News and Events

17Dec2018

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) is showcasing its Alice Middle East software at Darb Al Saai as part of the 2018 Qatar National Day festivities. CMU-Q is part of Qatar Foundation’s tent, which celebrates the theme, ‘together for our homeland’ to promote Qatari culture, support the preservation of its rich traditions, and bring the community together.

 

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28May2018

DOHA, Qatar: Middle and high school students from around the country showcased their programming skills at the Alice Middle East computer science competition at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q). This was the first Alice event under the umbrella of the Hamad Bin Jassim Center for K-12 Computer Science Education. Jassim & Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation,ExxonMobil Qatar and Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) partnered with CMU-Q for the event.

The competition was the culmination of weeks of preparation by the teams, who used the Alice Middle East educational software to create interactive games and animations. The original Alice software was developed at Carnegie Mellon University and adapted for Qatar by CMU-Q, with support from a National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) grant from QNRF. With the support of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Alice Middle East is now part of the curriculum at all Qatar government schools that teach information communication technology.

A total of 132 students from 13 schools created animations in the categories of space exploration, global warming, FIFA World Cup 2022, health, social responsibility, or video games. They were judged for programming skills, creativity, oral presentations and teamwork.

 

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24Apr2018

DOHA, QATAR: Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) and the Jassim & Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create the Hamad bin Jassim Center for K-12 Computer Science Education and commitment funding of 4 million QAR. The center will promote computer science education in schools throughout Qatar.

The Hamad bin Jassim Center for K-12 Computer Science Education aims to educate students in the fundamentals of computer science, helping to develop basic computational thinking skills. A second objective is to expose and raise awareness among students about the importance of computer science to the future of a knowledge-based society.

 

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3Jul2017

DOHA, QATAR – Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) has been awarded four National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) grants by the Qatar National Research Fund. The grants will fund CMU-Q faculty studies on breast cancer, water quality, computer science education, and marine environmental monitoring.

“This is an exceptional outcome for CMU-Q,” says Kemal Oflazer, associate dean for research. “Although these projects focus on very different aspects of biological sciences and computer science, each has the potential to make a significant impact in its area.”

Saquib Razak, associate teaching professor of computer science, was awarded a grant to expand Alice Middle East, an interactive software tool that guides students through the basics of computer programming. With the NPRP grant, Razak and the Alice ME team will develop a three-year curriculum for local middle schools. The new curriculum will focus on computational concepts and critical thinking, which are crucial skills for young people as they enter the workforce.

 

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26Mar2017

Ilker Baybars, dean and CEO of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, attended the opening ceremonies of the first Educational Festival, a four-day event organized by Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation (Alf) under the patronage of HE Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hamadi, the Minister of Education and Higher Education for the State of Qatar.

CMU-Q’s Alice Middle East was featured at the festival at an interactive booth that hosted school children from across Qatar.

 

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23Mar2017

DOHA, Qatar: Computer science took center stage at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) as 125 students from government and international schools in Qatar came together to showcase their programming skills.

The Alice Middle East Programming Competition was held for schools who are using the Alice Middle East software to learn computing. Twelve government and international schools use Alice Middle East for their Information Communication Technology (ICT) courses. For the 2017-18 academic year, CMU-Q and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education are preparing to roll out the program in all Qatar schools that teach ICT.

 

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15Dec2016

To celebrate Qatar National Day, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) hosted an activity area featuring Alice Middle East at Darb Al-Saai. In collaboration with Qatar Foundation, CMU-Q featured four interactive stations showcasing elements of Alice Middle East.

Alice Middle East is a 3-D interactive educational animation software designed to help students learn the basics of computer programming. Currently being introduced into the computing curriculum across government schools in Qatar, Alice Middle East helps students learn how to create virtual worlds through logical thinking and problem solving techniques.

 

You can read the full article here