41 elite Emirati students were honored Sunday with the 2011 Al Nokhba Scholarship for Advanced Technology at the scholarships induction ceremony held in the Fairmont Bab Al Bahar. Sponsored by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) and the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), the scholarship provides the best and brightest students from Abu Dhabi with world-class learning opportunities in advanced technology.
“The semiconductor industry is among the most sophisticated in the world,” said Ibrahim Ajami, CEO of ATIC. “This sophistication requires a thoughtful and long term-investment in human capital in order to compete and ultimately drive development within the industry. Every year the Al Nokhba Scholarship enables students to engage in the technology industry, we take a significant step toward a robust workforce and the Emirate’s successful economic diversification.” Mona Majed Al Mansoori, ADEC’s Division Manager of Guidance and Scholarships, highlighted the Al Nokhba scholarship as an important program in Abu Dhabi’s drive to establish a diverse and knowledge-based economy. “We have been providing these scholars with the best study opportunities in a range of technology-based majors,” said Ms. Al Mansoori. “As we work to prepare qualified students to enter the growing semiconductor industry, I would like to express my pride in the increasing number of applications we are receiving both from female and male Emirati students, as well as the success previous graduates have already gone on to find in the expanding industry,” she added.
Meaning “the elite’ in Arabic, the Al Nokhba class of 2011 will see 41 students complete undergraduate studies and three complete masters-level qualifications in a range of science and engineering subjects including chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering, electromechanical computer engineering, physics and materials sciences. Highlighting the increasing quality of incoming students, this year’s class has achieved a record number of direct admissions to tier-one universities within the United States.
This year’s scholarship has further seen a significant uptick in the number of female students, with 30 male students and 11 female students from across Abu Dhabi meeting the high standards required by the scholarship. Program representatives say this figure surpassed their initial goals for this class, a promising sign of the significant role female Emirati’s will play in this growing industry.
As the second induction of Al Nokhba Scholarship recipients, Sunday’s event also saw the introduction of the ‘big brother’ & ‘big sister’ component of the program. This aspect partners incoming students with the senior class to establish a network of communications enabling scholarship recipients to more easily adapt as they move abroad.
In addition to receiving full support for completion of their studies, the Al Nokhba Scholars will benefit from the opportunity to participate in a hands-on internship at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the ATIC-owned semiconductor manufacturing company, ensuring that they graduate with a high-level of understanding about semiconductors and, more broadly, the advanced technology industry as a whole. Successful graduates will also be eligible for guaranteed employment with GLOBALFOUNDRIES, or at other advanced technology companies nominated by ATIC.
Al Nokhba is part of ATIC’s overall efforts to develop a strong human capital base, which will serve as a foundation for Abu Dhabi’s strategic development in the advanced technology sector.
