The Abu Dhabi government’s future energy initiative, Masdar, has set up the board of trustees for Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), and Master’s programmes are scheduled to get under way in 2009.
The private, independent institute will be the first graduate education and research university focused on developing the next generation of solutions to the world’s growing dependence on fossil fuels.
MIST is to be chaired by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. There will be 12 additional board members and the UK’s Prince of Wales will serve as a patron, supporting Masdar’s education and research activities for the next five years.
Developed in co-operation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIST will be an independent, not-for-profit, research-driven graduate institution focused on science and technology to meet the goal of transforming Abu Dhabi’s economy from one based primarily on petroleum to one focused on sustainable technology and renewable energy.
With a huge war chest, and therefore the ability to cherry-pick faculty members from around the world – coupled with the massive fund set up by the emirate to enable sustainable energies research and development – this new institution could have significant impact worldwide within a relatively short time.
“MIST will be the heart of the Masdar Initiative, feeding talent and innovative solutions to our other programmes. The sustainable technologies that come out of MIST will change the way we meet the world’s energy demand,” said Masdar CEO Dr Sultan Al Jaber.
“MIST will be an essential driver to our goal of expanding sustainable human capacity building and will be just one way Abu Dhabi will become the global knowledge hub for innovation in future energy.”
MIST is the first phase of development within Masdar City, which Abu Dhabi claims is the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city powered entirely by renewable energy.
The MIST buildings will receive power from rooftop photovoltaics as well as from remote solar energy arrays and windmills. They will also be designed using wind towers which will cool outside air before delivering it to residential units and the facilities inside.
A green finger running through the campus will also facilitate capturing hot wind from the ocean and the cold wind from the land to help control building temperatures.
Beginning in September, 2009, MIST will offer full-time, two-year Master of Science programmes in engineering systems and management, information technology, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering and water and environment. MIST will begin offering PhD degrees in 2011. There are currently 14 MIST faculty members at MIT and 100 students expected in the 2009 entering class.
For more on the institute, see www.masdar.ac.ae/