Shoman Foundation Organizes Exhibition for Little Innovators in Jordan

Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.
Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.
TT

Shoman Foundation Organizes Exhibition for Little Innovators in Jordan

Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.
Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO at the exhibition.

The Department of Education and Science at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation organized the Young Innovators Exhibition Thursday to enhance thinking skills among children and adolescents.

In its third edition, the exhibition, introduced a distinguished presentation of scientific projects made by children, who attended scientific and practical workshops including experiments and projects aimed at developing their research and analytical capacities.

The exhibition was organized at the Islamic Educational College, under the patronage of Jordan's Minister of Information and Communications Technology Muthanna Al-Gharaybeh, who expressed pride in the innovative projects, and highlighted the great role given by the Shoman Foundation to the scientific and cultural fields.

The age of participants ranged between 10 and 13. They developed 11 scientific projects.

Speaking at the event, Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation CEO Valentina Qussisiya said: "We are meeting today for the third consecutive year to celebrate the Young Innovators Lab program aiming at boosting the children's critical thinking and growing an innovative and creative generation."

"The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, established 40 years ago by the Arab Bank, is fully aware of the importance of cultivating culture and science in children and adults. Therefore, the Foundation selected 41 out of 500 applicants to undergo a critical thinking test."

The CEO pointed out that the Foundation has been focusing on programs and activities targeting science and education, as well as reading and knowledge, indicating that the Foundation has been keen for three years, to focus on training children practically, mentally and intellectually.

"Innovation here means focusing on many skills that are being transformed through education from feeding learning to learning critical thinking skills that help a child analyze, think, and implement projects in innovative ways," she said.

According to Qussisiya, these projects will undoubtedly address many problems.

The acquisition of critical thinking and learning in light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, along with turning ideas into practical products, will provide Jordan with many jobs and opportunities in the near future, she said.

The 11 participating groups presented their projects to the audience, talked about the problems they encountered, how they overcame them, and the alternative solutions they chose to get the final form of the project.



‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
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‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)

January 2025 is on track to be one of the warmest in Moscow on record, meteorologists reported on Wednesday, with two of the past days breaking all-time daily temperature highs.

Thermometer readings on Wednesday have not dipped below an "April-like" 3.8 degrees Celsius (38.8 Fahrenheit), much higher than the historical average below freezing, according to Russia's Phobos weather center.

Residents in the capital told AFP there was less snow for children to play with, and that there was "mud everywhere", making dog walks more challenging.

Experts warn more temperature records will be broken in the future as human-driven climate change disrupts global weather patterns.

"Of course, we don't like winter like this... Everything should be in moderation," 68-year-old pensioner Galina Kazakova told AFP in central Moscow.

"It is very bad for nature, because the snow should lie on the fields, so that it melts, so that everything grows well," she added.

Monday and Tuesday were the warmest of those dates since records started, while Wednesday is also set to beat its historical high, Russia's RBK news outlet reported, citing meteorologists.

"January, which is approaching a heat record, continues to surprise," meteorologist Mikhail Leus said on Telegram, posting a video of chanterelle mushrooms poking through patches of snow in the forest.

Central Russia's state meteorological service said Moscow was on track for its "second warmest January" since records began, beaten only by January 2020.

Russian state media reported January 2025 could be warmer than even that year.

Climatologist Alexey Karnaukhov was uncertain about whether this January would be the warmest.

"It's hard to say whether there will be a record. In 2020, there was no stable snow cover in Russia's midland either, and this year is not unique," Karnaukhov told AFP.

"We live in an era of global warming, warm years will become more and more frequent. Even if the current values turn out to be a record, it will definitely not be the last," he told AFP.

On the streets of the capital, residents expressed both joy and concern at the unseasonably warm weather.

"I like it all. It is very pleasant to walk," said 19-year-old student Olga Medvedeva.

"I like winter better the way it was," said Elena Aleksandrova, 73.

"We take the dog for walks, he likes to play in the snow too. Now where can you walk? There is mud everywhere."