Second Knowledge Society Symposium at the BA
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Alexandria, 2 February 2006—The Second Knowledge Society Symposium, 1-2 February, under the auspices of Dr. Ahmed Nazif, the Egyptian Prime Minister, was inaugurated yesterday by Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The inauguration was attended by Dr. Hany Helal, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Mr. David Arnold, President of the American University in Cairo; and Dr. Hoda El Mikaty, Director of the Planetarium Science Center.
Dr. Hoda El mikaty, began by welcoming all the scientists who came from all over the world to support and add to the symposium.
Then Mr. David Arnold, gave a speech highlighting that the Arab world today, is at a crossroads in its long and rich history. He added that for centuries the Arab world has been a center for knowledge, and has made many contributions to science, pointing to El-Kindi, Al-Khwarizmi, and Al-Razi, who brought many advances to the worlds of philosophy, algebra, and medicine.
Today the region is faced with challenges, but is has the ability and the will to overcome them. The Knowledge Society Symposium was conceived through the ability of the Arab world to overcome these challenges. He invited experts from around the world and from diverse fields to serve as catalysts to a forward–thinking, action-oriented forum.
With reference to the Arab human development report in 2003, he identified numerous problems facing the region. Among them was the need to cultivate a knowledge based society so that it may be able to unlock its potential and bridge the development gap. Then he pressed on the need to establish a system that can equip a massive base of human capital with the skills it needs to excel in a knowledge-driven, globalized world economy, as it is expected that in the next 10 years, around 80 million young adults will to enter the labor pool.
Finally, he hoped that the symposium will bring about collaborative partnerships, arrive at innovative solutions and highlight success stories that can be replicated.
On behalf of HE Dr. Ahmed Nazif, HE Dr. Hany Helal gave a speech. In his speech, he stressed the idea of preparing the coming generations technologically and scientifically as they are the main ingredient in the development of Egypt and the Arab world. He added that Egypt is establishing new policies for the progress of science and technology. Although Egypt has many policies, there are many obstacles facing these policies which should be eliminated to help progress. He concluded his speech by pointing to the pioneering scientific contest project at the BA. Which gives a chance for innovation.
Dr. Ismail Serageldin closed the session by giving a speech entitled “Science in Egypt: From Imhotep to Zewail”, highlighting the history of sciences in Egypt. He began with speaking of the ancient Egyptian and their advancement in medicine, mummification, astronomy, and mathematics. He stressed on how they calculated time using water, the sun and sand clocks. He displayed images of papyrus that show mathematical equations, engineering, medicine, heart surgeries, psychology, and gynecology theories and practices.
Then he spoke of the history of Alexandria especially the library of Alexandria as it was the center of all knowledge and many scientific explorations.
Come the 19th century, Dr. Serageldin highlighted the role of Napoleon Bonaparte, Mohamed Ali Pasha, Refa’a El Tahtawi, and Taha Hussein in moving Egypt to modern sciences. He also mentioned Farouk El Baz, Magdi Yakoub, and Ahmed Zowail.
At the end of his speech, he defined the role of the new Library of Alexandria as a beacon for the sciences and culture.