Immersion week provides GU-Q students a glimpse of Qatar’s sustainability solutions

TWELVE Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) students exchanged their textbooks for educational fieldwork over Spring Break, exploring groundbreaking green projects in and around Doha.

The week-long immersion program tied into their class on “Water, Climate, and Urban Ecology,” which is taught by Dr. Raha Hakimdavar, senior advisor to the deans of GU-Q and Georgetown University Earth Commons Institute.

As part of this interdisciplinary course, which combines theory, case studies, and fieldwork with a global and regional focus, the GU-Q students have been learning how water resources, climate change, and urban ecosystems intersect and impact the resilience of modern cities. For their final project, the students are designing an arid city of the future.

Dr. Hakimdavar’s guidance throughout the trip ensured that the students made the most of this unique first-hand experience of how Qatar solves the unique urban, environmental, and sustainability threats facing arid regions today.

“The course explores the water-food-energy nexus and how it is complicated by urbanization and climate change,” said Dr. Hakimdavar.

The immersion week included a water and sustainability tour of Education City, a behind-the-scenes look at how the campus ensures environmental sustainability. The students explored innovative research projects such as a green roof pilot project with Earthna, toured the Green Island with Dr. Nawal Al-Sulaiti, QF Sustainability Manager, and learned about GUQ’s environmental sustainability culture with Clare Wait, Chief Facilities Management Officer.

They also engaged with Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) and went on a learning tour of a solar-powered desalination farm, witnessing how small-scale desalination can benefit farmers, after visiting Agrico to learn about organic farming and water conservation methods. They participated in a restoration project at the Al Thakira mangrove forest, an important ecosystem protecting Qatar’s water quality and coastal areas. A stop at the National Museum of Qatar offered a historical context for Qatar’s relationship with its water resources.