GU-Q students win grants to research blockade impact

Ten students of Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) have been awarded grants by the Qatar National Research Fund to pursue their research. 

The Bachelor of Science in Foreign Affairs undergraduate students and their faculty mentors will receive a total of more than QR115,000 through the Undergraduate Research Experience Programme (UREP), it has been announced.

The winning proposals all have the element of service to the community of Qatar, with research aimed to fill gaps that can help shape future policies, GU-Q has said in a statement. Two projects focus on the impact of the blockade on Qatar, while the third looks at employment opportunities for the country’s disabled. 

James McGreggor, associate dean for Academic Affairs, said: “These awards demonstrate the excellence of the research conducted by GU-Q’s students and faculty, as well as GU-Q’s commitment to engaging in research that will have a meaningful impact on Qatar and its residents.”

Six students will pursue research on how Baladna Farm has served as a means for Qataris to articulate their vision of sovereignty and self-sufficiency in the wake of the blockade, under the mentorship of GU-Q professors Rogaia Abusharaf and Uday Chandra, and Tahra El Obeid, head of College of Health and Sciences at Qatar University. 

Students Abdulqudus Sanni, Khalid Marafi, Mohamed Ibrahim Tariq, John Robling, Ali al-Sheebani and Nasser al-Kaabi will conduct a mixed-methods research, including an ethnographic study, to explore this topic. 

Exploring how the blockade has affected tribal and national affiliations will be the subject of Ameena Almeer and Sarah al-Mutoteh’s research under the guidance of professor of history, Amira Sonbol. 

Abdul Rehmaan Qayyum and Khansa Maria will conduct their research on the types of initiatives available to help disabled people in Qatar, and the extent to which these initiatives have been implemented and impact inclusion of disabled persons in the workforce. 

With the goal of providing additional resources for students to gain research experience through team-based research collaboration with faculty, the UREP awards also “further Georgetown’s mission of providing a rigorous education combining theory and practice while instilling the values of service to humanity”, the statement adds.

As seen on GulfTimes  Image Credits GulfTimes