JEDDAH — Jeddah Education Affairs Director Abdullah Al-Thaqafi officially launched MathAlive!, the math and science education exhibition, at Fakieh Planetarium here on Tuesday. The exhibition is part of a partnership among Jeddah Science Center, Raytheon Company and hosted by Fakieh Planetarium. Designed for Saudi youth, the MathAlive! exhibition contains exciting educational content relating to mathematics at work around the world and in our everyday lives. It includes historical achievements by noted figures from the region and provides interactive exhibits that allow visitors to experience math within the cultural backdrop of Arab-centric imagery, landmarks, customs, culture and language. Jamil Attar, executive director of Fakieh Leisure and Entertainment Group, stated: "We are proud and honored to host such an exciting and educational exhibition in order to give our youth access to a compelling interactive educational experience that demonstrates the wide variety of possible careers." He added: "It is very important to attract today's young people to careers in science and technology, because that is where the future lies and what our Saudi youth need to become great leaders." Meanwhile, Bill Blake, vice president and senior executive of Raytheon International Inc., expressed his happiness in bringing MathAlive! exhibition to Jeddah. "Our debut of MathAlive in Jeddah is a recognition of our 50th anniversary partnership with Saudi Arabia particularly with the Saudi Air Force. "We look forward to more opportunities ahead to innovate together and achieve mutual goals for a prosperous future and in line with Vision 2030," he said. MathAlive! is a dual-language traveling education exhibition, designed to bring to life the "real" maths behind the things young people love most: video games, sports, robotics and more, creating interactive and immersive experiences that help spark a lasting interest in maths and science in school, college and workplace. Al-Thaqafi pointed out that this scientific exhibition comes in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. "Encouraging our youth to be more involved in mathematics and science is essential for the advancement of our country, and such an exhibition would bring leaders of the future," he said.
