By: Tedric Garduce
In another accolade for Philippine School Doha’s (PSD) pro-environment advocacy, Junior student Jillian Ramos and Senior High schoolers Roma Manaois, Anne Jose and Angela Mandin were one of the few winners of the International Conference on Sustainable Energy Water and Environment Nexus In Desert Climates (ICSEWEN21) which culminated on the 23rd of November.
In the age of environmental popularity within the younger generation, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) encourages this engagement with their mission to address water and energy concerns through the third consecutive year of the Young Innovator Award stipulated by the ICSEWEN21.
Under the theme “old problems, new solutions: the next big thing for the Energy-Water-Environment nexus?”, junior, intermediate, and senior high participants were separated into two groups according to their corresponding projects. Junior schoolers produced visual aid for the topic. At the same time, the intermediate and senior students submitted their research posters and papers, respectively. All competing parties submitted their entries on October 21 for further deliberation.
Narrowing down the competition, finalists were announced on November 7, who were then required to present their outputs in the final round hosted by Dilraz Kunnummal on November 23 under the online platform Webex.
For the Junior category, Ayman Rashik and Ayesha Shaikh claimed first runner up for their drawing and painting under the supervision of Oliver International School (OIS) and Brighton International academy (BIA) respectively. Meanwhile, PSD bagged second place with the illustration of Jillian Ramos. On the other hand, intermediate students Seham Al Derrah and Lelian Rami from BIA and Hassan Zayan with Amro Abbas from Palestine School received the top ranking for their research posters. Lastly, Senior High students Anna Manathra and Janisa Malaviya from Rajagiri Public School (RPS Doha) alongside PSDians Roma Manaois, Anne Jose, and Angela Mandin were rewarded for their winning research papers.
Alongside the glory of the participants’ hard work, the ICSEWEN21 capitalized on the plight for environmental sustainability. It inspired students and reinforced their responsibility to the environment. As senior category winner Roma Manaois says “Together, we strive to thrive in a sustainable environment.”; this was not only a competition but a moment to unite competent future leaders in relation to QEERI’s goal in developing ‘thoughtful, committed citizens that can change the world.’