Two students from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) which is one of the Qatar Foundation Partner University was awarded the top prize for the FoodTech category in the Qatar Development Bank competition. Mohammad Fadhel Annan and Lujain Al Mansoori developed an idea to print 3D-printed veggies which is a possible alternative to farming which could improve food security in areas such as Qatar that have only a small amount of arable land. This was a contest called Business Incubation as well as the Acceleration Hackathon held by the Qatar Development Bank. In category FoodTech FoodTech section, Annan and Al Mansoori were awarded 25,000 QAR to put into their business idea.
The QDB’s Business Incubation as well as Acceleration Hackathon was created to enable entrepreneurs from Qatar to present their thoughts and ideas to tackle the challenges of the field of digital transformation in a wide range of fields. 2023 was the year of Fintech, SportsTech, and FashionTech industries, and showcased Solutions for Enabling Customer to have better experiences and operational solutions for Digital Transformation across a variety of fields, like food technology. A CMU-Q student received the top prize.
Michael Trick, dean of CMU-Q, was awed by the inventiveness and creativity Annan as well as Al Mansoori’s ideas: “We encourage our students from CMU-Q, to utilize the skills they acquire in the classroom to develop solutions that make a huge impact. We congratulate Mohammad and Lujain on such an ingenious solution to the issue of secure food supply.” To enter the contest, Annan and Al Mansoori created their own idea using the combination of synthetically grown plant cells as well as 3D printer ink that can be used for printing vegetables. The pitch also included ideas to alter 3D printers to print biological material and also a model printed carrot.
The Dr. Hamad Mejegheer, Executive Director of Advisory and Incubation at QDB stressed the significance of the contest, which “represents the continuation of our efforts in fostering an entrepreneurial community that is embracing the most innovative and creative people who can add worth to our diverse and knowledge-based economy that is in alignment with our strategic goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.” Qatar National Vision 2030.”
The two students have started their third year of study in the field of information technology at CMU-Q and are planning to further develop the idea they have as they go through their education. Mohammed Al-Sadi, teaching assistant for information systems, acted as mentor for the project.
Annan is studying the details of developing 3D printer technology to serve the production of food items. “We have put in a lot of time designing an CAD model of an specialized 3D printer which could use edible inks create food items. When each layers are printed, ultraviolet light is used to solidify the edible ink and ultimately you’ll have a plant.”
Al Mansoori is confident regarding the potential in the field of Food production. “We could print foods at a large scale, greatly decreasing the time and cost required to cultivate produce vegetables and fruits. There is no limit to what we could accomplish.”
After their pitch was a success in the QDB competition, the participants are now offered a spot within QDB’s startup program which will allow them access to expert mentors and experts to help guide their development.
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar offers bachelor degree programs for students that cover four areas which include biology and business administration, as well as computer science and information systems. Students are encouraged to collaborate within disciplines and create work with a direct impact on the world.
Source: qatar.cmu.edu