Category: RECORDS IN MIDDLE EAST

Omar M. Yaghi – The Alchemist. Winner numerous Int’l Awards for Chemistry

American Omar Mwannes Yaghi, the second most cited chemist in the world.

Elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences

Present Assignment:

  • James & Neeltje Tretter Chair, Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley

Education:

  • BS – Chemistry – Cum Laude – State University of New York-Albany, New York (1983-85)
  • PhD – Chemistry – Best Thesis Award – University of Illinois, Urbania-Champaign (1986-90)
  • NSF Post Doctoral Fellow – Harvard University (1990-92)

Director:

  • Founding Director – Berkeley Global Science Institute
  • Co-Director – Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute
  • Co-Director – California Research Alliance by BASF

Awards / Honours :

  • Solid State Chemistry Award of the American Chemical Society and Exxon Co (1998)
  • Sacconi Medal of the Italian Chemical Society (2004)
  • US Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Award (2007)
  • Materials Research Society  
  • Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science  
  • American Chemical Society Chemistry of Materials Award (2009)
  • Izatt-Christensen International Award (2009)
  • Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize (2010)
  • China Nano Award (2013)
  • King Faisal International Prize in Chemistry (2015)
  • Mustafa Prize in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (2015)\
  • TÜBA Academy Prize in Basic and Engineering Sciences for establishing Reticular Chemistry (2016)
  • Spiers Memorial Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2017)
  • Medal of Excellence of the First Order bestowed by King Abdullah II (2017)
  • Japan Society of Coordination Chemistry International Award(2017)
  • Bailar Medal in Inorganic Chemistry (2017)
  • Kuwait Prize in Fundamental Sciences (2017)
  • Albert Einstein World Award of Science conferred by the World Cultural Council (2017)
  • BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences for pioneering Reticular Chemistry (2018)
  • Wolf Prize in Chemistry in which he was cited for pioneering reticular chemistry via metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks (2018)
  •  His work on water harvesting from desert air using metal-organic frameworks  was showcased by the World Economic Forum in Switzerland as one of the top 10 emerging technologies
  • Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (2018)
  • Eni Award in recognition of his work in applying framework chemistry to clean energy solutions including methane storage, carbon dioxide capture and conversion, and water harvesting from desert air (2018)
  • Gregori Aminoff Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for the development of reticular chemistry (2019)
  • MBR Medal for Scientific Excellence of the United Arab Emirates (2019)
  • Nano Research Award (2019)
  • August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmunze gold medal of the German Chemical Society for his contribution to reticular chemistry and for pioneering MOFs, COFs, and molecular weaving (2020)
  • Royal Society of Chemistry Sustainable Water Award for his impactful development of water harvesting from desert air using metal–organic frameworks(2020)

Books/ Publications / Papers :

  • Several books published. Many papers presented

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American / Palestine-Jordan / Arab-American

Charles Elachi – NASA Scientist : USA

Dr. Charles Elachi , NASA scientist . Advisor.

During his tenure as Director, JPL was involved in more than 20 missions including Cloudsat, Jason 1 and 2, Aquarius, OCO-2, GRACE, SMAP, GRAIL, Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Phoenix, Cassini, Deep Impact, Stardust, Dawn, and Juno. Three rovers —Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity— reached Mars and provided detailed information about the planet.

Assignments :

  • Director – Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technolgy (upto 2016)
  • Professor Emeritus – California Institute of Technology
  • Advisor UAE Space Agency

Education:

  • Ph.D – Electrical Sciences, Calfornia Institute of Technology (CalTech)
  • Masters Degree in Geology -1987
  • MBA – Masters in Business Management (USC) – 1978
  • Masters Degree in Engineering – 1969
  • Diploma in Engineering – Polytechnic Institute, France
  • Bachelors Degree – Physics – University of Grenoble, France

Publications

Properties of the 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Interior Revealed by Consert Radar, W. Kofman, A. Herique, Y. Barbin, J.-P. Barriot, V. Ciarletti, S. Clifford, P. Edenhofer, C. Elachi, et al., Science, 349, 6247, 2015, http://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab0639

