Emirates Foundation’s Think Science Fair -Abu Dhabi 2019 Features 750 Competition Contestants

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation and Chairman of Emirates Foundation, and in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the attendance of His Excellency Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minster of Education, Think Science Fair -Abu Dhabi 2019 was held at Khalifa University with an overwhelming participation from 750 contestants from across schools and universities in Abu Dhabi. 

Abu Dhabi students showcased a large number of groundbreaking projects, notably in the areas of food security and water sustainability, two new categories introduced this year in the Think Science Competition. These included agricultural innovations and researches to enhance the crop production of palm trees, tomatoes and mangos in the UAE using advanced techniques and methods. Other projects focused on the prevention of crop disease and enhancing the pollination process. 

With regards to water sustainability, Abu Dhabi students’ projects focused on water reuse and filtration, purification and desalination of water using smart systems, treatment of grey water and the removal of heavy metals from water.

Information security projects were another major highlight this year in the Think Science competition, where Abu Dhabi students submitted innovative projects related to block chain technology and encryption. Health was also high on the students’ agenda with projects utilizing natural herbs to produce medicines to heal diseases, natural preservatives with no harmful side-effects and natural anti-oxidants.

The Think Science Fair comprises a large-scale exhibition of youth projects from high schools and universities competing across 11 scientific sectors: 1)Transportation and Road Safety Systems; 2) Safety Systems, 3) Health and Bioinformatics, 4) Applied Sciences, 5) Applied Chemistry, 6) Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence, 7) Industrial and Mechanical Systems, 8) Innovations in Energy and Environment, 9) Food Security and Water Sustainability, 10) Systems for the Determined Ones, 11) Robotics.

In parallel, The Think Science University competition this year will be in the following categories:  Energy, Environment, and Applied Sciences, Safety Systems and Bioinformatics, Food Security and Water Sustainability and Smart Systems and AI, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence and Smart and Safety Systems.

The coemption will be judged by 81 Prominent Science & Technology Academic and Industry experts who will assess and short list potential winners.

Commenting on the Fair His Excellency Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education said: “The Think Science Competition is one of the most important initiatives to elevate our UAE youth capabilities. It is a unique and leading platform that nurtures student talent, creativity and innovative research in science and technology and creates a foundation for developing a new generation of scientists and leaders in areas central to our nation’s progress.

Fulfilling our wise leadership’s vision to build the next generation of talent is a shared national responsibility. Think Science plays a big part in ensuring that through enhancing our youth’s capabilities in science, technology and innovation. We are therefore very proud to partner with Emirates Foundation, be part of this very important annual initiative and support the Foundation’s enormous efforts to empower youth from across the UAE with the scientific knowledge, skills and pathway to become active contributors in shaping our nation’s future towards sustainable development.”

Commenting on the Think Science Fair, Her Excellency Maytha Al Habsi said: “Inspiring the UAE youth to take a vested interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and pursue their passion for innovation is at the heart of Emirates Foundation’s mission. We are proud of the impressive project submissions this year from across the UAE and look forward to engaging more youth and the community at large in all the upcoming Fairs.”

Al Habsi concluded by expressing her gratitude to Khalifa University for their generous hosting of the 2019 Think Science Fair in Abu Dhabi and commanded the vibrant energy of the Abu Dhabi Youth.

The Think Science Abu Dhabi Fair comes following the success of the Fair in Dubai which witnessed the attendance of more than 7700 youth, the Think Science Fairs will take place in Sharjah on March 3rd, Ras Al Khaimah on March 10th, Fujairah on March 17th, and Ajman and Um Al Quwain on March 21st. 

More than 50 exhibitors 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