Qatar team's chemistry shows at car competition

The Texas A&M at Qatar team moved closer to a first-place finish at the Chem-E-Car Competition recently. The competition challenges university students to build a car that runs on a chemical energy source. It must carry a certain load over a defined distance and stop safely.

The Texas A&M team finished fifth out of more than 40 contestants -- its best finish to date. It also finished second in poster presentations.

The competition was held during the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' (AIChE) Annual Student Conference in San Francisco.

Team members were Shaza Shehab, Tabarak Abdulhussein, Zeinab Ataya, Taif Mohamed, Mowad Alaradi, Lara El-Said and captain Saad Moazam. Ghada Salama, instructional associate professor in the Chemical Engineering program, is faculty adviser for the AIChE student chapter.