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Our Stories & Topics

Young Arab Women use Social Media Creatively

 

Posted: Sunday 25 July

Social media use among young Arab women is particularly creative and innovative, according to a study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q).

Ivana Chalmers, NU-Q’s risk assessment specialist, and former faculty member Rodda Leage teamed up to conduct the research, which focused on social media use among women undergraduates at Education City, Doha.

The authors interviewed a total of 42 students, aged 18-22, to explore the ways in which social media offer new and unfamiliar avenues to express identity.


Titled ‘Degrees of Caution: Arab Girls Unveil on Facebook’, the study was received with acclaim in the academic community and has been included as a chapter in the book Girl Wide Web 2.0: Revisiting Girls, the Internet, and the Negotiation of Identity.
 

It will also receive the distinction of Top Paper in its category when it is presented at the 96th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association (NCA), a US organisation dedicated to advancing all forms of human communication, later this year.
 

It is the first time NU-Q has received such an accolade.

According to the study, Arab young women have a deep respect for the community and the family. They are also more discerning when it comes to controlling publicly available information, which leads to a high level of creativity in their use of social media.
According to Chalmers, the fact that the girls achieve this while respecting cultural norms reveals a tendency to engage with social media trends like Facebook in socially intelligent ways.

“What is really admirable is they didn’t want to compromise their culture and their background,” Chalmers said.

Asked what the study means for Qatar and the region, Chalmers said: “It’s an important topic to consider. How do we fit how we communicate into our lives, priorities and beliefs? We’re seeing that technology doesn’t have to compromise culture or belief systems. Instead, young Arab women are proving that social media can be used in a different way to the West.”

Hamid Naficy, Professor of Radio-Television-Film at NU-Q, described the research as exciting and important.
The accolade underlines Northwestern University’s strong tradition of interdisciplinary research and its collaborative spirit.

WISE Awards announced next month

Posted: Monday 19 July

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) will announce the finalists of the WISE Award 2010, next month.

The second summit has the theme “Transforming Education: Investment, Innovation and Inclusion’.

Initiated in 2009 by Qatar Foundation, the WISE Awards support innovative achievements in education from across the World and from all educational sectors.

This year, the Summit will take place at the Sheraton from December 7 to 9, with more than 1,000 participants from many different walks of life and every corner of the world expected to attend.

Over two and half days, the Summit programme include plenary sessions and breakout sessions showcasing innovation, with an additional plenary specifically addressing the crucial issue of how 21st century education should be funded.

New formats of sessions and opportunities for informal networking would be the special highlights of the 2010 summit.

For more information please visit: 

www.wise-qatar.org

 

Qatar Foundation ~ Serious about Business


Posted: Wednesday 7 July 

Qatar Foundation and HEC Paris have recently inked the agreement that will see HEC Paris offer executive education programs and carry out research activities in Qatar.

The tie-up makes HEC the first member of the Qatar Foundation Management and Research Center (QF-MERC), which will eventually be home to other elite management institutions.

The First European Institution to join Education City, HEC Paris will offer a broad range of world-class executive education programs for mid-career and senior executives, including the Executive MBA, short certificate programs and corporate-specific training.

The Education City-based, full-time faculty will engage in both teaching and business-related research.

“As the No.1 Business School in Europe, HEC Paris brings to Education City its extensive experience in management education and research as well as a new level of diversity of excellence to our community,” stated Dr Mohammed Fathy Saoud, president of Qatar Foundation.

Education on Internet imperative as Statistics Climb


Posted: Tuesday 13 July  

Qatar has the highest mobile phone and broadband penetration rates in the Middle East, according to a recent study.

Euromonitor International’s new country briefing report, “Technology, Communication and Media: Qatar” shows that mobile phone penetration in Qatar has grown 37.7 percent in five years.

Euromonitor International is one of the leading independent providers of business intelligence on industries, countries and consumers. Its information is compiled from a variety of sources including national statistical offices, private industry, trade associations and Euromonitor’s own primary research.

