WAM Sharjah, July 15th, 2012 (WAM) -- The Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) is participating in the Asia-Pacific Conference on Giftedness 2012, being held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The UAE is the first country in the Middle East to host the Asia-Pacific Conference on Giftedness under the theme "Nurturing Talent, Growing Potential." Giftedness 2012, taking place from 14-18 July is a major global scientific forum, which gathers the brightest minds from across the globe with their educators, parents, administrators and professors to create educational benchmarks for gifted children and youth.

The five-day conference features many educational workshops and seminars as well as plenary sessions. A forum for gifted children and youth from all participating countries will also be held on the sidelines of the conference. SMD is participating with a selected display of objects from three of its museums, and a number of workshops delivered by education specialists from the museums. The Sharjah Science Museum will display a model of the solar system and its 12 planets as well as a balance game for children, which has a significant impact on the development of children's thinking and enhancing the students' skills.

The Museum is also exhibiting a human heart model, which explains the basic parts of the heart including its arteries and veins, a model skeleton that illustrates the vertebrae of the human skeleton and bones that facilitate movement, as well as a Newton disc with segments in rainbow colours that fade to white when rotated.

The Sharjah Discovery Centre is displaying devices that test the power of audio-visual memory as well as devices that measure reaction speed, showing that reaction to sound is normally faster than that to light.

Commenting on the event, Aisha Deemas, Director of Executive Affairs, said: "The participation of the Sharjah Museums Department in this event reflects the importance of the educational role of museums in society. The Sharjah Museums cover a wide range of topics from sciences to arts, heritage and culture, through which we are keen to always engage members of the community and encourage learning and communication. SMD seeks to effectively participate in international forums hosted and organized by the UAE to enhance and promote culture in the Arab region and the world." The Giftedness Conference 2012 offers a unique platform for academics and talented students to meet and exchange experiences as more than 350 essays on giftedness are presented during the five-day event. A large number of education ministers from around the world as well as more than 2000 professionals, educators, professors, researchers, and those interested in gifted education will be attending the conference in addition to 500 gifted students from over 30 countries.

WAM/ES/AM