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Tentative Program

Tuesday, 7 April

 

8:00-9:00 (60 min)

Registration & Reception of Participants

 

9:00-9:45 (45 min)

Opening Ceremony

  • Opening Speech by NAMES President—Mr. Msaed Alyaseen, General Manager, The Scientific Center of Kuwait
  • Awards Ceremony: Mijbil Almutawa Award 2025 & 2026
  • Local Guest Speech
 

9:45-10:45 (60 min)

Keynote Speech 01

From Astrolabes to Space Projects: Astronomy as a Living Bridge in the Arab World
Prof. Nidhal Guessoum
Professor of Physics, Astronomy, and Space Science at American University of Sharjah
 

10:45-11:00 (15 min)

Ice-Breaker

 

11:00-12:00 (60 min)

Exhibition Fair Opening & Refreshments Break

 

12:00-13:00 (60 min)

Presentations Panel 01

  1. المتحف المستدام والمجتمع الشريك: إعادة التفكير في التفاعل كركيزة للبقاء والنمو الثقافي
    (The Sustainable Museum and the Partner Community: Rethinking Interaction as a Pillar for Cultural Survival and Growth)
    Shamaa Alhawawy, Miskhat Interactive Center, Saudi Arabia
  2. Re-Humanizing Science Museums: Why the Arab Region Must Bring Back the Human Sciences
    Massa Mufti, Learning Expert and Strategist, Syria
  3. الجميع له الحق بالتعلم: البناء المجتمعي الفعال للمدراس الأقل حظًا
    (Everyone Has the Right to Learn: Effective Community Building for Disadvantaged Schools)
    Tumadhir Almusidi, Miskhat Interactive Center, Saudi Arabia
 

13:00-14:00 (60 min)

Lunch

 

14:00-15:00 (60 min)

House of Commons

Let Us Debate the Future of Science Engagement!

Leaders

MakerSpace

Session 01

Hands-On Innovation: Using Tinkering to Bring STEAM to Life

Leader
 

15:00-15:30 (30 min)

Refreshments Break at the Exhibition Fair

 

15:30-16:30 (60 min)

Workshop 01

Beyond Exhibits:
Creating Science Content for Digital Age

Leader

Workshop 02

من حقهم! (Their Right!)

Leader

MakerSpace

Session 02

Making & Tinkering Summer 2025 Workroom

Leader (with Workroom Participants)
 

16:30-17:30 (60 min)

Interactive Tour 01

MakerSpace

Session 03

Cultural Manifestations: Tinkering with tiling and tessellation

Leader (with Workroom Participants)
 

17:30-20:00

Free Time

 

20:00-23:00

Gala Dinner (Abdallah Alsalem Cultural Center)

Wednesday, 8 April

 

9:00-10:00 (60 min)

Presentations Panel 02

  1. From Curious Kid to Global Impact Maker
    Mehmet Akın Bulut & Merve Koçoğlu, T3 Foundation, Turkey
  2. من زائرة إلى موظفة: رحلة الانتماء في مشكاة
    (From Visitor to Employee: A Journey of Belonging to Mishkat)
    Hatoon Althaydi, Mishkat Interactive Center, Saudi Arabia
  3. Learning by Doing: My First Field Experience
    Yasmeen Almusbeh, Mishkat Interactive Center, Saudi Arabia
 

10:00-11:00 (60 min)

Workshop 03

Lessons from Student Voices: What Kids Teach Us About Museum Design

Leaders

MakerSpace

Session 04

Initiating spaces

Leaders

 

Session 05

الصُّنْع كفعل تمكين: إعادة بناء مساحات الصُّنّاع (Making as an Act of Empowerment: Rebuilding MakerSpaces)

Leader

Directors Session

(Exclusive; by invitation)
 

11:00-11:30 (30 min)

Refreshments Break at the Exhibition Fair

 

11:30-12:30 (60 min)

Keynote Speech 02

Seeing What Everyone Sees But Thinking What No One Has Thought
Dr. Rana Dajani
Professor of Molecular Biology at the Hashemite University in Jordan
 

12:30-13:30 (60 min)

Lunch

 

13:30-15:00 (90 min)

Presentations Panel 03

  1. Ciência Viva: weaving science networks for 30 years
    Pedro Russo, Ciência Viva, Portugal
  2. Beyond the Building:
    New Models for Revenue, Reach and Resilience
    Craig Bloxsome, Scitech, Australia
  3. إدارة مصادر الدخل: نحو نموذج مالي هجين ومستدام
    (Managing income sources: Towards a hybrid and sustainable financial model)
    Laith Alsous, CMJ, Jordan
  4. Impact Programmes: from sponsorship to partnership
    Mikko Myllykoski, Heureka, Finland

Innovations in Outreach

Presentations, Roundtable & Hands-on Experience

  1. Science Beyond Museums:
    Building Trust in the Global South
    Md. Arafat Ali, National Museum of Science & Technology, Bangladesh
  2. كيف نبني إستراتيجية وصول مجتمعي فاعلة ومستدامة
    (How We Build an Effective & Sustainable Outreach Strategy)
    Motasem Yassin, CMJ, Jordan
  3. Expanding Science Center Impact Beyond Walls
    Fatema Alsubai, Fatema Alqallaf, and Mohammed Alfares,
    The Scientific Center Kuwait
    Samar Kirresh, AlElieh, Palestine
 

15:00–15:30 (30 min)

Refreshments Break at the Exhibition Fair

 

15:30–16:30 (60 min)

Roundtable Session

تحديات توطين المعرفة: دور التعريب والترجمة في تأصيل التواصل العلمي (Challenges of Knowledge Localization: The Role of Arabization and Translation in Establishing Scientific Communication)

Leader

MakerSpace

Session 06

Is AI tinkering?

Leader
 

16:30–18:00 (90 min)

Interactive Tour 02

MakerSpace

Session 07

Curves under pressure: the making of arches

Leaders
 

18:00–20:00

Networking Snacks at the Exhibition Fair

 

20:00-22:00

Nocturne

Thursday, 9 April

 

9:00-10:00 (60 min)

Confession Session

Let Us Share Our Marketing & Communication Mistakes!

Leader
  • Mohamed Alfares, Digital Marketing and Content Creation Unit Head, The Scientific Center Kuwait

Mini Science Festival

 

10:00-11:30 (90 min)

Presentations Panel 04

  1. Creative Science Communication in the UAE:
    The Artist-in-Residence Model
    Dr. Enas Qudeimat, NYU Abu Dhabi’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, UAE
  2. Using ‘Social’ Virtual Reality to Foster Environmental Awareness: A Case of Mission Red Sea
    Ibtihal Alghusen, ilmi Science Discovery and Innovation Center, Saudi Arabia
  3. Using Art to Build Community Engagement
    Marwa Gaber, Planetarium Science Center, Egypt
  4. Adventures in AI: What We Learned
    Tom Rockwell, Exploratorium, USA

Mini Science Festival

 

11:30-12:00 (30 min)

Refreshments Break at the Exhibition Fair

Mini Science Festival

 

12:00-13:00 (60 min)

Interactive Tour 03

Mini Science Festival

 

13:00-13:30 (30 min)

Conference Reflection & Closing Ceremony

 

13:00-15:00

Farewell Lunch

 

15:00-18:00

City Tour (Sightseeing and Mubarakiya Souq)