Themed ‘Astronomy and Space Exploration’, SMAC 2023 Will Help Expand Students’ Intellectual Curiosity in Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in Space Sector.
Khalifa University of Science and Technology today announced the launch of the Smart Mobile Application Contest (SMAC) 2023 for students in grades 9, 10, and 11 to help them explore basic app technologies, offering them a platform to showcase their technical skills and creativity in astronomy-related app development.
Scheduled to run from 14-24 August with the theme ‘Astronomy and Space Exploration’, the challenge calls for participants to develop an application that should focus on addressing the challenges and opportunities within the space sector, relevant to the UAE’s commitment to scientific advancement and space exploration. Participants need to describe how the application is related to the theme and astronomy’s expected contribution to education, trade, manufacturing, and culture.
Dr. Yousof A. Alhammadi, Acting Senior Vice-President, Academic and Student Services, Khalifa University, said: “Khalifa University’s Smart Mobile Application Contest (SMAC) 2023 will aim to foster innovation while nurturing digital skills. This challenge trains, equips and leads young minds towards creating their own mobile apps and seeks to assess their understanding of UAE’s recent progress in the space sector. We believe more students will have an opportunity to participate in this contest and tune themselves towards research and innovation of the future, and will participate in driving progress and distinction in the UAE through the study of astronomic bodies and space.”
In order to participate, a student must attend all sessions of the four-day short courses from 14-17 August. A team of two students will submit only one project. Live project demonstrations are scheduled for 24 August. The panel of judges will assess the entries based on originality and value of the idea (30%), implementation and functionality (40%), app quality (20%), and cultural focus (10%).
SMAC 2023 aims to help expand students’ intellectual curiosity, while assisting them in developing technical and soft skills through presentations, problem solving, teamwork, communication, social skills, coordination, and time management. The challenge also seeks to raise students’ awareness of the role of coding, computer science, and engineering in general, in today’s digital world..
