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The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has opened registration for the sixth edition of the “Research Experience for Undergraduates” programme (REU) for Emirati students that are juniors, sophomores, and seniors, with more than one semester left to graduate, in the disciplines of science and engineering.
This is part of MBRSC’s strategy to provide the youth with the opportunity to train and acquire expertise and research techniques in the field of planetary science. The deadline for submission is 1st January, 2020.
The programme provides students the chance to work on research projects in the fields of space science research that includes programming, data analysis and modeling, under the supervision and guidance of the science team at MBRSC. It also offers students an opportunity to conduct research at the academic partners’ research facilities in USA and France, during the period of the programme between May and August 2020.
In the previous years, REU had selected 29 Emirati students from different majors such as aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, computer engineering, sustainable and renewable energy engineering, chemical engineering, environmental science and computer science.
The students were trained by local and international teams, and worked on different projects such as the altitude variation of the Martian atmosphere, spectral properties of Methanol Ice at different temperature, the magnetic field draping direction at Mars, studying Mars’ upper atmosphere variability, comparisons of UV Emissions, the carbon dioxide gas jets on Mars project, minerals supporting liquid water on Mars and implications of life, as well as others.
The students had submitted a total of 16 publications on topics related to space, Martian atmosphere, radiation, magnetic fields, and others.
Omran Sharaf, Director of the Emirates Mars Mission “Hope Probe”, said, “In 2020, REU will kick off with outstanding global partnerships that cement a knowledge transfer programme with international academia with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, Northern Arizona University, Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley, and the Dynamic Meteorological Laboratory at Sorbonne University in France.”
Over the past years, he said, the programme has proven successful in preparing highly qualified Emirati cadres to participate in the Hope Probe mission. This edition of REU will be very special as it goes in parallel with the launch of the Hope Probe to Mars.”
Hessa Al Matrooshi, Science Data Analysis and Management Lead of EMM at the MBRSC, said, “The students’ participation in the Hope Probe’s scientific mission, through REU 2020, will help them acquire the necessary skills in analyzing data on the Red Planet. This will contribute to preparing a new generation that will strive towards space exploration and solving its mysteries”.
Students interested in joining the REU programme can register and inquire about the programme by contacting [email protected].
//WAM//Rola Alghoul//Esraa Ismail//
