Amna Al Ketbi (Dubai)
The space science research program for university students witnessed a remarkable turnout by the registered, as registration closed on January 15th. The opportunity to join the program is for Emirati students interested in planetary sciences and astronomy, and students at various levels of university study who are not expected to graduate before the fall 2022 semester, from Specialists in physics, chemistry, mathematics, environmental sciences, computer, computer engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, and other fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It provides Emirati university students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics with the research opportunity at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center and with project partners in the UAE, the United States of America and France. The students enrolled in the program will spend the summer of next year 2022 under the supervision of the project’s scientific team, or in cooperation with international scientists to guide them Working on research projects related to WCPR, including data analysis and model systems preparation.
Before starting the program, accepted students must enroll in a mandatory training course known as the Undergraduate Space Science Research Program Training Camp, to help them obtain space science foundations, such as research and programming skills. They must also attend all three days of bootcamp. Each of them will then be assigned a project under the direction of the mentor, with assignments that lead to publishable results being identified based on the specific issue of the research. Projects are defined so that the student is assigned weekly assignments. At the end of the program, students are required to present their research results to the scientific team of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project.
Students accepted into the program will also be distributed to obtain their research expertise in one of the sites, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, the National Center for Space Science and Technology, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), the University of Colorado Boulder, United States, the Space Science Laboratory (SSL) and the University of California, Berkeley. United States, plus Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States The Initial History and Dynamics of Meteorology (LMD) Laboratory at Sorbonne Paris, France.
Scholarship
Upon successful completion of the program, outstanding students may receive a full scholarship to pursue an advanced science degree, and outstanding students may be given the opportunity to continue working with the science team on the Emirates Mars Exploration Project after the program ends, and some students may use their research in the program as an initial step for their graduation project. In their universities, and depending on the universities of the enrolled students, students can benefit from the program as independent study hours, and consider it a training period, and joining the program is an ideal start for any scientific or engineering program at the graduate level that the student may apply to in the future. Many of the affiliated students get very rewarding career opportunities.
Students nominated to join international programs will also be provided with air tickets, accommodation, transportation and a financial grant for the duration of the program, and female students are allowed to have one companion to assist them during their stay.