A Talk by Farouk El-Baz on Scientific Centers as a Solution to Problems of Development in Egypt
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Alexandria—
On Sunday, 2 November 2008, at the first General Assembly Meeting of the North Africa and Middle East Science Centers Network (NAMES), which took place over two days at the BA, Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University, spoke about future scientific centers. He said, "The Library of Alexandria has attained a summit and has become a source of pride for us all throughout the world. I am delighted to participate in this Conference and very pleased with the large attendance of scholars and researchers who are interested in scientific centers".
He added, “I have been working in the field of scientific research since my graduation from university nearly 50 years ago, and I can say for certain, that the aim of all scientific research is knowledge and the search for novelty, not the repetition of information. I believe that scientific and theoretical research complement each other and that we cannot attain true knowledge without them" .
Dr. El-Baz advocated the need for increased scientific research in the Arab World and urged the importance of developing a framework of thought in science and technology. He pointed out that the Arab countries have not contributed to the global knowledge society for the past 50 years. He gave an example of Egypt, where financial grants are being utilized for importing food grains rather than for scientific research, whereas the solution to the food problem lies only in scientific research and not in the import of food. This also applies to all of Egypt’s problems, such as pollution of water resources, energy shortage, massive urban growth and overpopulation.
Taking into consideration that wheat represents 40% of Egypt’s imports, Dr. El-Baz emphasized the importance of agricultural research, particularly in genetic engineering, in order to develop grain production,.
Dr. El-Baz asserted that there is potential for development in the Nile area stretching from Tanta to Alexandria, but facilities are lacking and we must provide opportunities for young people to undertake projects outside the delta area.
On increasing our water resources, he maintained that the solution lay in the exploitation of the Egypt’s underground water supply, especially in the south-western region. He said: “We must think of different ways to generate solar energy and exploit wind energy as there is a vast opportunity for this in the northern coast”.