Students Abdulaziz Fahd Al-Raisi and Omar Hassan Abdullah Al-Kaabi from Institute of Applied Technology-Fujairah win Emirates Young Scientist Competition award.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has honored the winning students, who have submitted innovative projects to the quality competitions of the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Festival (NSTI), which has been held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. A ceremony has been held yesterday to celebrate the leaders of innovation at the Dubai Exhibition Center at the Expo 2020.
Students Abdulaziz Fahd Al-Raisi and Omar Hassan Abdullah Al-Kaabi from the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) Fujairah have won the Emirates Young Scientist Competition award for their project (IAT-Fujairah Students Reluctance to Study Arabic Grammar from the Viewpoint of Students and Teachers: Causes and Solutions).
Student Saif Hassan Ibrahim form the Secondary Model School for Boys came second for a project to manufacture organic plastic from waste.
Yesterday was the closing day of the 5th edition of the NTSI, which lasted for three days and saw the submission of 100 innovative projects by 231 male and female students from government and private schools all over the country. The said projects have been chosen in the pre-festival qualification phase from 2,600 projects submitted by more than 5,800 male and female students.
The closing ceremony saw the participation of HE Jameela Al-Muhairi, Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Public Education, HE Mohammed bin Ahmad Al-Bowardi, Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, HE Dr. Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Asimi, Director General of Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, HE Dr. Amna Al-Dhahak Al-Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Care & Capacity Building Sector, Director of Innovation at the MoE, educational leadership, a group of experts and knowledge leaders, students, and education staff and experts.
Twenty-three awards were given as part of the main competition “Emirates Young Scientist.” The awards included the best project supervisors and the best school in terms of the number, type, and quality of projects. The MoE dedicated a platform to showcase the projects and the research results the students had concluded in the areas of social and behavioral sciences, biological and environmental sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and technology, by working on a project based on scientific research methodology.
HE Jameela Al-Muhairi gave the closing speech, where she said, “The NSTI celebrates the students’ achievements, which the MoE is proud of. It has been an exceptional school year, where students have been able to be back to their seats at schools after a long time. They then had the chance to tour the Dubai Expo 2020, the world’s most magnificent event that combined innovation along with explorations and knowledge and where we all had the chance to learn about human participation to the civilization and human development.”
HE added, “We learned a lot at the Expo. We learned that the humans’ will to excel, challenge, and explore made them able to do the impossible. We also learned that humanity entailed that humans dedicate their minds and abilities to make scientific achievements to serve their countries and the entire world.”
HE Jameela Al-Muhairi thanked teachers and parents, whom she said helped and supported the students to make such achievements, through guiding and supervising the projects.
HE explained that the students had a long way of scientific and technological achievements to go. She added that she was confident that they would work hard and exert efforts to represent their country in all those fields. She said that the leadership and government had always supported those who wished to study scientific, futuristic majors and would provide them with all they needed to take part in shaping the future of our country. She added that investing in the students was the real investment and most significant achievement. She explained that their participation and qualification at the NSTI was a proof that they were on the right track.
HE added, “We live in a competitive world and we are in a daily race with the rest of the world. I believe, therefore, that the participation of our students in itself is a good chance to polish their skills and boost their knowledge. There is no doubt that it is a significant experience, which will add up to their expertise and participations. I would like to thank the parents for their support. The participation of their children is proof of their endeavors and keenness to make their children participate in the Festival. This will have a significant effect on their life in the future. I would like, therefore, to thank them again for encouraging and supporting them.”
Amna Al-Dhahak: Dreaming at innovation home
For her part, HE Dr. Amna Al-Dhahak Al-Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Care & Capacity Building Sector, Director of Innovation at the MoE, said that it was possible to make dreams come true in the UAE, as the Festival had already seen dreams and achievements come true. She added that the leadership of the country made it possible to attain dreams and turned the UAE from a country that made the future into the place where the future began, by finding solutions to all the challenges facing the world. She said that she was confident that all the dreams of the students would soon turn into future achievements.
HE added, “We have the right to dream because the Festival has been held in a country that believes that every one of us has the right to dream and make the dreams come true. The Festival saw big dreams and we hope that the students, who worked relentlessly in the NSTI, will make them come true. This is commensurate with the directives of our dear country and the aspirations of our wise leadership, who has shaped the future of the country and planned to make it the best globally by the UAE Centennial 2071.
Past and present inspiring experiences
On the other hand, some of the winners of the previous editions participated in the closing day of the Festival and shared their experiences and visions. Khaled Al-Shaloby talked about his inspiring experience of participating at the NSTI for the first time in 2018 and not wining an award. He added that this motivated him to participate again, as he believed that success started from failure. He explained that on the second time, he won the Emirates Young Scientist award in 2019.
Mohammed Al Nuaimi, winner of the first place at the Emirates Young Scientist competition in 2019, said, “Innovation is a sustainable resource and the basis for development and advancement of peoples and countries towards the future.” He pointed out that he was inspired by the wise leadership's challenge, desire, and determination to succeed. He added that he was keen on participating in several education events, inside and outside the UAE, out of the desire to learn. He said that his passion bore fruit in 2019, when he was awarded the first place at the Festival
Juwayriyah Haitham called on students to pursue their scientific journey with dedication, sincerity, relentless efforts, and hard work and to continue researching and exploring science drivers, innovation factories, and places of progress, as they represented the future and the real investment for the country. Nora Ahmed Ali also stressed the importance of seeking excellence, exploring various sciences, and looking for everything that might enhance knowledge.