It is mandated to educate, inspire and empower students and young professionals to become future leaders capable of solving the world’s most pressing challenges in advanced energy and sustainability.

Dr Matteo Chiesa’s Presentations Focus on Need for Local Expertise and Scientific Investigation in Developing Robust Solar Energy Solutions 

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 29 July, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced one of its faculty provided an overview of the Institute’s role in addressing the challenges to deploy solar technologies in the UAE where the industry is taking its initial steps.

Dr Matteo Chiesa, Associate Professor – Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering, presented the Australian scientific community with details on the research in solar energy being conducted at the Laboratory for Energy and Nano Science (LENS) at Masdar Institute. The research at LENS focuses on nano-scale energy transport, conversion, and storage, and on the application of nanotechnology towards the development of novel power generation devices and/or systems based on renewable energy sources.

The invitation to Dr Chiesa to participate in the events was extended by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the biggest research organization in Australia and the Australian Solar Energy Association, in recognition of the collaborative efforts at LENS among Dr. Peter Armstrong, Dr. Marco Stefancich, Dr. Hosni Ghedira and Dr. Amal Al Ghaferi. Dr Chiesa’s visit to Australia came under the CSIRO OCE-sponsored ‘Cutting Edge Science’ program.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “Presenting our unique research offerings at global platforms further reiterates Masdar Institute’s status as a world-class research-based institution with top caliber faculty. Dr Matteo Chiesa’s extensive knowledge reflects his industrial experience that guides the students at Masdar Institute as directed by the country’s leadership. We believe the delegates at the symposium received greater insights into the solar energy technologies that are being researched at Masdar Institute and others that are implemented in the UAE.”

Dr Chiesa offered three presentations, including the one that focused on ‘Solar Energy Deployment in the UAE: The role of the Masdar Institute’, at the Sydney branch of the Australian Institute of Energy (AIE). The presentation was organized in collaboration with the Clean Energy Research Cluster of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney. During his speech, Dr. Chiesa provided the rationale behind some of the decisions taken in realizing the first concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in the UAE.

At CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, Dr. Chiesa highlighted Masdar Institute’s unique research agenda. Speaking on ‘Material Challenges in Developing Solar Power Generating  Systems’ and ‘On the role of material science in the design of beam down solar thermal tower technologies.’, Dr Chiesa covered various key areas in the implementation of solar energy technologies presenting novel pathways that include beam splitting and photonic crystals’

Underlining the need for local expertise to implement smart designs under local conditions, Dr Chiesa argued progress in renewable energy requires a holistic approach to the energy challenges, as envisioned by Masdar Institute. He said: “Solar power generation cost/resource tradeoffs are site specific, making local expertise the only route for the industry to flourish. Variations in solar radiation incident at the Earth’s surface due to the effect of aerosols profoundly affect the profitability of concentrating solar technologies, and needs to be assessed so that solar collector design can be optimized for specific regional conditions.”

He also observed that the ‘beam down concentrator’ is a unique teaching facility where students and researchers can experience the local challenges related to the implementation of concentrating technologies in the UAE.

Emphasizing the outcomes of the research on beam down, Dr Chiesa stressed the philosophy of developing the beam down concentrator further with an effort towards the study of light matter interaction and with the objective of combining the advantages of the quantum and thermal pathways to develop a disruptive solar energy conversion technology. Delving deeper into in the science and the extensive use of atomic force microscope (AFM) at LENS, Dr Chiesa focused on the affinity of water at the nano-scale to develop functionalized surface that can reduce the overall use of water to clean solar collectors.

Dr. Chiesa received his Master’s degree and Doctorate from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In addition to his academic profile, Dr. Chiesa prides himself on extensive industrial experience with the development of concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP) plants in the UAE, on-board seismic ships and production platforms. Such experience is extremely useful to define and address the challenges that the energy industry is facing. Dr. Chiesa’s research expertise belongs to the energy domain and exemplifies his effort in providing a holistic view to different problems within the energy domain.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Program Powerful and Transformative, Say Student Participants from Masdar Institute

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 25 July, 2012 – Subjects such as energy conservation, sustainability or renewable sources of energy are nothing new to the students of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. But the Practical Experience program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Boston, offered the students from Abu Dhabi a totally new dimension to applying their knowledge in clean energy technologies.

