Foundation students present posters for the first time

Jaber Al-Adba presents his poster on the disease neurofibromatosis

Qatari students in WCMC-Q’s Foundation stage combined their work on genetics with their English classes to present posters for the first time.

The poster event was organized by Dr. Rachid Bendriss, lecturer of English as a second language, and Assistant Professor in Biology Dr. Renee Richer, who decided it would be the perfect way for students to demonstrate what they had learned about genetics as well as improving their communication skills.

Dr. Bendriss said: “This poster showcase is the culmination of the semester’s work. Posters are a great way of assessing the students’ skills and what they have learned. They have done research, they have written a paper and now they are talking about it so they are also practicing their language skills.”

Topics tackled by the students included color blindness, vertigo and the bleeding disorder von Willebrand Disease.

Zahra Hejji presented a poster on progeria, which causes premature ageing in children.

Zahra said: “I had heard so much about it and I read articles on it but I found that 25 per cent of the information given is wrong. Knowing more about the disease has taught me that there is a lot more to learn.”

Jaber Al-Adba’s poster looked at the disease neurofibromatosis which causes benign tumors.
“Creating the poster was challenging but fun,” he said. I included the main points of the disease, the symptoms and the primary influences on the body.”

Dr. Richer said the aim of the event from a medical standpoint was to have students apply what they have learned about genetics to a real disease.
She said: “A lot of what we learn is basic biology but we want students to take the concepts they have learned to a higher level. It’s also a lot more exciting to present on a real condition.
“I think they have done a good job and are more interested in understanding the genetic basis of diseases.”