Three Emirati student innovators were given the opportunity to work alongside doctors as well as researchers at Children’ National Hospital in Washington DC, on healthcare projects.
Hamad Al Hazami
• Age: 22
• Designation: Sheikh Zayed Institute 2015 Student Innovator and senior computer engineering major at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research in Sharjah
• What he did: Mr Al Hazami and his research partner, Arena Al Romathi, developed a mobile application for paediatric cardiology. The application helps doctors to determine whether an unborn baby's heart is growing at a normal rate.
Having had a penchant for all things scientific since he was a child, Mr Al Hazami always dreamt of playing a big role in technology and innovation when he grew up.
The 22-year-old from Sharjah was one of seven students from his university selected for a two-month internship at the Washington hospital. At Children’s National Hospital he worked in the cardiology department in a team of programmers and a medical professional.
Under the guidance of a mentor, Mr Al Hazami developed an iPhone application. “The technology already exists but you need a computer to access it. What we are trying to address is the portability factor. We are trying to take a revolutionary step and integrate it into the phone system by building an application for the iPhone,” he said.
The application, Bear Cardio Z, is named after the mascot of Children’s National Hospital.
“I had worked in the eastern culture but the western culture was something new to me. The term ‘deadline’ does not exist in the United States. You have the chance to work without pressure and, even so, we finished a week ahead of our schedule,” Mr Al Hazami said.
“I had to learn the new software programming language in a month and this was a huge challenge for me,” he said.
“This programme helped me build my confidence, as it was my first hands-on experience and I was all by myself. The lifestyle was different and my family was not there.”
Mr Al Hazami will soon be undertaking his mandatory military service. After that he wants to develop software for satellites for the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.
Mohammad Al Sharid
• Age: 21
• Designation: Sheikh Zayed Institute 2015 Student Innovator and senior computer engineering major at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research
• What he did: For his Student Innovator Programme presentation, Mr Al Sharid worked on optic nerve tumours. He earned second place among 20 student innovators for this project.
Mr Al Sharid has had an inquisitive nature since childhood.
That was why he gravitated towards a career in engineering, he said.
He had initially wanted to study electronic engineering but then he began to take an interest in computer programming.
Mr Al Sharid’s professor told him about how he had collaborated with the staff at Children’s National Hospital, which made him realise he could use his skills in the field of medicine.
“I applied to Children’s National Hospital but I didn’t know much about medicine. The work culture was different and took me two weeks to get used to,” Mr Al Sharid said.
One of the projects Mr Al Sharid worked on was how to use three-dimensional MRI scans of the head to detect a tumour.
“The researchers were looking at the optic nerve by itself and I focused on the brain to see if you get a tumour if you have a bigger brain size,” Mr Al Sharid said.
“We want to save the doctors time. We are hoping to develop a technique that can detect whether the tumour is within a normal range or not.” In another project, Mr Al Sharid wanted to develop software to diagnose Down syndrome in foetuses by studying scans.
Khalifa University arranged accommodation for the students, but Mr Al Sharid said he was not used to living with people who were not members of his family.
“It was my first time away from my family for that long and it was a challenge for my mother. She did not want me to let go,” he said, adding that he wished to pursue further studies, with the possibility of specialising in image processing.
Alya Al Alil
• Age: 21
• Designation: Sheikh Zayed Institute 2015 Student Innovator and senior computer engineering major at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research
• What she did: For her Student Innovator Programme presentation, Ms Al Alil and her partner presented research relating to high-intensity focused ultrasound, an innovative and non-invasive technology for treating tumours
Ms Al Alil is determined to break the stereotype that women are not interested in computers. The computer-engineering student developed an interest in technology since she was a teenager. “Back in high school I would like working with computers and even started programming,” the Ajman native said.
Of the seven students from Khalifa University who were selected for the hospital internship, five are women.
Ms Al Alil’s family was worried when she was selected because she had yet to visit the United States. So her father accompanied her to the US to help her settle down.
During the internship, Ms Al Alil worked on a way to evaluate a new technology that is used in the fight against cancer. Many types of cancer require the removal of organs that are affected by tumours.
Ms Al Alil worked on using sound waves to eliminate specific sets of cells without having to remove organs.
“The internship made me realise my love for research, but there are not many places for this kind of research in the UAE. Masdar is one centre, but more centres of research are needed in the country.”
Before her experience in the US, she was thinking of getting a desk job, but now she wants to pursue research work.
“I never thought I could be passionate about something that makes a difference. Research can help people,” she said.
arizvi2@thenational.ae
