Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) hosted an awards ceremony to celebrate the integral role that 2012's Science Communicators played in the success of this year's Abu Dhabi Science Festival. Over 800 students, recruited from 8 universities from the UAE, expertly facilitated the various Festivals' activities communicating science in an informal and exciting technique to children and families attending the 11 days of Abu Dhabi Science Festival 2012. The ceremony applauded the critical role and efforts of the Science Communicators and recognized their essential contribution to the pronounced success of the Science Festival.
Hosting the event, H.E. Ahmed Al Calily, Director General of TDC, said: "We are honored today to be hosting this awards ceremony. To have so many outstanding young men and women on the Science Communicator program, who have excelled in delivering the activities and taking part in this science initiative makes us very proud. Their work is paving the way for future generations as role models, inspiring our children in science and acting as science ambassadors within the society at large. Moreover, the critical skills that our university students acquire as science communicators have proven invaluable for their careers. Many leaders in the STI world today expanded to illustrious roles in some of the most innovative firms building on their preceding science communication experiences from their earlier years."
Al Calily also added praising the collaboration of the Festival's partner universities and stressed on it being intrinsic to the achievements of the Festival. TDC partnered with 8 Universities: The Abu Dhabi University (ADU), ALHOSN University (AU), Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Khalifa University (KU), The Petroleum Institute (PI), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Zayed University (ZU), enrolling their most talented students and providing them with world-class science communication training from leaders of their fields.
The Science Communicator Alumni was launched this year to capitalize on the success of the Science Communicator program and all students who participated are invited to join. The members play a crucial role in acting as ambassadors in the community recruiting more members and encouraging the youth of the UAE to pursue Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) careers. Science Communicator Alumni help to strengthen the connection between the Festival and other science popularization initiatives, as well as with their fellow Science Communicators.
Four of the Science Communicator Alumni spoke of their pride in being part of the Festival and shared their experiences at ADSF 2012. Sara Al Muhairbi, an International Business student from ALHOSN University said, "The science festival was a great experience for me and for my friends, it taught us several effective communication skills that will benefit us now as well as in our future. We learned how to educate people and how to communicate our knowledge and information to both elderly and kids in a more professional way."
Mariam Al Haj, an ECAE student, said, "This is my second year and I'm very proud to be a Science Communicator Alumni and see so many of my fellow Emiratis working hard and shining in the world of science. We take the responsibility for our beautiful country very seriously and want to be the best we can be so our nation flourishes in the fields of Science and Technology."
Neama Al Hosani, studying Education at HCT stated, "I've loved being trained by experts and getting access to their world-class skills. I will always be able to speak confidently now. The opportunity we had at the Science Festival is amazing and I will keep the skills and memories forever."
"Working at the Abu Dhabi Science Festival was so much fun! Helping all the children understand how great science can be makes me believe that they will study harder to be the very best. The workshops showed the children how accessible science is to them and gave students many interesting choices for their futures", added Badr Khalid from PI.
The Abu Dhabi Science Festival is about instilling passion in our children for science and inspiring them to pursue education and careers in STI fields.
The Abu Dhabi Science Festival is organized by TDC in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council as Education Partner, Edinburgh International Science Festival as Programming Partner, Tawazun as Presenting Sponsor, Dolphin Energy as Main Sponsor; in affiliation with ADNOC, Etihad Airways, Total and Masdar; and produced by Flash Entertainment.
The TDC Story: 2012
The Abu Dhabi Policy Agenda and Economic Vision 2030 have clearly shown the Abu Dhabi Government's desire to build a knowledge-based economy. Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is at the center of the knowledge-based economy and hence the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) was established to support, supervise and coordinate its development in the Emirate. The aim is to ensure a globally competitive and sustainable STI base in areas of economic and societal priority through fostering world-class talent with the right skills and attitudes and supporting the creation of a vibrant enterprise base.
To achieve this, TDC is pursuing a broad program of change in five key policy areas: human capital, research and development, enterprise development, infrastructure, and laws and regulations. These programs aim to embed science, technology and innovation within the fabric of Abu Dhabi.
For further media information, please contact:
Nour Saifi
Impact Porter Novelli
Tel: +971 50 721 5310
Email: n.saifi@ipn.ae
© Press Release 2012
