Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced one of its graduate studentsand member of the Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) program will be participating in a five-day course on sustainable transport in Finland.

Mohamed Al-Sharhanof the Engineering Systems and Management program at Masdar Institute is the only student from the UAE who will be participating in theHelsinki Summer School for Transportation 2012.Scheduled to be held from 13-18 August at Aalto University,Helsinki, it will be themed ‘Concepts and Practices about Sustainability in Transportation’.The Summer School is intended for transportation professionals, managers in transport agencies, transport and traffic engineers, planners, consultants, citizen advocates, educators, and graduate students.

A visit to the Helsinki Metro construction sitewill be part of the course, in addition to two team exercises that will apply the concepts and approaches in real world transport planning situations. Itwill be a unique experience in which both the real world issues and the analytical approaches will be presented by internationally renowned experts.The Instructors will include Dr. Shinya Kikuchi, Professor, Virginia Tech, US, and Dr AnttiTalvitie, Professor Emeritus, Chief Researcher, Aalto University School of Engineering, Finland.

Dr. TapioLuttinen, Professor in Transportation Engineering, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be Mohamed Al-Sharhan’s guide atAalto University, while Dr SgourisSgouridis,Associate Professor, will be his advisor at Masdar Institute.Al-Sharhan is currently working on‘Public Transportation for Abu Dhabi: Potential for a Sustainable Public Transportation System’ under the supervision of Dr. Sgouridis.

Dr SgourisSgouridis said: “The Helsinki Summer School in Transportation has established itself as a premier program offering innovative and practical approaches to tackle complex transport challenges. The School offers an intensive learning experience to transport professionals and graduate students of varying backgrounds and we believe it will prove beneficial to Mohamed Al-Sharhan, whose research is closely related to the course’s main theme. The course will further enrich Al-Sharhan’s learning experience and will positively impact his research outcome.”

Other participants at the Helsinki Summer School for Transportation 2012 include representatives from Technical University of Denmark, World Bank, Finland’sDestia Corp., University of Oxford in the UK, Virginia Tech, US, and University of California, Davis, US.

Al-Sharhan said: “The enrollment in this summer school in Finland will add considerable value to my research and provide me with an opportunity to get in-depth insights in this field. I believe attending this summer school will widen my knowledge and help me to better representmy research,especially now when I am progressing mid-way.

“Moreover, the participation will help me to highlight the advantages of Masdar Institute and initiate relationswith students and experts from other top universities and institutions around the world. As a member of the YFEL program I am keen to bring back the rich insights I gain at the course and put them into my research project on my return to Masdar Institute.”

Al-Sharhan earlier participated with the YFEL members in the IEEE Technology Time Machine Conference2012 in Dresden, Germany. He was also part of a 12-member group that visited southern India to assess to poverty-related challenges in one of the poorest regions in the world, propose solutions related to energy and human development, as well as establish long-term collaboration with the organizations and local communities to implement a project forsustainable development.

YFEL offers participants exceptional and unmatched access to top global leaders, senior business executives and academics engaged in alternative energy and sustainability through events such as World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi and other major events held globally. It is mandated to educate, inspire and empower students and young professionals to become future leaders capable of solving the world’s most pressing challenges in advanced energy and sustainability.

 

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