The Higher Colleges of Technology’s 5th Festival of Thinkers Conference opened in Abu Dhabi with university student-delegates being urged to follow in the footsteps of the Nobel Laureates and world thinkers for the betterment of education and individual’s lives.

The iconic international student conference was officially inaugurated by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology in the presence of several world leaders in education and politics.

The event will see free-flowing discussions between international and national students and with visiting Nobel Laureates and world thinkers on topics revolving around education. The international students represent about 60 nations and 130 institutions covering the globe, from large nations such as Canada, China, Russia and the USA, to small and emerging nations such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bhutan, Cuba, Haiti, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan.

The Festival of Thinkers will comprise three structured sub-themes discussed by the participants, being:

• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education: Initiatives and Challenges
• Effects of Education on Health and Wellness
• Innovative Models of  Higher Education

The various discussions will take the form of panel discussions, round-table group planning and comprehensive summations – all involving close interaction between the students and Nobel Laureates and thinkers.

The highlight was the opening panel discussion which featured the esteemed Nobel Laureates Dr Mohamed ElBaradei (Peace, 2005), Prof Klaus von Klitzing (Physics, 1985) Sir Harold W. Kroto, (Chemistry, 1996), Prof Douglas Osheroff (Physics, 1996); Prof Yuan Tseh Lee (Chemistry, 1986). They were joined by John Couch Vice President – Apple Inc.

Other Nobel Laureates to attend the conference and participate in interactive roundtable discussions were Dr Barry J. Marshall (Medicine, 2005), Prof Martin Chalfie (Chemistry, 2008) and Dr Jerome I. Friedman (Physics, 1990).

Also in attendance was former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Quartet Representative to the Middle East and Founder of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

HE Sheikh Nahayan told the audience of over 300 international students that they would make important decisions affecting their lives and those of others, “because this festival intends to ‘design the future through thinking’. “Your deliberations will produce decisions. I guarantee, however, that most participants in today’s discussions will have altered their conclusions before nightfall. After all, thinking is an activity that we perform well or badly, intelligently or stupidly.  The success of our thinking depends on the facts that we know and our application of certain principles such as inference, evidence, and relevance. Today you will encounter new facts and hear new ways of dealing with the facts. Your contemplation today will yield conclusions different from those you reached in contemplation yesterday,” HE Sheikh Nahayan said.

“We must contemplate. We must deliberate.  We are created to think, and we have a responsibility to think well. But we must also have the strength of mind to encounter the world outside ourselves. We must reveal our conclusions and defend and advance our decisions,” Sheikh Nahayan urged students.

Sheikh Nahayan invoked the work of the Nobel Laureates by advising students to use them as the perfect role models for their own careers. “They did not conceal their work—their thinking.  No, indeed, their thinking was on display for the entire world to evaluate.  Their thoughts were not ordinary.  Their thoughts were extraordinary–original, innovative, different, and monumentally important. In effect, they challenged every other thinker in the world to think about their new thinking,” he said.

“You fortunate students here today have the chance to follow their glorious example.  If you have thought well, you should summon the courage to expose your conclusions and your decisions.  Let them be tested in the marketplace of ideas. Listen carefully to the responses evoked by your thinking.  Defend your position or, if necessary, reconsider your thoughts,” His Excellency said.

One of the key issues to arise from the forum was the issue of technology. Tony Blair spoke about four factors which have an impact on education on a global scale. He spoke of “education being the most important factor than ever before, as education is essential for economic growth. Human capital is the single biggest resource for a nation”.

Mr. Blair also spoke of connectivity between people and of an “education revolution” “Technology and innovative changes are the ways in which to change the way we educate people,” he said. Mr. Blair also pointed to the need for collaborative partnerships between public and private sectors, as well as changing governmental influence. “We need to teach differently and structure our education models differently. We need an education revolution and the Festival of Thinkers gives us that opportunity to make those changes,” he said.

In an entertaining talk, philosopher Swami Parthasarathy called on the student delegates to learn to use their mind and intellect and to break out of their captivity in life, while the panel discussion of Nobel Laureates, who discussed the initiatives and challenges of Science, Technology, Engineering and Technology, considered what helps people to be motivated in their education.

Mohamed ElBaradei said that the bigger picture view of science was needed to improve society. “We all have the connectivity but we need to look further than that and we need people to have a minimum knowledge of science,” he said.

