Soneva recently announced its plans to open a SCIE:NCE Centre in the Maldives. SCIE:NCE is short for Soneva Centre for Island Ecosystems. The centre is set to be located onsite at Soneva Fushi. And Soneva will design it in a similar manner to the Soneva Art and Glass Studio.
Acccording to Soneva, the objective of the new centre is to create great guest experiences. And also aims to provide learning opportunities around the subjects of marine and terrestrial biology and astronomy, as well as Soneva’s conservation efforts.
These topics are usually of great interest to Soneva’s younger guests. Likewise, the centre will provide even more opportunities for learning while at Soneva or through an online learning platform. SCIE:NCE will develop and record short educational videos, which will be shared online. Children and teenagers will also be able to sign up for online courses. Furthermore, Soneva will distribute this through existing educational platforms, such as FutureLearn.
COVID-19 has brought into question the value of what we learn at school and traditional methods of learning. The world has been exposed to, and gotten used to, remote learning. We see a lot of interest from children, to either learn remotely or on-site, about astronomy, marine biology, and conservation. It is our hope that we will develop week-long classes that children can subscribe to when they are at our resorts, and subscribe to digitally if they are unable to physically visit Soneva. I am sure that as we go on, new ideas will come up, and we will look back in a couple of years’ time at the SCIE:NCE Centre as one of those great initiatives that clearly differentiate Soneva from any other resort.
Sonu Shivdasani, Soneva’s CEO and Founder said.
Dr. Bart Knols appointed to oversee terrestrial and marine biology, astronomy, and conservation efforts at Soneva resorts
Soneva has appointed Dr. Bart Knols – who was also instrumental in the implementation of Soneva’s sustainable, insecticide-free mosquito management system – to oversee the set up the Centre. The medical entomologist has a Ph.D. from Wageningen University (Netherlands), where he started as a first-year biology student in 1983.
He became interested in insects and the diseases that transmit to humans and animals, as well as the ongoing search for green alternatives to pest control. So, Bart got a chance to work in a Maasai community on the Kenya-Tanzania border. Which was to develop low-cost, odor-baited traps to control tsetse flies. Thus, what followed 11 years of working and living in east and southern Africa was a Ph.D. on the behavioral ecology of African malaria mosquitoes.
“I feel privileged and proud to join Soneva and its SCIE:NCE centre to lead its scientific research and conservation efforts. Scientific endeavour is most meaningful if it is put to good use in society and addresses key issues reflected in the sustainable development goals. This we hope to accomplish, besides enthusing guests with what we do and developing capacity in the Maldives to address pressing environmental and conservation issues in line with the government’s Strategic Action Plan 2019-2023
Dr. Bart Knols said.
About Soneva
Soneva is a pioneering family of hospitality properties, offering holistic encounters in luxurious and inspiring environments. From world-class resorts to outstanding natural locations; Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani, and Soneva in Aqua in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand rebuke the traditional concept of luxury. Thus, instead promise the luxury of time, purity, and solitude.
