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Saudi Arabia's Mawhiba Signs Strategic Partnership with UNESCO to Foster STEM Education in Arab States

Mawhiba signs a significant partnership agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aimed at fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across Arab countries. (SPA)
Mawhiba signs a significant partnership agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aimed at fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across Arab countries. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia's Mawhiba Signs Strategic Partnership with UNESCO to Foster STEM Education in Arab States

Mawhiba signs a significant partnership agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aimed at fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across Arab countries. (SPA)
Mawhiba signs a significant partnership agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aimed at fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across Arab countries. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba” signed on Friday a significant partnership agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aimed at fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across Arab countries.

The partnership marks a pivotal moment in advancing innovation, creativity, and scientific excellence in the region, Mawhiba said in a statement.

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Dr. Lidia Arthur Brito and Saudi Ambassador to France and Monaco Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili joined esteemed colleagues and distinguished guests to commemorate the occasion.

The agreement was signed by Mawhiba deputy secretary-general for business development and communication Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Subail and UNESCO’s Brito.

Mawhiba secretary-general Dr. Amal bint Abdullah Al-Hazzaa expressed the foundation's profound honor to partner with UNESCO. She emphasized the shared commitment to empowering young Arab minds and advancing sustainable development through education and innovation.

Highlighting the Kingdom’s progress in STEM under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Dr. Al-Hazzaa underscored the importance of this collaboration within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030.

UNESCO’s Brito expressed her happiness in signing the strategic partnership with Mawhiba, adding that it addresses an important area of UNESCO’s work in the field of science.

Dr. Brito stated that this strategic partnership aims to provide young people with the necessary knowledge and capabilities and to motivate them to use science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to meet global challenges.

She added that the experience gained by Mawhiba in working with youth in Saudi Arabia will help in exchanging these experiences globally. She pointed out that there is potential for expanding these efforts to Africa and other parts of the world to promote sustainable development goals.

The strategic partnership aims to enhance STEM education for students from 6th grade to 12th grade across Arab states, focusing on refining their scientific knowledge, nurturing creativity, and fostering critical thinking. Special attention will be given to empowering Arab girls and young women, ensuring they have equal opportunities to excel in STEM fields.

Central to the initiative is the MAWHIBA-UNESCO Online STEM Oasis, which will serve as a global platform for local, national, and regional science and engineering fairs. The initiative aims to provide Arab students with valuable opportunities to showcase their talents and gain international recognition.

Additionally, the partnership will implement real-time assessments of middle and high schools in Arab states to elevate educational standards and infrastructure.

Recognizing the pivotal role of educators, the partnership will focus on training Arab science teachers to lead research and guide students in scientific projects, thereby boosting the overall quality of STEM education. Public understanding of STEM will be bolstered through targeted training programs, particularly for preschoolers and young women, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility of STEM education across Arab States.

Mawhiba is committed to expanding the use of the UNESCO Open Science Portal and the UNESCO Science-2-Innovation Network to build the capacity of young scientists and women in STEM education globally. Over the past three years, Mawhiba has supported 839 students from Arab states through enriching STEM programs, setting a precedent for regional cooperation and development in STEM education.

The partnership underscores Mawhiba’s leading role in discovering talents and empowering students in STEM, both locally and internationally. It represents a shared vision for creating opportunities for all Arab states to thrive and excel in STEM fields, fostering a culture of scientific inquiry and technological advancement that will benefit the entire Arab region.

By joining forces with UNESCO, Mawhiba aims to amplify its ability to address global challenges such as climate change, health crises, and technological disruptions. The collaboration aims to inspire young Arab minds to pursue careers in STEM, providing them with access to cutting-edge research and resources through initiatives like the UNESCO Open Science Portal.

The partnership between Mawhiba and UNESCO signifies a shared commitment to a brighter future, dedicated to building capacities in STEM fields to support sustainable development. By working together, they aim to create an environment where every young Arab mind can thrive, innovate, and contribute to the global community. This initiative underscores the importance of investing in the future and ensuring every child has the opportunity to explore, experiment, and excel in science and technology.

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Has a Waltz Written by Composer Frederic Chopin Been Discovered in an NYC Museum?

A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, rests in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP)
A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, rests in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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Has a Waltz Written by Composer Frederic Chopin Been Discovered in an NYC Museum?

A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, rests in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP)
A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, rests in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP)

The brooding waltz was carefully composed on a sheet of music roughly the size of an index card. The brief, moody number also bore an intriguing name, written at the top in cursive: “Chopin.”

A previously unknown work of music penned by the European master Frederic Chopin appears to have been found at the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan.

The untitled and unsigned piece is on display this month at the opulently appointed institution, which had once been the private library of financier J. P. Morgan.

Robinson McClellan, the museum curator who uncovered the manuscript, said it's the first new work associated with the Romantic era composer to be discovered in nearly a century.

But McClellan concedes that it may never be known whether it is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand.

The piece, set in the key of A minor, stands out for its “very stormy, brooding opening section” before transitioning to a melancholy melody more characteristic of Chopin, McClellan explained.

“This is his style. This is his essence,” he said during a recent visit to the museum. “It really feels like him.”

McClellan said he came across the work in May as he was going through a collection from the late Arthur Satz, a former president of the New York School of Interior Design. Satz had acquired it from A. Sherrill Whiton Jr., an avid autograph collector who had been director of the school.

McClellan then worked with experts to verify its authenticity.

The paper was found to be consistent with what Chopin favored for manuscripts, and the ink matched a kind typical in the early 19th century when Chopin lived, according to the museum. But a handwriting analysis determined the name “Chopin” written at the top of the sheet was penned by someone else.

Born in Poland, Chopin was considered a musical genius from an early age. He lived in Warsaw and Vienna before settling in Paris, where he died in 1849 at the age of 39, likely of tuberculosis.

He’s buried among a pantheon of artists at the city’s famed Père Lachaise Cemetery, but his heart, pickled in a jar of alcohol, is housed in a church in Warsaw, in keeping with his deathbed wish for the organ to return to his homeland.

Artur Szklener, director of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, the Polish capital city where the composer grew up, agreed that the document is consistent with the kinds of ink and paper Chopin used during his early years in Paris.

Musically, the piece evokes the “brilliant style” that made Chopin a luminary in his time, but it also has features unusual for his compositions, Szklener said.

“First of all, it is not a complete work, but rather a certain musical gesture, a theme laced with rather simple piano tricks alluding to a virtuoso style,” Szklener explained in a lengthy statement released after the document was revealed last month.

He and other experts conjecture the piece could have been a work in progress. It may have also been a copy of another's work, or even co-written with someone else, perhaps a student for a musical exercise.

Jeffrey Kallberg, a University of Pennsylvania music professor and Chopin expert who helped authenticate the document, called the piece a “little gem” that Chopin likely intended as a gift for a friend or wealthy acquaintance.

“Many of the pieces that he gave as gifts were short – kind of like ‘appetizers’ to a full-blown work,” Kallberg said in an email. “And we don’t know for sure whether he intended the piece to see the light of day because he often wrote out the same waltz more than once as a gift.”

David Ludwig, dean of music at The Juilliard School, a performing arts conservatory in Manhattan, agreed the piece has many of the hallmarks of the composer’s style.

“It has the Chopin character of something very lyrical and it has a little bit of darkness as well,” said Ludwig, who was not involved in authenticating the document.

But Ludwig noted that, if it's authentic, the tightly composed score would be one of Chopin’s shortest known pieces. The waltz clocks in at under a minute long when played on piano, as many of Chopin’s works were intended.

“In terms of the authenticity of it, in a way it doesn’t matter because it sparks our imaginations,” Ludwig said. “A discovery like this highlights the fact that classical music is very much a living art form.”

The Chopin reveal comes after the Leipzig Municipal Libraries in Germany announced in September that it had uncovered a previously unknown piece likely composed by a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in its collections.