Sir Harold Kroto added that it was important to have a focus on STEM but there was a need for a more holistic education to improve our education – with additional focus on the arts, architecture and “what we are enjoying in life”. Fellow Nobel Laureate Prof Douglas Osheroff said that “people need more than education to be productive, they need passion”. “Passion is what drives us to do the great things that we do,” he said.

The HCT’s 25th Anniversary celebrations moved to the Rixos Hotel on the Palm Dubai for a gala opening ceremony for 2,000 specially invited HCT alumni and students along with several hundred international students, Nobel Laureates and educational leaders. This event will celebrate the accomplishments of the past graduates of HCT and retrace the history of HCT. National leaders, industry CEOs and educational leaders will join HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology.

Students at Abu Dhabi Women’s College interact with distinguished guest Lynn A. Dugle, President of Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, during the HCT’s 4th Biennial Festival of Thinkers.

Students and mentors from many backgrounds and countries met at the Higher Colleges of Technology’s Abu Dhabi Women’s College for a discussion on “Women in Leadership” during the Festival of Thinkers conference.

Panelists addressed students and questioned them for a give-and-take session about how women can lead in their families, in the workplace, and in their communities. Panelists included Lynn Dugle, President of Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems; Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times; UAE-based reporter Camilla Hall of the Financial Times; lawyer and archaeologist Kathleen Martinez-Berry, from the Dominican Republic; Founder of the Kids off the Block organization Diane Latiker; Dr. Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego; and Amy Stokes, the founder of NGO Infinite Family and a 2011 Top Ten CNN Hero.

Students and panelists examined women’s unique leadership roles, including leadership within the family. Ms. Latiker, herself a mother of eight grown children, said: “We women are born leaders. Leaders are people who want to do something for others, not just for themselves.”

A recurring theme of the panel discussion was the importance of caring for one’s own family, whether or not a woman also has a career. Many panelists talked about their mothers or their husbands and children. When Ms. Hall queried the students about their idea of leadership, she inspired the following response from ADWC student Sumaya Ali: “My grandmother is a leader. She doesn’t know how to read or write, but she has values, and she knows how to communicate these values to the younger generation. That’s what leaders do.”

Dr. Jace Hargis, ADWC’s Director, remarked on the occasion: “This Women in Leadership discussion has allowed our students to interact with women from very different backgrounds and to see, as well as the differences, how much they all have in common. We’re very pleased that our students had this opportunity, and we thank the panelists for their ideas and examples.”

The conference’s final day discussion saw delegates immerse themselves in debate, discussion and meaningful dialogue in relation to Global Challenges: Making Education Count which was moderated by Ann Mroz, editor of Times Higher Education in UK.

The panel consisted of four world thinkers, each renowned experts in the specific fields of discussion.

Dr. Abderrahmane Lahlou, Founder of Mundiapolis University, Morocco advised students to become scientific researchers once they graduate in order to increase social visibility.

Dr David Lewis-Hodgson, a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, the International Stress Management Association, stressed that a good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning among students. He further added that that the most important tool to improve quality of education is through improving the skills of teachers. “We need to confess that a good teacher can inspire students to achieve more.”

Other panel discussions ran in parallel at a number of the Higher Colleges of Technology campuses.

The final day followed builds on from two highly successful mass roundtable discussions held yesterday at the high-tech HCT Khalifa Women’s College, which saw delegates form round tables with world thinkers to explore the issues of the present and future effects of the Global Economic Crisis; and also creating a sustainable world for future generations, particularly children.

The first roundtable saw former Kentucky Governor and fast food entrepreneur John Y. Brown combine with Dr. Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, scientific advisor to the Cuban State Council, to chair the discussion on the implications of the financial crisis. The second roundtable saw Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams give a spirited oration on the need to provide greater care for the most vulnerable members of society – the world’s children.

The Festival, opened by H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan, offered delegates the opportunity to interact with Nobel Laureates, distinguished experts, celebrated artists and philosophers, as well as 200 of the top international students from 80 universities around the world.

Each of the three days offered something new to inspire and motivate, encouraging students to develop their intellects and their talents for the benefit of their country. In doing that, they would be fulfilling Gavin Esler’s prediction at the conference that this would be the “education century”.

