The ‘Science Days Palestine’ (SDP) 2014 edition kicked off on 12 November at the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Al-Bireh. SDP, which also includes an international Science Film Festival (SFF), was organised and funded by A. M. Qattan Foundation, Al-Nayzak Foundation, Birzeit University, The Palestinian Museum/Welfare Association, Institute Français, Goethe Institute, Mercedes-Benz and the European Union, and in cooperation with several local and international organisations.
This year’s festival was planned across 18 Palestinian cities, towns and villages, including Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza, Qalqilya, Tulkarem, Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jericho, Nazareth, Birzeit, Ni’lin, Dura, Halhul, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Beit Lahia and Al-Maghazi.
SDP offers a unique chance for communication and interaction in the fields of science. It is a means to support science learning in Palestinian schools, contribute to the quality of science education, and facilitate the dissemination of the culture of science in the society at large.
The Foundation participated in this year’s festival through a variety of activities organised by the Walid and Helen Kattan Science Education Project, a part of the Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development (QCERD). Activities raised awareness of modern scientific, technological and environmental issues, through simplified and entertaining means.
The Qattan Centre for the Child (QCC) in Gaza also took part in SDP. For the fifth year in a row, QCC participated through activities and exhibitions exploring new scientific realms made possible by modern technology, and via scientific innovation workshops which focused on the implications of technological advances in physics, health, medicine and biotechnology.
As for the SFF, which was launched in 2005 by Goethe Institute, it focused on “Future Technologies”. The audience explored the future and learned about future technologies through 34 science film screenings and interactive activities that followed. These activities were designed by a Palestinian work team of teachers from public and UNRWA schools that are engaged in QCERD programmes, as well as participants from Al-Nayzak Foundation.