Take for example the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – a new tool for energy mapping project that integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. The students from Masdar Institute had an opportunity to work with GIS which allows users to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.

Solving energy crisis was one of the activities that students including Ameirah Al Dhamani worked with her team. The aim was to build a roof for a small-scale house to minimize heat transfer from inside the house to the outdoor environment in cold places. And, they used the GIS tool to display data in an easy and understandable way.

Sara Al Muhairi, Director, Human Resources, Masdar Institute, said: “Such was the depth of the program that the students could gain access to cutting-edge tools and novel concepts at MIT. The program has opened new sources of learning for the students who enthusiastically participated in indoor theory lessons and outdoor experiences. It was a perfect opportunity for the students to contribute to the knowledge drive as directed by the country’s leadership and we are confident the experience will effectively help them to enhance their capabilities for innovation.”

Relevant to her thesis defense on ‘Social entrepreneurship in energy poverty’, Ameirah Al Dhamani benefited from lectures on Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Energy Research in Developing countries, and Women in Energy’ that strengthened her knowledge on the role of social entrepreneurship in the developing countries, and broadened her perspectives on energy innovation.

The Practical Experience at MIT program has positively impacted Al Dhamani and her perspectives. She says: “The program was well-structured and has enriched me with real-life exposure. Every learning moment during the program was so productive. All faculties at MIT were enthusiastic in creating a positive and innovative atmosphere through the interactive discussion and teamwork.”

The modules were complemented by the ‘Urban Energy ‘Ecosystems’ in Practice Excursion’ and a visit to Liquid Metal Battery Corporation (LMBC), a local start-up with roots in MIT, that focused on ‘Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship’. A boat ride on the historic Boston harbor enabled the students to locate the liquid fuel storage and power generation and calculate the land area used.

An early-stage company, LMBC is working to develop and commercialize a new battery technology that will revolutionize grid-scale power storage. The company’s battery has the potential to be significantly cheaper than existing batteries. By decoupling power supply and demand, the liquid metal battery acts as a major enabler of the widespread use of sustainable energy sources and the development of more efficient power systems.

Nadyah Obaid Salem Al Abdouli, believes the practical experience helped her in mapping the theories that she was studying in the modules and getting an idea about practical challenges.

She says: “Learning visually, through visiting the industrial sites, is different from theoretical lessons. And the combination of both provides a much better understanding of an idea rather than just a theoretical lesson.”

Mostly interested in how beneficial and efficient some simple and cheap tools could be, if used wisely, the course helped Mohamed Almarzooqi in widening his horizons and opening his eyes on looking at things with new perspective. He says: “The theoretical lessons are very important and it gives us about 20%-50% of understanding. But physically looking at the material and operating them by my own hands, further improve the extent of understanding.”

Al Marzouqi was pleased to see that his research work at Masdar Institute is closely related to the course modules at MIT that focused on different ways to save energy, by increasing the efficiency, reducing the amount of the consumed energy or discovering new types of renewable energy sources.

A special session titled ‘Solar Energy: Emerging Technologies and Applications’ offered the students from Masdar Institute an ideal occasion to learn the simplest ways to make organic photovoltaics by constructing a dye-sensitized PV cell. By assessing the implications of using dyes including pomegranate seeds, raspberries, and blackberry for each dye-sensitized cell, the students measured the values for open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current as a function of illumination incident angle using the halogen lamp as a light source.

Naeema Al Nofeli enjoyed the different activities, including competing on the speed of the engine that they built, constructing the simplest organic photovoltaics, and using hotspot, a heat warmer pack, or hot water to generate energy to make the fan work.

