Under the patronage of Acting Dean of the College of Life Sciences Dr. Nawaf Al-Hajri, Kuwait University held the Career Pathways Week event under the Science Month program with support from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), organized by the Information Sciences Department under the supervision of Acting Department Head Dr. Zainab Al-Maaraj, at the College of Life Sciences. The event was attended by Acting Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the college Dr. Sharifa Al-Kandari, Acting Director of Scientific Culture Department at KFAS Dr. Laila Al-Moussawi, and Consultant at the Scientific Culture Department at KFAS Dr. Nasser Bu Rahma. High school students learned about the scientific departments during practical applied workshops by visiting the college laboratories and learning about the departments of the College of Life Sciences, in addition to the Physics Department from the College of Science and the Electrical Engineering Department from the College of Engineering and Petroleum - Kuwait University.
It is worth noting that the Practical Career Pathways Week at Kuwait University is the first program of its kind in Kuwait, specifically designed by academic and supporting academic staff members to spread awareness and knowledge of career options in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) for high school students who are approaching university life. Through this program and its first launch, students will have the opportunity to meet both academic and supporting academic staff members in six scientific departments at Kuwait University and participate in practical activities, which will be an example of what the degree graduate does in the actual workplace.
The visit to the Information Sciences Department included a workshop for the scientific department, which aims to introduce students to the basic concept of machine learning, and lay the foundations for understanding how to create it and its applications in the real world. The visit to the Physics Department also included a presentation of the basics of kinetic physics through an effective projectile motion experiment that helps clarify physical concepts and laws for students.
The Department of Communication Disorders Sciences presented an introductory presentation of the specialization aimed at introducing high school students to the details of the specialization, giving examples of the disorders that the specialization treats, and the role of the speech and hearing therapist in society. The Electrical Engineering Department also presented the basics of electrical engineering, including the use of one of the programs and how to connect and operate electrical circuits effectively to help clarify engineering concepts and theories for students.
For its part, the Department of Food Science and Nutrition presented a practical activity illustrating methods of germ transmission during food preparation, through which students were able to learn the basics of food safety science. The department also presented a workshop to learn about nutrition science and how to read and interpret the nutrition label accompanying packaged foods.
In conclusion, the Environmental Sciences Department provided students with the opportunity to discover the environmental footprint in the field of energy by linking energy consumption in homes or fuel use in cars and the impact of carbon emissions on climate change. The environment segment aims to raise awareness about individual energy consumption and motivate students to take actions to reduce their energy consumption and increase knowledge of the personal environmental footprint.
