ALGERIA : NASA honors Algerian parks with Martian namesakes

NASA’s mapping of Mars now bears the names of three iconic Algerian national parks, Algerian physicist Noureddine Melikechi, a member of the US space agency’s largest Mars probe mission, has told AFP.

The Tassili n’Ajjer, Ghoufi and Djurdjura national parks have found their Martian namesakes after a proposition by Melikechi, which he sought as both a tribute to his native Algeria and a call to protect Earth.

“Our planet is fragile, and it’s a signal to the world that we really need to take care of our national parks, whether they are in Algeria or elsewhere,” the US-based scientist told AFP in a recent interview.

He said the visual resemblance between some of the Martian landscapes and the ones after which they were labeled was also a key reason for the naming.

“The first one that came to my mind was the Tassili n’Ajjer,” he said of the UNESCO-listed vast plateau in the Sahara Desert with prehistoric art dating back at least 12,000 years.

“Every time I see pictures of Mars, they remind me of Tassili n’Ajjer, and now every time I see Tassili n’Ajjer, it reminds me of Mars,” added Melikechi, who left Algeria in 1990 for the United States, where he now teaches at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

The ancient art found in Tassili n’Ajjer depicts figures that can seem otherworldly, he said.

Some of the paintings show single-eyed and horned giants, among others which French archaeologist Henri Lhote dubbed as “great Martian” deities in his 1958 book, “The Search for the Tassili Frescoes”.

“Those paintings are a signature… a book of how people used to live,” said Melikechi.

“You see animals, but also figures that look like they came from somewhere else.”

‘Historic’

Melikechi’s second pick was the Ghoufi canyon in eastern Algeria, whose rocky desert landscape was the site of an ancient settlement off the Aures Mountains.

Now a UNESCO-listed site and a tourist attraction, it has cliffside dwellings carved in the mountain, a testament to human resilience in a place where survival can be adverse.

“Ghoufi gives you a sense that life can be hard, but you can manage to keep at it as you go,” Melikechi said.

“You can see that through those homes.”

The third site, Djurdjura, is a snowy mountain range some 140 kilometers (about 90 miles) east of the capital Algiers.

Comapred to Tassili or Ghoufi, it bears the least resemblance to Mars.

Melikechi said its pick stemmed of Djurdjura’s “reminder of the richness of natural habitats”.

He said the naming process came after Perseverence, NASA’s Mars rover exploring the Red Planet, made it into uncharted territory.

That area was then split into small quadrants, each needing a name.

“We were asked to propose names for specific quadrants,” he said.

“I suggested these three national parks, while others proposed names from parks worldwide. A team then reviewed and selected the final names.”

The announcement, made by NASA earlier this month, sparked celebrations among Algerians.

Algerian Culture Minister Zouhir Ballalou hailed it as a “historic and global recognition” of the North African country’s landscapes.

Melikechi said he hopes that it will attract more visitors as Algeria has been striving to promote tourism, especially in the Sahara region, with authorities promising to facilitate tourist visas.

Official figures said some 2.5 million tourists visited the country last year—its highest number of visitors in two decades.

“These places are a treasure that we as humans have inherited,” Melikechi said.

“We need to make sure they are preserved.”

source/content: phys.org (headline edited)

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

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ALGERIA

ARAB : Illuminating Achievements: Arab Physicists Shaping the World of Light

The study of light has led to promising alternative energy sources and lifesaving medical advances in diagnostics technology and treatments. 

These transformative technologies were developed through centuries of fundamental research on the properties of light, including pioneering work such as Ibn Al-Haytham’s seminal Kitab al-Manazir (Book of Optics), published in 1015.

As the world celebrates the International Day of Light on 16 May, various Arab physicists have left an indelible mark on the Arab world’s understanding and utilization of this fundamental phenomenon.

Ibn Al-Haytham (965-1040 CE)

Considered the father of modern optics, Ibn Al-Haytham’s groundbreaking work, Kitab al-Manazir, laid the foundation for our understanding of the behavior of light, including the principles of reflection, refraction, and the workings of the human eye. His experimental approach and rejection of the prevailing theories of his time were revolutionary, and his work influenced generations of scientists who followed in his footsteps.

Photo Source: VH Magazine

Maha Ashour-Abdalla

A pioneering Egyptian-American plasma physicist, Ashour-Abdalla’s research has advanced our understanding of the complex dynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere, with applications in space weather forecasting and protection of satellites from cosmic radiation. Her work has been instrumental in developing models to predict and mitigate the impacts of solar storms on technological infrastructure.

