Emirates Mars Mission Kicks Off Generation Hope Initiatives

Emirates Mars Mission Kicks Off Generation Hope Initiatives

The UAE Space Agency and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre have announced the kick-off of Generation Hope Initiatives under the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) – Hope Probe, the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab nation, that comes as part of its education and outreach efforts. Held between November 2020 until January 2021, it provides an avenue for qualified youth and interested individuals to develop an interest in the space science field.

 

Emirates Mars Mission Kicks Off Generation Hope Initiatives

 

Since its inception six years ago, the EMM aims to inspire the youth through the Mars mission journey, motivate youth to develop an interest in STEM studies, and to build capabilities in space science research, specifically Mars science, within UAE students and science community by providing the opportunity through different outreach and education programs.

Webinars

Generation Hope will also host Hope’s Science Journey webinars series throughout the month of November. It will provide a scientific overview of the mission, an introduction to Mars visualization tools, information on EMM science data access, and more.

The first introduction session was held on November first and the second one will take place on November fourth. The in-depth session will be held the following week. Registrations for both sessions of the Hope’s Science Journey webinar are now open.

Hope Camps

Generation Hope will be running two camps in December and January.

The first is a five-day Generation Hope Camp in December that will focus on hosting workshops for middle and high school students aged 12 to 18 years old about Mars and related science topics, and the latest updates on the EMM.

The second is a two-day specialized and intensive camp titled A Journey to Mars, that will be held for distinguished undergraduates in STEM fields, where the EMM Science Team will share their experience and expertise on their journey of development through the mission and insights about important scientific topics related to the mission and Mars research.

Teacher Ambassador Program

Generation Hope’s series of interactive activities also include the annual Teacher Ambassador Programme (TAP), now in its fifth year, which is designed to fully equip STEM educators from different schools in the UAE to serve as ‘ambassador teachers’ at EMM educational initiatives. EMM will provide the teachers with the knowledge and material required to educate and train a new generation of space scientists and engineers. The program will also launch a Competition in December 2020.

Building Scientific Efforts

Also held under the Generation Hope Initiative is the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program; a unique program designed to offer Emirati students specializing in science and engineering an opportunity to gain practical and research-based experience at distinguished space science facilities in the UAE and abroad.

Since the announcement of the project six years ago, there has been an increase in interest in STEM studies. Today, more than 100,000 students and teachers have engaged in these community outreach programs, most notably the Generation Hope initiatives.