Emiratis complete NASA internship on various projects

posted on 11/05/2011: 55 views

After undertaking cutting edge research with NASA's brightest minds during an internship, a group of five Emirati graduates have returned to the UAE better equipped to solve similar challenges in the country.

Khalifa Al Marzouqi, Khalifa Al Gafli, Faisal Al Haira, Khalid Al Ali, and Abdullah Al Qubaisi spent three-and-a-half months at the Ames Research Centre in California working alongside scientists on various projects.

Their projects focused on solving real life problems with wind turbine technology, green buildings, nano satellites using cell phone technology and grey water recycling.

Al Haira, an avionics engineer who works at Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, was part of a team that worked on finding solutions to wind turbine damage in aircraft.

The work was not easy, he said. "NASA is huge and one of the best organisations in the world. Being in the internship has taken me to another level — I'm now able to handle bigger responsibilities."

The interns were able to pursue their internships because of an agreement with the US space agency and the Arab Youth Venture Foundation (AYVF), a non-profit organisation founded in 2007 to develop the next generation researchers, scientists, engineers, leaders and entrepreneurs.

Commenting on the internship opportunity, AYVF chief executive Lisa LaBonte said NASA can help fuel the UAE's success by turning out locally grown aeronautical and micro-electronic engineers for the growing sectors of aerospace, aviation, and semiconductor "as space has the unique ability to inspire youth".

The internship programme is now in its second year and more graduates and students are set to pursue it in the future. – Gulf News

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