Dubai, 15 July 2018: The Ministry
of Education’s Ambassadors 2018 Program will kick off with the first batch of
“Ambassador +” students arriving to the prestigious National University of
Singapore. A total of 125 higher education students will be part of the “Ambassador
+” enrichment program for this summer. These students have been divided into
groups and will each be visiting a destination to witness the state of the art
science and research centers and receive hands-on expertise and knowledge
related to innovation and entrepreneurship.
30 of the Emirati students will
be attending the enrichment program at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia,
Canada, 21 on the program at National University Singapore in Singapore, meanwhile
43 will be attending the program in University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass
Amherst) in Boston, USA and 31 the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public
Affairs in Syracuse University, New York, USA.
Commenting on the program, Dr.
Mohammad Al Mualla, the Undersecretary for Higher Education Academic Affairs,
said: “We are excited to see what our students will return with from an
educational, cultural and personal development standpoint from their trips
abroad. We have created an exciting program for them to see what leading
international institutions are doing and how they are applying innovative
solutions and technologies to industries in the region. The Ministry of Education
received the applications of 1,224 university students for the “Ambassador +”
program and of the total we have enrolled 125 of them into this unique summer
program.”
University of Massachusetts
Amherst (UMass Amherst)
The students attending the
four-week enrichment program at UMass Amherst will take part in interactive
team-based classes and undergo a session titled “Ideas that Change the World”
that covers several topics like climate change and emergence of green technology.
Students will also visit the makerspace lab where they will be assigned the
task of coming up with a solution to one of the modules they are studying.
Students will also visit the UMass farm to learn about urban farming,
sustainability, and complete a community gardening project.
UMass Amherst is one of the leading
public research universities in the USA. It’s also considered the largest
public university in New England and amongst the top 27 public universities in the
country. The university offers a rich cultural environment.
The students will get the chance
to tour the city and visit the Prudential Center, Boston Common (the central
public park in downtown Boston) and explore the historic sites of Boston via
the famous Duck Tour. They will also pay a visit to the LabCentral, which is
the first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for
high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups.
After Boston, the students will visit
New York City and attend a workshop at the United Nations Headquarters, dine at
the famous Times Square, get onboard a sightseeing boat tour and enjoy the
timeless Broadway show “Phantom of the Opera”.
Dalhousie University
Students enrolled in the 3-week
enrichment program at Dalhousie University will undergo a course that
introduces them to the practical application of critical and ethical thinking
by exploring pertinent national and international sectors in fields such as
law, education, science, technology, health, and global politics. Students will
also be part of activities such as debates, role-playing and formal
presentations.
Dalhousie University is one of
Canada’s oldest universities known for its innovative academic programs and
pioneering research and interactive learning,
The students will also visit the
University’s ideaHUB, an advanced engineering incubator/accelerator space that
aims to enhance the educational experience, to equip them with the creative and
entrepreneurial skills required for the future. They will also get the chance
to tour the “Sandboxes” space at Dalhousie which encourages students to
experiment and collaborate within different disciplines.
Whilst in Canada, the students
will explore, Pratt & Whitney aerospace manufacturer, Ultra Electronics, Emera,
Lafarge Canada, Meta Materials, Nautel, High liner Foods, Bedford Institute of
Oceanography and Nova Scotia’s Solid Waste Division.
The National University of
Singapore
During the 3-week enrichment
program at the University of Singapore, ranked amongst the world's leading universities
and is Singapore’s flagship university, students will partake in workshops that
seek to foster development in various areas. The workshops will feature topics
related to design thinking, customer journey, project management, market
research, financial planning and quality assessment.
The students will also take part
in programming and development courses covering a broad range of topics such as
Fintech and blockchain, Soft robots, 3D-printing, CubeSat and Drones.
A visit to Blk71 is scheduled for
students as its home to hundreds of tech-related start-ups, venture capitalists
and incubators. Whilst at Blk71 they will learn about intellectual property rights
and meet with successful entrepreneurs.
The Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs in Syracuse University
The Maxwell School of Citizenship
and Public Affairs in Syracuse University is home to innovative,
interdisciplinary teaching and research in the social sciences, public policy,
public administration, and international relations.
The 3-week enrichment program
will teach students about government, public and environmental policies,
economic development, poverty and social welfare, citizen engagement in the
public policy process and social entrepreneurship and innovation.
The students will also go sightseeing
in New York and visit the legendary Niagara Falls, deep Finger Lakes and the New
York State Museum.
The Ambassadors Program
The Ministry of Education
launched the Ambassadors program in 2016. In its 2018 edition, 1,080 students and teachers from
public schools and universities have been selected to be part of the Ministry’s
phenomenal summer programs that help transfer essential knowledge and expose
students to practices from elite institutions aligned with the UAE ambitions towards
a knowledge-based economy.
The Ambassadors Program 2018
consists of 8 programs and will see the participation of 200 students in its Future
Ambassadors, 300 in its Ambassadors of Innovation, 160 in its Ambassadors
of Giving, 50 in its Diplomatic Ambassadors, 80 in its Ambassadors
of Sports Excellence and 60 in its Masterpieces Program.
Meanwhile 144 teachers will be
part of the Ambassadors of Education program and 125 higher education
students will be part of the Ambassador + program.
The different groups part of the 2018
Program will be spread across 10 destinations; USA, Switzerland, Tanzania,
Singapore, United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Canada.
16/07/2018