Fatima Al Kaabi: The youngest inventor of the UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) always encourages female scientists to work and this has created a premise for the little girl Fatima Al Kaabi to pursue her dream. All difficulties paid off at the age of 13

Fatima and one of his inventions. Building robots when you are 10 years old It all started when Fatima was 10 years old and created the first robot capable of taking pictures. She then quickly developed 12 other inventions, including solar charging bags for devices, robots that can replace sick students to school, power belts for the hearing impaired and intelligent steering systems. Block people from texting while driving. Now Fatima turns 18 and is a student in computer engineering at Virginia Polytechnic (USA). She has become an inspiration, paving the way for other women and girls to pursue innovation and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). From a young age, Fatima was passionate about science and invention. She enjoys watching science fiction, documentary and technology shows. In addition, her parents have a technical background, which contributes to her passion for science and invention. “I was influenced a lot by the shows I watched, mainly about science. However, my living environment also has a lot of impact, including that my parents are engineers … all contributed to my hobby and personality, “said Fatima. The family plays a very supportive role for Fatima. At home, her parents help her and teach how to do small projects. Over time, Fatima became proficient with the skills and was able to enter the industry with the guidance and help of her parents. Overcoming challenges At the age of 7, Fatima is excited to learn about new industries and build exciting projects. However, over time, Fatima realized that it was very difficult to stay in the industry as a young girl. “There aren’t many opportunities and when I try to take the opportunities, people don’t take me seriously or think it’s just a temporary period and think I’ll find another job that is gender-appropriate. to me, ”Fatima said. However, over the years, Fatima said it is very happy to see the change in the gender gap that women have always suffered. “Today, there are a lot of resources that young children, especially girls, can use to educate themselves and build their own skill sets. In addition, the society is more advanced than the ideology of sexism and more open to women and girls in the field of technology, “Fatima said. The UAE’s youngest Inventor title reinforces Fatima’s progress. “It opened many doors for me and allowed me to grow as an inventor, helping me gain some validation in places where I was deemed unsuitable, even if it came with very much. many responsibilities. I am very honored to carry that title. Getting support and recognition from the government is one of the highlights of my journey ”. Fatima received the UAE Youngest Inventor Award. Inspire the younger generation Fatima is not the first female scientist and not the last to talk about it. The UAE government has made a great effort to encourage women in the field of science and technology. A 2018 Times Higher Education report states that more female students enroll in STEM than men in the UAE. The reason is attributed to the fact that the government empowers women through policies, the opportunity to ensure that female role models are included in science textbooks. Fatima said she is looking forward to the time when the title will be awarded to another ambitious inventor. For young inventors, she was determined to do all she could. She praised the companies that initiated CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities in providing young students a platform to explore more opportunities in the STEM industry. So when air-conditioning solutions provider Taqeef launched a 2020 version of the STEM iMatter curriculum, Fatima knew this was what she needed to be involved with. Designed to help students put theory into practice and familiarize themselves with the role of STEM in their future work, iMatter assigns students to find solutions to real-world climate problems. “The show has some of the brightest young brains with great ideas,” says Fatima. I took the opportunity to become a speaker at their event. I was delighted to hear that they enjoyed my speech and learned something from it. I was even happy to receive some feedback videos sharing participants’ experiences, insights and gratitude ”. Fatima said that programs like iMatter have created conditions for more students to experience STEM learning. If governments, business and society join hands to develop STEM education and embrace more opportunities, a huge difference will inevitably emerge and more scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs. next time. In addition to her studies, Fatima said, she is focusing on patenting some of her new ideas. “I hope to get masters and PhD degrees in artificial intelligence (AI). I aim to set up my own AI company in the future and become a professor in this field ”. Fatima affirms that the invention idea is very simple and anyone can do it every day in their life. What she sees as important right now is to foster gender segregation, engage girls and women in STEM, and provide them with an environment for growth.