Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s first ever all-female team returned after successfully completing on-site space training at the Space Centre Houston, organised and coordinated by Space Ed-Ventures.
Space Ed-Ventures, a locally based educational platform and the region’s only space exploration programme, organised a once-in-a-lifetime training session for 24 aspiring engineers, researchers and astronauts between the ages of 12 and 18. After a rigorous screening process, the all-girl cohort was selected to train at Space Centre Houston.
“The 24 students who have embarked on this educational trip have gone through an extensive screening process to uphold IAT’s high educational standard on an international level,” said the managing director of the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT),” Dr Abdul Latif Al Shamsi.
“We encourage and support our students to sign up for stimulating educational programmes that can benefit their future. We work in unison with Space Ed-Ventures, a regional leader in providing space related educational programmes to students, to encourage them to test their skills and knowledge and to nurture the students’ interest in space, science, and technology,” added Dr Al Shamsi.
On his part, CEO of Space Ed-Ventures Hussain Al Ansari added, “I am very happy with the conclusion of this trip. It was very inspiring to see the students commit to the work and get the job done. They were dedicated to their project and proved to all their capabilities.”
Maitha Al Zeyoudi, a 12th grade student at Applied Technology High School, realised how lucky she was to be nominated for this out-of-world trip. “I had applied for this trip as it allowed me to further explore my interest in space and science. I was excited to know that we were going to be able to see how real astronauts train for a mission. Once there, the reality was even better that I imagined. We visited astronaut training centres, a mission control room, and prepping stations. We learned how space shuttles are built, and how living in space feels like. We also learned the importance of space exploration that targets the collection of samples for analysis and study. The most interesting part of our trip was launching our own rocket.”
Chosen based on their academic merit and fluency in English, the top 24 applicants who made the cut worked on projects that simulate real-life scenarios, troubleshooting and creating solutions in groups. From designing functioning rockets to engineering and operating robotic Mars rovers, their assignments mimicked the obstacles astronauts at Nasa face on a daily basis. The students were also presented the opportunity to meet returning space explorers with real-world experience either in the control room or on the shuttle.
“This trip has been an eye-opening experience for me. It has fuelled my interest in pursuing a career in science and engineering. I really would like to thank the Institute of Applied Technology and Space Ed-Ventures for making this trip a reality for me and the other girls, and I hope they continue to provide such an amazing experience to more students in the future,” raved Maitha Al Zeyoudi, reliving the week-long trip.