Space Explorer, C. Elachi, Aerospace America, 53, 8, pp. 15-16, 2015

Getting Intimate with Mars, C. Elachi, Physics World, 23, 3, pp. 35-38, 2010

An Asymmetric Distribution of Lakes on Titan as a Possible Consequence of Orbital Forcing, O. Aharonson, A. G. Hayes, J. I. Lunine, R. D. Lorenz, M. D. Allison and C. Elachi, Nature Geoscience, 2, 12, pp. 851-854, 2009, http://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo698

Cassini Radar Sequence Planning and Instrument Performance, R. D. West, Y. Anderson, R. Boehmer, L. Borgarelli, P. Callahan, C. Elachi, Y. Gim, G. Hamilton, et al., Ieee Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 47, 6, pp. 1777-1795, 2009, http://doi.org/10.1109/tgrs.2008.2007217

Hydrocarbon Lakes on Titan: Distribution and Interaction with a Porous Regolith, A. Hayes, O. Aharonson, P. Callahan, C. Elachi, Y. Gim, R. Kirk, K. Lewis, R. Lopes, et al., Geophysical Research Letters, 35, 9, 2008, http://doi.org/10.1029/2008gl033409

Titan’s Diverse Landscapes as Evidenced by Cassini Radar’s Third and Fourth Looks at Titan, J. I. Lunine, C. Elachi, S. D. Wall, M. A. Janssen, M. D. Allison, Y. Anderson, R. Boehmer, P. Callahan, et al., Icarus, 195, 1, pp. 415-433, 2008, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2007.12.022

Titan’s Surface from the Cassini Radar Radiometry Data During Sar Mode, F. Paganelli, M. A. Janssen, R. M. Lopes, E. Stofan, S. D. Wall, R. D. Lorenz, J. I. Lunine, R. L. Kirk, et al., Planetary and Space Science, 56, 1, pp. 100-108, 2008, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2007.03.015

The Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission (Consert): A Short Description of the Instrument and of the Commissioning Stages, W. Kofman, A. Herique, J. P. Goutail, T. Hagfors, I. P. Williams, E. Nielsen, J. P. Barriot, Y. Barbin, et al., Space Science Reviews, 128, 1-4, pp. 413-432, 2007, http://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-006-9034-9

The Lakes of Titan, E. R. Stofan, C. Elachi, J. I. Lunine, R. D. Lorenz, B. Stiles, K. L. Mitchell, S. Ostro, L. Soderblom, et al., Nature, 445, 7123, pp. 61-64, 2007, http://doi.org/10.1038/nature05438

High-Resolution Land Topography, D. Massonnet and C. Elachi, Comptes Rendus Geoscience, 338, 14-15, pp. 1029-1041, 2006, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.crte.2006.06.001

Mapping of Titan: Results from the First Titan Radar Passes, E. R. Stofan, J. I. Lunine, R. Lopes, F. Paganelli, R. D. Lorenz, C. A. Wood, R. Kirk, S. Wall, et al., Icarus, 185, 2, pp. 443-456, 2006, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2006.07.015

Models of Synthetic Aperture Radar Backscattering for Bright Flows and Dark Spots on Titan, P. Paillou, M. Crapeau, C. Elachi, S. Wall and P. Encrenaz, Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets, 111, E11, 2006, http://doi.org/10.1029/2006je002724

The Sand Seas of Titan: Cassini Radar Observations of Longitudinal Dunes, R. D. Lorenz, S. Wall, J. Radebaugh, G. Boubin, E. Reffet, M. Janssen, E. Stofan, R. Lopes, et al., Science, 312, 5774, pp. 724-727, 2006, http://doi.org/10.1126/science.1123257

Titan Radar Mapper Observations from Cassini’s T3 Fly-By, C. Elachi, S. Wall, M. Janssen, E. Stofan, R. Lopes, R. Kirk, R. Lorenz, J. Lunine, et al., Nature, 441, 7094, pp. 709-713, 2006, http://doi.org/10.1038/nature04786

Cassini Radar Views the Surface of Titan, C. Elachi, S. Wall, M. Allison, Y. Anderson, R. Boehmer, P. Callahan, P. Encrenaz, E. Flamini, et al., Science, 308, 5724, pp. 970-974, 2005, http://doi.org/10.1126/science.1109919

Seasat – a 25-Year Legacy of Success, D. L. Evans, W. Alpers, A. Cazenave, C. Elachi, T. Farr, D. Glackin, B. Holt, L. Jones, et al., Remote Sensing of Environment, 94, 3, pp. 384-404, 2005, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2004.09.011

