The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Organizes STLight Exhibition in Celebration of Youth Innovations in Digital Fabrication

• The exhibition embodies an immersive educational experience aimed at bringing the concepts of digital fabrication and smart technologies closer to young people and the wider community.
• The exhibition showcased six original prototypes of smart lamps, designed and fabricated by participating students using parametric design and 3D printing technologies.
• The exhibition presents an educational experience aimed at enhancing public understanding of digital fabrication and smart technologies, particularly among youth and the wider community.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), through its Studio 5 initiative, organized the closing exhibition of the Parametric Lamp Hackathon under the title STLight. The exhibition was held from June 24 to 29 at M7, Qatar’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in design, fashion, and technology located in Msheireb. The exhibition was organized in collaboration with FROMM.Lab, the educational platform of the Qatari-Italian design studio FROMM. and M7. It underscores the Ministry’s continued commitment to nurturing emerging talent and promoting a culture of digital fabrication within an interactive environment that connects design with emerging technologies.

The exhibition featured six student-developed projects, each designed and fabricated using parametric design and 3D printing and integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for lighting control. Visitors were able to engage with the models directly by adjusting lighting intensity, color, and temperature — demonstrating the real-world possibilities of merging design and technology.

The exhibition is the culmination of the Parametric Lamp Hackathon, an event organized by Studio 5 last April. The hackathon brought together 14 university students, aged 19 to 24, from diverse academic backgrounds. Participants underwent comprehensive training in digital design, 3D printing technologies, and IoT applications, delivered by Studio 5’s team specializing in technology, engineering, and digital fabrication. Through this hands-on training, students developed innovative concepts for smart lamps that combine aesthetic appeal with advanced functionality, while emphasizing sustainability and energy efficiency.

Commenting on the exhibition, Ms. Nouf Abdulaziz Al-Haddad, Section Head of the Digital Competencies at MCIT and Project Manager of Studio 5, stated that the exhibition embodies an innovative educational experience aimed at bringing concepts such as digital fabrication and IoT closer to youth and the broader community through tangible models that demonstrate how technology can be embedded in contemporary design. She emphasized that the exhibition is aligned with Studio 5’s broader vision to raise public awareness of emerging technologies and to empower students with practical skills that may not be readily available in traditional academic environments.