Students from the College of Communication and Media Sciences (CCMS) at Zayed University in Dubai, have organized a media campaign titled, “The Ambition of Zayed Embraces Space” to educate their colleagues from different colleges at the university about space science and enrich their general knowledge.

Dr. Hamza Saad, Associate Professor from CCMS and supervisor of the campaign, explained that the campaign, which is a course requirement, motivates students to further explore the space field, following the success story of Hazza Mansouri, the first Arab astronaut and his journey to the International Space Station. “This is a historic event by all standards in the march of this nation, and in light of the successful and ambitious strategic vision adopted by the UAE in all fields, especially in the field of space science,” he said.

Encouragement

He stressed that Zayed University is always keen through scientific research and research projects, which keeps students well-informed of the national agenda of the UAE. He pointed out that the campaign carried out by the students included a series of different stages from the selection of the basic idea of ​​the campaign, which is to raise awareness of space science and then identify the target audience from university to schools students, to accurately design a message that suits all.

He further added: “The students then chose the appropriate means of communication for the selected audience, including the design of a campaign website, which contains the most important information about the campaign in addition to the use of social media students such as «Instagram», to broadcast messages about the campaign to other ZU students.”

Habilitation

For his part, Dr. Dwight Brooks, Dean of the CCMS at Zayed University, said that such media campaigns contribute to qualifying students for the future work environment and enhance their skills. “This is the focus of the College of Communications and Media Sciences in its selected programs, which also ensures that its initiatives are in line with the national agenda.”

He stressed that it is important to intensify awareness campaigns among students about space science, because of its impact in the future contribution to the Mars mission and the manufacture of high-tech satellites, which is actually produced locally and by Emirati hands. “We need to educate the community about space activities, and contribute to the establishment and formation of institutes that are space intent, and promote international cooperation in all matters relating to that field,” he said.

Zayed's Ambition

In order to integrate the means of communication of the campaign, the students made a video film entitled “The ambition of Zayed embraces space”, which included the most important historical events related to space exploration, from the founding leader's meeting with the astronauts in 1974 to the arrival of Hazza Al Mansouri to the International Space Station on 25 September 2019. At the end of the campaign, the students designed a questionnaire to find out the opinion of their target audience.

Practical Application

Several students participating in the campaign, which was attended by a number of members of the academic faculty and staff, expressed their happiness to implement the campaign, which is a practical application of what has been studied in theory, noting that it enhances their skills in future labor market jobs, especially in the media campaigns industry.

Mariam Juma, a CCMS student, said she benefited during her participation in the implementation of this campaign by identifying the different stages of the campaign from brainstorming to staging.

In the same context, Mariam Hossam, CCMS Student, said the campaign gave her the opportunity to apply practical learning, pointing out that she benefited from the campaign which aimed to raise awareness among students about space science, to help divert their interests to such an ambitious space program that is highly supported by the government.

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