Students to display scientific, engineering projects at int’l fair

AMMAN — The dedication of the 16-year-old Hour Amawi  to raise awareness towards autism children inspired her to initiate a project aimed minimising the effect of irritating sounds on autistic children. 

Awami recalled that she and her colleague held a sound therapy exposure for four weeks, making the children listen to the voices that irritated them for several times.

“Later their response to these voices was positive. We wanted to provide them with a normal life,” she said with a smile.  

Amawi’s project was selected with other 11 projects to qualify into the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair that will be held in the US next week. 

Issa Enshywat, the director of education programmes at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF), said since 2015 the foundation and the Ministry of Education have been cooperating in regard to this competition. 

“The foundation finances the travel expenses of the students, their accommodation in addition to helping them to present their projects and finance the development of their projects,” he told The Jordan Times during the opening of an exhibition that showcased the winning projects in Amman on Sunday. 

A total of 12 projects created by 20 students, who came from public and private schools, and were aged between 16 and 18 years old, were displayed at the event. 

“Around 290 students took part in a local competition which selected the winning projects,” the AHSF official said. 

The Minister of Education Omar Razzaz attended the exhibition, where he had a tour at the exhibition that was held at the premises of the foundation in Amman.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, Razzaz said the ministry is planning to focus on the creative part of students and enhance them out of its believe that the practical side is important in the educational process.  

 “These projects target physics, energy and water issues. Last year Jordan won five trophies out of 12 projects intentionally,” Enshywat said.  

Ahmad Laymoun a student from Karak, said his project that he worked on with his brother was tasked with transforming grape leaves into useful materials. 

“We wanted to do it because when they are in the ground they caused problems for people so instead of getting rid of them we wanted to take advantage of  grape leaves,” the 16-year-old told The Jordan Times. 

He urged institutions that support projects to promote themselves so that students can learn about them and ask for their projects to be financed.