Radar: The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper, C. Elachi, M. D. Allison, L. Borgarelli, P. Encrenaz, E. Im, M. A. Janssen, W. T. K. Johnson, R. L. Kirk, et al., Space Science Reviews, 115, 1-4, pp. 71-110, 2004, http://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-004-1438-9

Ultra-Relativistic Electrons in Jupiter’s Radiation Belts, S. J. Bolton, M. Janssen, R. Thorne, S. Levin, M. Klein, S. Gulkis, T. Bastian, R. Sault, et al., Nature, 415, 6875, pp. 987-991, 2002, http://doi.org/10.1038/415987a

Cassini Radio Detection and Ranging (Radar): Earth and Venus Observations, R. D. Lorenz, C. Elachi, R. D. West, W. T. K. Johnson, M. A. Janssen, M. Moghaddam, G. A. Hamilton, O. Liepack, et al., Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics, 106, A12, pp. 30271-30279, 2001, http://doi.org/10.1029/2001ja900035

Space Imaging Radar in Planetary Exploration and Earth Observation, Elachi, C., AIAA Paper 2000-0001.

Recent Advances in Radar Technology and Techniques for Affordable Planetary Remote Sensing, Van Zyl, J., C. Elachi, and K. Yunjin, Proceedings of the IEEE 2000 International Radar Conference, pp. 12-16, 2000.

Solar System Exploration in the Next Decade, Elachi, C., IAF Paper 99-Q206, 1999.

Exploring the Solar System – a Current Overview, Huckins, E. K., III, D. V. Woods, and C. Elachi, IAF Paper 99-Q201, 1999.

The Cassini Radar: Instrument and Investigation, Wall, S., L. Roth, R. Lorenz, and C. Elachi, Proceedings of EURSAR’98: European Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar, pp. 69-71, 1998.

Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission, Kofman, W., Y. Barbin, J. Klinger, A. C. Levasseur-Regourd, J. P. Barriot, A. Herique, T. Hagfors, E. Nielsen, E. Grun, P. Edenhofer, H. Kochan, G. Picardi, R. Seu, J. Van Zyl, C. Elachi, J. Melosh, J. Veverka, P. Weissman, L. H. Svedhem, S. E. Hamran, and I. P. Williams, Space Exploration of the Outer Space Solar System and Cometary Nuclei, (Advances in Space Research, Vol. 21) Oxford : Pergamon Press Ltd, pp. 1589-1598, 1998.

Mars Glob – Creation of an International Network of Mars Surface Landers, Galeev, A., V. Moroz, V. Linkin, R. Kremnev, G. Rogovsky, K. Pichkhadze, B. Martynov, O. Papkov, A. Eremenko, E. Galimov, Y. Surkov, C. Elachi, R. Bourke, and J. Mcnamee, In-Situ Impact Detection Techniques, Interplanetary Dust, and Future Mars Exploration, (Advances in Space Research, Vol. 17), Oxford : Pergamon Press Ltd, pp. 15-20, 1995.

Impact of Space on Science, Elachi, C., British Interplanetary Society, Journal of the, Vol. 46, No. 11 p. 431-438 November 1993.

The SIR-C/X-SAR Mission, Way, J., D. Evans, and C. Elachi, Proceedings of IGARSS ’93 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Vol.2, pp. 593, 1993.

Low-Emissivity Impact Craters on Venus, Weitz, C. M., C. Elachi, H. J. Moore, A. T. Basilevsky, B. A. Ivanov, and G. G. Schaber, Papers Presented to the International Colloquium on Venus, Lunar and Planetary Institute, p 129-131, 1993.

Aeolian Features on Venus – Preliminary Magellan Results, Greeley, R., R. E. Arvidson, C. Elachi, M. A. Geringer, J. J. Plaut, R. S. Saunders, G. Schubert, E. R. Stofan, E. J. P. Thouvenot, S. D. Wall, and C. M. Weitz, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, No. E8, p. 13,319-13,345, Aug. 25, 1992.

Synthetic Aperture Radar Applications: Now and in the Future, Elachi, C., Proceedings of the International Symposium on Remote Sensing, p. 41-65, 1992.

