The second edition of the D’reesha Performing Arts Festival, taking place during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, will once again see Texas A&M University at Qatar help bring science to life in a multidisciplinary show that combines chemistry, physics, and engineering with the concept of play.

To find out more about the activities at Qatar Foundation, click here

Led by Benjamin Cieslinski, STEM Laboratory Manager at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), a Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university, the TAMUQ Science and Engineering Road Show was born out of a desire to use the STEM experience to both educate and entertain students.

“The idea of a science-based stage show really took hold in 2015, and was inspired by our main campus in College Station, Texas, that has had a dedicated Chemistry Road Show for more than 30 years,” Cieslinski said.

“Dr. Hassan Bazzi, who is the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Advancement as well as a Professor of Chemistry at TAMUQ, and I had discussed the possibility of having a dedicated experience show here in Qatar that could travel around the country, bringing the same fun and excitement of those original performances from Texas to Qatar.

“What better way to make kids, teachers, and parents get a sense of wonderment, and learn in the process?”

Cieslinski started small: he and his team hosted mini science demonstrations at TAMUQ and various QF Pre-University Education schools, as well as for potential students at TAMUQ’s Admissions Department, to showcase the fun side of science and engineering. But his ambition was to create a dedicated forum where education and entertainment could be combined and showcased to the masses.

So when, in 2017, dedicated funding for the show was secured, he was finally able to bring the vision of the TAMUQ Science and Engineering Road Show to life.

The community’s response to the show has been incredibly positive. Over the years, Cieslinski and his team have performed approximately 160 shows to more than 25,000 students all around Qatar. And they’ve been welcomed back to schools on a yearly basis to support lesson plans through their demonstrations, providing students with hands-on learning.

“Performing on stage in the public eye is always a challenge, but we want young people to get interested in things they don’t understand and learn to ask questions. This is where young scientists and engineers get a spark of inspiration,” he said.

“At the end of the day, one of our university’s core beliefs is selfless service. Any opportunity we can reach out and perform, educate, and entertain the public, we will take it.”

The Road Show team are eager to return to the D’reesha Performing Arts Festival stage for the second year in a row. “We’re bringing an exciting show for what we expect to be a diverse audience that will be in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, and we can’t wait to show them our science and engineering,” he said.

“The Road Show will be performed under the umbrella of D’reesha of Invention and this year we’re inviting lucky audience members to join us on stage, which will make the performance much more engaging. I’m going to try to go bigger and bigger for each show during this year – I hope it will be our best yet.”

What is the D'reesha Performing Arts Festival?

QF’s D’reesha Performing Arts Festival will take place at Education City from December 11-17, during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, under the theme ‘Travel and Adventure’. Open to everyone, it will showcase a variety of performances in Arabic and English, from music and poetry to visual arts and theater, with the new D’reesha of Invention and Innovation showcasing scientists, scholars, and researchers from the Arab world.

To find out more about the D'reesha Performing Arts Festival, visit the Qatar Foundation website.

--

Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content. 

Instagram - @qatarliving

Twitter - @qatarliving

Facebook - Qatar Living

YouTube - qatarlivingofficial