Al Nofeli was excited to visit areas in Boston that has energy activities, which they mapped the previous day with the GIS tool. She believes that the activity, will benefit her thesis defense. She says: “Using the mapping program will benefit me for allocating the UAE native plants in Abu Dhabi, and will help us figure out why there are plants more widespread in certain areas than others.”

She adds: “The excursions helped me to think out of the box and realize that making business is not only about financial profit, but about bringing benefits to the society through environment-friendly products.”

The students largely benefited from constant interactions and discussions with the professors, which made the classes lively, attention-grabbing, and thought-provoking. Such knowledge exchange helped to guide the students towards thinking of energy from nearly all perspectives, as topics ranged from engineering to managing energy.

Azza Al Raisi said: “The two weeks practical experience at MIT was ‘one of a kind’ for Masdar Institute students. Different essential energy-related topics were introduced each day in addition to a practical experience that was incorporated to demonstrate what was explained. Although there was time-limit stress for big topics to be introduced daily, the professors made it possible for the students to absorb all the important points related to the topic of the day.”

‘Visualizing Urban Energy Infrastructure’ was one of the lectures that were introduced during the program. The group was divided into four teams of five to six and assigned a project. First, the students were trained within a couple of hours to use a new software program, Quantum GIS, that visualizes, edits, manages, and analyses data on maps. Each group was assigned to prepare a poster that included geospatial dataset on a specific city, which included Abu-Dhabi, UAE; Dubai, UAE; Doha, Qatar; and Kuwait City, Kuwait. An eight-hour time limit was given to the students to find data about the each city and present it on a map through Quantum GIS. The challenge helped to build team-work, stress-management, and time-management skills, and enlightened us about the power and importance of geographical information system in understanding and presenting energy-related data.

Al Raisi added: “Meeting with MIT students and faculty was a great experience in itself. Four graduate students were constantly accompanying us and helping us to make sure that everything is in order. The several dinners we had with MIT students were also an opportunity to get to learn more about their lives, their interests, and the innovative projects. Most importantly, the MIT program has created a strong bond between Masdar Institute students.”

The students concurred on one factor – it was a truly powerful and transformative learning experience. And they are now keen to apply their experience at Masdar Institute.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Dr Raed Hashaikeh to Highlight Masdar Institute’s Efforts to Incubate Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Annual Meeting of New Champion 2012

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 24 July, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced one of its faculty will represent the institution at the World Economic Forum- Annual Meeting of the New Champion 2012 in China.

Dr. Raed Hashaikeh, Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering program, is selected for his expertise and thought leadership to participate in the sixth Summer Davos that will be held from 11-13 September in Tianjin. Dr Hashaikeh was instrumental in leading team of scientists that developed a new battery technology for which Masdar Institute has filed a patent application in the US. The team included Materials Science and Engineering students Yarjan Abdul Samad, Ali Asghar, and post-doctoral fellow Dr. Boor Lalia.

With four more patents to his credit, jointly with different teams of scientists, Dr Hashaikeh is one of the leading faculty members, driving innovation at Masdar Institute in areas related to advanced materials development.

Dr Hashaikeh will join a select group of 40-50 extraordinary scientists under the age of 40 to interact with business and political leaders at the event, which is themed Creating the Future Economy. He will offer his contributions under ‘Recognizing the new frontiers of science and technology’, one of the four thematic pillars of the forum.

The ‘Young Scientists’ will contribute to the insights and knowledge provided by other Forum communities, including Technology Pioneers, Social Entrepreneurs, Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers. The forum will highlight the imperative for business, policy-makers and society at large to collaborate on the new models needed to address fundamental changes taking place in the global economy.

Selected from across the world and representing a wide range of disciplines, the scientists will contribute their scientific perspective and deliver the most up-to-date trends from various fields. The forum will gather 1,500 industry leaders, CEOs of top-ranked multinationals, heads of state/government and ministers, as well as leaders from media, academia and civil society to explore the influence of new business models, industries and technologies in the context of sustainable and inclusive growth.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute, said: “We are honored by the invitation for Dr Raed Hashaikeh to attend the World Economic Forum-Summer Davos in China. As a young scientist, he represents Masdar Institute’s top-caliber faculty. As directed by the country’s leadership, we drive innovation at Masdar Institute and we are confident Dr Hashaikeh will contribute his valuable perspectives in science and technology to delegates at the forum.”

