Texas A&M University at Qatar launches International Engineering Congress

The event, sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar, attracted engineering leaders, educators and innovators from top engineering institutions around the world and is set to become the preeminent gathering for engineering professionals and academics. The event runs from 7-9 January.

WCEE acts as a catalyst to foster engineering and engineering technology education in the region and beyond, and will provide a forum for researchers, engineers and academics from all over the world to present and disseminate their research results and development activities concerning modern engineering education.

Texas A&M at Qatar Dean and CEO, Mark H. Weichold, congress general chair, said, "Texas A&M at Qatar is honored to have the opportunity to host this unprecedented gathering of engineering experts in Doha. The University is also proud to partner with a loyal industry collaborator, Maersk Oil Qatar, to bring WCEE 2013 to Qatar, and to help enrich engineering education locally and around the world. Our goal is for WCEE to perform as a comprehensive voice of engineering education and innovation, and address important issues from foundational support in primary education to industry research and many elements in between. The workshops held today support just that and run the gamut between peaking an interest in engineering for high school students, engineering's global scope and career development for young engineering leaders."

WCEE is the first congress of its kind in Qatar and features speakers from five continents, five members of the National Academy of Engineering, five heads of professional engineering societies, four heads of engineering education societies and over 80 speakers.

Mr. Lewis Affleck, Managing Director of Maersk Oil in Qatar said: "Maersk Oil Qatar recognizes the importance of nurturing and developing local talent and are pleased to work with Texas A&M University on the WCEE 2013, which will help to share good-practices in engineering education, and therefore benefit educational institutions - and future engineering students - here in Qatar."

"This event also supports Qatar's goal to become a knowledge based society with world-class academic institutions. It will also provide a platform to exchange ideas about effective techniques and pedagogies to prepare the new generations of engineers for the global challenges," added Lewis.

WCEE presents three days of workshops, panels, invited talks and peer-reviewed papers, as well as 30 different sessions and workshops that address a diverse range of topics across the engineering field. These include a leaders' track, educators' track, and a partnerships and collaborations track that address the role of industry, critical thinking, ethics and entrepreneurship to the future of engineering education.

Vendors showcasing innovations in engineering equipment and software for labs are participating in an exhibition that is open to the public.