Faculty Leads Knowledge-Sharing Forums as Students Participate in UCN Youth Engagement Workshop听
听听
Khalifa University, through the 35-member UAE Universities Climate Network (UCN), actively engaged in knowledge-sharing forums to inspire decision-makers towards addressing climate change, sustainability, and technological innovation during the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), from 11-22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.听
Khalifa University faculty led and participated in six key workshops and discussions at COP29 Baku. They included the UCN Youth Engagement Workshop: Understanding and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, Higher Education Climate Network of Networks Roundtable, MBZ Water Initiative Workshop: Innovations in Water Management – From Lab to Field,鈥疷CN Water Security Workshop: Accelerating Innovations to Tackle Global Water Scarcity, UCN Urban Planning Workshop: UAE’s Path to Sustainable, Circular, and Cognitive Cities, and Launch of MENA Climate Solutions Research Network.听
Representing the university were faculty members including Dr. Samuel Mao, Professor, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, and Co-Chair of the UAE Universities Climate Network, who was a Chair and an invited panelist in multiple workshops. Dr. Khaled Alawadi, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, participated in discussions on sustainable urban development; and Dr. Shadi Hasan, Director, Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), contributed to dialogues on water security and technological innovations.听
Dr. Samuel Mao also highlighted the establishment of the UAE UCN and its engagement with the UAE and Azerbaijan COP presidencies for organizing events at COP28 and COP29. He introduced plans for a climate solutions conference to be held at Khalifa University in 2025. Additionally, Dr. Thalita Dalbeo from Unicamp of Brazil discussed the early planning for COP30.听
Dr. Shadi Hasan, invited panelist, discussed the role of technology innovations play in advancing water security, particularly in arid regions like the UAE. He also commented on the critical investment areas for water security, such as strengthening the nation’s water infrastructures. Dr. Khaled Alawadi, invited panelist, in the 鈥橴CN Urban Planning Workshop: UAE’s Path to Sustainable, Circular, and Cognitive Cities鈥� emphasized the importance of creating inclusive, sustainable cities.听
A significant component of Khalifa University鈥檚 participation was the UCN Youth Engagement Workshop: Understanding and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint where undergraduate students Jassem Al Hamadi and Khalid Adam emphasized the importance of youth involvement in sustainability initiatives and introduced the UAE Green Campus Competition, announcing the 2024 winners and showcasing the impact of student-led efforts.听听
Dr. Samuel Mao said: 鈥淜halifa University has led the way among universities in the MENA region in its commitment to sustainability and climate change research. Our innovative initiatives position us favorably for upcoming research opportunities, such as the MBZ Water Initiative, allowing us to further advance our leadership in critical sustainability areas. Through the UAE Universities Climate Network (UCN), we leverage the collective expertise of our institutions to drive impactful climate change research and initiatives.鈥澨�
Khalifa University also participated in the Higher Education Climate Network of Networks Roundtable, organized by the United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champions Team including Dr. Stephen Davison, Higher Education Lead of the Climate Champions Team. The Roundtable was attended by representatives from 26 global and regional climate networks and reviewed the core functions and impacts of the network over the past year.听听
The 鈥楳BZ Water Initiative Workshop: Innovations in Water Management – From Lab to Field鈥� was chaired by Ayesha Al Ateeqi, Lead of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, where Dr. Samuel Mao addressed the urgent global issue of water scarcity and highlighted innovations taking place in the UAE.听听
During the 鈥楿CN Water Security Workshop: Accelerating Innovations to Tackle Global Water Scarcity鈥�, Dr. Samuel Mao, Chair of the Workshop, introduced the MBZ Water Initiative and 鈥榅PRIZE Water Scarcity鈥�. He also presented groundbreaking technologies developed in the UAE, including an entirely off-grid, solar-powered water production system that was designed and constructed by Khalifa University鈥檚 research team, with Dr. Samuel Mao as the project lead. The 鈥楲aunch of MENA Climate Solutions Research Network鈥� at the high-level workshop at the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) Pavilion, discussed the 鈥�2030 Climate Solutions Implementation Roadmap.鈥櫶�
Alisha Roy
Science Writer
