Knowledge Society
Impact and innovation: An educator’s journey into school leadership
29 October 2020
“Education is an equalizer. All of us who are in education, we’re not in there for money. We’re there for impact,” said Shehnaz Wadhwania, currently the founding principal for Abram Agnew Elementary School in California’s Santa Clara Unified School District. Before becoming a school leader, Shehnaz followed a unique career path in education, where she felt she could make the greatest impact.
Student-run nonprofit seeks to close gaps in STEM education
24 October 2020
Everything is made of something. Materials science is the study of what objects are made of – from metals to ceramics and polymers – and why certain materials function the way they do. It is the science that explains why your phone charger is made of the insulator polycarbonate or why a car contains the fireproof material fiberglass in its bumpers, doors, roof, and wheels. Though materials science and engineering (MSE) is not often studied in schools, it is the foundation of all objects in our world.
Crisis as a catalyst: Unlocking opportunities in teaching and education
25 September 2020
Across the world, education has been one of the most severely disrupted areas in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Through the introduction of various online initiatives, the Aga Khan Economic Planning Board (AKEPB) in India has invested in upskilling for teachers, to help them navigate the new world of online education.
Teachers and students of the Jamat embrace remote learning amidst pandemic
1 September 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced teachers and students around the world to make an abrupt transition from classrooms to remote learning as schools, universities, and religious education centres were closed. Teachers redesigned lessons and adapted to the new reality of keeping students engaged virtually. Meanwhile, students adjusted to learning online without the ease of classroom interactions. Ismaili teachers and students around the world have risen to this challenge and are finding ways to embrace remote learning and tap into the opportunities it offers.
Ismaili high school student names NASA’s Mars helicopter
8 May 2020
Ever since Vaneeza Rupani was a little girl, she has been captivated by space exploration. She fed her interest by reading books about space at her school library and visiting the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
TEDx talk at Ismaili Centre shines light on tuberculosis, an infectious threat to learn from
28 April 2020
In his address at TEDxOudMetha, held at the Ismaili Centre Dubai weeks before widespread social distancing was implemented, Dr Salmaan Keshavjee, Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard Medical School’s Centre for Global Health Delivery, discussed how many other diseases, beyond Covid-19, continue to affect peoples’ quality of life and cause untimely death, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and even curable infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB).
Maximising productivity while learning from home
25 March 2020
In response to the global Covid-19 pandemic, many educational institutions have transitioned from in-person to online learning. For students who are used to classroom settings, a different learning setting can pose new challenges, especially when trying to remain productive and motivated. Here are some strategies to adapt to an online learning environment.
Ismaili spaces around the world open doors to dialogue on inclusivity
28 February 2020
Promoting inclusivity and accessibility, Ismaili Centres and Jamatkhanas around the world are opening their doors to dialogue and conversation – a cornerstone to pluralism and a long-standing tradition of our faith.
Partnering to create, curate, and communicate knowledge
26 February 2020
The University of Central Asia (UCA) and the University of Cambridge came together to sign historic partnership agreements at ceremonies in Cambridge and London on 25 and 26 February 2020. The events in the UK were attended by Princess Zahra, along with senior leaders from UCA and the University of Cambridge.
Skills for the future: Part one
16 February 2020
The World Economic Forum predicts that millions of jobs will be lost in the coming years as artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, and other socio-economic factors replace the need for human workers. How can we begin to prepare for a future that will no doubt be more mobile, autonomous, and machine-driven than today?
Girls landing: Reaching for the moon
10 February 2020
“Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination,” said Mae Jemison, an American engineer, physician, and the first African American woman to travel into space. She orbited the earth in 1992, making history as the first female person of color to journey into space about 30 years after the first man, Yuri Gagarin.
Dubai girls team wins award for innovative solution at robotics competition
10 February 2020
In an effort to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through access to and participation in science, the United Nations recognises 11 February as International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Young girls from the Dubai Jamat have displayed that women and girls can thrive in the field of science by winning an award for their innovative solution at the FIRST Lego League (FLL) competition.
