In its third year, the GEMS Global Innovation Showcase brought together three GEMS Education initiatives, while upping the ante of the competitions by welcoming GEMS students from around the world to enter and take part.
The GEMS Global Innovation Showcase encompasses three flagship GEMS Education initiatives, open to students in GEMS Education schools across the world. On 9 February 1,000 top student inventors and entrepreneurs presented their solutions and prototypes designed to achieve a better tomorrow.
GLOBAL INNOVATION CHALLENGE
Run in partnership with Silicon Valley-based Singularity University, the challenge saw students submit solutions that have the potential to positively impact people using future-focused technologies such as 3D printing, robotics, and nanotechnology, as well as skills such as data science and coding. Categories included disaster resilience, food scarcity, prosperity, environmental sustainability, healthcare, access to drinking water, among others.
The event saw well over 300 student teams display their prototypes, with projects ranging from brainwave-detecting headsets that can control drones and remote-controlled cars to help improve users’ attention spans (Team AiO from GEMS Millennium School — Sharjah), to artificial intelligence (AI) powered early diagnosis of skin diseases, the algorithm of which has already been patented (Team SCD Device from GEMS Dubai American Academy). Another project involved Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors attached to ants for enhanced early detection of earthquakes (Team BrilliANT from GEMS Heritage Indian School).
Over 3,500 visitors attended the full-day event, while Microsoft and Liv Bank displayed their initiatives to leverage technology in education and create better financial decisions for future generations.
The teams were assessed by over 50 judges, comprising of leaders from across a variety of industries and organisations. Shortlisted teams will enter a twomonth industry workshop phase where they will be provided with full mentorship to further develop, build, and scale their solutions. Finalists will be presented at the annual Singularity University Global Summit in Silicon Valley, California in August 2019.
According to Mick Gernon, Chief Education Innovation Officer at GEMS Education, the teams began their journey several months ago by learning about exponential technologies and understanding their impact and implications on our future.
He adds: “At GEMS Education we see genius in every child, and therefore we believe it is so important to provide opportunities for our students to unlock their potential. To that end, we are actively and continuously looking at a whole range of platforms that allow young learners to identify and develop new talents. The GEMS Global Innovation Showcase is one such platform, and we are immensely proud of the incredible genius, invention, and enterprise on display here today.”
GEMS XCELERATOR PROGRAMME Designed to provide skills, knowledge and support aimed at developing students from inventors to entrepreneurs, the programme offers shortlisted teams seed funding, industry mentorship, workshops, training and opportunities to pitch to investors.
GEMS X ENBD FUTURE OF DIGITAL FINANCE CHALLENGE The challenge invites all GEMS Education students to generate technology-enabled solutions that reimage how we interact with financial institutions in today’s rapidly-changing society, with Emirates NBD providing mentorship, internships and product incubation opportunities.
