ABU DHABI // Applications are now open for The National's Genes in Space competition.
A winner of the US version of the competition has urged all high school pupils with an interest in science to get involved.
“It’s not like any other high school competition. If you win you get a chance to do something you may never be able to do again in your entire life, even as a professional,” said Julian Rubinfien, whose winning DNA experiment will be be sent by rocket to the International Space Station next year.
The 16-year-old became the winner of the second annual Genes in Space contest in the US with his proposal to conduct an experiment to find out why astronauts aged more rapidly in space.
“It’s completely unbelievable and I am still in shock. Even other people tell me, ‘Wait they’re not really sending your project to space are they?’” he said.
The chance to have a science experiment carried out in space was “unreachable” for most pupils, Julian said.
“I can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t apply,” he said.
After first entering his idea to measure the length of telomeres, the chromosome end-caps that are shortened in premature ageing, as method to study the reason for accelerated ageing in space, Julian said he did not think he had a chance against 900 others.
“I thought an honourable mention would have been nice, but when they called me back to say I was one of the finalists I was incredibly excited.”
After fine-tuning his idea with a mentor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Julian beat the four other finalists. His experiment was announced as the winner at the fifth annual ISS Research and Development Conference in San Diego, California last July, where he got to rub shoulders with astronauts and heads of the space industry.
“It was unbelievable. I learnt so much in the process and am looking forward to discovering even more before the launch,” Julian said.
One UAE student interested in the effects of cosmic radiation on cancer cells said he could not wait to submit his team’s proposal.
“It’s really exciting. We get to study genetics and research microgravity at the same time,” said Pritvik Sinhadc, 12, from the Dubai College.
Aveline Moodley, a science teacher at Alsariya School in Sweihan, said the contest was the perfect event to get her students engaged in the subject.
“Science specifically can be a very abstract field but this gives my students an interesting and tangible challenge,” she said.
With UAE’s population being roughly about one 30th the size of the US, students in the Emirates stand a much greater chance of becoming finalists.
Although he found coming up with an experiment daunting, Julian said he grew more confident as he researched the subjects.
“I learnt how to be creative and innovative. In the end, I thought to myself ‘If you don’t enter you can’t win so why not?’ ”
Pupils in Grades 7 to 12 can now submit their proposals and learn more at www.genesinspace.org/contest-uae.
To find out more and get involved, follow #genesinspaceuae on social media.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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More coverage from the Future Forum
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed