Amman, April 25 – Knowledge Path Library at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation celebrated today, Saturday, the conclusion of the ninth cycle of the Young Innovators Lab program for the year 2025, at the foundation’s headquarters in Jabal Amman.
The ceremony, held under the patronage of the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Azmi Mahafzah, featured presentations of scientific and innovative project ideas developed by the young innovators after a scientific and practical journey that included specialized workshops. These workshops employed experiments and projects to develop participants’ research and analytical skills.
The Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Valentina Kassisieh, explained that the Young Innovators Lab is not a short-term educational initiative, but a purposeful effort to reshape how students engage with knowledge. Rather than remaining passive consumers of information, students are encouraged to become active producers—testing ideas, modifying them, and experimenting freely. She noted that the program offers a creative space where ideas take shape before evolving into fully developed projects. As a hands-on program serving students across different age groups, it is built on the principle of “learning by doing.” Knowledge is treated as an experiential process within the lab, where students design, test, fail, and try again, ultimately discovering that innovation is not just an innate talent, but a skill that can be cultivated through continuous practice and training.
She explained that the Young Innovators Lab relies on an integrated package of training that intersects scientific knowledge with life skills, such as design thinking to turn daily problems into innovation opportunities through stages of understanding, imagination, prototyping, and testing; a practical introduction to the world of programming and robotics; applied sciences; teamwork and communication skills; and more. These trainings are not delivered separately but within a single cohesive experience, enabling students to graduate from the program with a project or prototype that reflects what they have learned.
Kassisieh stressed that the importance of the program lies in addressing one of the deepest problems in traditional education: the separation between knowledge and real life. Through the program, students learn how to think, developing skills such as problem‑solving, mental flexibility, and experimentation—skills that are difficult to acquire at later stages of life.
For his part, Dr. Walid Deeb, CEO of Thinking Oasis and partner of the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in implementing the program, confirmed that young innovators learn critical thinking, problem‑solving, error handling, teamwork under pressure, goal commitment, and scientific research skills through the program.
He stated that the innovative projects presented carried the following titles:
Sign Language Translation Device
Weed Detection and Removal Device
Insulin Dosage Estimation Assistant for Diabetics
Electronics Quality Testing Device
School Violence Tracking Device
Violent Content Monitoring Device for Television Screens
The idea behind the sign language translation device stemmed from the innovators’ awareness of the difficulties faced in daily life by people with hearing disabilities in the Arab world, due to low literacy rates among some of them and the scarcity of sign language speakers among the general public. The team sought to provide a solution by employing artificial intelligence as an instant translator to enable communication with everyone, anywhere. The project relies on a tablet that captures hand gestures and translates them into readable text.
The weed detection and removal device was designed based on the innovators’ conviction that artificial intelligence presents an opportunity to increase the efficiency and quality of weed removal processes that unnecessarily consume fertilizers and water. The innovators designed an agricultural device that scans the farm and photographs plants. A camera connected to a trained AI model distinguishes weeds from crops and then directs a digging tool to remove them precisely.
The young innovators also developed a device to assist diabetic patients in estimating insulin doses. This was motivated by the fact that some diabetics rely on personal judgment when determining insulin doses before meals, increasing the risk of long‑term health complications due to inaccuracy. The device uses scales to measure food weight, along with an AI model that analyzes food images to determine the appropriate dosage, relying on an updated database that includes Arab foods.
Additionally, the innovators designed an electronics quality testing device that photographs electronic boards and compares them with patterns on which an AI model has been trained, enabling it to detect faults and identify their locations quickly and accurately.
In designing the school violence tracking device, the young innovators aimed to enhance safety by training a model capable of analyzing surveillance camera footage and detecting violent incidents. This provides school administrations with a tool for rapid intervention, helping create a safe and supportive environment for all students, especially during crowded times or in large spaces that are difficult to monitor.
The young innovators also developed a device to monitor violent content on television screens. The device analyzes on‑screen content directly, regardless of its source, to identify inappropriate material and alert parents. It also allows sensitivity levels to be adjusted according to the child’s age, ensuring appropriate protection for each age group.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Dr. Mahafzah, Kassisieh, and Deeb presented certificates to the supervisors and participating students. They also toured the exhibition to view the completed projects and listened to students’ explanations about their work and the journey of the ninth cycle of the Young Innovators Lab.
During the exhibition tour, Dr. Mahafzah affirmed that building and empowering individuals intellectually and professionally constitutes the foundation of the modernization process led by the Kingdom. He expressed his admiration for the exhibition and its innovations, stating that these models represent a promising future built on creativity, skill, and knowledge.
It is worth noting that the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation— the Arab Bank’s arm for cultural and social responsibility—launched the Young Innovators Lab program in 2015 in partnership with Thinking Oasis. The program aims to enhance critical thinking and innovation and to develop the skills of children and adolescents through specialized scientific and practical workshops that utilize experiments and projects to strengthen research and analytical abilities.
The lab provides a scientific and practical environment to cultivate critical thinking among children aged 10–13 by exposing them to situations and questions that encourage them to search for solutions, evaluate alternatives, and select the most appropriate ones. Simple scientific experiments are used to convey the concept of critical thinking and apply it to reach conclusions, followed by work on electrical and electronic experiments. Students are introduced to electronic kits (microcontrollers) and develop real‑life applications using them. In the final stage, innovators are required to complete projects using these kits. University students supervise the young innovators, motivating analytical thinking and providing guidance and support throughout all stages, with a focus on skill transfer rather than mere knowledge transfer.