2 UAE students to attend Rio Summit

Rio Summit 2012 Abu Dhabi - Arabstoday The Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) programme, an outreach initiative of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, will have two of its members highlighting the role of research in obtaining sustainable solutions at Rio+20 Summit in Brazil. The two Masdar Institute students, Maitha Al Kaabi, a water and environment engineering graduate, and Rasha Abd Rabu, a mechanical engineering graduate, will engage the leaders and interact with the stakeholders during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development’s Rio+20 Summit that will be held from June 20-22. More than 50,000 representatives from governments, companies and environmental and lobby groups will aim to set new goals across seven core themes including food security, water and energy at the summit. Maitha Al Kaabi will be a key speaker at the UAE Pavilion Theatre. Al Kaabi will highlight the UAE’s commitment to tackling environmental challenges and her expedition to Antarctica that emphasised the role of sustainable living. She will also focus on the role of her research in water treatment and desalination at Masdar Institute. As a YFEL member, Rasha Abd Rabu will offer a presentation on ‘Dual Chamber Tubular Reactor for Continuous Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil’. Abd Rabu will also participate in the Women Leaders’ Forum on ‘Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment and Sustainable Development’, in addition to offering support at the UAE Pavilion Theatre. Dr Lamya Nawaf Fawwaz, executive director of Public Affairs, Masdar Institute, said, “The two Masdar Institute graduates and YFEL members represent the kind of UAE youth that remains committed to finding sustainable solutions for the benefit of the community. They also represent YFEL, a dynamic outreach initiative supported by the UAE leadership, offering the future young leaders an opportunity to engage and network with the leaders at international forums such as the Rio+20 Summit.”