• Over 700 Science Communicators helped deliver an 11-day science spectacular at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Science Festival
• Those excelling in their roles were presented with awards at a recognition ceremony on November 21st at the Sofitel Hotel, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, 21 November 2015 – As the 2015 Abu Dhabi Science Festival (ADSF) draws to a close, the organizers of the festival, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC), have held a special award ceremony today to recognize the remarkable work of the Science Communicators who were part of this year’s event. Over 700 Science Communicators were selected from Higher Education Institutions around the UAE to deliver fascinating exhibits, workshops and shows to visitors of ADSF; with those demonstrating outstanding performance throughout the festival awarded at the ceremony.

Science Communicators play a crucial role in ADSF, delivering activities in a way that excites the audience about the world of science and making science education more fun. As ambassadors for science in the UAE community, the experience they have gained from participating in ADSF equips Science Communicators with critical skills that are invaluable to their future careers.

Commenting on the important role of science communicators in the festival, Dr. Najla Al Naqbi, ADEC’s eLearning program Manager, said “science communicators are considered a link that interconnects our students, while helping us achieve ADEC’s goals and strategies to promote creativity and innovation through focusing on STEM subjects. Science communicators, being students studying science disciplines,  play a key role in supporting children and visitors through helping them conduct various activities and scientific experiments, which in turn helps in exchanging their scientific and practical experiences with other students  to encourage them to adopt science and technology through the stimulating workshops filled with fun and knowledge.

Neama Al Marshoudi, Manager of Content, TDC said, “Through their impressive expertise and vibrant enthusiasm, Science Communicators help bring the content of ADSF to life, placing science at the forefront of children’s imaginations. By participating in the festival they help to inspire, motivate and educate the future generation while learning valuable skills from leading international science experts.” She continued, “On behalf of TDC, I would like to thank all the Science Communicators who were part of ADSF 2015 and congratulate those who have been awarded for their exceptional performance.”

Trained by world-class experts at the top of their field, the Science Communicators have been evaluated throughout the festival by ADSF’s programming partner, the Edinburgh International Science Festival (EISF), and assessed on the following criteria:  creative problem solving, improvisation and inventing activities for children, confidence in the delivery of their events, communication, science knowledge development, team support, good timekeeping and flexibility.

Science Communicators were selected from seven partner universities: Abu Dhabi University, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Khalifa University, Paris Sorbonne University, Zayed University and the Petroleum Institute.  The Science Communicators awarded for their work include Mariam Mohamed Al Amri, Shatha Khader Alaydarous, Sarra Salem Al Rashedi, Waad Khaleel Abujarad, Saeed Salem, Slama Bakheet Almansoori, Al Khalood Al Briki, Maha Mohamed, Manal Rasheed, Saif Adel Juma, Dania Jamal Mohammed, Leen Maher, Delan Al-Gayyali, Maryam Alyammahi, Tareq Alameri, Heba Abdullah AlSharbagi, Rashed Hassan Alzarooni, Farah Mohammed Shraif, Kevin Yaker, Hugo Reinert, Nour Elgalad, Mazin Ahmed Yousif Mohamed, Saeed Al Haddabi, Abdulrahman Al Breiki, Sarah Tahreem, Latifa Al-Ali, Muhammad Hareb Abdul Majeed

Al Marshoudi commented, “Bringing this world-class science initiative to UAE audiences would not have been possible without the support of sponsors, content partners and universities. On behalf of TDC, I would like to thank each of them for their continuous commitment to making ADSF the largest science festival in the region.”

Dr. Al Naqbi lauded the vital role played by the science communicators, being key supporters of ADEC and ADSF, and expressed her appreciation for everyone who contributed to their training to achieve ADEC’s objectives in building national capabilities in the field of science, technology and innovation, while preparing youth to take part in a knowledge producing economy.
The diverse areas of science covered by the festival’s local content partners demonstrate the wealth of inspirational ideas that exist in the world of science in the UAE. The prestigious roll call of entities involved in ADSF 2015 include:  Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, Abu Dhabi New York University, Emirates Foundation, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Family Development Foundation, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, Total Academy, Bidaya Media, Abu Dhabi Astronomy Club, F1 in Schools, the Society for Professional Engineers, Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, Mad Science, Nutty Scientists, Edutech, Handasa, and ZerOhm.

The fifth edition of the ADSF was organized by Abu Dhabi Education Council and the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee in partnership with Tawazun as “Presenting sponsor”, Dolphin Energy as “Gold Sponsor”, ADNOC and Etihad Airways as “Affiliate Sponsors”, Abu Dhabi Media Company as “Exclusive Media Partner” and the Edinburgh International Science Festival (EISF) as “Programming Partner”, with the Festival produced by Flash Entertainment.