ALKHOBAR, 17 March 2007 — Hundreds of people turned out Thursday for the nation’s largest science fair to date, with teenage boys and girls from across the Kingdom showing off their research and inventions. The Science Fair was organized by the Alkhobar-based Talents Center and the King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for the Gifted with support from Intel Education, Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Science and Technology Center and IT Digest.
Individual students and teams from high schools and middle schools in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province took part with projects in physics, geology, chemistry, biology, mathematics electronics/control and engineering. Judges from the Ministry of Education, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Aramco and the Foundation for the Gifted evaluated the projects after which the winners were honored at a banquet.
“To make science fun, we had working stations set up for younger kids to learn about science, which was organized by Iman Al-Matar of the Wonders of Science Club, a community group in Saudi Aramco,” said Talents Center founder Saeed A. Saeed, a Saudi Aramco engineer who runs the center in his spare time. He said Intel Education sent a team of consultants from Jordan to help organize the event and ensure its success. Saudi Aramco’s Amr S. Madani donated his time to serve as project manager for the event.
“We have had similar events in the past but nothing on this scale before,” said Dr. Omar Al-Muammar from the Foundation for the Gifted. “We’re going to have several regional competitions like this to foster gifted students’ abilities and to maximize their potential.”
Saeed started the Talents Center three years ago to offer classes in science, engineering and process control automation to youngsters after school and on weekends. During that time, the center has fielded three teams of Saudi youngsters to take part in international robotics competitions in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Other science and engineering professionals have volunteered their time to teach teenagers and even elementary-school aged children classes in a variety of disciplines.
Al-Muammar said the center’s program was a perfect fit with the strategy of the Foundation for the Gifted, which is ramping up its activities across the Kingdom to energize Saudi youngsters.
“This is a unique model,” Al-Muammar said of the Talents Center. “The group that is working on this is very committed, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The foundation is extremely happy to partner with very successful people like these.” He said the Talents Center staff should be a role model not only for Saudi youth but for Saudi professionals across the country, as well.
“It really touches my heart to see these people donating their time and expertise to make this event happen,” Al-Muammar said. “They are fostering a love of science, engineering and information technology in our young people. This is exactly the kind of human capital we need from the next generation.”