The study on Qatar attributes the continuous growth in mobile phone and broadband services to the high purchasing power of consumers here, which is proven by the level of consumer expenditure on telecommunications equipment and services, which is one of the highest in the Gulf region.

Connectivity and Usage - By The Numbers

44.5 percent of Qatari households possess a broadband-enabled computer ( end of 2009) up from 6.8 percent in 2004.

Other GCC countries on broadband penetration in 2009
Bahrain (26.6 percent house holds have broadband connection)
Kuwait (26 percent)
UAE (18.8 percent)
Saudi Arabia (8 percent)

The number of telephone lines in use also increased from 191,000 lines in 2004 to 274,600 lines in 2009.


Internet

Facebook is the fourth most popular website in Qatar, with 160,000 active users in August 2009.
This represents more than 34.7 percent of Qatar's total internet users.

Facebook usage across the region in 2009: 
20.5 percent of UAE internet users
20.3 percent of Kuwaiti internet users
11 percent of Saudi internet users

The position of Twitter among the 100 most visited websites in Qatar suggests a growing interest for micro-blogging activities over traditional blogging.

However, internet usage in Qatar is generally hindered by the lack of Arabic content, as well as censorship, according to the report.

Ramadan Special exclusive to QF Radio

 
Musa Cerantonio talks to QF Radio's Saad Al Hudaifi
Posted: Ongoing July | August 

Musa Cerantonio is an Australian national with an Italian heritage.

Formerly a Roman Catholic, Musa embraced Islam at the young age of 17. He is now a respected speaker amongst the Muslim community and is known as a “Daa’ii” (one who calls people to Islam). He is busy at work giving new Muslims support in the IISNA center in Australia and is also a member of many charitable organizations.

Musa has recently journeyed around the Gulf, and he included Doha on his itinerary recently where he spoke at length to QF Radio's Saad Al Hudaifi. .

Join QF Radio as we celebrate educational opportunities to learn about people, places and one man's amazing journey.    

 
To hear more about his incredible story, don't miss Musa in a special feature on the first day of  Ramadan, August 11th. Only on QFRadio91.4FM.                             
                                                                       

For more information or to contact Musa, please email: abuaisha@hotmail.com  

QNRF awards 54 new Research Grants

 
Posted: Sunday 25 July

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) has awarded 54 research grants under the eighth circle of the Undergraduate Research Experience Programme (UREP).

The research proposals will engage 187 undergraduate students across 6 academic institutions.

QNRF, a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), received 123 research proposals this cycle, each of which was evaluated by three independent peer reviewers. The average score of all research proposals was 78 percent. The awarded research proposals had to achieve a score of 83 percent or above, which is the cut-off score the QNRF Steering Committee decided to adopt to ensure only top competitive researchers were being awarded funding.

UREP aims at spreading a research culture among undergraduate students by engaging them in hands-on research projects under the guidance of their academic supervisors. UREP also encourages collaboration between academic and non-academic institutions to promote cross breeding of expertise between academia and other industries in Qatar.

"Since October 2006, QNRF has implemented eight UREP cycles in which a total of 874 research proposals have been submitted for peer reviewing and 412 proposals have been awarded.

SFS-Qatar receives Research Grants

Posted: Sunday 25 July

Ten students at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar) were recently awarded grants from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).

The grants, of up to $10,000 each, are part of QNRF’s Undergraduate Research Experience Programme (UNREP) and are designed to foster a culture of research.
Each UNREP grant is jointly submitted by a faculty member collaborating with at least one student.

The projects are diverse and include “An Analysis of Global Public Private Partnerships: How Can Qatar Benefit from Them?”
The students and economics professor Alexis Antoniades, will analyse case studies of collaboration between government and private sector businesses and will present recommendations on which partnerships best compliment Qatar’s business environment.

Focusing on family studies is the project “The Impact of Global Communications on Family Values in Qatar” which aims to study the impact of the sudden wide-spread easy access to Internet media and other forms of global communications on family values in Qatar.

Two professors are working on a joint project with Qatar University entitled, “Qatar as a Crossroads: Students Writing Their Own History”, and six Georgetown students will also contribute to this research study.

The Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar, Mehran Kamrava, commented on this joint project with Qatar University stating, “This gives new meaning to our efforts at forging multiple intellectual and scholarly links with colleagues and students at Qatar University.”



TAMQ Research - Beyond the most optimistic expectations

 

Posted: Tuesday 13 July

Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), which is pursuing projects vital to the country, intends to make its rapidly growing research programme more mature and stable while placing the necessary infrastructure in place.

“Our research programme is growing beyond the most optimistic expectations and predictions,” associate dean for research and undergraduate studies, Dr James Holste, who is leaving Qatar, explained.

A TAMU veteran of 35 years, Dr Holste, popularly known as Jim at TAMUQ and Qatar Foundation’s Education City, has played a key role in setting up the branch campus since he arrived in 2003 as associate dean for academic affairs.

“Most of the research will be in the TAMUQ building itself, and we have the equipment and expertise to do research in collaboration with other branch campuses (in Education City) and Qatar University,” he explained.

The branch campus, offering Bachelor of Science degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical and petroleum engineering had recently won 18 awards from the third cycle of Qatar National Research Fund’s National Priorities Research Programme.

TAMUQ’s research projects are described as those contributing to Qatar’s thriving industry and economy and cover topics including seawater for process cooling, triple-play network protocols, transmission over wireless networks, natural gas fuel cell, nonlinear photonics and telecommunications, amongst many projects.

The upcoming expansion at TAMUQ is the launch of a graduate studies programmes in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering.
“In the next four to five years, we expect to have 50 to 70 graduate students,” said the official, who has seen the branch campus grow from its day one.

Asked about his most memorable moments at TAMUQ, Dr Holste cited that they are the first day of class, opening of the new building, first graduation and each graduation, and the first research project.

“Qatar is very special to me and my wife and we will come back to visit Qatar campus,” he stated while adding that Education City project is a unique project in the whole world.

Qatar to enter Shell Eco-marathon with Dream Car

  

Posted: Thursday 22 July

Shell Qatar and the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) yesterday launched a new initiative to find students to represent Qatar in the Shell Eco-marathon.

The Shell Eco-marathon is a popular global competition that challenges student teams to design and build ultra-fuel efficient cars. It takes place each year in Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific.

QSTP management board vice-chairman Dr Amir al-Saadi and Shell executive vice president Andy Brown yesterday signed the agreement to work together with an objective for a Qatari team to participate in the Shell Eco-marathon in Europe in 2011.

They would be the first team from the GCC to enter along with some 400 teams from top universities, colleges and high schools worldwide who compete each year.

The most fuel-efficient car ever-designed by a Shell Eco-marathon student team was capable of driving 4,896.1kms on a single litre of fuel.
It was designed earlier this year.

Student teams are required to develop clear business plans for their teams, source funding through sponsorships, secure technical partnerships, and design and build their vehicles.

QSTP will match the sponsorship funding Qatari teams obtain from other sponsors and facilitate introductions of student teams to technology companies based at the science park.

 

WCMC-Q Researchers Receive $15.2 Million in NPRP Grants

Posted: Thursday 24 June


WCMC-Q’s biomedical researchers recently received $15.2 million in the form of Qatar National Research Program’s (QNRF) National Priorities Research Fund (NPRP) grants.

The projects are designed to advance understanding of stem cells, molecular signaling and the effects of shisha smoke among other vital areas of biomedical research.

The funding supports 15 projects in total, covering a range of scientific areas from the bench to bedside. The projects also encompass significant international collaborations with the aim of building biomedical research capacity in Doha. Of the total NPRP funding available this, third, cycle, WCMC-Q received about 13 percent in support of its role in Qatar’s biomedical research program.

New QPO Season from October

Upcoming Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra Concerts
Posted: Ongoing


The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performed their last concert for the highly successful 2009-10 season on July 22nd.

 

The next QPO season 2010-11 will commence on October 10th, with music by Rachmaninov and Rimski Korsakov.
 
This will be followed by a concert in Vienna, Austria on October 14th.