Dr Hashaikeh said: “I was delighted to accept the invitation to represent Masdar Institute and increase its visibility at such a high-profile event. In addition, the theme of the forum is timely to highlight Masdar Institute’s efforts to develop a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.”

Masdar Institute filed a utility patent application with the US Patents and Trademarks Office for a new lithium ion battery technology in March 2012. The innovation was led by Dr. Raed Hashaikeh and his team of scientists and researchers who successfully developed the first operational 2032-coin cell type lithium battery using the new patented technology. The technology is currently termed “solid polymer electrolyte containing networked cellulose/PEG/LiClO4”. The battery is a small cell of 20mm diameter and 3mm in thickness, used for testing purposes at laboratories.

Earlier, a team led by Dr. Raed Hashaikeh, won the ‘elevator-pitch’ competition titled ‘Entrepreneurship Bootcamp: From Laboratory to Marketplace’ at the INSEAD/SMART Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Singapore. Dr Hashaikeh’s team won the competition for effectively selling the idea that the novel biodegradable material produced from processing cellulose developed at Masdar Institute, could be used to improve water storage and availability in sandy soils.

Dr. Hashaikeh received his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from McGill University. Before joining Masdar Institute, he spent two years at FP Innovations-Paprican division, Canada, as Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research and Development Fellow. During 2008-2009, he was a visiting scholar at MIT.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Current Scope for Research Already Covers Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence and Network Science

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 23 July, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced the Computing and Information Science (CIS) program will further strengthen its course offerings for the upcoming academic year.

Currently, the CIS program contains eight courses, of which four are core courses which focus on data mining: finding the data and models that create value, software engineering, design and analysis of algorithms, and distributed computer systems engineering, complementing other programs and reiterating the status of Masdar Institute as one of the top institutions to conduct research, especially in ‘smart grid’.

Dr. Marwan K. Khraisheh, Dean of Engineering at Masdar Institute, said: “Our core focus at Masdar Institute is to facilitate research through qualified faculty that can guide the students towards innovation in cutting edge technologies. Our academic programs are interdisciplinary in nature and offer the best in clean energy and sustainable technology areas. The academic programs including the Computing and Information Science program have steadily attracted talented faculty and students and as directed by the country’s leadership, we hope to nurture students capable of leading the future energy industry.”

The depth of the CIS program has enabled the faculty and students to achieve remarkable milestones during the past academic year. Winning the international ‘Tag Challenge’ competition by a team of crowd-sourcing experts led by Dr Iyad Rahwan in April 2012 redefined the limits of technology-mediated social mobilization and rapid information gathering. In June 2012, a paper titled “Securing Advanced Metering Infrastructure Using Intrusion Detection System with Data Stream Mining” won the Best Paper Award at the 2012 Pacific Asia Workshop on Intelligence and Security Informatics (PAISI’12). The paper was authored by Masdar Institute student Mustafa Amir Faisal, together with Zeyar Aung, Assistant Professor; John Williams, Professor of Information Engineering at MIT’s Engineering Systems Division and Director of Auto-ID Lab, and Dr. Abel Sanchez, Executive Director of MIT’s Geospatial Data Center and a Lead Scientist/Software Architect of Auto-ID Lab, .

With such laurels to its credit, the program aims to further strengthen its overall offerings. A planned addition is the highly interdisciplinary course on Bioinformatics, which introduces algorithms related to genomic aspects in biotechnology. The course seeks to integrate the use of DNA sequencing data in light of the procurement of the Illumina MiSeq, one of the best bench-top high-throughput sequencers, which is unique in the region. This course will be offered in collaboration with Water and Environmental Engineering and Chemical Engineering programs. Another new planned course will focus on advanced algorithms.

