Abu Dhabi, 23 November 2013. The Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC), organizer of the award winning Abu Dhabi Science Festival (ADSF), hosted today an awards ceremony, attended by guest of honour H.E. Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council, celebrating the outstanding performance of ADSF 2013 Science Communicators.

H.E. Ahmed Saeed Al Calily, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee said, "We are all very impressed with our Science Communicators. Their commitment, enthusiasm and genuine love for promoting the fun of science to kids has come across very clearly; they are superb role models for the UAE youth. We are extremely proud of each and every one of them who volunteered their time, energy and passion to help create the best Festival to date." 

ADSF 2013 has already received glowing reports and feedback from around the world, with many comments commending the Festival's continuous progress year-on-year.

Al Calily continued, "The Festival's success is testament to the hard work, professionalism and collaboration between the many stakeholders without whom none of this would be possible. I personally thank the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and all our sponsors, partners and universities who have come together to help inspire, excite and empower the younger generation to become the innovators, technologists and scientists who shape tomorrow. Due to their efforts and leadership, we can all be certain that our drive to realize the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 of creating a knowledge-based economy is becoming more of a certainty every year."

The third edition of the Festival witnessed an increase in the involvement of Science Communicators with nearly 900 university students including ADSF Alumni being recruited locally and provided with world-class expert training to deliver science programs in uniquely engaging ways that are sure to excite the next generation of scientists.

Those receiving Science Communicator awards yesterday included Faris Al Masri for Team Work, Aysha Al Salih and for Most Improved and Maitha Al Ameri for Most Innovative.

The Science Communicator Alumni program, launched in 2012, capitalizes on the success of the Science Communicator program and grants all Science Communicators automatic membership once they complete their first Festival. The Alumni members play a crucial role in acting as ambassadors in the community, recruiting new Science Communicators and inspiring UAE youth with their expertise level and acquired communication skills. The training that they have received and experience gained enhances their educational and professional skills, proving invaluable in building their communication and leadership skills.

Asmaa Al Rouh, an Alumni Science Communicator who returns to the Festival's third edition describes her experience saying, "This is my 3rd year at the Festival and I love being involved. The training we receive is great and the things I keep learning are incredible.  This year I even learnt how to make candles! The most satisfying experience of all though is being able to see the smiles on all the children's faces and this makes me know that I am making a difference in someone's life."

Sozeena Kamal, a student at the Abu Dhabi University joins the Festival for the first year as a communicator, said "I am studying to become a teacher, and the time that I have spent participating in the Abu Dhabi Science Festival has opened my eyes to my future, making me look forward to my career.  It has been just amazing spending time with children and teaching them and most importantly learning from them and the team leaders. This is my first time here and I cannot wait till next year's Festival."

The Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee partnered with 11 Universities  which are the Abu Dhabi University (ADU), ALHOSN University (AU), Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) - Abu Dhabi Women's College, Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)- Men's College, Khalifa University (KU), The Petroleum Institute (PI), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Zayed University (ZU) Al Ain University for Science and Technology (AAUST) and New York University, Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).

The 3rd edition of the Abu Dhabi Science Festival is organized by the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) as 'Education Partner', Edinburgh International Science Festival (EISF) as 'Content Partner', Tawazun as 'Presenting Sponsor', Dolphin Energy as 'Gold Sponsor'; ADNOC, Etihad Airways, Total and Masdar as 'Affiliate Sponsors' with the Festival produced by Flash Entertainment. 

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About TDC:
The Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) was established in 2009 to encourage, support and supervise the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It functions as a multi-stakeholder government coordinating body interfacing between government, business and academia to realize Abu Dhabi Science, Technology and Innovation Vision in building a sustainable and diversified knowledge economy, well integrated into the global ecosystem.

