Manal Mahmoud Hamad

An advocate of environmental protection and awareness, Manal Mahmoud Hamad is a science teacher in Abu Dhabi. After graduating from Kuwait University with an undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Zoology and working as a teacher, Manal studied at the Amman Arab University for Graduate Studies, where she completed a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology. As a teacher, Manal adopted methods of applied learning, in particular, organizing annual school projects focusing on environmental issues. Over time, these projects have helped to seed positive environmental behavior in students of all ages, by combining classroom and extra-curricular activities. Issues that Manal has raised awareness for include pollution, global warming and desertification and their impacts on daily life. As a teacher, Manal is committed to developing students with initiative, who have problem solving capabilities - encouraging them to expand their ability to think outside of the box and find practical solutions to evolving issues. Over the last decade, Manal’s work and dedication have been recognized with a number of awards from both the education and environmental fields. She was presented with the Distinguished Environmental Teacher Award, the Hamdan bin Rashid Award for Teaching Excellence and the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work in the environmental field.