Abu Dhabi: The seventh annual edition of the Abu Dhabi Science Festival was announced by its organisers on Monday, with the festival to run from November 9 to November 18.
The festival — which is being organised by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek), and under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces — has become the region’s largest science festival of its kind, as it seeks to promote a spirit of innovation among young students in areas such as mathematics, engineering, and technology.
This year’s edition is also set to be its biggest, with the festival concurrently taking place in both Abu Dhabi and Al Ain City, with 40 new activities added to its programme.
“Science and technology today plays a pivotal role in our daily lives, which is why it is very important to present these subjects to the younger generations who are coming up, and to present it in a way that is both enjoyable and exciting for them,” said Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Adek.
“The festival has proven its success in the previous years and the number of participants also continues to rise, as do the number of events which are rising not just in number but also in their diversity,” he added.
“If we can have an impact on only 5 young people, sparking an interest in them in science and technology and turning them into innovators in these fields, then that will be a success,” he said.
Al Nuaimi highlighted the need to provide young people with a platform to showcase as well as to encourage their innovative spirit, which, he said would have major benefits for society.
“We want this experience to act as a role model and springboard for others to follow, I believe that this festival is a real investment that can have a major transformation in how we encourage science and technology among our children.
“The message we want to deliver to our children is that if they are innovators, they will get all kinds of support from us and we will open all possible horizons for them,” he added.
Sanad Humaid Ahmad, Vice-Chairman, Innovative Committee at Adek, speaking on some of the details regarding this year’s festival, said the activities and subjects would be very broad.
“The festival has a very rich schedule filled with interactions, and we are having 40 new activities this year for both children and their parents to enjoy, “he said.
“The subjects that are going to be included in this year’s festival include topics about the natural world, the environment, astronomy, and engineering. All of these subjects also go hand-in-hand with the national curriculums … which, aim to turn our economy into a knowledge-based one,” he added.
Adel Ahmad Al Buainain, chief executive officer at Dolphin Energy Limited, and one of the main sponsors of the science festival, said the country’s future progress depended on advancements in science and technology, making festivals such as this one highly important.
“It is important to encourage students to pursue careers in science, our country needs a lot of competencies in science and engineering, as these fields are a cornerstone in moving the country forward.
“We want to make the festival as recreational as possible because we don’t want to turn this into another classroom for children, but rather to make it a fun activity for them with an emphasis on science,” he added.
Abu Dhabi Science Festival 2017:
When: November 9-18
Where: Abu Dhabi — Khalifa Park; Al Ain — Al Ain Zoo