Venus Volcanism – Initial Analysis from Magellan Data, Head, J. W., D. B. Campbell, C. Elachi, J. E. Guest, D. P. McKenzie, R. S. Saunders, G. G. Schaber, and G. Schubert, Science, Vol. 252, No. 5003 pp. 276-288, 1991.

Cassini Titan Radar Mapper, Elachi, C., E. Im, L. E. Roth, and C. L. Werner, IEEE Proceedings, Vol. 79, June 1991, p. 867-880.

Magellan – Electrical and Physical- Properties of Venus Surface, Tyler, G. L., P. G. Ford, D. B. Campbell, C. Elachi, G. H. Pettengill, and R. A. Simpson, Science, Vol. 252, No. 5003 pp. 265-270, 1991.

Magellan – Initial Analysis of Venus Surface Modification, Arvidson, R. E., V. R. Baker, C. Elachi, R. S. Saunders, and J. A. Wood, Science, Vol. 252, No. 5003 pp. 270-275, 1991.

Global Digital Topography Mapping with a Synthetic Aperture Scanning Radar Altimeter, Elachi, C., K. E. Im, and E. Rodriguez, International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 11, p. 585-601, April 1990.

Microwave Penetration and Attenuation in Desert Soil: A Field Experiment with Shuttle Imaging Radar, Farr, T. G., C. Elachi, P. Hartl, and K. Chowdhury, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. GE-24, No. 4, pp. 590-594, July 1986.

Overview of the Shuttle Imaging Radar-B Preliminary Scientific Results, Elachi, C., J. B. Cimino, and M. Settle, Science, Vol. 232, pp. 1511-1516, June 20, 1986.

Spaceborne Radar Subsurface Imaging in Hyperarid Regions, Elachi, C., L.E. Roth, and G.G. Schaber, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. GE-22, No. 4, pp. 383-388, July 1984.

Spaceborne Imaging Radar: Geologic and Oceanographic Applications, Elachi, C., Science, Vol. 209, No. 4461, pp. 1073-1082, September 5, 1980.

Observation of the Grand Canyon Wall Structure with an Airborne Imaging Radar, Elachi, C. and T. G. Farr, Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 9, pp. 171-174, 1979.

Precipitation on Venus: Properties and Possibilities of Detection, Cimino, J. B. and C. Elachi, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 36, No. 7, pp. 1168-1177, July 1979.

Wave Tilt Sounding of a Linearly Inhomogeneous Layered Half-Space, Warne, L., D. Evans, and C. Elachi, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-27, No. 3, pp. 417-422, May 1979.

Mapping of Sea Ice and Measurement of Its Drift Using Aircraft Synthetic Aperture Radar Images, Leberl, F., M. L. Bryan, C. Elachi, T. Farr, and W. Campbell, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 84, No. C4, pp. 1827-1835, April 20, 1979.

Liquid Content of the Lower Clouds of Venus as Determined from Mariner 10 Radio Occultation, Kliore, A. J. , C. Elachi, I. R. Patel, and J. B. Cimino, Icarus, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 51-72, January 1979.

Imaging Radar Observations of Askja Caldera, Iceland , Malin, M. C., D. Evans, and C. Elachi, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 5, No. 11, pp. 931-934, November 1978.

Discrimination of Geologic Units in Death Valley Using Dual Frequency and Polarization Imaging Radar Data, Daily, M., C. Elachi, T. Farr, and G. Schaber, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 5, No. 10, pp. 889-892, October 1978.

Preliminary Studies of Electromagnetic Sounding of Cometary Nuclei, Gabriel, A., L. Warne, S. Bednarczyk, and C. Elachi, JPL Publication 78-44, October 1, 1978.

Application of Multispectral Radar and LANDSAT Imagery to Geologic Mapping in Death Valley, Daily, M., C. Elachi, T. Farr, W. Stromberg, S. Williams, and G. Schaber, JPL Publication 78-19, March 30, 1978.

Radar Imaging of the Ocean Surface, Elachi, C., Boundary-Layer Meteorology, Vol. 13, pp. 165-179, 1978.

Ocean Wave Patterns Under Hurricane Gloria: Observation with an Airborne Synthetic-Aperture Radar, Elachi, C., T. W. Thompson, and D. King, Science, Vol. 198, pp. 609-610, November 11, 1977.

Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery of the AIDJEX Triangle, Bryan, L. , T. Farr, F. Leberl, and C. Elachi, AIDJEX Bulletin, No. 37, pp. 161-187, September 1977.

Higher-Order Bragg Coupling in Periodic Media With Gain or Loss, Jaggard, D. L and C. Elachi, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 1461-1466, April 1977.

Equipotential Doming in Flooded Circular Basins on the Moon, Roth, L. E., C. Elachi, and R. J. Phillips, Proceedings of the Eighth Lunar Science Conference, Houston, Tex., March 14-18, pp. 643-654, 1977.

Effects of Random Phase Changes on the Formation of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery, Elachi, C. and D. D. Evans, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-25, No. 1, pp. 149-153, January 1977.

Models of Radar Imaging of the Ocean Surface Waves, Elachi, C. and W. E. Brown, Jr., IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-25, No. 1, pp. 84-95, January 1977.

Waves in Active and Passive Periodic Structures: A Review, Elachi, C., IEEE Proceedings, Vol. 64, No. 12, pp. 1666-1698, December 1976.

Application of Remote Sensors in Coastal Zone Observations, Caillat, J.-M., C. Elachi, and W. E. Brown, Jr., JPL Technical Memorandum 33-750, November 15, 1975.

The JPL Imaging Radar Experiment in GATE: A Preliminary Report, Elachi, C., JPL Technical Memorandum 33-751, November 15, 1975.

Coherent Electromagnetic Losses by Scattering From Volume Inhomogeneities, Roth, L. E. and C. Elachi, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-23, No. 5, pp. 674-675, September 1975.

Transients in a Periodic Slab: Coupled Waves Approach, Elachi, C., D. L. Jaggard, and C. Yeh, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-23, No. 3, pp. 352-358, May 1975.

Imaging and Sounding of Ice Fields With Airborne Coherent Radars, Elachi, C. and W. E. Brown, Jr., Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 80, No. 8, pp. 1113-1119, March 10, 1975.

Magnetic Wave Propagation in a Periodic Medium, Elachi, C., IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. MAG-11, No. 1, pp. 36-39, January 1975.

Proposed Distributed Feedback Crystal Cavities for X-Ray Lasers, Elachi, C., G. Evans, and F. J. Grunthaner, Applied Optics, Vol. 14, No. 1, p. 14, January 1975.

Distributed Feedback Acoustic Surface Wave Oscillator, Elachi, C., IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. MTT-22, No. 10, pp. 907-908, October 1974.

Mode Conversion in Periodically Disturbed Thin-Film Waveguides, Elachi, C. and C. Yeh, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 45, No. 8, pp. 3494-3499, August 1974.

Parametric Interactions Between Alfven Waves and Sonic Waves, Elachi, C., IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-21, No. 6, pp. 907-909, November 1973.

Periodic Structures in Integrated Optics, Elachi, C. and C. Yeh, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 44, No. 7, pp. 3146-3152, July 1973.

Cerenkov and Transition Radiation in Space-Time Periodic Media, C. Elachi., Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 43, No. 9, pp. 3719-3723, September 1972.

Electromagnetic Wave Propagation and Wave-Vector Diagram in Space-Time Periodic Media, Elachi, C., IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-20, No. 4, pp. 534-536, July 1972.

Dipole Antenna in Space-Time Periodic Media, C. Elachi, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-20, No. 3, pp. 280-287, May 1972.

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American / Lebanese-American

Mohamed Alabbar – Middle East Personality of the Year : Dubai, UAE

Mohamed Alabbar (aka) Mohamed Ali Rashid Alabbar – Emirati businessman –

Organisations:

  • Founder and Chairman – Emaar Properties ( incl. Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building), Dubai Creek Tower, Dubai Opera (2000 seat), Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills
  • Noon – a USD 1 billion start-up working in the entire Middle East region
  • Chairman – Eagle Hills
  • Chairman – Americana Group (includes KFC, Pizza Hut )..
  • Chairman – Hamptons , MENA
  • Chairman – Armani Hotels and Resorts
  • etc…

Education:

  • Graduate Degree – The Albers School of Business & Economics, Seattle University
  • Ph.D – Honorary Doctorate (Humanities), Seattle University

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United Arab Emirates

Taleedah Tamer, Saudi Arabia’s First Couture Model

Taleeda Tamer, Jeddah based Kingdom’s first fashion model.

