RE: Science Minister of UAE

Why do you all have to mix education with science minister, Los Alamos was not interested in educating people „ Oppenheimer, . built things.. he was not your proposed social worker.

Presuming the LME science initiative request was serious:

1. Create and support "Science Madrassas" (designed like the ones described here: http://www.zeenews.com/news644999.html that the Thai government has been working on)
   a. Transforms formula to attract kids into organized learning institutions... but moves them toward progressive competencies that will create a base of expertise in which more serious science can flourish.
   b. Positive alternative when families decide on best long-term objectives for their children
   c. Needed to strengthen core competencies resulting in a society with skilled scientists

2. Establish funding and include as part of high school curriculum participation in the "US FIRST Robotics Competition" to connect students and mentors in science and engineering;
   a. leads to students with solid project management and engineering skills
   b. creates opportunities for corporations that mentor to find and train qualified future employees

3. Create and fund specialized "advanced science" units in within the military:
   a. Specific areas of focus likely would include:
   i. Missile defense
   ii. WMD and explosive detection technologies
   iii. Communication security and encryption
   iv. Surveillance technology

Israeli schools suck. But to have a world class science infrastructure for their military, the Army understands it is THEIR job to teach enough science, engineering, and hacking to be dangerous. So they have Unit 8200, the Talpiot program, and specialized programs that take their soldiers and even before and during basic training—send them to highly specialized education (most notably at Technion)

You may be correct that my impressions are incorrect: but travelling through UAE the population appears to have profoundly little core competency in science.

Critical mass is what we had at Los Alamos and in the Manhattan project... a large group with basic strong engineering and science skills... and a much smaller but far more brilliant collection of advanced scientists and theoreticians... quite a number of which went on to win Nobel Prizes. Since the number of past or future Nobel laureates in science and physics coming from the UAE seems to hover around zero, before you can get scientific innovation in UAE or even decent science, you must have a base from which to work and you need those who can mentor.

It wouldn't cost much to hold a UAE Nobel Laureates' and advanced scientists convention since you could get enough attendees to play solitaire.

Without education, you have no science… but my suggestions are designed to kick start that.

I agree that autodidacts are at the soul of great scientists... and I think school sucks compared to having great mentors and/or the will to learn it all yourself. Maybe you get them to build a copy of the Deutsches Museum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Museum they have in Munich... so, purely from exposure to the brilliant engineering displays, kids could learn enough about engineering and science to become dangerous.

Parenthetically, if one gives a crap about Israel, why on earth would we want the Arab world to have a center for advanced science... which would likely be used to erase Israel?

Let’s give 'em more Korans... and better whips to let 'em beat themselves.