Life Science Festival 2023
Summary
On June 16-17, 2023, the Life Science Festival organized by the International Agriculture University took place in Tashkent. This was the first event of this type in Uzbekistan. Science Festivals are popular in many countries around the world, and their goal is to attract large numbers of the public to university life and to popularize studies and scientific issues among youth.
This year’s two-day program of the festival consisted of Open Days for candidates for studies, thematic sessions, debates, competitions, exhibitions, concerts and night cinema.
On a specially created stage in front of the building, the ceremonial opening of the Festival was organized. The gathering of over 100 people was addressed by Aziz Voitov – the Minister of Agriculture, Sherzod Umarov – a representative of Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Munira Aminova – rector of IAU, and Sohib Islomov, rector of TDAU – the university co-organizing the event. Greetings were conveyed by the Ambassador of India Manish Prabhat, Ambassador of India, who emphasized the importance of celebrating the International Year of Millet. Ambassador of Romania, Daniel Cristian Ciobanu, on the other hand, highlighted the importance of scientists and innovators in the history of each nation.
As many as 18 thematic sessions were held with a total of 108 speakers. The streaming access was provided for the online viewers. In addition, business meetings, in an informal format B2B, were held to establish direct contacts between interested companies form Uzbekistan and from abroad. The exhibition of related products and services was prepared with 24 stands provided by various companies and organizations.
More than 30 teachers from language learning centers from many regions participated in the English Pedagogy Workshop. Workshop for Journalists was conducted together with the Media Center of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Scholarship Awarding Ceremony for the new students of International Agriculture University had a particularly solemn atmosphere. It was attended by over 70 new students and their families. Students also had the opportunity to make their own appearances as part of the “Students public speaking competition”.
An important event with the participation of almost 150 people was the motivational training “Business Marathon” organized by the “Youth – Our Future” Foundation.
There were also entertainment offers. A traditional dance troupe from the Indian Cultural Center performed. There was a guitar recital and a performance by singers. During the day – activities in the Student Club and in the evening – an open-air cinema,
Over 700 people took part in various activities over two days. They were helped by almost 40 volunteers.
The event was supported by numerous partners, including Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, UN Office in Uzbekistan, EU-AGRIN and EU Ask Facility projects, Ministry of Agriculture, Embassy of India, British Council, Zar Donish, CASEA from Singapore, American Society for Microbiology, “Yoshlar-Kelajagimiz” Foundation, Savdo-Sanat Palatasi Chamber, as well as Promeat and Indorama companies.
Media support was provided by Ozbekistan 24, Agro tv, The Dairy News and Vesagro. The event was visited by several dozen journalists representing 15 different media titles. As a result, more than 15 reports and interviews were created(as of June 19, 2023)
As a result of the Life Science Festival 2023, many projects have been developed that will be a lasting result of the event. A national branch of the World Food Forum will be created, which is an association operating on a global scale and bringing together young activists of the ago-food industry. Students from Uzbekistan will form a local chapter of the American Society for Microbiology. A competition for the best publications on topics related to agriculture will be held, its final will be in December 2023. Together with the “Person Hunters” company, a Career Center will be created at the International Agriculture University. The cooperation of the International Agriculture University with numerous companies and institutions for conducting research, projects, exchange of academic staff and students will be extensive. All presentations and information about the authors and partner companies of the festival are available at www.iau.uz/festival
The next edition of the Life Science Festival will be held on April 14-15, 2024.
About IAU
The International Agriculture University was established in 2022 by decree of the President of Uzbekistan. Graduates of IAU will attain not only exceptional knowledge and skills in Tashkent, but also a diploma from the prestigious Royal Agriculture University, UK. IAU offers educational programs in Agriculture, Business Management, Agrologistics, Agroeconomics, Food Safety Management, Crop Production Management, Livestock Production Management and Farm Business Management. More: https://iau.uz/