DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 17th Feb, 2019) The seventh edition of 'Think Science Fair' has kicked off today, as part of the theme 'Seven Fairs for Seven Emirates', where Think Science will take place across the UAE in 2019.
The fair is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
The Dubai leg of the fair was held today at Zayed University, with overwhelming participation from 350 youth from across the emirate's schools and universities.
Held by Emirates Foundation, an independent national organisation set up by the Abu Dhabi Government to facilitate public-private funded initiatives for the empowerment of youth across the UAE, Think Science is the largest fair of its kind in the region and a valuable contributor to the national Science, Technology and Innovation, STI, policy goals, committed to encouraging young people to pursue Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, STEM, degrees and careers.
Following Dubai, the Think Science Fairs will take place in Abu Dhabi (24th February), Sharjah (3rd March), Ras Al Khaimah (10th March), Fujairah (17th March), Ajman and Um Al Quwain (21st March).
A total of 700 projects representing the work of more than 1,850 youths from schools and universities from across the UAE will be featured within their respective Emirates at the seven Fairs. The participating projects have entered the competition under the guidance of 450 mentors and supervisors from educational institutions across the UAE.
The judging committee for the competition, made up of more than 81 scientific experts and PhD holders from universities, as well as government, and private corporate entities, will review and evaluate the projects in each Emirate to determine the winners within each Emirate, who will then be recognised at the award ceremony, which is due to take place later in 2019.
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Managing Director of Emirates Foundation, expressed his gratitude to the UAE leadership for their visionary outlook which established the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy as the roadmap to building a better future for generations to come.
Speaking about the Think Science Fair, Sheikh Sultan said, "At Emirates Foundation, we strive to engage an ever-growing number of schools and universities from across the nation in the Think Science Competition and Fairs to build awareness about the importance of STEM and encourage youth to explore science education and careers. To this end, we are very proud to announce that the foundation will organise Think Science Fairs across the nation."
"The fairs will also play a critical role in enabling our youth to turn their innovation into business opportunities through the foundation’s partnerships with the private sector entities, thereby paving the way for the next generation of scientists who will hold the future of our great nation in their hands."
The fair comprises a large-scale exhibition of youth projects from high schools and universities competing across 11 scientific sectors, including transportation and road safety systems; safety systems, health and bioinformatics, applied sciences, applied chemistry, smart systems and Artificial Intelligence, AI, industrial and mechanical systems, innovations in energy and environment, food security and water sustainability, systems for the determined ones, and robots.
More than 50 exhibitors from private and public sectors, academia and industry will deliver more than 100 science activities and workshops within their stands at the Think Science Fair 2019.
Speaking at the fair, Maytha Al Habsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation said, "Our Think Science Programme aims to provide youth with a platform to deploy new technologies and unlock their creativity in science, technology and innovation. With the digital revolution, we have a greater responsibility to support youth navigate the complexities of the 21st century and building a core talent pool of youth with expertise in science, technology and innovation is a fundamental part of that."
