WAM Abu Dhabi, April 25, 2012(WAM)--Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, today announced its dynamic and responsive academic programs and research offerings continue to help develop outstanding professionals, capable of effectively contributing to the long-term economic objectives of the UAE and the region.

The functional aspects of the academic programs have facilitated new technological innovations, patent filings, gaining of access to privileged clubs of scientists, global recognitions and presenting of papers at international forums for the first time from the region.

Masdar Institute's research offerings constitute a powerful vehicle that provides students with the hands-on experience with open-ended problems that is the essential foundation of high-quality graduate technical education. This, in turn, effectively addresses one of Masdar Institute's major objectives of building human capacity through graduates, and particularly among the growing cadre of UAE National students.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute, said: "The extraordinary achievements of Masdar Institute, especially over such a short period of time, is closely related to our ability to recruit outstanding faculty and students, and to the critical role that our partnership with MIT has played in helping us develop our new faculty and programs so rapidly.

"One reason that advanced energy and sustainability are such formidable global issues is that viable solutions necessarily cross the traditional academic discipline boundaries, as well as encompass technology, economic, policy, and social science dimensions. For these reasons, Masdar Institute has avoided the typical university organizational model based on separate colleges and departments, in favor of a system that fosters collaboration across program and research boundaries." The eight Master's programs aim to address the twin challenges of advanced energy and sustainability, while more than 110 research projects are primarily focused on interdisciplinary issues. Integrating courses and seminars, students are equipped with the technical training, critical thinking skills, and broad complex systems perspective to take on the daunting challenges of the 21st century.

The UAE National Foundation program and the eight academic streams have also steadily increased the intake of indigenous students. The Foundation program enrolled 55 students in September 2011, registering a significant increase over the previous years. A total of 240 students have been registered across all the eight different programs at present, among which 71 are UAE nationals. This represents a substantial increase in Emirati enrollment compared to the previous years.

During the year, Masdar Institute received accreditation for its Chemical Engineering Master's program, which emphasizes energy and the environment by applying engineering fundamentals to solve the world's most pressing issues in the development and production of fuels, improvements in energy efficiency, and mitigation of the environmental impacts of engineering processes. Earlier, the Electrical Power Engineering and Microsystems Engineering programs were accredited.

Established as an ongoing collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

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