Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation Holds Nobel Exhibition 2018

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) has announced the fourth annual Nobel Exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Nobel Foundation in Dubai’s City Walk from February 4 until March 3, 2018.

Held under the patronage of MBRF Chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the 2018 Exhibition bears the theme “Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Connecting Elements”. This year, the Museum highlights an important category of the Nobel Prize – chemistry – focusing on the achievements of Arab and Muslim chemists, who played a key role in establishing the foundations of this science.

The event also sheds light on the discoveries made by Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry, particularly Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail, underlining the role that these discoveries – as well as other achievements by Nobel Prize winners – play in improving people’s lives.

His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, MBRF’s CEO, said: “The Nobel Museum amplifies the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation’s role as a leader in the knowledge industry, bringing ambitious initiatives to the table – initiative that support the creation and dissemination of knowledge. This, in turn, supports the UAE’s strategy to build knowledge-driven, future-ready sustainable societies.”

“The Nobel Exhibition 2018 reaffirms the strong strategic partnership the Foundation has forged with the prestigious, world-class Nobel Foundation,” H.E. bin Huwaireb added. “This partnership allows us to offer, every year, a standout knowledge event to science enthusiasts, as well as the wider general public. The annual Exhibition encourages the youth to embrace innovation and creativity and become active players in the development of their societies and a part of the knowledge industry.”

For his part, Dr Olov Amelin, Director of the Nobel Museum in Sweden, said: “We are delighted to be entering a new chapter in our long-term partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation. This year’s edition of our exhibition in Dubai is set to introduce science enthusiasts and experts alike to the vast field of chemistry. The Museum showcases chemistry’s many contributions to humanity’s understanding of the world around us, as well as its benefits and positive impact on people’s everyday lives. It is our hope that the Nobel Museum would inspire young Arabs to contribute to future discoveries in chemistry and sciences in general.”

The Nobel Museum 2018 is made up of five sections, showcasing the achievements of Nobel laureates in five different areas of chemistry, namely: Chemistry of Life, Chemical Reactions, Elements, Molecules, and Chemistry Changing the World.

In the Chemistry of Life section of the exhibition, visitors can explore the diverse and complex chemical processes that occur in the human body, which Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry have studied. Meanwhile, the Chemical Reactions section offers videos showcasing the various types of chemical reactions that are associated with Nobel-Prize-winning discoveries. There is also a film about Ahmed Zewail, who documented chemical reactions and explained how they unfold in detail.

In the Elements section, visitors can explore the periodic table of elements, learning the properties of each element, or watch a film about world-renowned French-Polish physicist and chemist Marie Curie, who won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of two previously unknown elements: radium and polonium. The Molecules section, on the other hand, allows visitors to build their own models of molecules, view the finished models of simple and complex molecules, or watch a film about British biological chemist Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, who received the Nobel Prize for outlining how several complex molecules are structured.

Finally, in the Chemistry Changing the World section, visitors can see everyday objects that are associated with Nobel-Prize-winning discoveries in chemistry. These discoveries and their applications are also discussed in short films. In one video, students talk about the areas and problems they hope chemistry research will focus on in the future.