A speech by Professor Salim Al-Hassani on the occasion of the “Generation’s 2023 Innovation Fair”, Pakistan

We were honoured to host Prof. Salim Al-Hassani to address our Innovation’s Fair, 22 September 2023. Here is a recording of his inspirational description of his fascinating journey and experiences. His speech was instrumental to the success of our event. Below I have detailed a short background to the Innovation Fair and our school.

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Generation’s School, “A Thinking Institution for Global Leaders,” was established in 1990 to purposefully redefine education and consistently transform the lives of individuals and communities through learning, compassion and innovation. Driven by our vision, the school has been consistently creating an ecosystem where learners undertake unparalleled journeys, which are intellectually, personally and socially transformative through research and innovation.

Our structured STEM programme is helping students discover and identify connections among disciplines and is inspiring curiosity and critical thinking to solve real-world problems. We initiated the programme in 2012 by introducing Robotics and Design Technology into the mainstream curriculum. Our school team has represented Pakistan in the First Lego League International Championships in Spain, Australia, Hungary and Turkey and our students won the 1st and 2nd prizes in Research and Innovative Solutions.

Throughout this journey, the inspiring book “1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization” has been the most valuable to create rich learning experiences for our students. The book has empowered our teachers to inspire and engage learners in hands-on scientific exploration.

We are making intentional efforts to inculcate a sense of pride and connectedness with Muslim Scientists among our students. This has also been a major factor in the successful execution and uptake of the VSTEAM programme (V for Values) at our School leading to more engaged student learning and a quest for collaboration and hands-on scientific exploration.

Our student-led organization, the Ibn e Rushd Gen Tech Society, has been organizing the “Generation’s Innovation Fair” each year since 2016, broadly aimed at engaging young learners and developing a sense of pride in the glorious history and legacy of Muslims. It’s a festival of learning and our students thoroughly enjoy it. One of the highlights of this mega event is the role plays depicting the contributions of prominent Muslims to the field of science.

We were honoured to host Prof. Salim Al-Hassani to address our Innovation’s Fair on 22^nd September 2023. We posed questions for him to answer under the general title of Personal Encounters so that our students and teachers benefit form his vast experience as Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Manchester for many years and as the founder and honorary president of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (UK). These questions are listed below:

1. Can you tell us about your background and what initially sparked your interest in the history of science and technology in Muslim civilizations?

2. How has your background in engineering influenced your perspective on the historical contributions of Muslim scholars to science and technology?

3. What are some of the most remarkable inventions or discoveries from the Muslim world that you believe deserve more recognition in the modern era?

4. Could you share some of the most fascinating discoveries or innovations from your book that you believe readers will find particularly intriguing or surprising?

5. How does your book explore the lasting impact of the inventions and contributions made by Muslim scholars on modern society?

6. Are there any ongoing or future projects related to this field that you’re particularly excited about?

7. What message or key takeaway would you like readers to gain from “1001 Inventions” regarding the importance of recognizing and celebrating the contributions of Muslim civilizations to our shared human history?

We felt honoured and privileged to host Prof. Salim Al-Hassani and benefitted greatly from his truly unique journey and pearls of wisdom that he imparted to our budding scholars and scientists.