DOHA, QATAR – U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Ph.D., visited Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and delivered a lecture and dialogue session to an audience of students, faculty, members of the Education City community and guests from the oil and gas industry Thursday. Chu’s visit to Carnegie Mellon Qatar follows a visit last week by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who addressed students and members of Education City.
Chu’s distinguished lecture was a collaborative effort between Carnegie Mellon Qatar and the United States Embassy. U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Joseph LeBaron introduced Secretary Chu to an audience of 370 students and VIP guests.
Chu is a distinguished scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997. He has devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to energy challenges and stopping global climate change. Chu supports an education initiative for training new scientists on basic and applied research on clean energy, starting at the elementary and high school levels through postdoctoral study.
“I am delighted to be here at Education City and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar” said Secretary Chu. “Innovation and education can provide the world with a new energy solution. We have to work together to find the solution.”
Chu took questions from students and guests on a range of topics including U.S. energy policy, energy pricing and ways to reach a global agreement on reducing emissions. Charles E. Thorpe, Dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar, moderated the question-and-answer session. Topics of discussion included Qatar’s leadership role in LNG, bio-fuels and the importance of education to develop and research new energy technologies.
“There is a vast potential for development in the field of alternative energy both in Qatar and the United States. This forum is not a conventional conference or seminar but a meeting between relevant parties to discuss and provide recommendations for Qatar to lead in energy. Dr. Chu’s visit will help build on the strong ties already established between Qatar’s energy companies and the United States’ technology developers which in turn will boost the country’s competitiveness” said Dr. Abdelali Al Houdi, VP of Research, Qatar Foundation.
Secretary Chu’s visit to Qatar and the Middle East is part of the U.S. administration’s efforts to continue strengthening U.S. partnerships within the region. Secretary Chu is meeting with government officials, research and scientific leaders and members of the private sector to discuss a range of energy issues.
In addition to Secretary Chu’s visit to Qatar Foundation and Carnegie Mellon Qatar, he also visited Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). “Carnegie Mellon University has a deep interest in energy. Our links in Pittsburgh to the gas and nuclear industry have traditionally been strong. Here in Qatar we have strong research ties with energy institutions and partners such as QSTP” said Thorpe.
ABOUT CARNEGIE MELLON
With more than a century of academic excellence and distinguished research, Carnegie Mellon University is a leader in education with real-world applications. Consistently top ranked, the University has more than 11,000 students, 75,000 alumni and 4,000 faculty and staff globally. Core values of innovation, creativity, collaboration and problem solving provide the foundation for everything we do.
At the invitation of Qatar Foundation, Carnegie Mellon joined Education City in 2004. Here, Qatar Foundation created a unique center for scholarship and research that is the ideal complement to Carnegie Mellon’s mission and vision. Students from Qatar and 30 different countries enroll at our world-class facilities in Education City. Carnegie Mellon Qatar offers undergraduate programs in business administration, computer science and information systems. Learn more at qatar.cmu.edu.
