Dubai Science Park and Foremarke School Inspire STEM Interest Among Children

Dubai - UAE: 21 April, 2019 – Dubai Science Park (DSP), a holistic science-focused business community, hosted a Science Fun Day in partnership with Foremarke School, one of the leading British preparatory schools in Dubai. The community event featured several activities centred around science, sports, health as well as the arts.

The event aligned with DSP’s mission to raise public awareness about the importance of science and enhance its appeal among the youth and local talent. Promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is also a key priority for the UAE government that has stepped up its support for STEM and innovation education across the country in recent years. STEM education encourages children to think in a more integrated and holistic way whilst building enthusiasm and exposing them to some of the most in-demand industries of the future.

Parents and children enjoyed a day filled with fun activities. Foremarke School gathered children for arts and crafts and teachers stimulated their curiosity with interactive science experiments such as “Crazy Chemical Chaos”, “Wacky Polymers Slime Making” and “Giant Bubble Making”.  Gulf Star Sports provided friendly basketball, football and rugby matches, encouraging children and their parents to take part and The Cycle Hub created an easy and fun bicycle obstacle course, as a great way to get kids to practice making turns and enjoy the freedom to ride a bike. Visitors also got the chance to explore an ambulance through Mediclinic who also hosted an “Ask the Doctor” session.

“We were pleased to have hosted this community event with Foremarke School,” said Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Managing Director of Dubai Science Park and Chairing Member of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment Taskforce of the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030. “Of late, there has been an increased interest in the STEM field, with more and more children being involved in science-related classes and activities from an early age. It is well known that children learn best when stimulated through creative play and events such as this one enables us to create a fun-filled environment that can spark an interest for subjects that will be useful in the future.”

Zoe Woolley, Headmistress of Foremarke School, said: “The event was all about families coming together to have fun by engaging in a range of interactive sports activities while experiencing science focused demonstrations. Our teaching staff were delighted to showcase some entertaining experiments which both children and parents loved. We are a school dedicated to progressing the STEM agenda - encouraging enthusiasm amongst children for science and STEM subjects was the aim of the day, as well as motivating families to get fit and healthy.”

In the future, STEM subjects will open a wealth of opportunities for young people, not only boosting their employment prospects but also enabling them to negotiate higher salaries upon entering the workforce. In this context, students need to be aware of the career options that await them, many of which do not yet exist today.  Activities that engage creative minds through sciences are crucial to develop the critical thinking skills that will be needed for the job requirements of future industries.  There is currently a STEMs skills shortage globally, and a huge demand for top talents in these fields. As the future becomes increasingly more digital-focused, there will be a need for more STEM professionals.

As a hub that enables the development of human, plant, material, environmental and energy science, DSP plans to support several initiatives throughout the year that promote the sciences in a practical and fun way.