NAISAK Students Achieve Top Results at SANEA STEM Innovation Competition

NAISAK is celebrating the outstanding achievements of its students at the SANEA STEM Innovation Competition, where both teams secured top positions among schools across northern Qatar. The NAISAK girls’ team earned 2nd place, while the boys’ team achieved 3rd place, recognising their creativity, innovation, and commitment to developing practical solutions to real-world challenges.

NAISAK was also proud to host the SANEA Science Competition this week, welcoming external judges from the Ras Laffan Industrial City Community Outreach Program. The event provided students with an exciting opportunity to present their ideas, explain their design process, and respond to questions in a supportive yet realistic judging environment.

Principal at NAISAK Mr. Kevin Ferry added, “The experience allowed students to build confidence, strengthen their communication skills, and reflect more deeply on their projects. By presenting to external experts, students were able to see how their classroom learning connects to real-world applications beyond the school environment.”

Six Months of STEM Innovation and Problem-Solving

The SANEA STEM Innovation Competition challenged students to use science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills to identify real-world problems and develop practical solutions. Over a six-month journey of research, collaboration, design, and problem-solving, students transformed their initial ideas into fully developed Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) presented to a panel of judges.

The presence of external judges added an extra level of excitement and importance to the final presentations, encouraging students to demonstrate not only the quality of their inventions but also their ability to communicate their ideas effectively. The effort, preparation, and professionalism shown by NAISAK students reflected their dedication throughout the competition.

Innovative STEM Projects Designed by NAISAK Students

At the final MVP presentation, NAISAK students impressed judges with two innovative projects focused on improving everyday life through technology.

The girls’ team developed a personalised air quality room monitoring device inspired by their own experiences with allergies and concerns about indoor air quality. Their smart system monitors harmful particles in the air, sends alerts directly to a user’s phone, and can automatically activate an air purifier when poor air quality is detected.

The boys’ team created an automated leak detection system designed to monitor pipelines and plumbing systems in real time. The technology aims to identify leaks quickly, helping reduce water waste, prevent damage, and minimise maintenance downtime.

Student Creativity, Collaboration, and Perseverance

NAISAK STEM coach Mr. Elliot Sarkodie-Addo praised the students for their dedication, resilience, and willingness to improve their ideas through feedback and testing.

“I have been coaching NAISAK students on this SANEA journey for the last few months and I'm so proud of my students and how far they've come on this project,” he said. “They have taken criticisms really constructively and have worked on their individual projects. Two really amazing projects that really impressed the judges.”

Mr. Sarkodie-Addo also highlighted the potential impact of the students’ inventions, noting that both projects demonstrated strong commercial possibilities.

“Products that I think are ready to go on the shelf of malls for people to buy and use as everyday consumable products,” he explained.
He emphasised that the ideas were completely student-driven, with his role focused on guiding students, challenging their thinking, and helping them refine their designs.

“The project that they came up with is 100% their idea,” he said.

Developing Future Innovators Through STEM Education

The SANEA competition provided NAISAK students with valuable opportunities to develop skills in coding, 3D modelling, engineering design, research, presentation, and critical thinking. More importantly, it encouraged students to see themselves as innovators capable of creating meaningful solutions with real-world impact.

One student reflected on the journey: “At first, it was just an idea we weren’t sure would work. But through every round of feedback, we kept improving it. Standing there at the MVP presentation, it finally felt real, like something we created could actually make a difference.”

NAISAK’s success at the SANEA STEM Innovation Competition reflects the school’s commitment to providing students with authentic learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom. Through opportunities like this, students continue to develop the confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills needed to become future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and innovation.