Following the success of the Intel Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) program which helped Jordanian students to win awards of excellence at Intel ISEF 2006 in Indianapolis; Intel, the Ministry of Education (MOE), and MobileCom, a member of the Jordan Telecom Group, announced today the extension of their agreement to allow students to participate in this international competition for the year 2007.
Under this agreement signed by Minister of Education Dr. Khalid Toukan on behalf of the Ministry, Intel EMEA Education Director Dr. Martina Roth on behalf of Intel and MobileCom CEO Majd Shweikeh on behalf of MobileCom, the Intel education team in Jordan, MOE and MobileCom will carry out a marketing campaign to promote the local and affiliated fairs as well as related activities to be held in Jordan. This will give Jordanian students the opportunity to compete in the local fairs and internationally at Intel ISEF 2007, which will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 13-19, 2007.
Minister of Education Dr. Khaled Toukan underlined the importance of providing space for students to unleash their energy and creativity. He also thanked Intel for its initiative, which helped motivate Jordanian talents to invent and implement promising projects.
Three local fairs will be organized in the three districts of the Kingdom of Jordan (North, Middle and South) where students will be able to present (individually or as group projects) their innovative science projects to a committee of judges. The judges will be selected by the MOE from Jordanian Universities holding PhDs, each in his area of specialization according to the 17 scientific categories. The top six projects will be selected to participate in the Intel ISEF 2007 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and compete with students from over 40 countries.
“We are pleased to continue our alliance with the Jordanian Ministry of Education with the support of MobileCom in extending this program in Jordan and believe that education is the catalyst which can propel youth to new heights. As part of our global World Ahead program, we continue to invest in education and create opportunities for students to excel in the global arena,” said Dr. Martina Roth, Intel EMEA Education Director.
Intel will provide financial support to finalists to assist them in developing a prototype for their projects. This will be awarded for a maximum of six projects with an amount that will not exceed JD500 per project. MobileCom, on the other hand, will cover traveling expenses for 18 persons going to Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend Intel ISEF 2007.
MobileCom’s CEO Majd Shweikeh said: “MobileCom’s backing for Intel ISEF translates its strategic commitment towards supporting Jordanian youth and helping them to fulfill their ambitions by developing their competencies, showcasing their talents and competing with their Western counterparts. We believe in endorsing local talent and in sponsoring this initiative, we can help youth unleash their potential. The wide acclaim these competitions had is the fruit of an efficient and effective collaboration, encouraging us to continue our support and adoption of such youth related initiatives.”
MobileCom’s support for Intel ISEF in year 2005-2006, took various aspects, such as the company’s launch of a creative advertising and media campaign on different stages to increase the awareness of the fair and its international status, and to encourage the students wherever they were to take part in it. The company’s support to the fair also helped to improve the level of the local fairs and to finance a number of promising projects in addition to giving a chance for a larger number of students to partake in the local competition, leading to increasing the number of the Jordanian delegation to the international fair in the United States (8 students and 4 supervisors). The leading GSM operator provided all the facilities for the Jordanian delegation; from air flight tickets, traveling procedures, uniforms, to daily allowances and mobile lines with scratch cards in order for them to stay in contact with their family and friends. MobileCom also paid all the expenses for the final ceremony.
Intel ISEF is the world’s largest international science fair representing all life sciences for students. Every year, more than one million students in grades 9-12 participate in regional science fairs and nearly 500 Intel ISEF-affiliated fairs held around the world. Thousands of students from different countries compete in a number of scientific categories in what is considered by some to be the version of a Nobel Prize for young scientists. To learn how to participate in ISEF, please visit: http://www.intel.com/education/isef/participate.htm
Intel ISEF is the world’s only international science fair. Every year, more than one million students in grades 9-12 participate in regional science fairs. Over 1200 students from nearly 500 countries win the chance to compete for more than $3 million in scholarships and prizes at the Intel ISEF in a number of scientific categories such as mathematics, science, technology, engineering, and more.
In May 2005, at the state of Arizona, USA, Jordan took part in the international fair with two projects, a single and a group project. With the support of MobileCom, a member of Jordan Telecom Group, Jordan also took part in May 2006 in the international fair held at the state of Indiana, USA with four single projects and two group projects.
