Category: Science & Technology

Lbachir BenMohamed – Scientist, Immunologist. Cutting Edge Work on New Covid-19 Vaccine in the US

Moroccan scientist Lbachir BenMohamed is making headlines in the US for working on a universal COVID-19 vaccine — a vaccine that would work on all variants of the coronavirus, even those that have not appeared yet.

At the Institute for Immunology affiliated to the University of California, Irvine, BenMohamed is leading a nine-member research team tasked with developing a universal COVID -19 vaccine .

Vaccine on a patch

Another original concept that BenMohamed and his team are working on is the injection method of the vaccine.

While all currently-available COVID-19 vaccines are injected through a syringe, the in-development universal vaccine would be administered through a patch, similarly to the widely-available nicotine patches.

Currently:

  • Professor, of Immunology,University of California, Irvine (2014). Founder and Head of Cellular and and Molecular Immunolgy
  • Assistant Researcher, University of California, Irvine (2002)

Education:

  • Diploma – Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Alghadir, Morocco
  • Licence (Bachelor’s equivalent) – Biochemistry
  • Diploma of Advanced Studies in Immunology – University of Paris VII (aka) Paris Diderot University
  • M.S. in Immunolgy and Parasitolgy – Pasteur Institute, Paris
  • Ph.D. in Immunology – Pasteur Institute, Paris (1997)

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The immunologist and his team are developing a universal vaccine against COVID-19.The immunologist and his team are developing a universal vaccine against COVID-19. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG) / pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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U.S.A. / MOROCCAN AMERICAN

Essam Heggy – Space and Planetary Scientist at NASA

Dr Essam Heggy . Space and Planetary Scientist.

His main science interests in space and planetary geophysics covers Mars, the Moon, icy satellites and Near Earth Objects.

A member of the several NASA and ESA missions science teams including the MARSIS instrument aboard the Mars Express orbiter (2003-present), the Mini-SAR experiment aboard Chandrayaan-1, the Mini-RF experiment on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (2008-present), the CONSERT radar experiment on board the Rosetta mission (2004-2015) and the RIME experiment Onboard JUICE mission for Jupiter Icy Satellites .

Heggy is the Principal Investigator of the NASA Earth Venture Mission Concept OASIS that aims to characterize groundwater in Hyper-Arid Environments .

Heggy served as a panel member for several NASA programs including the Planetary Instrument Definition and Development program, Planetary Geology and Geophysics program, Mars Data Analysis program, Astrobiology program and the Educational and Public Outreach program.

He also edited a special JGR-planets volume on terrestrial and planetary radars. He is on the editing board of Geosciences and National Geography and co-chaired several sessions in American Geophysical Union and other international meetings on planetary radars.

Education:

  • Ph.D – Astronomy and Planetary Science – Paris-Sorbonne University, Paris (2002)

Award/ Honours :

  • JPL/NASA Mariner Award
  • Served as Egyptian President Advisor for Scientific Affairs (2013-2014)

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pix: en.wikipedia.org

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U.S.A / FRANCE / EGYPT / EGYPTIAN AMERICAN / ARAB AMERICAN

International Medical Center -Jeddah, receives Silver King Abdul Aziz Award : January 2021

The International Medical Center (IMC) in Jeddah won the Silver King Abdul Aziz Award 2020 in the category of private health facilities.

The IMC is the only private hospital to win in this category.

The King Abdul Aziz Quality Award is the culmination of a track record of local, regional and international awards won by the IMC.

These include: United Nations Social Responsibility Report Award, Best Healing Environment in the Middle East Award, Best Hospital Design in the Middle East Award, King Khalid Award for Responsible Competitiveness, Makkah Award for Excellence, and Saudi General Investment Authority Award.

source: arabnews.com

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Dr. Walid Fitaihi, CEO of IMC / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

ENOC Group wins ‘Sword of Honour’ award by British Safety Council : Dubai, UAE : January 2021

The ENOC Group received the accolade for excellence in managing health and safety risks at work, making it one in 66 organisations worldwide to have achieved this prestigious recognition. The Group has been recognised for its efforts towards ensuring health and safety at ENOC Head offices, particularly amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

To compete for the Sword of Honour, an organisation must achieve a maximum of five stars in the British Safety Council’s health and safety and environmental management audit scheme held between August 2019 and November 2020.

