Ahlan w Sahlan!

Welcome (أهلاً و سهلاً) to the SciTech 2019 Conference! This year’s conference will be hosted at the MIT Samberg Conference Center on April 19-21, 2019. Before reading further, check out a quick recap of SciTech 2018, our inaugural conference, here!

Last year’s conference was focused on curating the work of engineers, researchers, scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs in the Middle East. We were focused on discovering talent, and connecting with Arab intellectuals and innovators around the world. This year’s conference, however, is focused around a central theme, with the aim of bringing together multiple perspectives, and encouraging attendees to engage deeply with the research, innovation, and technology that they are exposed to in order to think up solutions to some of the region’s problems. The theme that we have chosen is: “Envisioning the Future: Cities of MENA.” You can read more about the theme below, in addition to other features at this year’s conference, including an Exhibition, and most importantly, an IDEAthon.

We will be releasing more information soon, so stay tuned, and be sure to follow us on social media!

We hope to see you this year at SciTech!

The Theme

Understand the Region’s Urban Future

The nuances of the MENA region are many. We have one of the world’s most rapidly expanding population, with over 70% of our population living in urban areas. Our speakers will shed light on how a region characterized by instability, informality, and inequality can adapt to urban pressures.

The IDEAthon

Workshop

This year, we are restructuring SciTech from a passive experience to an action-oriented, immersive program intended to make you think about the problems of the Arab World. We scheduled our talks to act as guiding posts for the workshop and have partnered with speakers and professionals who will act as mentors throughout the workshop sessions.

Meet New Faces

SciTech is essentially creating a small cluster of people who are interested in understanding and improving the Arab region. You’ll be able to mingle and network with individuals from varying institutions and companies, building a larger professional network and creating sustainable, symbiotic relationships.

Get Inspired

So many of the solutions that have come to fruition have been serendipitous and have been the result of a spark. SciTech is hoping to create this spark through our speaker series and workshop, inspiring more tangible results.