WRMEA, August 2010, Pages 60-61

Waging Peace

Palestinians Compete in Prestigious California Youth Science Fair

FOR THE first time, five Palestinian teenagers were among the more than 1,500 students who participated in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held in San Jose, CA May 9 through 14.

All three projects were inspired by a need the students recognized in their respective communities. After observing the difficulties of a blind friend trying to maneuver over rough terrain or uneven roads or walkways, Asil Abu Lail, Asil Shaar, and Nour Al-Arda created an electronic wooden cane equipped with a ground sensor to beep or vibrate when approaching an obstacle, hole, or even liquid. The three are classmates at the Askar Refugee Camp girls' school in Nablus run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Disturbed by the number of children in her West Bank village of Beit Rima who have been electrocuted by placing a finger in an electrical socket, Woroud Al-Rimawi, a student at the Qassim Al-Rimawi Secondary Girls School, designed an electrical socket protector to prevent such accidents. And Mahmoud Erekat's idea for an impact-absorbing automobile bumper won the student at the Jerusalem Arab Institute High School a place in the competition. The three projects were selected out of 392 projects entered in Palestinian Science Fairs across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Although the young Palestinians failed to win Intel's grand $75,000 prize, Abu Lail, Shaar and Al-Arda received the Synaptics, Inc. $750 second place special award for their electronic stick for the blind. "I'm proud to represent Palestine and hope I can come back one day," Shaar told the Washington Report.

Students from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were also among the aspiring scientists and engineers from 50 countries attending the fair.

The high schoolers' visit coincided with the Ninth Annual Palestinian Cultural Day sponsored by Supervisor Dave Cortese and the Palestinian Heritage Committee held at the Santa Clara County Government Center. The teens and their delegation, led by Palestine Ministry of Education and Higher Education director of information technology Amjad Al-Masri, were honored guests at the event and were proud to witness the Palestinian flag being raised outside the building. Members of the delegation included Aref Husseini, founder and director of Al-Nayzak, an NGO that supports education and scientific innovation; Rula Habash, Intel's corporate affairs manager for Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine; and teachers Jameela Khaled and Nima Al-Rifaie.

At their final event, the group enjoyed a traditional Palestinian dinner provided by Dishdash Restaurant and held at Silicon Valley's Arab American Community Center.

Before returning home, the three students from the UNRWA school flew to New York City for a personal meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

—Elaine Pasquini