Made history in July 2018 as the first Saudi model to walk the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Opened for the Italian designer Antonio Grimaldi couture show at ‘Salons France-Amerique’ in Paris.

First’s :

  • First Saudi model to walk a couture runaway in Paris
  • First Saudi model to be on the cover of an International magazine ‘ Harper’s Bazaar Arabia ( Jul/Aug 2018)
  • Featured as one of two Saudi’s to be selected as one of the ‘100 New Wave Creatives’ by the British Fashion Council

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Saudi Arabia

Largest aluminum sculpture , Saudi Arabia : October 2017

Novartis Oncology , a medical company specializing in cancer patients, achieved the Guinness World Records of ” Largest Aluminium Sculpture ” on October 7, 2017. 

The statue – 7.71 m tall,  5.03 m long, 3.95 m wide – was made in the shape of a jackhammer to represent “the powerful tool breaking through cancer,” and was presented at the Novartis Oncology Breast Cancer Summit, Sofitel Event Hall, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

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Saudi Arabia

World’s 4th Longest Bridge : Sheikh Jaber Causeway, Kuwait : May 2019

The Shieikh Jaber Causeway is the 4th longest bridge in the world.

Named after Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who ruled during the Gulf war.

About 80 percent of the sea-bridge is over water and connects Kuwait City to Subiya where a USD 100 billion dollar mega-city is being built.

The drive around the bay usually takes over an hour, but with bridge’s construction completed, it shortens to less than 20 minutes.

The USD 2.6 billion causeway was designed by Paris based engineering and consulting group ‘Systra’. Lead by a consortium of South Korea’s ‘Hyundai Engineering & Construciton Co.’ and Kuwait’s ‘Combined Group Contracting Company’.

________

Kuwait

World’s First Purpose Built Church – Aqaba Church, Jordan : 293 A.D.

Built around 293 A.D. in Jordan, the Aqaba Church is considered to be the world’s oldest-known purpose-built Christian church.

It was unearthed by archaeologists in 1998, and ever since then, it has been holding the world record.

Its first phase was dated between 293 and 303, which makes it older than the ‘ Church of the Holy Sepulchre’ in Jerusalem and the ‘Church of the Nativity’  in Bethlehem, both of which were built in the late 320s.

Notes:

  • Cenacle, the site of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, was the ‘First Christian Church’ according to the Catholic Encyclopedia
  • Dura Europos Church, Syria is the World’s Oldest surviving Church building

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Jordan

Siemens Gamesa – First Blade Manufacturing Plant In Africa & ME : November 2017

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) established its rotor blade manufacturing plant mid- october in Tangiers Automotive City, a free-trade zone.

The plant offers wind turbine blades and is the first such facility in Africa and the Middle East.

The project allows the development of a good ecosystem in the ‘renewable energy industry’.

__________

Morocco

Shatha Hammad Wins ‘One World Media New Voice Award ‘ : June 2020

Shatha Hammad – Local and young Journalist with the Middle East Eye (MEE) wins the ‘One World Media New Voice Award’ .

The Jury recognised her ability to ‘illuminate political and social issues’ in the West Bank.

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West Bank, Palestine

Tarek Kamel – Pioneer – Egypt’s First Connection to the Internet

Tarek Kamel established Egypt’s first connection to the Internet. FIRST national of a developing country to fill ICANN’s Senior Management position

Assignments:

  • Minister of Communication & Information, Egypt
  • Chairman – National Telecom Regulatory Authority
  • Board Member – Telecom Egypt
  • Board Member Egypt’s Private Public Technology Development Fund (TDF)

International:

  • ICANN appointed as Senior Adviser to its President
  • Senior Vice President of Global Government and IGO engagement. Thus making him the FIRST national of a developing country to fill ICANN’s Senior Management position
  • ‘Top Minister in Africa with an ICT Profile’ – by South African Minstry of Communications (2015)

Education:

  • Ph.D : Electrical Engineering & Info Technology – Technical University of Munich
  • M.Sc : Electrical Engineering, Cairo University
  • B.Sc : Electrical Engineering, Cairo University

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Egypt