Jordanian students participating in Intel International Science and Engineering Fair receive recognition

Intel ISEF took place in May this year in the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico State, USA.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from Intel Corporation Ms. Shelley Esque, Director of Worldwide Corporate Affairs, Dr. Martina Roth, Intel EMEA Director of Education, Mr. Raslan Deiranieh, Group Chief Financial Officer, and Director Marketing at Royal Jordanian Airlines, Yola Isaac. The ceremony was also attended by Mr. Mohammad Zu'bi Managing Director of Training, qualification and educational supervision, as well as representatives from Jordan Telecom Group, Intel Corporation and Royal Jordanian.

Delivering a speech on behalf of Toukan, Dr. Tayseer Al-Noaimi welcomed all guests from partnering companies, as well as all participants, students, teachers, judges, directorate general managers and coordinators who supported the Intel ISEF fairs for the year 2007 and congratulated the winner Layan Kutob for her winning the third place in the Grand Awards in Environmental Management category.

In his speech Dr. Al-Noaimi valued the public private partnership which came in response to his Majesty's King Abdullah II's vision that has helped promote creativity, innovation and scientific research amongst Jordanian students and has made Jordan prove presence in the public arena in the international competitions especially for young scientists. He added that what we are witnessing today is the impact of the educational reforms that the ministry if undergoing to its educational system.

Intel Director of Worldwide Corporate Affairs Ms. Shelley Esque congratulated the students, their parents and teachers on their achievements, heartedly thanked the Ministry of Education for their collaboration, and thanked Orange for the generous sponsorship and Royal Jordanian for their support.

She further expressed her admiration of the great vision and leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, and continued, "Intel realises the power and importance of education. Through major initiatives such as the Intel Digital Transformation Initiative for the Middle East and Intel's World Ahead Program, Intel is working to raise student achievement and enhance academic productivity to support thriving communities around the globe."

"We firmly believe that education is the essential ingredient that will prepare us all for a changing future. New technologies will continue to transform the world in ways we cannot yet imagine. To survive and thrive in this knowledge-based economy, tomorrow's citizens, employees and customers must be equipped with 21st century skills. Intel is committed to improving education today so that students will be able to thrive tomorrow," she continued.

For his part Mr. Raslan Deiranieh said: "Sponsoring Intel's initiative for the second consecutive year highlights our belief in the Jordanian talent. This year, our students came back from the USA with distinguished results." Deiranieh pointed out that the reason behind Orange being the main sponsor comes as part of achieving the King's vision to develop youth's potential, adding that it is also part of the Group's strategy to support youth education by offering them an abundance of participation opportunities in different programs and activities to showcase their talent and skills on the local and international scene.

Royal Jordanian's president/CEO Eng. Samer Majali said that RJ, which celebrates its 44th anniversary this year, has a clear mission to reflect the Jordanian identity and promote Jordan to the world in different fields. He added that Royal Jordanian is keen on supporting the local community, and sponsoring various charitable activities since the company believes that it has social responsibilities to have a positive outcome on the society.

Eng. Majali said that RJ is proud to sponsor this group of distinguished Jordanian students who achieved great results at their participation in the fair. He also extended his congratulations to the students and their parents, wishing them success and growth in the future under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II.

Before the conclusion of the activities, Secretary General, Intel Director, Jordan Telecom Group Chief Financial Officer, and Director Marketing at Royal Jordanian handed over plaques to the winners and participants in the final fair in New Mexico as well as principles and teachers. Coordinators and arbitration committee officials also received certificates in recognition of their valuable efforts. Furthermore, Dr. Tayseer Al-Noaimi distributed Scientific Excellency Certificates to the winner and acknowledgment plaques to Intel, Orange and Royal Jordanian. Students who took part in the affiliated fairs also received participation certificates through their Directorates.

Dr. Tayseer along with Intel, Orange and Royal Jordanian representatives also met the students who participated in the final fair in New Mexico, where he listened to a brief from the students on their projects.

Also present at the ceremony were students who took part in the local arbitration fairs on which the final students were selected to participate in Intel ISEF, the arbitration committee's officials, the Ministry's directors, head of administrations and other officials from the Ministry's directorates as well as the local media.

Layan Mazen Kutob, a 17 year old student from the Montessori Modern School, won the third place prize in the Grand Awards for the winner students in Intel ISEF for her project in Environmental Management. Her project "A Unit to Decrease the Pollution Caused by Chimneys" revolves around designing a unit that is made of several moisture chemical layers to balance the acid gases and to block the morsels that the gas carries which helps in enhancing the environment. The unit was tested on the school's chimney and received an excellent result as it reduced the pollution by 94%.

It is worth mentioning that Jordan is the first Arab country to participate in Intel ISEF since 2004, winning awards on the international level for the second consecutive year. In 2006, two students from Jordan won a Grand Award and a Special Award.

Orange Mobile support for Intel ISEF, which is considered the first of its kind in Jordan, 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.

Orange Mobile'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 (11 students and 6 supervisors). Orange Mobile provided all the facilities for the Jordanian delegation; from air flight tickets, traveling procedures, uniforms, to daily allowances. Royal Jordanian supported the delegation and provided a generous discount on Royal Jordanian airlines for the 17 persons.

The initiative started in Jordan with over 400 students being nominated during this year among thousands of others who have applied from different schools across the Kingdom to participate in the scientific competitions. These students then participated in a series of local fairs and competitions, which took place in February 2006 in different areas; the north, the middle and the south regions. Afterwards, students proven to be promising in the domain of science and engineering were chosen by a judging committee formed from Jordanian university professors to partake in the final local arbitration fairs which were held during end of February in two fairs; one for the north and the south regions, while the other one was for the middle region. The qualifying students from these fairs were chosen to compete on an international level in Intel ISEF, which took place in May in New Mexico, USA this year.