JEDDAH: For the fifteenth year in a row, some of Saudi Arabia’s most talented students will participate in one of the most important global scientific competitions with the help of King Abdul Aziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba).
The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2021) will be held in Washington, DC in May, and 35 Saudi students will compete alongside 2,000 others from 75 countries.
This week, a workshop to prepare the students for ISEF 2021 was attended by winners of the Ibdaa 2021 fair from 10 educational departments, where they were provided with the necessary tools and skills to perform at the competition.
The workshop included specialized classes to review the scientific projects they will be presenting, train students in public speaking and presentation skills, and educate them in conducting individual interviews with members of the scientific committee and the jury at ISEF 2021.
In addition, enriching lectures were given by a group of Mawhiba alumni, who had previously participated and represented the Kingdom in ISEF contests.
A number of experts in various disciplines were appointed by Mawhiba to supervise the students to boost their performance levels and morale. Supervisors focused discussions on methodology behind projects, variables, data collection and analysis mechanisms, statistical modelling, and the results reached by each student.
SPEEDREAD
• The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair will be held in Washington DC in May, and 35 Saudi students will compete alongside 2,000 others from 75 countries.
• The ISEF is the largest fair for competing in pre-university scientific research held annually in the US. Finalists compete for nearly $5 million in awards, prizes and scholarships.
Supervisors and students will agree on a plan to develop their research through experiments or analysis of additional data during the coming period before it is finally submitted to the ISEF.
Saudi students have won 48 grand prizes and 27 special prizes at ISEF contests in the past, eight of which were won in 2020. Of these eight, five were grand prizes and three were special prizes. The Mawhiba Foundation also presented special annual international awards in the competition, with 79 awards given to 97 students from 20 countries.
The ISEF is the largest fair for competing in pre-university scientific research held annually in the US. Finalists compete for nearly $5 million in awards, prizes and scholarships.
Each year more than 1,800 ninth through twelfth graders earn the right to compete by winning a top prize at an affiliated local, regional, state or national science fair.
