Some six university students who have won the “Running a Refinery” Case Study competition organised by Shell have travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to witness the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2011 competition. The students, comprising four students from Texas A and M University Qatar (TAMUQ)and two from Qatar University (QU), made history as the first students from the Gulf region to participate in the event. Every year, Shell holds its eco-marathon events in Europe, Asia and the Americas in which around 4,000 high school and college students from around the world compete in teams to design, build and test energy-efficient vehicles. The winners are the vehicles which go the furthest on one litre of fuel. This year’s European event was held at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz track in Germany on May 26 with teams from the two Qatari Universities showcasing the first ultra-fuel-efficient cars ever built in Qatar, while having the  chance to witness students from around Asia push the boundaries of design and build the cars of tomorrow. They also had the opportunity to interact with senior leaders and technical experts from Shell including chief executive officer Shell Peter Voser and EVP Global Commercial Tan Chong Meng, to gain firsthand experience in understanding how dynamic and innovative the company is. During their stay the students from Qatar had the opportunity to network with other students across Asia who have won the similar case study challenge. They also visited the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur including a close up view of the Petronas Twin Towers. TAMUQ  Mechanical Engineering student Ahmed Mohsin, who is currently an intern at Qatar Shell said: “As a mechanical engineering student, I found that it was a good chance to experience the Shell Eco-Marathon’s moments and to have a better idea about what we are going to face when we participate in the competition next year.” Another student from QU studying Industrial Engineer Nadya Abdulmonim al-Awainati said:”On behalf of QU, I will like to thank Shell for giving us the great opportunity to be a part of the Shell Eco-marathon competition Malaysia. Winning a trip to Sepang was the best award from Qatar Shell for my participation in the Shell case study competition. I am looking forward to participate in next year’s competition in an all women’s group!” Abdrulrahman al-Kuwari and Fares Attar, both Petroleum engineering students at TAMQU, added: ”This trip has exposed us to the world of Shell like never before. It was a great experience to witness the eco-marathon live on the track. We saw inspiring car designs and made friends from all over Asia, it is an opportunity not to miss and we will both look forward to other educational opportunities Shell has to offer.”