A series of space-related activities will be held across the UAE for the next three months to get pupils and students excited about the galaxies beyond the stars.
The Generation Hope Initiatives, organised by the UAE Space Agency and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, aim to foster a new generation of space enthusiasts, future academics and engineers.
The initiatives include competitions, webinars, science camps and programmes for pupils, academics and teachers.
They begin next month with Hope's Science Journey webinars that will teach participants about the UAE's Mars mission. The Hope probe, launched from Japan in July is currently en route to the Red Planet, where it will gather data for scientific research.
Two Hope Camps will be held over December and January. The first will last five days and will invite pupils aged 12 to 18 to learn about space and the Mars mission.
The second, two-day camp will be more specialised and invite distinguished undergraduates studying stem subjects to take part. The Emirates Mars Mission Team will share their expertise and provide insights about the mission.
Reaching Mars is not the final goal, but it's the means for us to build a culture built on research, exploration, and innovation
“Inspiring youth and increasing their interest in the space sector is one of the most important strategic objectives of the Emirates Mars Mission," said Noora Al Rafi, deputy project manager of strategic planning for the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM).
"It comes as part of the efforts to contribute to the national diversified economy – one that is built on knowledge and innovation."
The annual Teacher Ambassador Programme, in its sixth year, will also be held next month.
Stem teachers from schools across the country will be trained to serve as ambassadors at EMM educational initiatives. They will be given material to educate and train a new generation of space scientists and engineers.
The Newton Stem Challenge, a competition for teachers, will be held in December. It will challenge teachers to design a game, experiment or activity to explain Newton’s laws of motion based on their current curriculum learning objectives.
"Reaching Mars is not the final goal, but it’s the means for us to build a culture built on research, exploration, and innovation," said Omran Sharaf, project director of the mission.
"At the same time, these outreach programmes provide the mission team with an opportunity to share its knowledge and experience with the next generation."
Next summer, Emirati students specialising in space can take part in the Research Experience of Undergraduates Programme, which will allow them to be mentored by members of the Mars mission team and gain practical and research-based experience at distinguished space science facilities in the UAE and abroad.
“Five years ago there was little known of jobs in the space sector. Now the thinking has changed. Now there is a path,” said Hessa Al Matrooshi, science deputy project manager.
“Developing scientific capabilities in the UAE is an important pillar for the UAE government’s vision as encourage an environment that motivates innovation and scientific research and fosters a new generation of Emirati scientists, researchers and academics."
Moza Alsharif, Emirates Mars Mission Science Initiatives Coordinator, said there had been a significant increase in interest towards studying space among students since the UAE began its space activities.
“We have noticed that there is a change in culture where it was very minimal in the early days but now you see many students entering confidently because they know they is something at the end of the road and you see parents who are less hesitant that their children are entering this field,” she said.
Since the Research Experience of Undergraduates Programme began in 2015, the number of students has steadily increased with more than100,000 students and teachers having now taken part in these community outreach initiatives.
"Overall, the programme has affected dozens of students and some changed their career path to pursue space science research as a career. We look forward to more success stories as a result of this programme,” said Ms Alsharif.
Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
SPECS
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