The third edition of Najah Qatari Festival hosted a group of Arab scientists and intellectuals at the Najah Arab Forum to discuss their successes and shed light on the creative minds in the Arab world. The Najah Qatari Festival is being held at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
The forum, moderated by Majid al-Mansouri, hosted Dr Essam Hajji, Egyptian space scientist and member of the scientific team at Nasa; Dr Ali al-Maktoumi, associate professor at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman; Dr Khaled al-Ali, consultant and former CEO at Nasa and a member of the Jury of Stars of Science in Qatar; as well as Dr Oula Amrouni, researcher at the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies in Tunisia.
In their speeches, the scientists and intellectuals praised the tremendous efforts attached by Qatar to science, scientists and investment in its youth through the Qatar Foundation.
They stressed that the building of the nations can only be achieved through combating ignorance and focusing on science and knowledge and giving the educational process the utmost importance, stressing the role of participation and sharing success with parents and the Arab world for the good of all.
In this regard, Dr Hajji said that science is an integral part of the Arab identity and called for more spending on science, adding education is the most powerful weapon in the fight against intolerance and extremism.
He expressed his happiness at the setting up of the earth and space science project at Education City in Qatar, adding, “It is a nucleus of a distinctive space project, not to send someone to space or to discover Mars or fame, but to discover our dearest and most precious thing, which is water.”
The project aims to design the first Arab scientific satellite that monitors all groundwater maps in the world and examines the special climatic changes in the desert and dry areas in order to understand the environment.
The project was proposed in 2012 during the World Summit on Climate that was hosted by Doha.
“This satellite will be launched in 2024,” he said, noting that it is the first Arab satellite to be launched in cooperation with international institutions and mainly with Arab countries that share the same problems in order to solve the water crisis.
Dr al-Ali stressed that there are still challenges for this generation to break into it, referring to the role of parents and family in influencing the youth personality, pointing out that the environment in which he lived opened many doors for him, and he referred at the same time to his experience in Qatar Science and Technology Park, as he is one of the founders, as well as his experience in the programme Stars of Science.
Dr al-Ali also spoke about the dialectic between (teaching and indoctrination), pointing out that indoctrination is not always successful, calling youth for diligence and research, recalling in this regard that when he was studying planets in a class, he was not limited to what was presented in classes but curiosity pushed him to buy a telescope, to observe space and planets, noting that this was a self-directed effort, calling on young people to have high ambition.
Dr al-Maktoumi said that the Qatari youth are fortunate and that everything is conducive for their success, pointing out that science is not limited to a particular gender, or a certain category, praising Qatar that supports everyone: Qataris, Arabs and foreigners.
Dr al-Amrouni pointed out that there are physical and subjective challenges to success, adding that technological conditions and finding of a suitable research space, as well as family obligations for women as a mother and housewife, sometimes stand as an obstacle to her success.
Dr al-Amrouni called for sharing successful experiences with the current generation, stressing the issue of continuity and success, adding that when she came to Qatar, she was fascinated by the conditions available to scientists and researchers, stressing the importance of educating women, as she is considered as the half of society and the spreading of science and knowledge.
In their speeches, the scientists and intellectuals praised the tremendous efforts attached by Qatar to science, scientists and investment in its youth through the Qatar Foundation.
They stressed that the building of the nations can only be achieved through combating ignorance and focusing on science and knowledge and giving the educational process the utmost importance, stressing the role of participation and sharing success with parents and the Arab world for the good of all.
In this regard, Dr Hajji said that science is an integral part of the Arab identity and called for more spending on science, adding education is the most powerful weapon in the fight against intolerance and extremism.
He expressed his happiness at the setting up of the earth and space science project at Education City in Qatar, adding, “It is a nucleus of a distinctive space project, not to send someone to space or to discover Mars or fame, but to discover our dearest and most precious thing, which is water.”
The project aims to design the first Arab scientific satellite that monitors all groundwater maps in the world and examines the special climatic changes in the desert and dry areas in order to understand the environment.
The project was proposed in 2012 during the World Summit on Climate that was hosted by Doha.
“This satellite will be launched in 2024,” he said, noting that it is the first Arab satellite to be launched in cooperation with international institutions and mainly with Arab countries that share the same problems in order to solve the water crisis.
Dr al-Ali stressed that there are still challenges for this generation to break into it, referring to the role of parents and family in influencing the youth personality, pointing out that the environment in which he lived opened many doors for him, and he referred at the same time to his experience in Qatar Science and Technology Park, as he is one of the founders, as well as his experience in the programme Stars of Science.
Dr al-Ali also spoke about the dialectic between (teaching and indoctrination), pointing out that indoctrination is not always successful, calling youth for diligence and research, recalling in this regard that when he was studying planets in a class, he was not limited to what was presented in classes but curiosity pushed him to buy a telescope, to observe space and planets, noting that this was a self-directed effort, calling on young people to have high ambition.
Dr al-Maktoumi said that the Qatari youth are fortunate and that everything is conducive for their success, pointing out that science is not limited to a particular gender, or a certain category, praising Qatar that supports everyone: Qataris, Arabs and foreigners.
Dr al-Amrouni pointed out that there are physical and subjective challenges to success, adding that technological conditions and finding of a suitable research space, as well as family obligations for women as a mother and housewife, sometimes stand as an obstacle to her success.
Dr al-Amrouni called for sharing successful experiences with the current generation, stressing the issue of continuity and success, adding that when she came to Qatar, she was fascinated by the conditions available to scientists and researchers, stressing the importance of educating women, as she is considered as the half of society and the spreading of science and knowledge.
