Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE Soil Studies Used in Green Chemistry Lab Competition in Qatar
Jassim bin Hamad Boys' Secondary School, one of the active GLOBE schools in Doha, Qatar, had organized the Green Chemistry Lab competition under the supervision of the Science Department in the Educational Supervision Administration. The aim of this competition was to raise awareness among students about the importance of studying chemistry and its practical applications in agriculture and soil quality analysis to enhance agricultural production quality in Qatar. It also aimed to foster a sense of citizenship and achieve sustainability principles by analyzing soil samples and using chemical knowledge to select suitable plants for cultivation in various soil types, with the goal of achieving food security.
This competition was part of The GLOBE Program in collaboration with the Al Rayyan Sports Club. It is worth mentioning that the competition aimed to enrich the teaching and learning process for science subjects, promote scientific exploration and research, and increase environmental awareness through the implementation of various educational activities related to the school curriculum. This activity was developed by the GLOBE Qatar Country Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator.
The event began with the presentation of fun and engaging chemistry experiments carried out by students from Jassim bin Hamad Boys' Secondary School. Afterward, the participating school teams moved to competition tables. Each school's team randomly selected a soil sample to analyze. They then received the necessary materials and tools for conducting the experiment, along with instructions detailing the steps to analyze their soil sample and measured the required materials for the competition, which included chloride ions, carbonates, acidity levels, and organic matter.
The students' work was judged and evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Adherence to safety rules during the experiment execution
- Maintaining general cleanliness during the experiment
- Accuracy and consistency of the results
- Completing the required tasks within the appropriate timeframe.
Several government boys' secondary schools participated in the competition. Jassim bin Hamad Boys' Secondary School secured first place, while Omar bin Abdulaziz Boys' Secondary School earned second place and Tariq bin Ziyad Boys' Secondary School in third place.
Sherif ElHefnawy, GLOBE Qatar Assistant Coordinator, says "It is important for us as Country coordinator and assistant country coordinators to show the Globe community the achievement of our Qatar Globe teachers and our Globe activities... to share such activities that link what the student study inside the classrooms with the globe activities and try to expand the idea to make more activities inside and outside Qatar."
Images courtesy Sherif ElHefnawy, GLOBE Qatar Assistant Coordinator.