Dr Iyad Rahwan said: “These days, everything we see around us involves information processing, in one way or another. Computing & Information Science (CIS) is not just about computers. It is about the science of information in the age of mobile phones and social networks. It is about how information flows in society, in what way information is encoded in genes and transmitted through protein chemical reactions, by which way knowledge can be derived from terra-bytes of data and the way social networks form and change in reaction to cultural influence.

“We work on using machine learning and data mining to detect faults in, and attacks on, smart electricity grid systems. We use computational techniques to synthesize biofuels and to predict people’s energy consumption. We also do work on computer tools for rapid disaster response. CIS is truly the science of the information age. It is hard science, but relevant.”

The program also has several more achievements to its credit. Dr Iyad Rahwan jointly with MIT researchers published a paper in the Science journal, which (along with Nature) is considered the most prestigious publication in all fields of science. Moreover, a patent application titled ‘Method For Promoting Behavior Change through Social Reward Mediation’ has been filed by Dr Rahwan jointly with Prof. Alex Pentland of MIT. In addition,    the CIS program is represented by Dr. Andreas Henschel in the TwinLabs, a collaboration – externally funded by Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) – which secured 20 positions for graduate students at Masdar, Abu Dhabi, and TU Dresden, Germany.

Post-doc fellow Dr Alex Rutherford, from the Social Computing and Artificial Intelligence Lab under the supervision of Dr Iyad Rahwan, presented a talk at the International Conference on Network Science (NetSci) in Chicago, US, on the limits of social mobilization. An MSc student Abdulfatai Popoola (advisor Dr Rahwan) is spending summer on an internship at the headquarters of Microsoft Corporation, in Redmond, US.

Also, under the supervision of Dr Zeyar Aung, post-doc fellow Dr Depeng Li , from the Data and Network Analytics Group presented a talk on authentication mechanisms for smart grid security at the 2012 IEEE Power and Energy Society Conference on Innovative Smart Grid Technologies (ISGT’12) in Washington DC. Dr Depeng Li also delivered an invited talk and participated in a panel discussion on smart grid cyber security and privacy in the First International Cyber Security Forum for Energy and Utilities, Abu Dhabi, UAE in May 2012.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Distinguished Mentors to Share Expertise and Provide Advanced Leadership Training to 50 International Students at University of Pittsburgh

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 19 July, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced one of its graduate students will be participating in the fourth annual International Hesselbein Student Leadership Summit 2012 in Pittsburgh, US.

Mohamed Al Sharhan of the Engineering Systems and Management program at Masdar Institute will join 50 top student leaders from across the world and learn how to be effective, ethical, and innovative leaders. Organized by the University of Pittsburgh from 21-24 July, the summit will also convene distinguished mentors who will share their expertise and provide advanced leadership training to participating students.

To be invited to participate, students are required to be accomplished leaders from college campuses and involved in a range of campus and community programs and service-learning.

At the International Hesselbein Student Leadership Summit in Pittsburgh, students from across the world will hear several presentations covering ‘Leadership Conversations’, ‘Global Leadership in a Multicultural World’, ‘Landscapes of Leadership’, ‘Driving to Success through Failures’, and ‘Marketing Your Distinct Leadership Qualities’.

Dr Lamya N. Fawwaz, Executive Director, Public Affairs, Masdar Institute, said: “We are proud that Mohamed Al Sharhan was invited for participation in the fourth annual International Hesselbein Student Leadership Summit in Pittsburgh. Being a student of Masdar Institute and member of the YFEL program, he is adequately prepared for becoming a future energy industry leader. We are grateful to the country’s leadership for enabling our programs and activities to be effective with their continuous support. I am confident the summit will prove beneficial to Al Sharhan, offering him more opportunities to learn from his mentors and enhance his skills.”

