If I was asked to name one topic that brings a smile to my face, it would have to be “making science accessible to a mainstream audience.” Apparently, I’m not alone.

The Academy of Science for the Developing World (TWAS) has recently announced the winners of its “regional prizes for public understanding and popularization of science.” The winner for the Arab region is the pioneering Lebanese professor Elias Baydoun.

Baydoun, who has been working in the American University in Beirut’s (AUB) Department of Biology for over 20 years, has spent most of his life trying to bring science to the public. When he first joined the AUB, he was the only full-time member of the department with a PhD. He was chairman of the department from 1987 to 1993. Today, there are several other PhD holders in the department, there is a brand new laboratory, and he has renovated the biology building – as well as the science curriculum.

In 2002, he was the main force behind establishment of the Arab Academy of Sciences, for which he was the inaugural secretary general.

TWAS are recognizing Baydoun for his efforts to bring science to a larger audience through teaching at AUB, translating textbooks, and organizing international conferences through the Arab Academy of Sciences.

“Everything has to do with science, so we should help people appreciate it,” he said in a press release from the AUB.

However, he is quick to reiterate that there is a serious challenge here. “Even politicians don’t understand the importance of science. The first thing they cut from their budgets is [funds] for science and education. Unfortunately, this is a trend around the world, but it’s particularly worse in the Arab world.”

Outside the university, Baydoun has invested much of his time regionally. He has helped develop biology curricula for secondary schools and community colleges in Oman and has written school biology textbooks for Jordan.

So what drives Baydoun to do all this? According to the AUB press release, it is a larger dream he has. A dream to see the Arab world fully embracing modern science, engineering, and technology so that young people will not have to leave the region in order to develop their careers.

Well I’ll take a deep breath and shout a loud and clear “Amen!” to that wish!