“It was wonderful to hear what other people had to say about our country and I have learnt so many things listening to the distinguished speakers discussing the complex issues that we must deal with if we are to have a sustainable future, ” said Abdulaziz, Student Council President at Ruwais Men’s College.

“ I also learned from having the opportunity to interact with them, seeing how they were interested to listen to my own ideas too. I learnt that it is not easy to deal with all the social, economic and environmental issues in our world today.”

Swami Parthasarathy, philosopher and author really caught the attention of the Western Region students. He suggested that collecting knowledge alone would not provide them with peace. Students should develop their intellects and their ability to question everything whilst fully living in the present moment, in a cooperative, confident and concentrated way, the Swami said. Finally he suggested that giving, not taking, learning to share and work together was one of the most important skills to develop. This resonated well with the passion felt by students for their country, a model of union and the success of cooperation and giving support to others.

“It was a fantastic experience … I had a long talk with some Japanese students. They loved the UAE and were so impressed with what we have achieved over the last 40 years,” said Shamsa, a Ruwais student from Ghayathi.

Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams said we need to teach humanity in our classrooms from a very young age and start educating our children to be “whole” human beings. In bringing together so many different nationalities and so many different disciplines with the young people of tomorrow, the Festival of Thinkers is going a long way towards achieving that goal.

“It was such a great chance to meet people from other countries,” said Fatima, Madinat Zayed Alumni now working in Al Mirfa.

“It really changed my view of other cultures. I can see that we share so much, that we are all very similar really in our opinions on the important problems we as young people will have to deal with in the future. I feel hopeful now that we will work them out and bring more happiness to the world.”

The fourth Festival of Thinkers conference is organized by the Higher Colleges of Technology, providing a platform to foster and celebrate thinking, inspiring the youth of the region, and allowing thinkers from around the world to come together and share

The fourth Festival of Thinkers conference is organized by the Higher Colleges of Technology, providing a platform to foster and celebrate thinking, inspiring the youth of the region, and allowing thinkers from around the world to come together and share

Session Participants included Michael Brosowski, CNN Hero and founder of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in Vietnam; Paul Kronenberg, co-founder of Braille Without Borders in India and Tibet; Diane Latiker, founder & president of Kids Off The Block in USA; Amy Stokes CNN Hero and founder of Infinite Family; Rebecca Stromeyer, founder of e-Learning Africa in Kenya; and Sean Evers, founder and managing partner of Gulf Intelligence.

The discussion highlighted the role of education, entrepreneurship, technology and aid in the fight against poverty and how can poverty be overcome as sustainable outcome and not a momentary success. Sharjah HCT students had the opportunity to engage in discussions on the subject of poverty and hunger and why such crises repeats themselves on a global scale, as has been seen again in Somalia where there are three million people on the verge of starvation.

During the panel discussion, Amy Stokes, the founder of Infinite Family South Africa and a Top Ten CNN Hero spoke about the plight of 35 million orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa. “This means that these children grow up in households in very distressed communities with limited resources, right now,” she said.

“My husband and I adopted a child in Johannesburg, South Africa and there we truly understood how big the orphan crisis is, with children growing up without a family. We decided we had to find a way to help these children and give them shelter and education to be able to secure good jobs and help rebuild their own communities.”

Michael Brosowski CNN Hero Founder, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation Vietnam told the large audience of his work in the capital Hanoi.

“I had no plan. I was 21 when I went to Vietnam. In Hanoi, I noticed there were a lot of kids working in the streets; they were country kids who came to the city to raise money to provide for their families. I wanted to help them, so I started doing what I can do which is to give them English lessons for free,” he said.

Diane Latiker, the Founder & President Kids Off The Block in Chicago USA said her work with disadvantaged children came about because she “wanted to live with everybody in my community in peace”. “I began to think what I can do as a mother of 8 to make an impact in my community without moving out. When we leave our communities, things get worse,” she said.

“I just cared about other people’s kids. I didn’t know anything about nonprofit or social programs. I just have a small living room and I wanted to help few kids in the neighborhood. These kids suffer from poverty and anger issues because of poverty. We have a youth violence problem in Chicago.”

Paul Kronenberg Co-Founder of Braille Without Borders spoke about setting up the project in Tibet for blind children with his partner Sabriye Tenberken. “One of the main challenges we faced at the beginning was how to make these kids overcome their fears. Kids who have come to us were outcast of society and nobody wanted to deal with them,” he said.

