Tech Quest inspires budding Emirati scientists

With activities including flying remote-controlled drones and building surgical robots, Tech Quest was as much about having fun as learning science.

The two-week programme, funded by Mubadala’s Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), is designed to bring science to life for Emirati high-school students through hands-on activities and interactive learning. The hope is that many of them will consider careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The theme was ‘City of the Future’ and the modules included aerospace, healthcare, semiconductors and mechatronics.

Aisha Yousif, 16, a student at Applied Technology High School (ATHS), said: “The aerospace module was amazing! Tech Quest shows us new technologies that we have to know for the future.

“The UAE is a developing country and we need technology to develop. Young Emirati people have to start learning technology because there are not many engineers and scientists in this field who are Emiratis. Most of them go into business and politics and so on.”

More than 70 students from schools in and around the capital took part in the Abu Dhabi strand of Tech Quest, which was held at the Masdar Institute. Divided into groups, they were introduced to some of the cutting-edge technologies being used in scientific research today.

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Tech Quest inspires budding Emirati scientists