TDC aims to support embedding STI within the fabric of Abu Dhabi, through the custody of the STI Policy and the execution of key strategic initiatives in different areas, such as human capital. Five key policy areas have been identified as critical, and in which TDC perform an active role, to facilitate and support the development of a vibrant Science, Technology and Innovation base in Abu Dhabi:

  • Human capital: by Investing in developing a world-class talent base in Abu Dhabi

  • Research and development: by supporting the development of Abu Dhabi's R&D capabilities

  • Enterprise development: by Supporting the development of vibrant innovative enterprises in Abu Dhabi

  • Infrastructure: by Enabling the creation of infrastructure for dynamic STI communities

  • Laws and regulations: by promoting improvements to laws and regulations that will advance innovation in Abu Dhabi

And as part of its efforts, TDC has initiated various initiatives including:

  • Takamul Program

  • The Abu Dhabi Science Festival

  • Lema? Science School Outreach Program

About the Initiatives:

Takamul program

A national innovation support program developed to assist inventors, either as individuals and institutions from across the country, facilitating the integration of each stage of the innovation cycle, from the generation of ideas to the practical and commercial application of these ideas into products, solutions and services.  This is achieved through conducting a series of patent awareness workshops for industry and academia and by providing legal and financial support for international patent filings. Takamul currently supports innovations in the Health & Medical, ICT, Clean-tech, Semiconductor, Oil & Gas Services, Energy, Advance materials infrastructure and lifestyle industries.

The Abu Dhabi Science Festival 
Among TDC's key strategic science promotion initiatives, that is dedicated to the engagement and inspiration of the nation's youth with the annual festival providing exciting science related hands-on activities and experiences as part of a wider plan geared towards building a talent base in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).  

Lema? Science School Outreach Program 
'Lema?', which when translated means "Why?" in Arabic is among TDC's key strategic science promotion initiatives designed to inspire the Abu Dhabi youth in science and technology as part of a wider plan geared towards building a talent base in STI. The program is organized to tour public and private schools in Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain and Al Gharbia engaging over 15,000 students from grades 3 to 5 and their teachers with informal science learning demonstrations and experiences.

About Abu Dhabi Education Council:
Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) was established in accordance with law No. 24 of 2005, issued by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE President, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. The Chairman of ADEC is H.H. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and the Vice-Chairman is H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs. The Council seeks to develop education and educational institutions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, implement innovative educational policies, plans and programs that aim to improve education, and support educational institutions and staff to achieve the objectives of national development in accordance with the highest international standards.

For more information about ADEC please call its headquarters at +971 (2) 6150 000 or visit our website: www.adec.ac.ae

About Tawazun
Tawazun is a strategic investment firm focused on the long-term development of UAE's industrial manufacturing and technology capabilities and knowledge-transfer with a specific focus on the defense sector.

Established in 2007 by Tawazun Economic Council, Tawazun's mission is to develop profitable ventures through industrial partnerships and strategic investments that add to the country's industrial manufacturing layer in the areas of defense, defense manufacturing and manufacturing technology.

About Dolphin Energy
Dolphin Energy Limited's Dolphin Gas Project is a major regional strategic energy initiative that has brought together Qatar, the UAE and Oman in an international gas network for the very first time.

The company supplies clean energy in a socially responsible manner and is helping to create wealth, growth and employment opportunities for GCC citizens.

About Edinburgh International Science Festival
Edinburgh International Science Festival, founded in 1989, is an educational charity that encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to discover the wonder of the world around them. We are best known for organising Edinburgh's annual Science Festival - the world's first celebration of science and technology, and still one of Europe's largest.

The two-week event places emphasis on giving audiences amazing experiences through a programme of innovative and inspiring events. Alongside the annual festival, the organisation has a strong focus on education and also runs a touring programme that visits schools throughout the year.

Out with the activities in Scotland, Edinburgh International Science Festival also operates a large-scale international operation. It regularly presents work overseas and is currently the major programme partner of Abu Dhabi Science Festival helping to curate and present the festival in Abu Dhabi, annually. In 2013 they also presented a brand new Science Festival in Bangalore, India which proved extremely popular. For international partners, the team at Edinburgh International Science Festival provides engaging content, curatorial advice on programming, business planning support along with expert staff and training for local science communicators.

For further media information, please contact:
Nour Saifi
Impact Porter Novelli
Tel: +971 50 721 5310
Email: n.saifi@ipn.ae

© Press Release 2013