Polar Seminar at Khalifa University
The President of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, H.E. Ebrahim Al Hajri, hosted the Chairman of Arctic Circle, H.E. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, and the Chair of the Arctic Circle Polar Dialogue, H.E. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, alongside a group of international Polar experts. The group was joined by Khalifa University researchers as they visited the university campuses and toured cutting-edge research facilities, followed by a seminar showcasing polar research at Khalifa University and the state of polar research and international research collaboration.
International polar experts joining the program included Gitte Adler Reimer, Rector of the University of Greenland; Izabella Koziell, Deputy Director General of ICIMOD; Dr. Peter Griffith, Founding Director of NASA's Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Office; Prof. Alexander Haumann, Leader of the Antarctica Insync Program at the Alfred Wegener Institute; Dr. Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Glaciologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office; and Sudan Bikash Maharjan, Remote Sensing Analyst at ICIMOD.
The group visited the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences Lab, witnessing the world’s first atmospheric water generation system that operates entirely on solar energy and electrical thermal energy storage;, the region’s only permanent Body Museum; the College of Medicine and Health Sciences; the Advanced Research and Innovation Center focusing on aerospace; and the Marine Studies and Research Lab – the region’s first-ever advanced research facility equipped with wave and stream generation facilities.
Faculty members from Khalifa University representing Earth Science, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, and Civil & Environmental Engineering shared their perspectives on research and science, recommending various avenues for collaborations to mitigate the threats of melting glaciers and water insecurity, aggravated by climate change.
