Saudi students to compete for creative science awards

Modern Electronics Company Ltd. (MECL) and Sony Middle East & Africa (SOMEA) have achieved excellent progress toward the final “training phase” of the 8th edition of Sony Creative Science Awards 2013.
They made the announcement at a press conference held at the Prince Sultan Science and Technology Center (SCITECH), Alkhobar.
Prince Mohamed Khaled Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, president and CEO, Al-Faisaliah Group, Ziad Al-Tunisi, vice-president and COO, Al-Faisaliah Group, Bader Al-Swailem, managing director of Modern Electronics Company Ltd., Kazuteru Makiyama, director of sales & marketing, Modern Electronics Company and Sony’s chief representative in Saudi Arabia, and Khaled Al-Zharani, acting general manager, Modern Electronics Company, addressed the press conference.
Sony and MECL launched the Sony Creative Science Award, the first-ever initiative of its kind in the Kingdom, in 2005 with the support of the Al-Faisaliah Group.
The initiative encourages students to create a project based on scientific theories .
Prince Mohamed Khaled Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, president and CEO of Al-Faisaliah Group, said: “The future of our nation is strengthened by our young people’s appreciation for science and innovation. Our commitment to participate in supporting and discovering talents among our youngsters is part of our responsibility toward our community and country.”
He said: “We are continuously seeking to discover and develop those creative and talented students, and to empower the Saudi youth to create and show their innovations in the diversified fields of science and technology.”
He said: “It is therefore important to spread the concept of creativity and invention among our children and rehabilitate them to keep them abreast of the continuing scientific developments so that they become the leaders of a bright future in this great nation.”
Kazuteru Makiyama, director of sales and marketing and chief representative for Sony in the Kingdom, said: “Over these past eight years, the competition has seen an impressive cumulative participation of more than 6,950 students.”
Makiyama said: “In the 2013 SCSA edition, almost 1,500 students will benefit from our teaching methods and training that gives the students a new way of looking at the school science curricula.”
This year, he said the Sony Creative Science Awards reached out to the expatriate English language medium schools in Alkhobar whose students are also taking part in the training process.
“We are also thankful to the Prince Sultan Science and Technology Center for partnering with us in providing their facilities to train the students and conduct the jury selection process,” said Makiyama.
The aim of MECL/SONY is to engage children’s imagination and curiosity with science through the Sony Creative Science Awards.