First "World Water Masters Award" to Farouk El-Baz from the International Desalination Association and $10,000 for One Groundwater Well in Darfur in his honor

 December 21, 2009

(Boston) – Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Director of the Center for Remote Sensing and Research Professor in the Boston University College of Engineering, received the inaugural "World Water Masters Award" from the International Desalination Association (IDA).

The award was presented in Dubai at the opening ceremony of the 2009 IDA 2009 conference, under the theme of "Desalination for a Better World". The IDA stated that the award was to acknowledge Dr. El-Baz’s outstanding achievements in science, provision of water and humanitarian endeavors. It was handed by HRH Sh. Majid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority in the presence of 1,350 delegates from around the world. A video was shown that summarized Dr. El-Baz’s career and his pioneering work in the application of satellite images to Earth study.

To read the complete news release in English, please click here.

To read the complete news release in Arabic, please click here.

Dr. Farouk El-Baz attended the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) which held its second annual conference in Beirut.

November 19-20, 2009

The conference brought together 500 delegates from 22 countries, representing corporations, non-governmental organizations, academia, research institutions, and media. Ministers and representatives of government and international organizations participated as observers. Delegates deliberated the findings of the report issued by AFED on the Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries. Draft recommendations, were prepared by a group of delegates.

To see the recommendations endorsed by the conference, please click here.

To see a related video in Arabic, please click here.

Farouk El-Baz appointed to the board of directors of the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation

October 19, 2009

(Boston) – Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Director of the Center for Remote Sensing and Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Boston University, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) for a term ending December 31, 2013.

The CRDF is a nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress and established in 1995 by the National Science Foundation (NSF). In his letter to Dr. El-Baz, dated October 1, 2009, Arden L. Bement, Jr., Director of NSF, stated that the appointment was: “because of your many research and teaching accomplishments; your in-depth knowledge of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf regions; and your commitment to international cooperation in science and engineering.”

To read the complete press release, click here. 

Apollo 40 years later: A Reminder of The Power of Imagination

July 20th, 2009

As we celebrate the landing of the first man on the moon we are reminded of the power of imagination in action. 40 years ago on July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon and declared “one step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” 

The celebration around “one giant leap for mankind” is not only of the accomplishment itself but also of the power of our collective imagination to envision what could be, to see what had not been seen before, to visualize something that was “out of this world,” and then to engage in making that happen.

Unleashed, the power of imagination is the power to change the world.

The link below takes you to the ImagineIt page where you can watch an excerpt, called “Apollo Challenge,” from the documentary film Imagine it!² The Power of Imagination.

Imagine it!² is a film about the importance of science and engineering to solve global challenges through imagination, creative thinking and education.

To watch the video, click here. 

To read Dr. El-Baz thoughts on the occasion, click here.