Muscat: The Ministry of Education organized a press conference here on Monday on the upcoming 3rd edition of Oman Science Festival 2022.
The festival will run from October 10-15, 2022, under the theme “With Science we meet again”.
The press conference was attended by Dr Abdullah Khamis Ambusaidi, Education Undersecretary, Chairman of the Main Committee of the Oman Science Festival.
The Education Undersecretary said: “Oman Science Festival is a forum for science and scholars, which will be held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (OCEC), where it gathers more than (70) scientific corners with (452) activities that cover several fields.”
Those fields, Dr Abdullah added, include health, energy, programming, and others, presented by a large number of governmental, private, military and security institutions and a number of international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Food Organization (FAO), UNESCO, ISESCO, the University of Glasgow and the Calcio Institute of Technology in Germany, which presents a number of scientific concepts, scientific competitions and workshops, and technological devices and applications in an attractive and enjoyable way for students, teachers and members of society.
He further said: “The festival aims mainly to communicate science to students and members of society in an easy and interactive way that stimulates creative thinking, and to create a positive trend towards science, innovation and scientific research.”
“The festival also aims to keep pace with global trends based on the dissemination of science and technology and the expected future changes and developments. This festival will host four scientific discussion sessions that address contemporary global issues over two consecutive days, bringing together a group of professors and academics from international organizations and government institutions from inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman.”
Dr Maya al Azari, Head of the Scientific Committee of the Festival in its third edition, gave a presentation on the vision, goals, activities, and pillars of the festival.
Dr Maya said that the festival’s activities will be held at OCEC, including corners, scientific workshops, and the theater that will host the discussion sessions, is estimated at (12,000) square metres. She added that the objectives of the festival is to spread scientific culture among various segments of society, whether they are school students, students of higher education institutions and others interested in science.
The festival, Dr Maya said, represents a link between students and sectors concerned with science and innovation, and the dissemination of scientific culture among members of society and its output in an easy and attractive way that encourages students to realize the importance of science in life, urging them to innovate and to continue learning in scientific disciplines.
Each of the festival’s corners will also host a number of diverse activities, as well as an exhibition of scientific innovations, which will include more than (75) scientific innovations, innovators’ workshops and various scientific competitions that continue throughout the festival days such as a drone competition, Stimazone, and other scientific competitions.
The festival also includes two scientific theaters: Ahmed bin Majid Theater, which will host more than (300) visitors, and Ibn Al Haytham Theater which will host more than (20) visitors. As for the discussion sessions, there are four discussion sessions, covering four themes, food security, cybersecurity, climate change and its impacts, and astronomy and space sciences.
