It has been 150 years since Dmitry Mendeleev discovered the periodic system, and in honor of this anniversary, 2019 has been proclaimed the “International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements” (IYPT2019). To celebrate, the Library joined the Science India Forum Qatar (SIFQ), Qatar Foundation, and Texas A&M University at Qatar for a day of engaging scientific events on 23 November 2019 at the Library.
The visually appealing event was highlighted by students holding chemical element placards to form the modern periodic table formation.
Dr. Essam Heggy, Chief Scientist at the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), described his journey at NASA and his association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He also discussed the development of the space program at ISRO, including its lunar and Mars missions and its Earth Observation Satellites.
Dr. Hemant Pande, former governing council member of the Central India Research Institute and former project coordinator of the Government of India’s Department of Science and Technology, was the guest speaker at the event. He gave an informative speech on the history of the periodic table, its current and future forms, the threats we are facing, and possible solutions. He also conducted a quiz on the periodic table, with students from Qatar Academy for Science and Technology, MES Indian School, and King’s College earning prizes for top performance.
Dr. Mohammed Gharib and the Texas A&M at Qatar’s STEM Road Show team energized the audience with demonstrations of basic scientific phenomena such as pressure, speed, condensation and freezing using everyday examples like football and snow. This was an engaging way for students to improve their observations, assess their abilities and developing a scientific mentality.
Dipak Dahake, President of SIFQ; Dr. Greg Moncada, Director Qatar Academy for Science and Technology; Jameel Al Shammari, Director of the Qatar Leadership Academy; Dr. Sona Soman, Representative of the Indian Mission to Qatar; Dr. Sohair Wastawy, Executive Director of the Library; Cynthia Bolton, Head of Gifted Education Academic Affairs in Education City; and Sangeetha Seetharaman and Saseedharan, advisors at SIFQ, were among the special guests.
SIFQ is affiliated with the Embassy of India to Qatar’s Indian Cultural Centre. It was launched in 2006 with a mission to encourage science temperament and provide resources and platforms to shape student’s minds towards research and development in science and technology.
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