Cross posted from Nature Middle East
By Mohammed Yahia
On 11 February, at around 6:00 pm local time in Egypt, the Egyptian vice-president announced in a televised speech that Hosni Mubarak decided to step down after being on power for 30 years due to popular protests.
Jubilant scenes exploded throughout the streets of every city in Egypt as people celebrated ousting the president after 18 days of peaceful protesting.
Nature Middle East talked to members of the science community, who voice their grievances with the past, hopes for the future and concerns about the current period.
Farouk El-Baz, research professor and director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University.
As a scientist who has been concerned about the state of education and scientific research in Egypt, I am elated. The popular uprising in Egypt is a revolt against backwardness. The young generation has observed the country slip into poverty for too long.
I foresee a real change in the status quo that will include a revamping of the educational system and more emphasis on scientific research in support of a more productive society.
Alaa Ismail, assistant professor of space astrophysics at the American University of Cairo (AUC)
Science and technology will play a pivotal role in rebuilding a new Egypt. We have a competent workforce within Egypt and outside Egypt which has not been fully tapped into. This is one of the greatest assets of the country.
This Egyptian scientific workforce will have a very important role to play in the upcoming era. Their potential was not fully realized due to poor working conditions and poor funding. I’m talking about all of the past three decades. There was some little improvement in the last five years or so but when you look overall at the whole period of President Mubarak’s rule, it was mediocre at best. Once this improves, this workforce will be the driving force for a better Egypt.
They need to build a knowledge society. We are in the 21st century and this is the age of knowledge. We will thrive in this era only through building such a society.
The common thread that stretches through the history of Egypt, since the time of the Pharaohs and all the way to Islamic Egypt, is that the country has been a focal point for science and technology throughout the eras. That was always the case when it was a democracy. We are hopeful that the upcoming period will be democratic and science and technology will thrive here once again.
To read more, go to Nature Middle East.