Science journalists to meet in Education City, Qatar

Qatar was chosen as the destination for this year's session of Science journalism Cooperation (SjCOOP), a project initiated by the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ). The event is also co-sponsored by Al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Center and will be attended by 15 Al-Jazeera journalists.

The collaboration between Qatar Foundation and WFSJ aims to enhance the skills of science journalists in the region by utilizing technological tools that ease interactions between science journalists across the world. Fostering this global dialogue contributes to free exchange of ideas, journalistic methods, as well as cultural experiences.

Hosting this convention is on par with the mission of Qatar Foundation to develop a knowledge-based society and to promote scientific research, as Dr Abdullah bin Ali Al-Thani, Qatar Foundation Vice President-Education states: "Science journalism brings to life the important work being carried out in research labs. It connects the scientific community and at the same time makes it accessible to the general public whose lives may be affected by scientific advances. This gives people the opportunity to understand the issues and participate in ensuing debate, thus contributing to the knowledge-based society. Qatar Foundation is proud to provide the opportunity for regional science journalists to learn new techniques and enhance the standards of their work."

Dr Tidu Maini, Science and Technology Advisor at Qatar Foundation, will deliver the welcome address at the opening ceremony, which will take place in Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. The conference will focus on training its participants by pairing them with mentors who will shed light on a variety of journalistic aspects ranging from identifying newsworthy stories to learning how to deal with editors.

A total of about 75 guests are expected to attend the conference and the program will include journalism workshops, lectures by distinguished journalists and field trips.