Protocol and Hospitality in Ajman Honours Student Maryam Al Musaibi for Her Pioneering Innovation Strider Platform to Enhance Sustainability and Environmental Balance

Under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency Youssef Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Protocol and Hospitality Department in Ajman, the Department honoured Maryam Sanad Al Musaibi, a student at United Arab Emirates University majoring in Environmental Biology, at the Ajman Emiri Court, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of sustainability and environmental balance through her innovation of a digital platform called “Strider”, which predicts climate changes and marine pollution incidents before they occur, with the aim of finding and implementing appropriate solutions.

‏The recognition stems from the Protocol and Hospitality Department in Ajman’s commitment to developing and empowering promising Emirati talents, and investing in their abilities to support the comprehensive renaissance journey in the UAE generally, and Ajman specifically, with generations equipped with the tools of knowledge and learning, and advancing with steady steps towards a bright future founded on human development.

‏Maryam Al Musaibi, who is also an Environment Ambassador in Masdar City, is considered a pioneering model for students interested and passionate about sustainability and environmental balance in the Emirate of Ajman, and has won numerous local awards in this field. Based on the Protocol and Hospitality Department’s commitment to supporting and empowering youth projects in the Ajman Emirate community, the Director General and Department members listened to a detailed presentation given by student Maryam Al Musaibi, during which the main obstacles facing the project were discussed with the aim of providing support and assistance from the Department. The meeting included a comprehensive explanation of the “Strider” platform and the extent to which marine life benefits from it.

‏Student Maryam Al Musaibi states that “the passion for innovation began in early school stages, where curiosity always drove me to understand how things around me work. I had the opportunity to enter the world of robotics through joining the school robotics team, which marked a turning point in my journey. Later, my participation in the Youth for Sustainability - Masdar programme deepened my understanding of sustainability issues, climate change, and pollution. Here I developed the conviction of the necessity to integrate innovation with sustainability, so I decided to combine both concepts to provide sustainable innovative solutions that serve the environment and contribute to supporting Emirati society.”

‏The project idea began in October 2023 through working on a robot operating with sensors and cameras aimed at collecting plastic waste from seas, and this idea was presented at the COP28 conference. After a year of research in the marine environment field and analysing the challenges facing marine ecosystems, Maryam concluded that the robot idea was not sufficiently efficient for practical implementation on the ground. In October 2024, in collaboration with the Youth for Sustainability - Masdar platform and the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, the first step in the “Strider” project journey began, and the idea was transformed into a digital platform and presented at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2025.

‏“Strider” is an artificial intelligence-powered platform aimed at identifying environmental risks in water bodies. Given the increasing marine pollution and occurrence of harmful natural phenomena in seas unexpectedly and at varying times, this platform contributes to facilitating the work of environmental institutions by monitoring environmental problems as soon as they appear. The platform aims to support taking preventive measures and directly observing any malfunction before it escalates and spreads.

‏Among the features of the “Strider” platform are AI-powered recommendations, where based on the data collected, artificial intelligence suggests a set of measures aimed at enhancing sustainability, such as implementing sustainable fishing practices to protect endangered marine species. Its features also include the “Smart Assistant”, an interactive feature that allows users to ask questions related to marine ecosystem health and receive detailed answers. The Smart Assistant also provides useful guidance and recommendations that help understand environmental problems and make appropriate decisions.