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Project to Enhance ‘Digital Citizenship’ in Qatar
Dr. Osama Halabi an associate professor in Computer Science and Engineering department is one of the leads of a project titled “Future of Digital Citizenship in Qatar: A Socio-Technical Approach”.
The project is a four-year research initiative done by Msheireb Museums and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) as a significant step towards promoting responsible digital citizenship and enhancing positive online community engagement in Qatar.
The project is funded by the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation Council (QRDI). The initiative comprises six sub-projects led by experts in their respective fields, bringing together more than 60 researchers.
The project’s tangible outputs include web interfaces for public analysis of social media, detection of hate speech, discrimination, and propaganda, as well as training materials and ambassadors to educate students on digital literacy, propaganda detection, safety, well-being, and social inclusion.
Dr. Osama Halabi, highlighted the importance of social media literacy and the project’s focus on assessing public attitudes towards social media in Qatar. The project’s findings, which will be primarily presented in Arabic, are expected to provide deeper insights into the variations between Qatar, the Arab world, and Western countries regarding technology and social media acceptance.
Msheireb Museums and HBKU’s commitment to integrating technology with academia and emphasis on sharing research findings with the public through events, exhibitions, and community engagement activities demonstrate their dedication to fostering a more sustainable and inclusive digital environment in Qatar.
This collaborative effort between academia, museums, and the community is a promising endeavor that has the potential to impact digital citizenship and online community engagement in Qatar significantly. The initiative’s focus on responsible digital citizenship and positive online engagement sets a commendable example for other regions and countries.
CSE Faculty Co-teaching New “Artificial Intelligence Law” Course
Qatar University is introducing a new elective course titled “Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and the Law” for both law and computer science students, starting in the Spring semester of 2024. The course is co-taught by Prof. Khaled Shaban from our CSE department along with Dr. Ezieddin Elmahjub from the College of Law. This interdisciplinary course aims to blend legal studies with technology and AI, offering a unique curriculum that fosters a practical understanding among students. These students are poised to make significant contributions to the AI domain in Qatar and the region. The initiative highlights the institution’s commitment to developing talent capable of navigating the complex intersection of AI, law, and technology.
Qatar University signs MoU with QNB
Qatar University (QU) and Qatar National Bank (QNB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cement the relationship between the two institutions in the fields of education, scientific research, and community development. The MoU comes into effect immediately.
The MoU aims to improve and enhance the knowledge for the university’s students in the fields of education, scientific research, executive training, social development as well as business management, IT, and public policies.
QU’s President Dr. Hasan Rashid Al-Derham and QNB’s CEO Mr. Ali Rashid Al-Mohannadi signed the MoU at Qatar University higher administration building. The first in a series of joint initiatives between QU and QNB is a research project on the local banking sector, including a detailed analysis of market trends and the impact of national and international regulations. Other initiatives under the MOU at Qatar University supports QNB’s program are in education and raising awareness in their banking sector, sponsorship of student activities and competition, and the possibility of forming working committees and joint teams and offering consultation in the engineering fields that fall within the scope of this memorandum. Eventually, the memorandum paves the way for the prospect of supporting conferences in the field of computing and smart things, in which researchers from all over the world are invited to present their latest findings in the field of cybersecurity, the Internet of things, the use of technology in the financial and administrative sectors, and more.
Dr. Al-Derham said: “The MoU highlights QU’s continuous efforts to provide solutions to local challenges, in line with national priorities towards a knowledge-based economy”. “It will also serve to facilitate knowledge and technology transfer and provide consultancy and research services, which will contribute to driving socio-economic development and sustainability in the state of Qatar,” he added.
Mr. Al-Mohannadi said: “Following long years of continuous and fruitful co-operation with Qatar University, Qatar’s primary educational institution, this comes as part of our support to education in all its areas and fields.” “We hope that this MoU provides an opportunity to exchange knowledge and to provide our utmost support to improve this agreement’s goals,” he added.
CSE students awarded in Huawei Middle East ICT Competition 2020
Qatar’s team involving 2 CSE students, Maria Rauf Mahsood and Khamrunnisa Pazhayakath, claimed the ‘Outstanding Performance Award’ in the Middle East finals of Huawei ICT competition that was held on the 26th of December 2020.
CSE Students Developed System to Help Visually-Impaired People
The CSE students Abdulla Alsada and Saeed Al Hajiri developed a system to help the visually-impaired people under the supervision of Prof. Sumaya Al Maadeed in the scope of the senior project titled “Wearable Object Detection and Avoidance System for the Visually Impaired”.
The aim of project was to help the visually-impaired individuals independently and safely navigate a certain environment using an assistive technology. The project produced a wearable object detection and warning system that is ready for use. The overall goal was to warn the user of the presence and direction of objects and obstacles with a range of 4 cm to 400 cm. The system has a detection rate of over 80%, and 8h life time without charging. It also combines the input of multiple sensors and has a maximum delay of 2 seconds between detection and warning.
QU and UoAberdeen Organize AI Symposium
The CSE department at QU has organized an online mini AI symposium in collaboration with the computer science (CS) department at the university of Aberdeen (UoA), UK in September 2020. The event focused on showcasing the research work related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in both departments. More than 35 faculty members from both sides attended the event. Dr. Abdulla Al-Ali, the head of the department, and Prof. Nir Oren, the head of CS department at UoA have opened the event with welcoming remarks.