Asma Abdulsalam Saleh and Fatima Reda Ali, students of Al Riffa High School for Girls, with their energy harvester project, during the Think Science Fair. - KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd
Dubai - 678 Students showcased 240 science projects
Published: Mon 16 Apr 2018, 9:03 PM
Last updated: Mon 16 Apr 2018, 11:10 PM
One of the UAE's largest science fair exhibitions has kicked off in Dubai, with almost 700 students taking part from schools across the country.
The 6th annual Think Science Fair is showcasing 240 science fair projects, by 678 young innovators.
The two-day event is being held by the Emirates Foundation at the Dubai World Trade Centre and is expected to have more than 17,000 visitors.
This year's Think Science Fair has dedicated a special 'Future Science Entrepreneurs platform', where successful Think Science Ambassadors showcase and offer their projects to both public and private sector companies, for investment and incubation opportunities.
"In another successful year of Think Science, we recognise the importance of supporting our youth's potential and ambitions with capital, investment and knowledge sharing. This will allow our nation's science, technology and innovation capabilities to flourish. What's required is R&D investment, early stage incubation and funding, as well as mentorship and this is our main focus for the next phase of the Think Science Program," said Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon, managing director of the Emirates Foundation.
Within the 'Future Science Entrepreneurs Platform', successfully incubated projects are showcased as case studies.
Emirates Foundation partner companies that have enabled these youth innovations to be launched include D's Group Supplying Solutions and Care, which incubated the 'Autism Shirt', a unique project to reduce neurological meltdowns and tantrums suffered by autism patients.
TOP 5 science projects
Developing solutions for people of determination, aiding the environment, using technology to tackle world problems or just quirky experiments: the UAE's students are getting attention for their their science fair presentations.
A total 240 projects from 678 were being showcased at the Think Science Fair at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Khaleej Times picked out five interesting projects that stood out from the crowd.
* Unbreakable Glass
After hearing about the increasing police fatalities in the US, students from the GEMS Modern Academy invented glass that cannot be broken by any internal or external factors.
Khaleej Times tried hammering the glass so it would break, but there was not a crack. Fahim Abdul Ghani, one of the students, said: "To create this glass, we melted glass rods, put the melted part in cold water and followed a few other steps to make it bulletproof and unbreakable. It cost only Dh100 to make, but a full vest would cost Dh6,000."
* Foot-charge your phone
Two Sharjah-based students developed a fast solution to a problem everyone faces: a dead mobile phone battery. Their invention lets you recharge their phones by simply walking.
Al Riffa High School for Girls students created a special motion energy harvester that can be attached under any footwear, to create and store energy in a battery. The battery power can then be used to recharge a mobile phone or anything else. Its aim is to create more renewable energy resources and help make the planet greener by reducing our carbon footprint.
* Paper that cleans itself
No need to buy an eraser, produce paper waste and damage the environment: a type of paper that can clean itself was another highlight at the fair.
Ameera Al Remeithi, a Zayed University student, invented papers that can be wiped clean of any kind of ink once it's exposed to sunlight. A special kind of chemical is applied to these recyclable papers, which can be written, drawn or painted on.
"This will help reduce make our planet greener. We can reuse the paper over and over again and reduce our paper waste," she said.
. A classroom desk for the deaf
A group of students from the Al Ittihad Private School in Jumeirah displayed an idea of creating a classroom table customised to students suffering from deafness or hearing loss.
The project, called 'The Interactiv', enables such students to attend a mainstream school. The table will hold a device that can convert voice into text. It will also be able to attach lights that reflect the student's purpose for using the device, which means each colour will have different meanings.
"It'll not only help deaf students, but also the people around them," said Hawa Bizan, one of the students. "Our creation will make people with hearing disabilities feel they're a part of society, helping them gain self-confidence. We hope The Interactiv helps many students in their classrooms or learning environments."
* Affordable way of transmitting data underwater
Forget Wi-Fi; Li-Fi is the new best thing, according to Ragdha Abuolwan, a student at the Abu Dhabi University, who was displaying her project called 'Application of Li-Fi'.
It consists of an underwater robot employing a wire of light. Li-Fi can be used to transmit data files efficiently from USB to USB, without the need to connect them with wires or Wi-Fi. "It's a wireless communication system which can potentially stand alongside Wi-Fi. We use fibre optics underwater to transfer that data. However, these systems are expensive. Li-Fi will be able to transmit data under water through affordable means. We use visible light, which is a green communications system that does not harm living organisms underwater," Abuolwan said.
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'Mohareb Drone' is a project adopted by Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments, aiming to identify unauthorised drones using a manned helicopter. 'Braille Eye', incubated by UAE University Science Park, is a phone-like device with a fixed camera which allows writing recognition in various languages.
"Through our Think Science Program, we aim to foster sustainable innovation based on science and technology, in an attempt to empower the youth to build and drive the UAE's economy towards sustainable progress and development," Maytha Al Habsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation, said.
A total of 17 prizes will be awarded in 13 science categories. Awards will include first prize for each school and university category, including 'Best of the Best Project at School Level', 'Best of the Best Project at University Level' and the 'Think Science 2018 People's Choice Award' and, for the first time, 'Think Science 2018 Outstanding Display Award'.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com
Dubai Police pushes use of tech in crime scene investigations
Sarwat Nasir
dubai - Extracting DNA, collecting fingerprints and identifying the deceased - these are all the jobs of a forensic scientist hard at work on a crime scene.
To make this process more time-efficient and thorough, the Dubai Police Scientist's Council was established less than five months ago. It consists of a group of policemen, researchers and scientists aiming to use advanced sciences within Dubai Police field work and other duties.
The team was present at the Think Science Fair on April 16, where they briefed visitors on council objectives and goals. It was formed in parallel with the Scientist's Council that was formed at the country's federal level.
"We focus on many different fields, including chemistry and forensic sciences - these are ways where science can help determine justice," Dr Hamad Mansoor Alawar, member of the Dubai Police Scientist's Council, told Khaleej Times.
"Any scientific field that will help get justice is important to us. We are looking to use artificial intelligence (AI) in crime scenes. We are targeting uses for genome research, how can we use DNA in a different manner than just identifying a person, what else can we extract from a crime scene fingerprint etc.
"Our main aim is to push the UAE government's agenda, in terms of promoting scientific research that helps our country's development," Dr Alawar said.
The council's three different committees work collaboratively, apart from their own specific areas.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com
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