SAASST News

Tuesday, 21 February 2023 15:09

SAASST Participation in UAE Innovates 2023

UAE Innovates is a nationwide celebration and one of the largest innovation festivals in the world. It was launched in 2015 and has become a yearly flagship event in the United Arab Emirates.

UAE Innovates is a consolidated effort by the government, the private sector, and individuals to help create a widespread culture of innovation.

For this occasion, several staff members of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST), especially from the planetarium (Mr. Ahmad Salahuddeen) and the Space Sciences Department (Ms. Amel Al-Hammadi, Maryam Al-Ansari, Yousuf Al-Hammadi, Mr. Yousuf Faroukh, and Mrs. Aisha Al-Owais), conducted a series of lectures in Abu-Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.

On Feb. 06, Ms. Amal Al-Hammadi and Mr. Yousuf al-Hammadi participated in the program organized by the Immigration & Naturalization Service Office in Sharjah. Ms. Amal talked about SAASST in general.

On Feb. 09, Mr. Yousuf Faroukh from the “CubeSat Laboratory” discussed how satellites affect our daily life in agriculture, weather forecasts, and resource management. The lecture was in Abu-Dhabi and organized by the Bahia Public Library. Yousuf also introduced Sharjah-Sat-1 and explained the topic of space weather and how it affects us. He concluded by discussing issues related to sustainability in space, such as space junk and debris and frequency allocation.

On Feb. 13, Ms. Amal Al-Hammadi and Mrs. Maryam Al-Ansari from the CubeSat Laboratory participated in the program set by the Transport Authority in Ajman. They contributed to the discussion about the future of space transportation technologies.

On Feb. 16, Mrs. Aisha Al-Owais from the “Space Artificial Intelligence Laboratory” participated in a program organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi. She talked about the “Innovative applications of artificial intelligence in space and astronomy.” She tackled the concept of AI, its branches, and everyday uses. She further introduced the students to how AI is used in space, whether robots aiding astronauts or machine learning algorithms discovering exoplanets and classifying galaxies. This lecture also briefly highlights how students interested in space sciences can join the industry by pursuing degrees in computer sciences, computer engineering, and related majors.