A group of students took part in an educational trip to South Korea organized by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) oriented trip included programs provided by prestigious South Korean and International organizations like the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), Dankook University, and a few others. The programs focused on the cutting- edge fields of artificial intelligence and virtual reality implementations.
In August 2022, fifteen high school students accompanied by organizers from KFAS embarked on a two-week journey across five South Korean cities. In line with its efforts to support and encourage Kuwaiti youth’s interest in fields that would benefit the future of Kuwait and the region, KFAS hopes that this program prepares the students to envision future technological developments. Students engaged in several comprehensive learning programs alternating between the metaverse world and artificial intelligence.
While at KISTI, a pioneering research organization in South Korea, the group learned about the multiple facets of artificial intelligence. Through a three-day program, they received an intensive course on machine learning, the basic principles and terminologies in AI, and the various real-life applications of AI. The students were able to use what they learned to work together in creating a simple video game at the end of the course.
Later, the group made its way to a six-day program offered at Dankook University, a well-respected research institute located in Korea’s Silicon Valley. The program was designed and prepared under the theme of The First Smart City in Kuwait, in reference to the South Saad Al-Abdullah city in Kuwait, modeled after Bundang in South Korea. In one of the courses, students learned about the requirements for building a metaverse world through the utilization of Minecraft Education Edition (MEE), which is an interactive STEM education tool that engages young students through an online gaming platform. The team at the university concluded the interactive program with a workshop about the five stages associated with design thinking.
In addition to the well-rounded educational content of the trip, the group had the chance to explore different local experiences with the K-Cultural Program. Its purpose was to help them understand Korean culture and experience aspects of daily Korean life. The program entailed traditional musical performances, workshops to learn the Korean language, hiking a few natural trails, and museum visits to learn about South Korean history.
قال الطالب محمد العلي الذي شارك في الرحلة: “المدهش أن أكثر الأشياء التي تعلمتها وجذبت اهتمامي كانت عن الثقافة”. وأضافت والدته أن “زيارة بلد جديد يتميز بطابع ثقافي مختلف تمامًا ومزدهر، ورؤية مبانيه المميزة ومناظره الطبيعية الخلابة تركت بالتأكيد تأثيرًا إيجابيًا” في محمد.
إن تجربة كهذه لها تأثير كبير في إفساح المـجال لتــحــقـيق إمكــانـات العـقول الــشـابة والطـمـوحة على غرار مـحمـد الذي يـحلم بالتخصص في عـلـوم الحـاسـوب والبرمجة. وترى والدته أن مؤســسـة الكــويـت للتــقـــدم العلـمي “تؤدي دورًا مهمًا وبارزًا في تحقيق هدف محمد من خلال برامجها ودوراتها ومحاضراتها المستمرة التي تُنظم على مدار العام”. وأضافت أن جهود المؤسسة في ربط الطلبة، مثل ابنها، بالخبراء والمتخصصين في مجال العلوم والتكنولوجيا قطعت شوطًا طويلاً في مسار رعاية ودعم المواهب الوطنية الشابة.
By Lulwa Alaftan