Emirates Foundation Holds Think Science Capacity Building Workshops: Empowering Think Science Youth to Explore the Scientific Field

Abu Dhabi, 8 February, 2015: Emirates Foundation held two capacity building workshops for mentors and youth participating in the Think Science Competition 2015 recently in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The workshops were held in preparation of the annual Think Science Competition and Fair that will take place from 5th to 7th of May this year.

The Think Science Competition is one of the biggest events of its kind in the region that is held under the patronage and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Emirates Foundation.

The competition aims to inspire, encourage and empower UAE youth by building interactive scientific projects that have a sustainable social value. It also creates a platform for teamwork and an awareness and interest in scientific technology from a young age.

The “Think Science” Competition is open for UAE youth aged between 15 and 24 from all Emirates. Participants enter the competition in teams with a maximum of three members. The challenge is to design, develop and apply scientific innovations to solve practical problems facing the Emirati community in areas such as energy, environment, transportation, and safety.

The capacity building workshops took place at the Park Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi and the Intercontinental Hotel, Festival City in Dubai and acted as a foundation for the fair to build the participants general capacities. Three professionals in the field from University of Sharjah, who are chairing the judging committee of the Competition, were on hand to encourage and guide the participants. The workshops were designed to give them guidelines on how to plan and build their projects based on scientific research standards using scientific methodology, and how to present their projects. Participants were also provided with important tips on the judging process and the evaluation criteria. Further they were given technical and presentation skills to prepare themselves for the Think Science Competition and international competitions in the future. Mentors and youth from different schools and universities across UAE were encouraged to convey the messages received to other youth to participate in the competition in the future and emphasize on the importance of visiting the fair. Lastly, the Think Science Team provided a brief about the competition in general, and went through the rules and regulations, and also the related details for the final fair preparations.

The Workshops held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai attracted more than 600 attendees to go through the Think Science Fair and competition technical guidelines and judging criteria. The attendees were from major universities and private and public high schools across the UAE. The workshops highlighted the important role that high-schools and universities play in encouraging youth to participate in this national competition.

The competition and workshops are in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Abu Dhabi Education Council, and University of Sharjah and hence demonstrate Emirates Foundation’s continuous efforts to inspire and empower UAE youth to innovate in the fields of science and technology.

Maytha Al Habsi, Chief Programes Officer at the Emirates Foundation said: “As we have seen with previous rounds, there is a drastic increase in participation of talented youth from public and private schools and universities across the UAE. They have inspired us with their creativity and scientific and technological prowess over the years and we are enthusiastic about this year’s competition too.”

“The Think Science competition enables youth to discover their talents and provides them with a podium to use their skills in order to benefit themselves and society in a sustainable manner while fostering scientific creativity and interest,” she continued.

“The Emirates Foundation Think Science programme has encouraged many youth in the past to fulfill their prospects in the scientific field, and the recently held workshops are testament to that,” said Professor Hussein M. Elmehdi. “We were greatly impressed with the keenness of participants to learn more about science, and this will provide them with a suitable foundation to follow their dreams in the field,” added Dr. Khaled Hamad.

Furthermore, Dr. Maher Omar noted. “We are using procedures, assessment rules and criteria which are in compliance with the international standards for world scientific competitions, aiming at encouraging youth to enter the competition and preparing them for international participations.”

This is my first time to participate in the competition, and I was greatly impressed with the information provided to us, as well as how to improve our entry for the competition,” said Jawaher Ismail Al Hosani, one of the 2015 youth participants from Applied Technology High School.
“Science has always been a difficult subject, but the Think Science Competition helped open my eyes to innovations in the field that provide practical solutions to many problems affecting society today. It also enlightened us on how to use scientific principles to develop our nation.” Said Dhabia Saeed Khamis Al Hammadi, one of Think Science Competition participants in 2014 and 2015.

The “Think Science” programme was launched in September 2012 as part of the Emirates Foundation’s efforts to inspire and encourage UAE youth to embrace careers in science. It aims to inspire, encourage, and empower Emirati youth to choose science as a field of study and career path and respond to the nation’s demand for science talents.

The competition is part of the Foundation’s three-pronged “Think Science” programme designed to help young Emiratis fulfill their potential in the field of science and respond to the nation’s demand for science talents.
Other projects in the programme include the “Think Science” Ambassadors initiative, created to inspire and encourage youth to expand their knowledge and further develop analytical-thinking abilities while addressing local and global technological challenges.

The third project, “Think Science Connect”, is an interactive platform connecting youth interested in science with representatives from science-related industries, creating a database of “Emirati science talents” accessible to relevant key stakeholders.