Abu Dhabi: More than 100 Master of Science and PhD students in interdisciplinary engineering graduated from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology on Tuesday.
The class of 2015 included 22 Emiratis and 84 graduates from 36 countries.
The fifth commencement ceremony took place under the patronage of His Highness General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Masdar Institute.
Speaking at the event, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister and member of Masdar Institute’s Board of Trustees, said: “I am surrounded by leaders and professionals in some of the most difficult fields in engineering and I am confident that you all will rise up to the occasion in helping the UAE change its economy from an oil-based one to that based on knowledge and human capital. Your talents and skills will provide the human capital necessary to address issues regarding water, energy, environment, nutrition, health and manufacturing.”
Ammar Al Raisi, one of the graduates, observed that Masdar Institute has achieved in a short time what other countries took years to achieve.
“We have established a civilisation in a short amount of time and that itself can be considered a wonder. We used to see development in other countries and wish we could go there and explore what they have to offer but now the tables have turned and people from abroad are coming to the UAE to see what we have achieved,” he said.
Shaikh Abdullah highlighted the key role which the new graduates will play in diversifying the nature of the UAE economy and bringing about self-reliance for accomplishment.
“In 2015, faculty and students have more than doubled Masdar Institute’s issued US patents to six and those in the pipeline now include 54 pending patent applications and 96 invention disclosures, thus firmly establishing their place as leaders in the development of intellectual capital,” a statement from Masdar Institute said.
