A month ahead of its opening on October 10-20, the Abu Dhabi Science Festival 2012 is touring schools to introduce the captivating activities of this year’s Festival to the students and their teachers in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia. The official Festival mascots will also be on these tours in which exciting activities will be performed to enthuse the children about this amazing science event. The highly popular Festival, held under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and organized by the Technology Development Committee takes place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the Corniche (West Plaza) and bespoke locations at Al Ain and Al Gharbia. The Festival which saw overwhelming success last year in attracting over 100,000 visitors is a strategic initiative by the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC), dedicated to the engagement and inspiration of the nation’s children with science related hands-on activities as part of a wider plan geared towards building Abu Dhabi’s talent base in science, technology and innovation.

ADEC’s Director General, H.E. Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili lauded efforts by teachers and schools in encouraging and enhancing student’s interest to pursue Science. “Unlike in the past, students these days enjoy studying Science and are excited to take part in Science related activities. This significant improvement demonstrates ADEC’s determination in equipping students with advanced skills and capabilities, thanks to the wise vision and guidance of our prudent leadership.”

Abu Dhabi schools have experienced an educational transformation in the past few years, especially after introducing ADEC’s New School Model, which is being introduced in phases, starting with Cycle 1 schools. “We have moved from a traditional way of teaching to a holistic education, one which encourages critical thinking, scientific research, problem solving, teamwork skills and strong English and Arabic languages; all helpful traits that ensure students are successful in their universities and future career paths,” concluded His Excellency.

H.E. Ahmed Saeed Al Calily, Director General at Technology Development Committee stated: “Encouraged by the phenomenal participation of school groups to last year’s Festival we have expanded the capacity of the organized school tours to this year’s edition by 25%. We have been working closely with the Abu Dhabi Education Council and we are thrilled to share that the capacity of organized school tours to the Abu Dhabi Science Festival 2012 is now fully booked with over 20,000 students visiting. The Festival’s educational partnership with ADEC ensures that the Science Festival supports the ADEC led education reforms and complements the classroom curriculum with informal science education experiences. Abu Dhabi Science Festival 2012’s program of events enables children to connect the fun activities with learning, as part of Abu Dhabi’s drive towards a knowledge economy. Science Festivals are a global best-practice format of Science Popularization, which have proven to inspire young minds to look at the world through inquisitive eyes and the aim of Abu Dhabi Science Festival is to inspire our children to pursue education and careers in Science, Technology and Innovation. Last year, the impact of the activities was astounding, leaving our school children aspiring to be future engineers, chemists and heart surgeons.”

The Festival mascot tours running for the four weeks leading to the event are raising awareness and excitement in school children across the Emirate with “Hamad” and “Fatema” promoting what the event brings on, helping students visualize the superb activities on offer at the Festival. For some schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia the tour also engages the students with two exciting activities similar to those experienced at the Festival. In the stimulating interactive workshop Power from the People, students will discover secrets of electricity first-hand on generating green electricity. While learning about weather and water cycles in the Wonderful World of Water show, students are taught how water changes from one state to another.

In 2012, the number of students attending as part of their schools will be up by 25% versus last year’s Festival, with over 20,000 children due to take part. Over 880 classes from 224 schools of Abu Dhabi, Al Gharbia and Al Ain will be attending the Festival through organized school tours, with over 450 teachers galvanized to ensure that our children get the best out of the experience. The organized tours at this year’s Festival include pupils with special needs who are also promised a fulfilling experience.

The school tours will run daily during the 11 day Abu Dhabi Science Festival, except for weekends. Visitors can pre-plan their visit and book favorite activities through the Festival’s website www.abudhabisciencefestival.ae. Tickets will also be available at the Festival entry for those who are unable to plan their visits in advance.

The Abu Dhabi Science Festival is organized by the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council as Education Partner, Edinburgh International Science Festival as Programming Partner, Tawazun as Presenting Sponsor, Dolphin Energy as Main Sponsor; in affiliation with ADNOC, Etihad Airways, Total and Masdar; and produced by Flash Entertainment.

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