Photo Source: UCLA

Ali Moustafa Mosharafa (1898-1950) 

This Egyptian physicist made significant contributions to the development of quantum mechanics, building on the work of pioneers like Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. His research helped bridge the gap between classical and quantum physics, laying the groundwork for our modern understanding of the subatomic world. Mosharafa’s work has had lasting implications in fields such as materials science, cryptography, and quantum computing.

Photo Source: Academic Dictionaries

Shaaban Khalil

An Egyptian theoretical physicist, Khalil is a renowned expert in particle physics and cosmology. His work on the unification of fundamental forces has had a lasting impact on our understanding of the cosmos. Khalil’s research, which combined elements of quantum mechanics, general relativity, and high-energy physics, has helped shape the nature of the fundamental forces that govern it.

Photo Source: Zewail City

These Arab scientists, among others, have not only expanded the Arab world’s knowledge of light and its applications but have also paved the way for future generations to harness the power of this fundamental phenomenon to address global challenges and push the boundaries of scientific discovery.

source/content: egyptianstreets.com (headline edited)

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Dr.Ali Moustafa Mosharafa 

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ARAB / EGYPT / IRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA: Lama Al-Ahdal Prizewinning Student Speaks of her Journey to the Physics Olympiads Competition Success

Prizewinning Saudi student Lama Al-Ahdal, who has been scooping medals at Physics Olympiads, says her competition success motivates her to continue with her passion and achieve great things for the Kingdom.

She won gold at the Gulf Physics Olympiad, a bronze at the International Physics Olympiad, and a bronze at the Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad.

Al-Ahdal spoke to the Saudi Press Agency about the beginning of her journey in the Physics Olympiad through the Mawhoob Competition, which she took part in several times.

It was her participation in 2018 that led to her nomination to attend training forums, a path that would eventually lead her to victory.

“I started attending basic courses in Jeddah, through which I qualified and passed the required tests. I was nominated for the Winter Forum at Princess Nourah University in Riyadh, then trained with the physics team, from which a number of students in the Kingdom would qualify to form the Saudi team for the Physics Olympiad.

“At the beginning of 2019, we underwent intense eight-hour training, both remotely and at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, to prepare for international competitions. I learned how to calculate the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field using a string and two pieces of magnets, how electricity can be generated by heating two pieces of metal, how to measure the thickness of a candy wrapper using a laser, and other scientific experiments.

“The top five students were then nominated to represent the Kingdom, and thankfully I made it and snatched the gold medal in the Gulf Physics Olympiad, the bronze medal in the Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad, and the bronze medal in the International Physics Olympiad.”

Joining the Saudi physics team and undergoing training helped her to discover that physics was a beautiful subject. “I learned a lot from it and the Olympiad experience.”

Her participation increased her skills and developed her thinking by getting to know competitors from different countries.

“I also developed my time management skills since the training continued even during school days. My father and mother had a major role in helping me achieve my goals and encouraging me to try new things to gain more skills and learn more,” she said.

Setting a specific goal and working to achieve it was the most important thing that motivated her to take up the challenge and try new things.

Her father, Abdul Rahman Al-Ahdal, said his daughter’s journey was full of scientific challenges.

“She has always been a talented child and a bright student, with a  promising future ahead of her. God blessed her with a group of highly experienced trainers and supervisors. It is important to focus and draw a plan and work to achieve it.

“I thank King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, and everyone responsible for helping the sons and daughters of the Kingdom partake in forums of creativity, innovation and scientific Olympiad, and other scientific activities.”

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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SAUDI ARABIA

Dr. Ali Chamseddine, Physicist

Ali Hani Chamseddine Ph.D. Physicist known for his contributions to particle physics, general relativity and mathematical physics.

Known for minimal supergravity grand unification – mSUGRA and Non commutative geometry.

Awards:

  • G. Bude Medal, College de France, 2007
  • TWAS Physics Prize, 2009
  • Alexander Von Humboldt Research Prize, 2001

Work:

  • Professor of Mathematical Physics, American University of Beirut, Lebanon-
  • Professor, The Institut des hautes etudes Scientifiques, France

Education:

  • BSc – Graduate in Physics, Lebanese University, 1975
  • Diploma in Physics, Imperial College, London
  • Ph.D – Theoretical Physics, Imperial College, London , 1976

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LEBANON