Tickets are available at Virgin Megastores in Villagio Mall and Landmark Mall or online at

 

 www.ticketingboxoffice.com 

Science Fiction and Summer reading with BQFP


Posted: Tuesday 13 July  

The Arab world's most prolific and best-selling science fiction author, Ahmed Khaled Taufiq, will finally appear in English, thanks to Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing.

In autumn 2011, we'll get an English version of Taufiq's novel Utopia, which isn't really utopian.

BQFP describes Utopia as a grim futuristic account of Egyptian society in 2023 which takes readers on an adventurous journey out of the gated communities insulating the wealthy to the bleak realities of Egyptian life.

"A young man and a young girl break away from the idyllic bubble of affluence they know, and delve into the harsh existence of the impoverished Egyptians that live right outside the fortified gates of their compounds. Utopia's twists and turns will certainly leave readers in suspense until the very last page."

Since its release in 2008, Tawfiq's novel has enjoyed wide acclaim and was reprinted three times to fulfill the overwhelming demand of Arab readers. "With over 200 published titles, Tawfiq has perfected the art of horror and science fiction" BQFP says.

 

Feel Like Reading this Summer?

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) is organizing a shared summer reading program for the people of Doha.

For the first time in the Shared Reading program, BQFP will offer participants a choice of either an English and Arabic title with books by Suad Amiry and Randa Abdel-Fattah. Both authors are on the Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation launch list and visited Qatar on a book tour this last April. Rasha Mkachar, a publishing associate at BQFP says, “The aim of the reading programs is to encourage the nascent book culture of Qatar and broaden the appetite for literature”.

The English-language title, Nothing to Lose but Your Life by Suad Amiry, recounts the true story of a Palestinian woman who disguises herself as a man and crosses the Israeli border illegally to seek work in Israel.

The Arabic-language title, Where the Streets Had a Name   by Randa Abdel-Fattah, tells the story of a thirteen year old Palestinian girl and her friend who risk everything to raise her sick grandmother’s spirits. 
Both books chosen for the reading list are first person accounts of living a displaced life.

Copies of the books are available for sale from BQFP offices in villa 3 at Qatar Foundation. Everyone is welcome to partcipate.

To participate, please email bqfp.events@qf.org.qa, with REGISTER: (INSERT PREFERRED BOOK TITLE) SUMMER SHARED READING in the subject line.
For more information call +974-454-2431.

 

Diabetes - Prevention is Better Than a Cure


Posted: Tuesday 13 July 


Today The Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) in association with Qatar Foundation, opened a three-day Risk Camp for Girls, in a move to better inform young people about the risks and preventative measures. The camp, being held for the second time, focuses on teenage girls with high risk of developing diabetes.

The second 'risk camp' will host 24 girls, aged 13 to 18, with a family history of diabetes who also suffer from obesity. Hence the program is organised to be an exclusive opportunity for the girls to increase their awareness on diabetes and to change their behavioural patterns and habits to avoid the on-set.

“Type II diabetes has a direct relationship with obesity but fortunately we can avoid that or at least delay it through having a balanced diet along with exercises,” said Dr Abdullah Al Hamaq, the Executive Director of Qatar Diabetes Association.

Studies have found that 45 percent of the people in Qatar are obese and 55 percent of the diabetic patients are obese.

“We had organized at least four camps of this kind for the youth and now we are offering the second for girls. We now aim to have these camps twice a year for girls and boys each separately.”

The recreation centre of Qatar Foundation will host the program with a number of facilities including swimming pools reserved for the camp activities.
 

6000 Students ready to Debate

Posted: Wednesday 7 July



More than 6,000 international students have received training through various programmes organised by QatarDebate Center, a member of Qatar Foundation, over the last three years, according to its recent annual report.

Though the centre is new, it has received world acclaim with the successful hosting of one of the biggest events in the debating world — the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) 2010 earlier this year.

Since its inception in 2007, QatarDebate Center was able to attract a large audience from within Qatar and abroad. The centre proved that it is moving forward in spreading the culture of debate in Qatar and the Arab world, and in pursuit of this objective the centre organised many events through the year.