“We are not born with fear, but at some point fear comes in. Those kids have fear about the future, so we thought what we could do to take away that fear from them. We then started the dream factory, we asked those kids to dream about what they really want to do in the future.”

Rebecca Stromeyer, the founder of the eLearning Africa project in Kenya described the early start to her program.

“I grew up in an environment where I learned entrepreneurial skills at a young age that made me a hard worker and can’t be really idle. I started my own business when I was still studying for my degree. I strongly believe that education is vital,” she said.

eLearning Africa is a conference aiming to adopt ICT technology for education and training involving all the sectors including governments, corporations, and other organizations.

The Festival of Thinkers biennial conference is organized by the Higher Colleges of Technology to provide a platform to foster and celebrate thinking, inspiring the youth of the region, and allowing thinkers from around the world to come together and share their ideas and thoughts.

The conference’s final day discussions will see delegates immerse themselves in debate, discussion and meaningful dialogue in relation to seven of the conference themes. The panel will on these occasions consist of six or seven world thinkers, each renowned experts in the specific fields of discussion.

The final day follows builds on from two highly successful mass roundtable discussions held yesterday at the high-tech HCT Khalifa Women’s College, which saw delegates form round tables with world thinkers to explore the issues of the present and future effects of the Global Economic Crisis; and also creating a sustainable world for future generations, particularly children.

The first roundtable saw former Kentucky Governor and fast food entrepreneur John Y. Brown combine with Dr. Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, scientific advisor to the Cuban State Council, to chair the discussion on the implications of the financial crisis. The second roundtable saw Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams give a spirited oration on the need to provide greater care for the most vulnerable members of society – the world’s children.

Today’s program agenda will see a keynote address on Reframing Education by H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor, Higher Colleges of Technology at the Khalifa City Women’s College. The following items will also be discussed at HCT campuses across the UAE:

“The great thinkers did not show we should live. For that, we must turn inward and cultivate special attributes. In particular, we must become wise,” H.E. Sheikh Nahayan said.

Sheikh Nahayan also made mention of the great accomplishments of the nation’s leaders in forging a progressive and advanced society since the UAE’s formation 40 years ago.

“In the United Arab Emirates, for example, we saw wisdom personified in the late Sheikh Zayed, known widely as the Wise Man of the Arabs. He was, as I have earlier said, a free and creative thinker. And he was much more in addition. He accumulated knowledge and drew on it routinely,” he said.

He added that using our powers of thinking was not limited to leaders. “Seeking to be wise is within the power of us all. We can increase our knowledge of the world and concentrate on assimilating our experiences. That is a necessary but wholly possible step. Keeping our minds open to the new, unfamiliar, and unexpected may require us to strengthen our resolve, but only a conquerable cowardice would prevent that action. Participation in this Festival of Thinkers can help to convince us that courage is the more satisfying attribute, H.E. Sheikh Nahayan added.

Sheikh Nahayan also gave a moving tribute to 2007 Festival of Thinkers guest, Nobel Laureate and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, who died in September this year, and who was an inspiration for many students and conference delegates.

The opening ceremony concluded with a thought-provoking panel discussion of business and economic leaders discussing what will happen to the world economies three years since the Global Economic Crisis. Nobel Laureates in Economics, Dr Eric Maskin and Professor Finn Kydland were joined by University College London President Professor Malcolm Grant; former Kentucky Governor John Young Brown and Vodafone Germany CEO Friedrich Joussen.

The panel, which was chaired by Washington Post reporter David Ignatius, had the audience contemplating globalized economies and the future destinations of many economies struggling with the fall out of the financial crisis. But prior to that the audience was treated to an uplifting motivational speech by Swami Parthasarathy and a special address by Gunter Thielen, Chairman and CEO of publishing giant Bertelsmann Stiftung.

In a full agenda conference delegates then moved to the HCT Khalifa City Women’s College where they participated in round table discussions with world thinkers on the issues of the global economic crisis and creating a sustainable environment for future generations. The latter involved Nobel Laureate Betty Williams and Lynne Dugle, President of Raytheon Intelligence and Info Systems.

