The fourth edition of the
National Science, Technology and Innovation (NSTI) Festival 2020, organized by
the Ministry of Education (MoE) concurrently with the UAE Innovation Month,
kicked off yesterday at Dubai Festival Arena and would continue until February
8.
The inauguration ceremony
was attended by H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, H.E.
Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education, H.E. Dr. Thani Al
Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and a large number of
officials, education leaders, experts and specialists and students.
The festival is receiving
increasing attention as it features innovative programs and showcases students’
projects that simulate future orientations in scientific disciplines
consolidated by the MoE to raise students’ awareness and skills by keeping students
abreast of the latest updates related to artificial intelligence (AI) and
advanced technology, which serves such areas as environment, public health and
other vital cognitive and scientific fields.
The festival includes
several major sections, the most important of which is the Science Fair (Emirates Young Scientist Competition),
which provides a platform for public education students to display scientific
research results of their innovative projects. It also includes a world-class
conference, which attracts a group of prominent local and global speakers, as
well as an innovation lab, which features specialized workshops offered by a
group of governmental and private establishments. Other sections include a
student retreat, which is concerned this year with discovering and supporting
entrepreneurs while in school, and a family festival, which provides an ideal
platform to bolster community involvement and familiarize the public with the
importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a wonderful entertaining
and interactive atmosphere. Additionally, the festival hosts a group of artists
and innovators in several contemporary disciplines and features a competition titled
Junior Innovators Challenge.
Held in line with the
national policies and strategies aimed at bringing innovation and
entrepreneurship in the UAE to higher levels, the festival has adopted the
Science, Technology and Innovation Higher Policy, National Innovation Strategy,
Strategy for Advanced Skills, UAE National Agenda, UAE Vision 2021 and UAE Centennial
2071 Plan as main pillars to achieve the desired goal and familiarize students with
the future national orientations that have rendered qualified human resources
one of its most important starting points and targets during the upcoming
stage.
The Emirates Young
Scientist Competition has attracted 2,472 projects submitted by 5,791 male and
female students from 427 UAE government and private schools. The competition simulates multiple disciplines,
these being technology, biological sciences, environment, chemistry, physics,
mathematics and social and behavioral sciences. It enables students to
participate later in dedicated international scientific festivals and events as
per each student’s discipline and project submitted to the competition.
The
festival also features a scientific conference, which is regarded as a vita platform
for exchanging ideas and sharing experiences. The conference displays success
stories and provides an opportunity for inspiring and motivating students by a group
of UAE ministers and Emirati dignitaries and international speakers, highlighting
various topics on the conference agenda. The scientific conference is held in
the first 3 days of the festival.
The festival offers 34 prizes, 18 of which are cash prizes
offered by the MoE, 8 dedicated prizes offered by several entities participating
in the festival, 3 prizes for the participants in the Junior Innovators
Challenge and 4 prizes for the best teacher in each category of the Emirates Young
Scientist Competition. A dedicated prize is also offered to the best
participating school, bringing to AED326,000 the total cash prizes.
10/02/2020
