An international scientific exhibition in Tunis

2009-07-29

The 2009 International Science Exhibition in Tunisia gathered 1,000 youth from 45 countries to share scientific and technological research and inventions, and encourage the participation of young people in scientific fields.

Mona Yahia in Tunis contributed to this report for Magharebia – 29/07/09

[File] The 2009 International Science Exhibition in Tunisia saw 1000 youngsters from 45 participating countries present their scientific and technological projects.

The Tunisian Association of Youth and Science (AJST) launched the 2009 International Science Exhibition in Nabeul on July 24th, where 1,000 youngsters from 45 participating countries gathered to present their scientific and technological projects. Fifty projects, of the 350 presented at the conference, were created by Tunisian youth. The International Movement for Leisure Activities in Science and Technology (MILSET) co-sponsored the event.

"This Exhibition is an opportunity for discussions, as it opens vast horizons before youth so they could be an active party in realizing their aspirations, "Assan Akrout, head of the Tunisian Association of Youth and Science, said.

Projects at the conference were contributed by all age levels, some even coming from children as young as 9 years old. Aside from youth innovations, the Exhibition also comprises the Smart Kids Village, to the benefit of children aged 9 to 14.

Asanda Mahlabela, a Grade 11 student from South Africa, presented her research on how a species of water weed, Elodea, reacts to incandescent and compact fluorescent lights.

"At this level, this is no longer a competition, but an exchange among impassioned young people in science," Tevy Chan told Canada's Les Nouvelles Saint-Laurent. "During our stay in Tunisia, we will have group activities and scientific discussions."

Chan, from Quebec, joined 20 other students who won the Bell Super Science Fair and attended the conference in Tunisia.

Participating members were able to attend lectures on astronomy and photonics, and engage in workshops on energy and climate change. They also urged factories to revert to renewable energies and find new sources of energy.

Farah Chaouachi, a young scientist, said that, together with a group of her friends, she invented a power-generating fan.

The main objective of the conference was to encourage discussion and cooperation among youth interested in science.

The Exhibition, held every other year since it was inaugurated in Quebec in 1987, stands as an opportunity for youth from different nationalities to exchange ideas and information, compete and be receptive of other cultures, noted the Tunis Africa Press Agency.

Menda Merris, from the US, noted that she met many people from around the world, "This is an enriching experience for me, as a young innovator myself. I also got to know about projects devised by participants from various countries."

Some Tunisian participants, however, believed that the conference was still insufficient to encourage youth to be innovative and engaged with science, noting that incentives are meagre, compared to those offered by western countries.

Tunisia allocates one third of its national budget to the two sectors of education and training, higher education, scientific research, and technology.

At the conclusion of the Exhibition on July 28th, participants called on countries to devote more attention to youth problems since youth hold a society’s power of creativity and innovation.

Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali called for naming the year 2010 the International Year of Youth, during which an international conference would be held in order to formulate an international covenant for youth. Samir Laabidi, Tunisian Minister of Youth, Sports, and Physical Edition, supported this suggestion.