DOHA, QATAR – April Conkey, Ph.D., professor of biology at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, will be a panelist at this week’s “Doha Green Discussion” (DGD), sponsored by the Qatar Green Building Council.

The panel discussion, entitled ‘The Changing Ecology of Qatar – A New Paradise?’ will address the relationship between the built environment and the changing ecology of Qatar. Conkey will be discussing the fauna of Qatar.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to present on a subject that I am passionate about, because I often hear people complain that there is nothing to see in Qatar and I believe this is simply untrue,” Conkey said.

Other panelists will include environmental consultants and representatives of UNESCO and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. The discussion will be held Wednesday, September 29, at the Qatar Green Building Council headquarters.

Conkey often expresses to her students at Carnegie Mellon that it may be necessary to look a little harder to find things in Qatar, but when you do, you will find treasures. “There are many unique desert and marine organisms that are important for Qatar and for the global community,” Conkey said. “I am pleased that the Qatar Green Building Council has organized this discussion on the relevance of the impact of the built environment on local ecosystems and honored to be invited to participate.”

This week’s discussion is the first in a series of panel and audience discussions hosted by the Council under the DGD banner. The sessions are intended to address cutting-edge issues of sustainability and the development of Qatar’s built environment.