(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar Research, Innovation, and Development (QRDI) Council has completed the 17th Undergraduate Research Experience Programme (UREP) competition, at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Research Complex.

This year the participation in UREP varied, with students from six academic institutions in Qatar including: Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar University, Texas A&M University in Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

The competition awards are divided into two categories: the poster presentation category and the oral presentation category.

A total of 14 judges evaluated the projects, including 32 for the poster presentations and 5 for the oral presentations. Projects were assessed based on their scientific merit, research outcomes, student learning experience, and presentation quality.

This year in the oral presentations, Qatar University, secured first place in the category with their project titled Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity of Novel Nanofibers Bandage Formulated with Juniperus Communis Essential Oil Targeting Antibiotic Resistant Bacterial Strains.

Second place was awarded to Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar for their project HyBrush: A Hybrid UAV Brushing System for PV Monitoring and Cleaning.

Third place went to the University of Doha for Science and Technology for their project on the Hybrid Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Blue Ammonia Supply Chain.

Meanwhile, the poster presentations witnessed high competition, where 32 teams presented their research outcomes. Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar was ranked in first place with the project, Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Technology on Mouse-Induced Diabetic Foot Ulcers.

University of Doha for Science and Technology also ranked first place with their project: Rahma - A Cross-Platform App to Facilitate Clothes Donation, Collection and Receiving.

Second place was shared by two teams from Qatar University. The first team's project was titled Epidemiology of Infections in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Patients: A Retrospective Study and the second team presented the project titled Development of Smart Molecular Recognition Membrane Materials for Lithium Recovery from Liquid Solutions.

Two teams also came joint third with from Qatar university, with their project, titled: Investigation and Development of AI203 Based Anti-Soiling Coatings for Surfaces in Arid Regions: A Case Study in Qatar.

Additionally, another team from the University of Doha for Science and Technology came third on their project titled: Smart Outcome Driven Remedial Course Generator in Tertiary Education.

The competition also recognised the winners of the Best Representative Image of an Outcome (BRIO), which celebrates visual communication of scientific concepts and research in Qatar through art. The competition this year received 39 images and amassed more than 7047 votes from the public and Qatar's scientific and academic communities.

The top three BRIO contest winners were: Third Place: Imperfect Nanofibers: Future of Atmospheric Water, created by Dr. Bahman Boostani from the University of Doha for Science and Technology:

Second Place: Emerging Micro-Blood Vessels, created by Hend Eldous from Hamad Bin Khalifa University and the first place went to 'Missing Gene: A Mini-Pancreas Without Hormones, created by Noura Aldous from Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Aysha al-Mudahka, senior programme director at QRDI Council said:“This competition serves as a valuable platform for nurturing young research talent, empowering participants to develop impactful projects that contribute to Qatar's national vision.

As we conclude the 17th cycle of UREP and the 9th edition of the BRIO Awards, we take pride in QRDI Council's continued commitment to fostering innovation and research excellence over the past 17 years. The quality of the projects presented this year reflects the strong potential of our young researchers to drive real-world impact and advance Qatar's research ecosystem.”

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