Under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, foreign minister and chairman of the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, The Emirates Foundation's Think Science Fair, one of the biggest events of its kind in the region, was held last week in the United Arab Emirates, attracting thousands of students, parents, academics, investors and private sector representatives.
Showcasing ground-breaking technological innovations from 550 UAE's young scientific minds, the fair exhibited inventions designed and implemented by school and university – aged between 15 and 24 - as part of the Emirates Foundation's Think Science Competition alongside a range of interactive, hands-on activities in various fields of engineering, energy, aviation and other technological industries.
With the aim of supporting the on-going efforts to build capacity among young Emirati scientists to meet the UAE's technical and industrial sector demands and expectations, the issue of empowering young scientists to become more work ready and embrace a career in science and technology was the topic of discussion in a panel held on the first day of the fair, with the title From Lab Coats to Business Suits.
Hosting eminent experts from science and technology industries, this unique panel included Andrew Vaughan, country chair, Shell Abu Dhabi; Steve Lloyd, vice president and general manager, Occidental Abu Dhabi; and Sultan Al Hijji, Vice President of Total. Two youth science ambassadors, Humaid Al Ali and Rashid Al Memari, joined the discussion to voice out youth's thoughts and challenges around the importance of STEM skills for the future of the UAE. The debate was moderated by Emirates Foundation's chief executive officer, Clare Woodcraft, focusing on the skills acquired by science graduates through academia and those in demand from the private sector.
Referenced as the critical commercial challenge of the time, the number and quality of Emirati youth candidates is posing a great challenge for private sector employers, with very few youth choosing STEM studies and STEM related careers. With the world's biggest problems being science based, a call for rigorous action is required to strengthen UAE's knowledge – based economy through embedding those disciplines in young minds.
In addition to industrial implications, the panel discussed personal perspectives on what gets youth interested in STEM studies and related careers. Humaid Al Ali, a computer engineer working at Dubai's Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, expressed his passion towards studying science; "I want to make the world a better place" he said, "by making science a priority, we can become leaders".
The discussion highlighted the interconnected role between academia, industry and government. Ideas around empowering females, and encouraging more internships to enable youth to test the waters were emphasised. Clare Woodcraft, spoke of Emirates Foundation's new internship portal to facilitate this interaction and support youth in becoming more work ready.
The panel concluded that matching students with real projects, sending them on international opportunities, rewarding innovators, starting at kindergarten, putting more science on TV and promoting pride in industry success were among the many recommendations that can craft a mindset shift towards STEM based studies and create a big difference.
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