University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) recently signed a five-year strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Idaho State University (ISU), a highly regarded and comprehensive educational institution in the United States. The agreement encourages and enables the two institutions to cooperate across several academic areas, with a particular focus on engineering, energy research and disaster response. The memorandum was signed virtually by Dr. Rachid Benlamri, UDST’s Vice President of academics, and Dr. Martin E. Blair, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at ISU in the presence of
Dr. Salem Al-Naemi, President of UDST and Mr. Brian Sagendorf, Acting President of ISU.
The agreement furthers UDST’s ongoing efforts to build meaningful partnerships with premier educational institutions around the world. As part of the collaboration, UDST and ISU are focusing on the fields of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and also exploring opportunities to work together at ISU’s Disaster Response Complex (DRC) and Center for Advanced Energy Studies (AES). The two Universities will together facilitate student and faculty exchange, take part in organizing collective research programs, and work towards offering joint programs in these fields.
Dr. Salem Al-Naemi, President of UDST, said: “This important agreement with ISU reinforces our shared focus on both research-based and technological education. It will strengthen our cooperation in joint program creation, academic exchanges, and research publications, and it enables us to offer our students and staff many more interesting possibilities. More than anything, it demonstrates UDST’s commitment to providing as broad an experience as possible in terms of educational opportunities.”
“We are excited for our faculty and students to engage in shared research opportunities,” said Martin Blair, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Idaho State University. “ISU faculty and research facilities are sought after by experts worldwide. Our partnership with the University of Doha for Science and Technology is a tremendous step forward in expanding knowledge and discovery initiatives that have a positive impact in the Gulf region, in the West, and globally."
Idaho State University is one of a handful of educational institutions in the United States to offer a full range of programs from technical certificates through to graduate and professional degrees. As part of the first phase in a long-term sustainable plan under the agreement, UDST students will have the chance to train at the DRC in the form of short summer programs.
In addition to the DRC and the strength of its engineering programs, ISU is also home to more than 75 percent of the Idaho’s health degree programs, and is a leader in training and educating healthcare professionals. Cooperation between these two great Universities could provide a strong basis for future partnerships, and an even brighter future for the academic community in Qatar.
