The Abu Dhabi Education Council, in collaboration with Ernst and Young and Tribal Plant, has organised a forum called Digital Innovation in Education, which will be taking place on April 25 at the Mubarak bin Mohammed School in Abu Dhabi.

As part of the event, Emirati students will take part in a new mobile platform called ‘Citizen Science’ which promises to further enhance passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem), through equipping students with skills and ambitions necessary to help solve daily challenges facing the world in the next 50 years and beyond, said a press statement.

Citizen Science aims to connect young people around the globe with each other, their local environment, the global scientific research community and their future employers. It will provide digital content, experiments and challenges developed by some of the world’s most renowned education and scientific institutions to encourage young people to experiment, learn and get excited about Stem disciplines, the statement added.

Delegates at the event will include leaders across government, education and businesses in the UAE, world renowned scientists and digital visionaries.

Some of the prominent keynote speakers at the event will include: Stephen Farrell, senior partner at Ernst and Young Mena; Jeff Martin, founder and CEO of Tribal Planet and visionary behind Citizen Science; and Scott Kelly, the US astronaut who recently returned from the International Space Station as the longest serving astronaut.

Accompanying them on stage will be Dr Carol O’Donnell, director of the Smithsonian Science Education Centre, who will share her perspectives on the critical need to develop the next generation of scientists and innovators.

Josh Bernstein, science educator and explorer, formerly with the Discovery and History Channels, will present a special edition film, a pilot of Citizen Science in Abu Dhabi with 15 Emirati school children, the first children in the world to use the platform. – TradeArabia News Service