Al Sharhan has been active in a range of campus activities. He has joined various organizations and participated in events as he believes that extracurricular activities on or off campus are equally important as academic excellence. Encouraged by his parents to excel academically as well as socially, he has participated in school activities, organizing events and taking up hobbies as he believes they create a more balanced and integral life.

Al Sharhan said: “As a graduate student at the Masdar Institute and a YFEL member, I will be my institution’s ambassador at this event. I will try my best to deliver the message that Masdar Institute and YFEL are trying to deliver to the world the first sustainable city that will help spread the sustainable lifestyle. Also, it will be a great opportunity to tell students about Masdar Institute and YFEL by delivering short presentations, featuring the unique experience we have had in Abu Dhabi.

“By my participation as a UAE national, I will show our international colleagues the efforts of the UAE, especially Abu Dhabi which has taken the lead in developing a low-carbon economy in the region. Thus I believe that the existence of different sources of energy is one of the most important factors that will guide the current international scenario, and such events offer a great opportunity to highlight that.”

The YFEL program aims to inspire, engage and empower bright young people to be tomorrow’s leaders in the field of alternative energy and sustainability. It achieves this by bringing together students and promising young professionals from the UAE and around the world in a series of networking, skill development and idea-sharing forums focused on this dynamic and vitally important field.

YFEL offers participants exceptional and unmatched access to top global leaders, senior business executives and academics engaged in alternative energy and sustainability through events such as World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi and other major events held globally. It is mandated to educate, inspire and empower students and young professionals to become future leaders capable of solving the world’s most pressing challenges in advanced energy and sustainability.

Field Trip Offers Insights on Sustainability Measures Implemented at EMAL

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 22 July, 2012 – A total of 10 participants from the Ektashif program, an outreach initiative of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, visited Emirates Aluminium’s (EMAL) state-of-the-art smelter complex at Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi, as part of their study tour.

Yousuf Bastaki, Vice-President – Projects of EMAL, and other senior EMAL officials received the team of students led by Dr. Kenneth Volk, Head of Outreach, Masdar Institute, and Zainab Al Ali, Senior Outreach Officer and YFEL Program Coordinator, as well as Sara Al Junaibi and Ruth Limon, Outreach Officers. Following the welcome note, a presentation on EMAL’s latest project initiatives was provided by Ahmed Al Marzouqi, Project-Reduction at EMAL, and member of Masdar Institute’s Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) program.

Later, the Ektashif participants were taken around the smelter complex, where they witnessed the effective use of DX Reduction Cell Technology in producing 750,000 tonnes of aluminium annually. The complex currently includes a 2,000MW power plant, carbon plant and flexible cast-house with a wide variety of world-class products. More importantly, the Ektashif participants learned about EMAL’s implementation of the most sustainable technologies that help reduce emissions in line with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) requirements to minimize its carbon footprint.

Al Marzouqi said: “As a YFEL member, I am proud to lead the presentation and the tour for the Ektashif program members. The EMAL complex stands testimony to the UAE leadership’s commitment to expand the industrial sector and diversify the economy in line with Abu Dhabi’s Vision 2030. At the same time the sustainability measures implemented at the smelter makes it one of the most relevant projects for the Ektashif participants to visit and learn from.”

The four-hour tour of the facility concluded with an interactive session, in which the participants had the opportunity to ask EMAL officials questions on subjects related to production and sustainability techniques.

Aaesha Mohamed Al Hammadi, an Ektashif participant, said: “The field trip enhanced the program’s effectiveness and my learning experience. As a UAE National, I am pleased to witness the on-ground results from the strategies of the country’s leadership. It was interesting to learn the environment-friendly standards being implemented at such a major industrial facility. This field trip will help the UAE national students studying abroad to appreciate the UAE’s vision and commitment to sustainability.”

A joint venture between Mubadala Investment Company and Dubai Aluminium, EMAL is one of the largest industrial projects in the UAE. It has created 2,000 jobs with Emiratization at the core of its employment strategy, which will rise to 3,000 upon completion of Phase II. The company has also introduced scholarship programs to provide technical training for local graduates with guaranteed job opportunities.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.