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Monday, November 23 - 2009

Aldar Properties supports The Emirates Foundation's science and technology program

  • United Arab Emirates: Monday, August 25 - 2008 at 13:22
  • PRESS RELEASE

Aldar Properties, a leading Abu Dhabi-based integrated property, investment, and management company is supporting The Emirates Foundation's Summer Science, Technology, Engineering, Aerospace, and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) program by hosting the Arab Youth Venture Foundation (AYVF) Mars Robotics Clinic taking place in Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain.

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  • Participants in Mars Robotics Clinic, which is taking place in  Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain.
    Participants in Mars Robotics Clinic, which is taking place in Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain.
This Mars Robot science workshop, currently underway, caters to children 12 to 19 years.

The Emirates Foundation is presenting the summer activities at Al Jimi Mall in the "garden city" of Al Ain as part of their Science and Technology program.

The AYVF program creates initiatives that nurture the innovative spirits and entrepreneurial mindsets of youth across the Arab world. The location for the program, Al Jimi Mall, which is to become the re-developed Noor Al Ain shopping destination, currently receives daily approximately 23,000 visitors on weekdays and 28,000 visitors per day over the weekends.

"Encouraging children in different fields related to science is a great way to foster creativity, dynamic thinking, and stimulate young minds,"

commented Mohammed Al Mubarak, Chief Strategy and Infrastructure Officer, Aldar Properties.

Al Mubarak added, "Building on these strong education foundations in a fun and challenging way is a productive way to spend the summer months. Aldar's shopping mall, Al Jimi Mall, like many other of our shopping malls and community centres, are for the explicit purpose of bringing the community together with these kinds of events and activities. This Mars Challenge by the Arab Youth Venture Foundation supported in large part by the Emirates Foundation is uniting the community with world class science education."

According to Lisa LaBonte, CEO of AYVF:
"In an effort to spur experimentation and innovation, we've created a robotics clinic for teenagers in Al Ain - and the aspiring engineers have succeeded wonderfully by trial and error -- or 're-engineering'- during both the build and programming phases much like the actual engineering process. During the 'Mars Drop Zone Challenge', the teams' first Mission objective will require their robots to undertake activities much like the Mars rovers that actually travel through space to gather rock and soil samples from the surface of Mars."


Aside from the workshop Mars Challenge, there are science experiments which are open to all age groups for participation and viewing which take place every hour of each day beginning at 5 p.m. and ending at 11 p.m.

The Al Jimi Mall is the focus of a redevelopment initiative by Aldar Properties, which is set to transform the famous mall into a full-fledged development, named Noor Al Ain, that will enhance Al Ain's attraction as a premium leisure destination.

Noor Al Ain will create an enviable mix of residential, office, retail, luxury, and entertainment facilities at the heart of Al Ain. The multi-use development is set to become the focal point for the over 500,000 residents as well as visitors who are lured by the Garden City's natural beauty and other tourist attractions.

A hallmark of the development will be the seven ultra-modern residential towers that will make over 600 new apartments available for the fast growing city. Residents of the 18-floor towers will enjoy a unique combination of modern amenities and conveniences, including rooftop gardens, a spa, and a multi-screen cinema complex. In close proximity to the residential towers, Aldar is building a retail centre, an office tower, a hotel, and a host of entertainment and leisure facilities that will set the development apart as a sought-after destination.
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Notes and media contacts

About the Emirates Foundation:

The Foundation, one of the leading philanthropic organizations in the UAE, is a nationwide initiative engaging private- and public-sector partners committed to improving the quality of life for all people in the UAE.

Inspired by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and under the leadership of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Board, the Emirates Foundation finances projects that stimulate intellectual and social growth, increase access to cultural, educational and technological resources, contribute to environmental protection, and foster increased participation in civic life.

About the Arab Youth Venture Foundation:

Founded in Ras Al Khaimah, AYVF is a non-profit organization dedicated to imagining and delivering initiatives that nurture the innovative spirits and entrepreneurial mindsets of youth across the Arab world in hopes of creating an empowered culture of educated risk tolerance from which to grow the next generation of scientific researchers, inventors, business builders, corporate leaders - and job creators!
AYVF is an'idea incubator' --creating programs and companies that support and empower talented Arab youth through education, entertainment, recreation, cultural exchange, and more.

About Aldar Properties:

Aldar Properties PJSC is a premier real estate development, management and investment company with headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Aldar was established to create world-class real estate developments for Abu Dhabi, while providing stable and profitable investment portfolio for all our investors and stakeholders.

Aldar Properties PJSC is spearheading the development of Abu Dhabi; entrusted to create multi-billion Dirham civic projects to develop the capital, establishing new sectors for commerce, housing, retail and leisure. Aldar's vision is to establish Abu Dhabi as the United Arab Emirate's most dynamic forward-thinking real estate market by creating unique and prestigious developments that can be used as a benchmark of quality, whilst adhering to the cultural and natural heritage of the city.

Since its inception in 2004 through a share offer (IPO) of Dhs1.5bn ($408m) on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Aldar has already announced more than $72bn worth of developments. The Aldar issue, the largest IPO in the history of the UAE at the time, was 448 times oversubscribed and raised an unprecedented Dhs373bn ($102bn) in demand. Aldar's market capitalization is Dhs32.3bn ($8.7bn).as of July 24th 2008.Total retail area across all developments is currently over 1.5 million square meters.

The company is owned by leading Abu Dhabi institutions, founder shareholders and individual investors. The current property portfolio includes major developments and re-developments within Abu Dhabi Emirate such as Central Market, Al Raha Beach, Coconut Island, Noor Al Ain, Al Gurm Resort, Al Mamoura - the Mubadala Development Company and Environment Agency Abu Dhabi Headquarter Building, and the YAS Island project which is to include a Warner Bros and a Ferrari theme park.

Aldar's first international expansion was announced in August 2007 via a tie-up with South Johor Investment Corp (SJIC) in a deal that represents the largest foreign real estate development in Malaysia. This was followed in October 2007 with plans announced to build a mixed-use development in Kazakhstan.

For more information, please contact:

Mary Khamasmieh
Media Relation Specialist
Buchanan Middle East
A WPP Company
Level 4, Building 1 Emaar Business Park
Interchange 5, Sheikh Zayed Road
P.o. Box 282032 Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971 4 3698581
Fax: 971 4 3698556

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