Sharjah, UAE – 3 March 2019 – Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation and Chairman of Emirates Foundation, partnership with the Ministry of Education and attendance of Sheikh Khalid bin Humaid bin Saqr Al Qasimi President of the Emirates Creative Association, Think Science Fair -Sharjah 2019 was held at Sharjah Astronomy Center, part of Sharjah University, with the participation from 300 contestants from across schools and universities in Sharjah. 

 

The Sharjah Fair witnessed a continuation of groundbreaking innovations presented by youth notably in Innovations in eight scientific categories namely Safety Systems, Smart Systems and AI, Robots, Health and Systems for the Benefit of the Determined Ones, Innovations in Energy and Environment, and Applied Sciences.

 

Highlights of the projects in Sharjah included innovations in supporting people of determination in addition to outstanding innovations in safety systems aiming to reduce harmful accidents in the UAE in homes, buildings, and roads

 

The opening speech at the Fair was delivered by Dr. Hamid Al-Naimiy - Chancellor of the University of Sharjah - the host sponsor in Sharjah, who spoke about the importance of scientific experiential platforms such as Think Science and said: “The new generation require skills in the realms of innovation, critical thinking and analysis, communication and entrepreneurship and today, more than any other time, we need to boost innovation among young people, build nurturing environments in our society, and encourage our schools and universities to equip our youth with skills in research and discovery methodologies. Emirates Foundation has answered this call with the Think Science Competition and should be highly commended.”

 

Addressing the Youth at her opening remarks at the Think Science Fair, Her Excellency Maytha Al Habsi CEO of Emirates Foundation  said:” Technology and Innovation is our roadmap to building a better future for generations to come. You are the leaders of the future who will lead the UAE to progress and to becoming one of the most innovative nations in the world. I know you will rise to the challenge.” 

 

Al Habsi also expressed her gratitude to Sharjah Astronomy Center for their generous hosting of the 2019 Think Science Fair in Sharjah and commanded the vibrant energy of the Sharjah Youth.

 

The Think Science Sharjah Fair comes following the success of the Fair in Dubai and Abu Dhabi which witnessed the attendance of more than 15,000 youth, the Think Science Fairs will take place in Ras Al Khaimah on March 10th, Fujairah on March 17th, and Ajman and Um Al Quwain on March 21st. 

 

The Fair further witnessed exceptional activations run by the UAE Space Agency, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, Al Yah Satellite Communications, Strata Manufacturing focusing on inspiring and encouraging youth to enter the space realm.

 

More than 50 partners from private and public sectors, academia and industry will deliver hundreds of science activities and workshops within their stands at the Think Science Fair 2019. These include the Fair’s strategic partners Occidental Petroleum, Total and ADNOC. The Energy partner the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, and other Fair sponsors and partners including Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, British Petroleum, Dolphin Energy Limited, Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, PepsiCo, UAE Space Agency, Honeywell, and Etisalat the digital partner. 

 

Since its launch in 2013, the Think Science Fair has attracted over 70,000 Youth and visitors who had the opportunity to engage and see around 1,340 projects from 3,700 contestants from across the UAE. 

 

Think Science 2019 winners will be announced at a special award ceremony, where one winner per category will be announced as follows: 

First Place for each school category at each Emirate;

First Place for each university category; Think Science People’s Choice Award 2019, which is chosen by visitors voting live in each Emirate; Think Science Outstanding Display Award 2019 in each Emirate. In addition, and for the first time, this year’s competition will introduce the “National Geographic Kids Abu Dhabi Special Award focused on the Smart Systems and AI category 

with a trip to Nasa in the United States.  Lastly, an award will also be introduced this year for

schools and universities with the highest number of participating projects