UoB, “Benzo” Character Wins Second Place in the “Climate Champions” Contest

With the Participation of a Student Team from

UoB, “Benzo” Character Wins Second Place in the “Climate Champions” Contest

 

 

University of Bahrain (Jasmine Khalaf)

March 16, 2022

 

“Benzo” character won the second place in the international research project contest “Climate Champions”, for bachelor students in public and private higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain, held in collaboration with the Supreme Council for the Environment and the British Council.

The competition, held under the patronage of the Secretary-General of the Higher Education Council (HEC) and Deputy Chairperson of its Board of Trustees Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, aims to enhance the research capabilities of students, which would contribute to addressing environmental and climate challenges and problems in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The second-place winning project was under the theme “Benzo”. It is a social project that aims to create awareness of the importance of waste sorting, as one of the first steps in the recycling process.

The head of the Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Bahrain and the supervisor of the “Benzo” project, Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Fattah Hussain, explained that the project, in which some students of UoB and other universities in the Kingdom participated, developed the interactive recycling bin using artificial intelligence technology. He pointed out that the sensors in the bin predict the type of waste after photographing the same using a camera installed at the front of the bin.

Dr. Abdel-Fattah added, “This bin has been developed to motivate children using it through encouraging phrases when they choose the right place according to the type of waste.”

Dr.Abdel-Fattah explained, “This project reflects our belief that preserving the environment is not only the responsibility of major institutions, but it is also a social responsibility shared by all individuals in the society, both the young and the old. It is possible to create environmental awareness through simple daily actions such as sorting waste.” He noted that children were targeted as a first experimental group through creating the “Benzo” character, to be a source of attraction and awareness for them, to understand the idea of ​​recycling and sorting waste, in collaboration with (One World Kindergarten). He pointed out that an interactive workshop will be conducted for the kindergarten children, to introduce them to the effects of climate change, by highlighting the wrong environmental behaviors, sorting the types of waste using “benzo” character, and teaching them the simple ways in the recycling process.

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