The most important of these was the WSDC 2010 in which Qatar became the first Arab country to host this international event. With 57 countries participating, the event was the biggest WSDC.
 

Gaza Aid Flotilla Interview on QF Radio

Posted: Thursday 10 June

In this program from the QF Radio Interview Series,  Saad Al-Hudaifi talks with Jacqueline O'Rourke, Chairperson of al-Fakhoora the Qatari aid organization that was involved with the Aid Flotilla that came under deadly Israeli attack while trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Duration 8:23"

New Breakfast Blog

Meet Aber from the new QF Radio Breakfast Show - starting after Ramadan 

Posted: Sunday 25 July

With the new Breakfast Show team in pre-production getting ready to launch their new show, QF Radio has created a blog to update listeners weekly on preparations. 

In the first edition we introduce the new Breakfast Show Anchor - Aber     

Visit     www.qfradio.org.qa/blog/

 

All New Shows ~ Coming August/ September

Give us 5 minutes, we'll broaden your horizons....


    

         Posted: Ongoing

The QF Radio team is busy in preproduction for all new shows, starting from August....

Listen out for a new Global Perspective and more Indepth Local Coverage, with: 


The QFR Ramadan Special - review the shows and topics below

The new Breakfast Show  - weekday mornings

The new  Science show - Science Alive

A new Education Show - Education Nation

A new Community show - The Connection

Plus Campus Buzz student show returns with an exciting new format

And much more...

It's a new season with a whole bunch of new reasons to drop in and share in the stories of Unlocking Human Potential.
 

Only on QF Radio, 91.4 FM ~ Delivering more of the Big Picture, Everyday! 

 

Ramadan Special on QF Radio


 
Posted: Tuesday 20 July

Ramadan Special exclusive to QF Radio from August 11th

This year QF Radio is bringing you several innovative programs to guide you through the Ramadan season with thought and inspiration.


Just some of the programs under development include:

A Muslim Story ~ Musa Cerantonio talks to QF Radio's Saad Al Hudaifi about his journey to embrace Islam

Ramadan @ Work ~ How to cope, what's accepted and expected during this special time

Sports Global ~ A Ramadan Perspective on Activity and Sport 

Ramadan Was Like That ~ Different Views and Experiences

Plus special Ramadan music ...

So join us this Ramadan for an exclusive line-up only on QF Radio 91.4 FM
 

A Muslim Story ~ Coming August 11th for Ramadan


Musa Cerantonio talks to QF Radio's Saad Al Hudaifi

Musa Cerantonio is an Australian national with an Italian heritage.

Formerly a Roman Catholic, Musa embraced Islam at the young age of 17. He is now a respected speaker amongst the Muslim community and is known as a “Daa’ii” (one who calls people to Islam). He is busy at work giving new Muslims support in the IISNA center in Australia and is also a member of many charitable organizations.

Musa has recently journeyed around the Gulf, and he included Doha on his itinerary recently where he spoke at length to QF Radio's Saad Al Hudaifi. .

Join QF Radio as we celebrate educational opportunities to learn about people, places and one man's amazing journey.

To hear more about his incredible story, don't miss Musa in a special feature on the first day of Ramadan, August 11th.
Only on QF Radio 91.4 FM.

For more information or to contact Musa, please email: abuaisha@hotmail.com

 

Movie Review - Recommences

Eman Al-Hadi

Movie Review - "And That's A Wrap!"
 

Posted: Ongoing

The movie review is a popular breakfast show feature and it returns afer the break on August 12th.

Thursdays, just after 7.10 am,  catch the week's movie review with Eman Al-Hadi, Business Analyst at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar by day, and movie critic by night.

Driven by her lifelong passion for movies and utilizing her analytical skills, Eman provides an insight and a different angle to listeners in critiquing movies out in the local theaters and on DVD.

Replay times: Thursday 5.05 pm, Friday 9.05 am & 5.05 pm, Saturday 10.05 am.

click here to listen

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