NEWS

Original Source:http://www.menann.com,

 http://tinyurl.com/5v2u9ov, 

Qatalum, the state-of-the-art aluminium smelter constructed as a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and Hydro in line with Qatar's long-term economic diversification strategy, took part in two major industry events this month – the International Institute for Multifunctional Materials for Energy Conversion (IIMEC), and the Qatar Materials Science and Engineering Symposium (QMSES) – with Qatalum CEO Jan Arve Haugan speaking at both events.

Haugan’s presentation at the IIMEC meeting provided delegates with an overview of Qatalum, detailing the company’s activities and goals in Qatar and the region, while the talk at QMSES – entitled “Perspective of Qatar Industry Leaders on Research and Development in Materials in Qatar” – focused on giving an overview of the smelter’s operations and vision, as well as presenting the specific research developments in materials technology. Both talks also touched on Qatalum’s implementation of its Qatarisation policy and the importance of and challenges inherent in building a knowledge-based industry

The IIMEC Meeting, which took place at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) on 20 and 21 February, brought together scientists and engineers, as well as representatives from the NSF, the industry and Qatar government organisations. The IIMEC meeting combined technical presentations and panels on the four IIMEC themes with a focus on establishing new collaborations and growing existing ones, while also providing international experience for students and faculty of participating institutions.

QMSES, which will take place at Qatar University on 22 February 2011, is a technical symposium organised as a forum to discuss the latest advancements in materials science and engineering. Additionally, discussions were held on strategic research areas and partnerships with industry and government organisations that are needed to develop innovative and practical solutions for material applications in Qatar. The main focus of the technical presentations and panel discussions was on characterisation, modelling and prevention of corrosion as well as on sustainability of engineering materials in Qatar.

Says Haugan: “The IIMEC meeting and Qatar Materials Symposium provided an exciting opportunity for us to present an overview of Qatalum’s operations, research and vision to distinguished local, regional and international industry and government attendees. In addition to sharing our own experience and expertise regarding the industry, and the activities involved in implementing Qatarisation and building a knowledge-based industry, we were able to learn from the experiences and expertise of others, and share information about the latest best practices and technical breakthroughs, all of which will further help Qatalum’s continued growth and development”.