Students from Minia University in Egypt won the first-ever Siemens Student Award

The Siemens Student Award 2011 asked for the best answers to one of the world’s toughest questions, “How can you build sustainable cities in the desert?” 10 final ideas were chosen from the 630 ideas submitted by university students in the Middle East. The Siemens Student Award Ceremony took place in Doha, Qatar, where the final ideas were presented to a high profile international jury. The jury selected the winner, a team of three students from Egypt, who were awarded USD 25,000, the first runner-up from Saudi Arabia, who was awarded USD 15,000 and the second runner-up from Egypt who was awarded USD 5,000. All finalists will be offered internship opportunities at Siemens. 

The Siemens Student Award Ceremony took place on 1st November 2011 in Doha, Qatar, where the ten final ideas were presented to an international jury and the winners were selected. The jury consisted of high-profile individuals from various institutions and organisations that are significantly involved with sustainability initiatives; Mrs Asya Al Ashaikh, Founder and CEO of Tamkeen Sustainability Advisors, Saudi Arabia; Dr. Ashraf Gamal, Director of the Egyptian Corporate Responsibility Centre, Egypt; Mr. Alan Geoffrey Frost, Director, Masdar City, UAE; Mr. Shafqat Kakakhel, Member Advisory Committee, Ministry of Environment, Pakistan; and Dr. Christian Urbanke, Siemens Corporate Technology, Siemens AG, Germany. 

The winning team from Egypt, “The Green Thinkers Group” comprising of Ms Rofayda El-Emam, Mr. Ahmed Abd Alaziz and Mr. Bahaa El-Deen Khatter from Minia University, Egypt won the first-ever Siemens Student Award for their idea of a Spiral Power Plant. The focus of this idea is to build a spiral plant inspired by the shell shape of the snail, using glass as a main construction material to raise the temperature inside the plant, obtaining air to rise up - this airflow drives turbines and produces electricity. 

The first runner-up is Ms Noura Chehab from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for her idea entitled “Transferring A Desert Into A Haven."  The key theme of the idea is an integrated system which simultaneously desalinates salt water, produces electricity and treats wastewater. The system promises significant advantages as it does not require extensive energy inputs or high water pressure.

 The second runner-up is Mr. Mohamed Youssef from Suez Canal University, Egypt for his idea of Effective Desalination System. The idea’s main focus is an ordinary desalination system, enhanced by multiple modifications to increase the evaporation rate and convert the sun rays with higher efficiency into heat. 

The guest of honour at the Siemens Student Awards 2011 Ceremony, Her Excellency Sheikha Hanadi Bint Nasser Al-Thani, said, “Education is a key focus for Qatar as we recognise the critical role that it plays in unlocking human capital. We are delighted that the Awards Ceremony has been hosted in Qatar, and I am very pleased to be associated with such initiatives that invest in our future. The students have showcased a lot of creativity and innovation in trying to find solutions to the challenges we face today. I’d like to congratulate all the winners and the participants on their accomplishments.” 

Patron of the Siemens Student Award, Erich Kaeser, CEO, Siemens Middle East, stated:  “Siemens would like to congratulate all finalists on their successful participation, and especially the winning team and the two runner-ups on winning the Siemens Student Award in its inaugural year. We are very pleased at the enthusiastic response received, and would like to thank all participants, visitors, community-members and jury-members, for their contribution and expertise. We will continue fostering our educational programs and commitment to local societies in the Middle East.” 

The winner of the Siemens Student Award 2011, The Green Thinkers Group, commented at the Award Event: “We are very excited to have won the first Siemens Student Award Middle East, which is a great initiative by Siemens for students like us. This Award has given us the opportunity to make our families and university proud. The Siemens internship will allow us to gain hands-on experience in the business world. We would encourage every student in the region to participate in similar contests and benefit from the unique opportunities provided by Siemens to create a better, sustainable future.” 

Siemens is actively supporting the region’s vision in its historic shift towards knowledge based economies. Siemens initiated the Student Award Middle East as a responsible partner to local businesses and as a commitment to the societies, especially in addressing environmental challenges.