JoYS winners to take part in BT Young Scientist Exhibition in Dublin

AMMAN — The first prize winners of this year’s Jordan Young Scientists (JoYS), Basel Abu Salameh and Seif Nakhleh will represent Jordan for the first time at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition in Dublin, Ireland, in mid-January, according to the Irish embassy.  

Abu Salameh and Nakhleh from the Jubilee Institute won top prize for their project "Xchange", which helps people with hearing impairments communicate more efficiently.

The BT Young Scientist Exhibition is the longest-running STEM Exhibition in Europe, according to an embassy statement.

The annual national Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition was launched over 50 years ago in Ireland to incentivise the uptake of science in secondary schools, improve the standards of teaching science and reward students who excelled in science projects.

Following its establishment as a major national event, the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition led to the development of a very strong culture of science and innovation in the Ireland, and it has contributed to the country’s economic development by up-skilling the workforce in science and technology and attracting foreign direct investment, read the statement.

Given the positive experience in Ireland, the newly established embassy in Amman proposed that the initiative could be introduced in Jordan.  What followed was the national launch of the JoYS initiative at Al Hussein Technical University in Amman. The event was inaugurated by Minister of Culture Haifa Najjar. 

The exhibition selected three overall winners who received cash prizes. The JoYS winners will have the chance to showcase their expertise and projects in Dublin, as well as engage with and learn from other students from Europe and Africa. 

JoYS is based on a partnership model. In Jordan, it brings together, amongst others, the government, the Embassy of Ireland, the private sector, the Crown Prince Foundation, Queen Rania Foundation and multiple educational institutions who oversee the effective implementation of the initiative.

Ambassador Marianne Bolger said: “The Embassy of Ireland is extremely proud to be a co-sponsor of this wonderful initiative. The embassy will pledge its support to continue to work with the hugely committed partners in the Jordan Young Scientist initiative to ensure its success for many years to come and help to contribute to building with plans underway to build an innovative future workforce and society which can respond to the pace of accelerated global changes, challenges and opportunities.  I would like to take the opportunity to wish Basel Abu Salameh and Seif Nakhleh very good luck in their participation in the exhibition in Ireland.”