High school pupils took part in a rigorous energy and artificial intelligence programme in Abu Dhabi this summer, held at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology.
About 50 pupils were selected from 400 who registered from schools across the Emirates for the five-day workshop held at the IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus in Khalifa City this week.
One of the world’s top engineering colleges, IIT Delhi opened its first international campus in Abu Dhabi two years ago as part of a vision to develop a global hub for research, development and innovation in the region.
The short, intensive summer programme gave pupils the opportunity to conduct experiments, gain hands-on experience in AI, apply knowledge to real-world case studies, and interact with professors and researchers in the field.
“There is so much interest in AI, but a lot of it is at the programming level or ChatGPT exercises and we wanted to provide real experience with AI,” Prof Mohammad Haider, vice-provost at IIT Delhi, told The National.
“It’s exciting for the students because here they can actually design the chip and the programme. We brought a kit here called the Buddhi [intelligence] kit designed by an IIT Delhi professor specially to teach AI to school pupils.”
During waste-to-wealth sessions, teenage pupils learnt about converting discarded date seeds into energy. In 3D-printing workshops, they created new designs for windmills. They focused on projects building microgrids that operate independently to generate electricity for a specific area, and learnt to balance the energy mixture with thermal, solar and renewables.
“We decided to combine hardware plus software so they are exposed to energy problems as well as AI solutions,” Prof Haider said.
“This is important because this is an energy economy that is going through a transition. We spoke about developing a multilevel perspective, about ethical choices. How will they make decisions to achieve net zero by 2050? We want to enable this young generation to be leaders in the energy industry with new technology like AI.”
In one room, groups of pupils used computer simulations in a competition to effectively and quickly connect different energy sources to varying power demands from homes, factories and offices.
New way of learning
Of 53 high school pupils in the select summer programme, 39 were UAE citizens and part of an overall push to expose the young to new ways of learning science, technology, engineering and maths.
UAE citizen Saif, 17, said the workshops helped boost his understanding of AI and sustainability. “This has changed my thinking about the possibilities of AI and how this can be used to help the environment, there are so many possibilities,” he said. “These courses will help me in advanced maths classes in school, it’s been a lot of learning.”
Syrian citizen Alaa, 17, is considering studying sustainable energy after the programme. “This is our planet and I must try to do something to benefit the generations to come. This course has shaped me to think differently about science and how it can help people.”
Lebanese citizen Sameer, 17, is keen to study aerospace engineering and gained insights into energy consumption. “I learnt critical information about how we can reduce emissions,” he said. “I want to build aeroplanes and I feel I now have a better understanding about sustainability, energy and the physics behind the things I want to do.”
IIT plans to host similar programmes in the winter for pupils. The institute offers bachelors, masters and doctorate programmes with about 80 students signed up, of which more than 20 are Emirati.
