STORY: Gazan school hosts technical expo to encourage talented teens to innovate
DATELINE: June 23, 2023
LENGTH: 00:04:01
LOCATION: GAZA, Palestine
CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the technical exhibition in Gaza
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MAHMOUD SAAD, Event organizer of the exhibition
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SAMI KHADER, Fifth-grade participant
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): ZINA HARB, Fifth-grade participant
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): TARA ZITAWI, Participant
6. SOUNDBITE 5 (Arabic): GENA AL-MADHOUN, Participant

STORYLINE:

In an effort to make daily life easier and safer through technology, 250 Palestinian students gathered on Tuesday at a technical exhibition in Gaza to present their innovative projects.

The expo, titled "Elite's Expo - Students from the Future," was organized by Al-Motamayzoun Modern School in Gaza for the second year in a row.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MAHMOUD SAAD, Event organizer of the exhibition
"The aim of holding such an event in the sector is to encourage students to deal with electronics and modern technologies. We are trying to get students out of the siege imposed on them by keeping pace with the development of technology around the world."

The expo showcased 80 projects that utilized modern means of artificial intelligence, website programming, robots, health games, and other innovative technologies to address challenges in the environment, public health, and other areas.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SAMI KHADER, Fifth-grade participant
"We used artificial intelligence so we can build this agriculture and we built it by ourselves. My project is called aeroponic farming, so the problem we are facing with soil-based agriculture is the difficulty of controlling the facility and salinity of the water and the difficulty of determining the appropriate environment of some plants."

To solve the problem, Khader's team proposed growing plants in an aerobic environment without soil, which could save 98% of the water used in irrigation and ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products.

At the expo, Zina Harb, also a fifth grader, presented her three-member team's project called "Smart Whiteboard Cleaner," which provided a smart solution for erasing whiteboards.

The whiteboard is equipped with an automatic cleaner run by a small generator, and "each teacher will be given a radio-frequency identification card to control the cleaner to wipe the whiteboard, making erasing work more efficient and convenient in classes," the teenager introduced.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): ZINA HARB, Fifth-grade participant
"We decided to design a program called the Whiteboard Smart Cleaner, which is a whiteboard equipped with an automatic cleaner run by a small generator. We decided to manufacture a radio-frequency identification card and provide it to every teacher to control the cleaner to wipe the whiteboard."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): TARA ZITAWI, Participant
"In the future, after it becomes a final product that can be applied, we will open a project to manufacture and promote it, and we will have a source of income."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Arabic): GENA AL-MADHOUN, Participant
"We will develop the project and open many companies in order to sell it on a large scale."

Speaking to Xinhua, Reem Awad, a Gaza-based chemistry teacher, said she is very happy to visit such an event, because "it showcases diverse talents and energies of Gazan children in the science and technology field."

The 36-year-old mother of three added that "it is good for schools to pay attention to the scientific development of students, so as to qualify them as useful persons to the society in the future."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza, Palestine.
(XHTV)