High school students hone their research skills during Planet Georgetown Week

Twenty-six Qatar-based high school students recently completed Georgetown University’s week-long extracurricular research program in Qatar (GU-Q) Planet Georgetown.
The young researchers were all 10th graders and represented 14 schools, independent and private, from across Qatar. The highly selective program challenged students as their research assignments aligned with this year’s Planet Georgetown theme: Mapping the Modern World.
Latifa Al Shamlan, a student from the American School of Doha, said, “Planet Georgetown has had a positive impact on me educationally. My research skills improved and I also gained more knowledge about other countries.
“It changed the way I see the world in general and politics in particular,” added Al Dana Hamad Al Marri, while Albandari AlMana exclaimed, “Engaging, enriching and captivating – Planet Georgetown is an exciting experience !” both are students at Al Maha Academy For Girls.
Abdulkareem Anisetty of Ahmed bin Hanbal Boys’ Independent Secondary School said, “Planet Georgetown is more than just a program on the planet – it was a planet itself with people from all over the world.”
This year’s Planet Georgetown immersed students in cartographic orientation, research skills, flag symbolism, professional citation skill, a study of the conflict in Ukraine, and a sample world map lecture university level, in addition to their own individual research projects.
The students’ individual projects required them to personally select a country in order to research the history of that country’s “map”: how has the country’s map developed over time? What internal and external conflicts is the country currently facing? When did the country become known by its current name? How were the country’s borders determined and were there any border disputes?
These are just a few of the many questions students have explored and developed into completed individual research projects. This culminated in each student presenting their findings at the end of the week at the closing ceremony of Planet Georgetown. At the time of the presentation, the students were well prepared to speak knowledgeably about the results of their research and answer questions from the audience.
“Planet Georgetown participants were a group of driven, dedicated and talented young people who truly explored the world of today to shape the world of tomorrow by gaining a better understanding of themselves and the world around them” , explained Saaliha Khan, GU-Q Student Development Officer and member of the SFS-Q Enrichment Team.
“We are pleased to be able to facilitate this journey that builds responsible global citizens and we look forward to further engaging the bright minds and young leaders in our local and global community.”
Organized by the GU-Q Office of Educational Enrichment Initiatives, the Planet Georgetown program was launched in 2008 to expand the range and scope of engagement with the local community. The peninsula