The day will conclude with a gala dinner presentation at the Emirates Palace, featuring a range of international performances and traditional dance and music. The conference ends tomorrow with a series of breakout sessions at many of the HCT Colleges, covering the nine conference sub-themes.

Those were just some of the reactions from attendees at a series of leadership workshops, held today at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), which marked the commencement of the 4^th Festival of Thinkers conference.

Over 300 hand-picked international students joined more than 100 renowned “World Thinkers” from business, academics, government, the environment, arts and society, including Nobel Laureates, at the pre-conference leadership workshops covering the conference’s nine sub-themes.

The tenor of the conference was set by an inspirational special address to students from Lynne Dugle, President of Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems at the Abu Dhabi Women’s College. Ms Dugle enthralled the students with her description of working at the American arms and defence conglomerate Raytheon, and how women should have the determination to strive for their goals.

Ms. Dugle then joined an equally uplifting session on Women in Leadership, which also featured Dr Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor of the University of California San Diego and Diane Latiker, the founder of the Chicago-based charity Kids off the Block.

The Abu Dhabi Men’s College and CERT Technology Park were also settings for pre-conference workshops, with topics such as Healthcare; Innovation & Entrepreneurship; Exploration; the Arts; Technology; Media; Science and Government covered in the intimate and interactive surroundings.

Nobel Laureates Dr. Erwin Neher (1991 Medicine) and Professor Ferid Murad (1998 Physiology/Medicine) joined other health professionals to discuss current trends and issues in health with a large and captivated audience.

One of the most popular workshops was conducted by three US Astronauts – Charlie Duke (Apollo Astronaut), Tom Henricks (Space Shuttle) & Steve Oswald (Space Shuttle). These three legends of the Space Age had the audience hanging off every word, as they vividly described what it was like to travel in space.

With backgrounds as test pilots or airforce personnel the trio agreed that becoming astronauts was a natural progression in their careers.

Apollo Astronaut Charlie Duke, who said walking on the Moon was a top life experience, added: “We were adventurers, explorers used to taking risks and always asking ‘what’s over the next hill’. The Apollo Missions were just another risk and we manage those risks,” he said.

The astronauts spoke of the human reactions to space flight, including the demands of family over career, which beset Tom Henricks who said he passed up on his 5^th space mission after discussing safety issues with his family.

They also described the effect of seeing the earth from space. “It is pretty tiny in this big universe, looking back on the Earth – one little jewel out there with this thin blue line around it,” Steve Oswald said.

“That (atmosphere) is the one thing protecting us from all the bad stuff out there. You come back understanding about keeping what we have got here on earth,” he added.

Steve Oswald and Tom Henricks told the audience that there are no geopolitical borders on Earth when in space. “We all need to find a way to get on better together,” Oswald said. Tom Henricks echoed his thoughts: “If more leaders would view the Earth from space we would have fewer problems,” he said.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship workshop was also one of the most popular sessions, with many business-oriented students keen to interact with a high-ranking panel of speakers including Jonathan Ortmans, the President of the Global Entrepreneurship Week; Shiv Khemka, the Vice-Chairman of the SUN Group and Dr Bala Balachandran, from the prestigious Kellogg School of Management.

The Art and Media workshops saw delegates discuss a diverse range of topics including issues of working in the growing Middle East media sector; the influence of and need for freedoms in social media networks; and the influence of Islamic arts on the current and future generations.

The conference, which is the HCT’s signature event of its 40^th National Day celebrations, will continue on November 14 & 15, 2011 under the theme Inspired Thinking Fresh Perspectives. It will feature nine separate themes to be discussed in a series of highly interactive panel discussions, workshops and round-tables.

Dr Tayeb Kamali, Higher Colleges of Technology Vice Chancellor and Festival of Thinkers Chair, said the workshops gave delegates valuable introductions and insights for the conference, which will be officially opened tomorrow at 10am at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi by H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor, Higher Colleges of Technology.

The Festival of Thinkers will be held at a number of HCT campuses throughout the UAE, where participants will engage in robust and meaningful dialogue and interactions revolving around the conference’s themes of Global Economic Crisis; Environment and Sustainability; Health and the UN Millennium Development Goals; Leaders of Tomorrow; Reframing Education; Inspiring through the Arts; Global Challenges: Making Education Count; Poverty and Hunger Alleviation; and Exploration, Adventure and Leadership.