British Safety Council 5 Star audit is a rigorous audit done at the site and is based on a model that is specific to its standards.

The ENOC Group has previously been awarded the BSC Five Star Rating in occupational health and safety management.

source: wam.ae

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Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, ENOC

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

ADFD-funded Solar Project Lights Up and Powers Berbera City in Somaliland

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) funded solar energy project at Berbera City in Somaliland has been connected to the local electricity grid. It will meet the increasing demand of the entire city of approximately 50,000 people.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the sidelines of the event, which was witnessed by ADFD that had transferred the plant’s ownership to the Ministry of Energy and Minerals on behalf of the Government of Somaliland and appointed a consulting company, Coretec, to provide necessary support to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in developing an overall operational structure for the project.

The deal agreed in principle on a public-private partnership (PPP) to operate and maintain the solar plant, the first of its kind in the country. “This could well serve as a reference model for the rest of the country,” said Jama Mohamoud Egal, Minister of Energy and Minerals, Republic of Somaliland.

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pix: wam.ae

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) / SOMALILAND

Asrar Damdam and Lama Al-Abdi honored by L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program

 Two Saudi Women Asrar Damdam and Lama Al-Abdi recently won awards from the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program for their work.

Dr. Asrar Damdam, was honored in the Ph.D. students’ category for her role in the development of a pump meant to revolutionize the way a healthy heartbeat is regulated — combining medicine, electrical engineering and electro-physics.

 Dr. Lama Al-Abdi in recognition of her research on chromatin — a substance within chromosomes consisting of DNA and protein — and the regulation of genes in relation to vision loss.

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pix: twitter ( L t R) Dr. Lama AlAbdi and Dr. Asrar Damdam

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SAUDI ARABIA

Ouahib Timoulali, First Moroccan to Win NY Academy of Sciences Cybersecurity Challenge : June 2020

Ouahib Timoulali claimed a win in the Global STEM Alliance competition.

Timoulali is an industrial engineer from the National School of Applied Sciences (ENSA) in Kenitra.

He worked within a team of different nationalities. Their idea labeled the “Cybercastle,” won the “Cybersecurity in the Age of IoT” challenge.

First Moroccan national to win the competition in the history of the New York Academy of Sciences.

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO

Dr. Nawf AlGublan, Saudi Medical Professional Frontliner Saving Lives In The U.S

Physician Dr. Nawf Al-Gublan contributes to saving lives in the United States, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the 2nd largest teaching hospital at Harvard Medical School, and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical District in Boston.

When the coronavirus pandemic started spreading rapidly in the United States, the Saudi Arabian Nephrology Specialist Dr. Nawf al-Gublan decided she had to stay in the country to help her coworkers in Boston battle the outbreak.

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pix: yasmina.com

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USA / SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Scientist Hani Al-Hadrami -Develops low-cost Rapid Test to Detect Covid-19 at SR.10 : December 2020

Dr. Hani Al-Hadrami, Assistant Professor at King Abdulaziz University and Consultant in Molecular Diagnostics developed a very low cost rapid test which takes less than 15 minutes to detect the coronavirus.

The tests were carried out at the King Fahd Center for Medical Research, based in King Abdulaziz University.

The research was funded by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.

A patent has been registered to obtain the rights. The research papers have been submitted for publication in Talanta Scientific Journal.

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pix: saudigazette.com.sa

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MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) at MIT, Wins ‘Oscars of Education ‘ – for COVID-19 Project at 2020 Reimagine Education Awards : December

Full STEAM Ahead — an education project developed in response to COVID-19 by the Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — took top honors at the 2020 Reimagine Education Awards in the category for innovation in kindergarten–grade 12 (K–12) education. 

J-WEL was co-founded by MIT and Community Jameel, an international organization tackling some of the world’s most urgent challenges, using a pioneering approach grounded in evidence, science, data and technology.

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pix: saudigazette.com.sa

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SAUDI ARABIA / U.S.A