The Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) 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, today announced two of its members will highlight the role of research in obtaining sustainable solutions at Rio+20 Summit in Brazil.
The two Masdar Institute students, Maitha Al Kaabi, a Water and Environment Engineering graduate, and Rasha Abd Rabu a Mechanical Engineering graduate, will engage the leaders and interact with the stakeholders during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development’s Rio+20 Summit that will be held from 20-22 June. More than 50,000 representatives from governments, companies and environmental and lobby groups will aim to set new goals across seven core themes including food security, water and energy at the summit.
The participation of the two YFEL members is in line with the UAE leadership’s directive to train the youth and offer them an opportunity to network with global leaders in the energy industry and sustainability sectors. The participation aims to equip them with the right knowledge and enable them to become future leaders in the sector.
Maitha Al Kaabi will be a key speaker at the UAE Pavilion Theatre. Al Kaabi will highlight the UAE’s commitment to tackling environmental challenges and her expedition to Antarctica that emphasized the role of sustainable living. She will also focus on the role of her research in water treatment and desalination at Masdar Institute.
As a YFEL member, Rasha Abd Rabu will offer a presentation on ‘Dual Chamber Tubular Reactor for Continuous Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil’. Abd Rabu will also participate in the Women Leaders’ Forum on ‘Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment and Sustainable Development’, in addition to offering support at the UAE Pavilion Theatre.
Dr. Lamya Nawaf Fawwaz, Executive Director of Public Affairs, Masdar Institute said: “The two Masdar Institute graduates and YFEL members represent the kind of UAE youth that remains committed to finding sustainable solutions for the benefit of the community. They also represent YFEL, a dynamic outreach initiative supported by the UAE leadership, offering the future young leaders an opportunity to engage and network with the leaders at international forums such as the Rio+20 Summit. The Masdar Institute graduates’ research projects demonstrate their enthusiasm to explore new avenues to reach sustainability across the global community. We believe the participation in Rio+20 Summit will immensely enrich their experiences.”
The presence of the two YFEL members in Rio is part of the annual schedule of programs that takes them to global and regional forums. Earlier, select YFEL members participated in a global conference on evolving technologies that was held in Dresden, Germany.
The YFEL program aims to train students and young professionals to become future leaders capable of solving the world’s most pressing challenges in advanced energy and sustainability. It 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.
