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This is the first time in the programme's history that a Laureate has been chosen from the Middle East, and follows intensive outreach and activity by Rolex in the region.
The Rolex Awards fund new and ongoing projects that demonstrate a spirit of enterprise and address pressing needs around the world, from climate change, to wildlife and habitat preservation, to cultural preservation, to providing water, food, medical supplies and education for impoverished communities. Rolex will present $100,000 each to five Laureates, who will be honoured tomorrow evening (18 November) in a ceremony in Dubai - the first ever Rolex Awards ceremony held in the Middle East. Five Associate Laureates will each receive $50,000 at ceremonies in their home countries. All ten winners will also receive a Rolex chronometer.
The Rolex Awards are being held in the Middle East under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"The Rolex Awards for Enterprise enable the work of global pioneers who are breaking new ground in their fields, and improving lives worldwide," said Patrick Heiniger, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex. "We are proud to support these truly original thinkers, and salute them for their ingenuity and commitment of purpose."
The 2008 Rolex Laureates - chosen from nearly 1,500 applicants in 127 countries by an independent panel of scientists, educators, economists and other experts - are:
- Talal Akasheh (Jordan), 61, who, after devoting 26 years to documenting the ancient monuments of Petra, is creating an information system that will inform future conservation efforts at this beloved, yet threatened, historic site.
- Tim Bauer (U.S.), 31, who is using innovative technology to retrofit polluting two-stroke vehicle engines that are common in the Philippines, helping to alleviate a major environmental and public-health risk.
- Andrew McGonigle (U.K.), 35, a physicist who is developing a new means to safely and reliably predict volcanic eruptions using an unmanned aircraft.
- Andrew Muir (South Africa), 43, a conservationist providing Aids orphans with life skills, training, and jobs in South Africa's burgeoning ecotourism sector.
- Elsa Zaldívar (Paraguay), 48, who is bringing an eco-friendly solution to her country's housing shortage by creating composite building materials made of plant and plastic waste to construct affordable housing.
Dr. Akasheh, a chemistry professor at the Hashemite University of Jordan, and its former Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, said the money from the Rolex Awards would go towards hiring additional staff to complete the geo-archaeological information system and its database.
"I am extremely honored to receive this prestigious international award, which is not just for me but for all of Jordan and the Arab world, and for all who care about Petra. The most important part of this award is that it will lead to other sources of support for the giant job of preserving this beautiful, important place."
Akasheh said. "
The Rolex Award will help complete the most thorough documentation of the site since its rediscovery in 1912 and will help build archaeological and scientific capacity in Jordan, he added. Akasheh thanked the Rolex Awards for their sustained outreach to individuals, NGOs, academia and governments across the region over the last year.
Rebecca Irvin, Director of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, said:
"We are very pleased today to welcome the first Rolex Awards Laureate from the Middle East among our 2008 winners. Given the Arab world's long-standing tradition of innovation and scientific discovery and its rich cultural heritage, we were convinced that the region could be home to a significant number of potential candidates, and we are delighted to include one among our ranks of Laureates this year. We look forward to increasing our involvement in the region in the future."
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise week in the UAE ends on Wednesday (November 19) with the Rolex Middle East Forum: Encouraging Innovation for the Next Generation, an interactive series of panel discussions featuring some of the world's leading explorers, scientists and leaders in environment and heritage. The Forum, a public event moderated by Hala Gorani of CNN International and Arab media personality Georges Kordahi, will be held at the Madinat Theatre in association with the UAE Higher Colleges of Technology and under the patronage of HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Selection Process
The 2008 Rolex Award winners were chosen by an independent, voluntary jury of international experts, chaired by Patrick Heiniger. This year's Selection Committee members are: Dr Vikram Akula, founder and CEO of SKS Microfinance, based in India and the United States; Mr Etienne Bourgois, head of a French clothing company and expedition leader; Professor Denise Bradley, president of the Australian College of Educators; Dr Geh Min, ophthalmologist, environmentalist and president of the Nature Society of Singapore; Professor Farkhonda Hassan, Egyptian geologist and professor at the American University in Cairo; Dr Rodrigo Jordán, educator and explorer from Chile; Ms Yolanda Kakabadse, Ecuadorian environmentalist and champion of sustainable development; Dr Phil Nuytten, Canadian pioneer of the commercial diving industry; Dr Ivo Pitanguy, plastic surgeon and director of the Ivo Pitanguy Clinic and Institute in Brazil; Dr Anatoly M. Sagalevitch, Russian oceanologist and head of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology's Laboratory of Manned Submersibles; Professor Emil Salim, professor of economics at the University of Indonesia; and Dr Kathryn D. Sullivan, director of the Battelle Center for Math and Science Education Policy at Ohio State University and former NASA astronaut.
Rolex Philanthropy
Since its founding a century ago, Rolex has supported individual excellence and achievement around the globe. Through its two primary philanthropic programmes, the Awards for Enterprise and the Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, Rolex fosters innovation in science, exploration, conservation, and the arts worldwide.
The 2008 Rolex Laureates
The 2,500-year old city of Petra, one of the world's most important archaeological sites, is threatened by natural decay and the impact of increased tourism in the region. With the Rolex Award, chemistry professor Talal Akasheh will complete a vital information system that will inform the city's future conservation efforts. His geo-archaeological information system (GIS) will map the site and track minute details of Petra, monitoring its physical characteristics, the condition of the monuments and the impact of surrounding development.
Tim Bauer (U.S.)
Mechanical engineer Tim Bauer and his team have created a low-cost retrofit kit to cut emissions from the ubiquitous two-stroke engines used by 1.8 million tricycle drivers in the Philippines. The kit reduces particulate emissions by 70% while improving fuel efficiency, saving $1,000 a year for those who depend on the vehicles for their livelihoods. Atmospheric pollution causes an estimated 15,000 deaths in the Philippines annually. With the Rolex Award, Bauer will retrofit 5,000 vehicles in the Philippines as a first step towards replicating the project across Asia.
Andrew McGonigle (U.K.)
Millions of people around the world live near a volcano. With the Rolex Award, Scottish physicist Andrew McGonigle will develop a new technology, AEROVOLC II - an unmanned, small-scale helicopter that measures the volcanic gases CO2 and SO2 - in Etna and Stromboli in Italy. McGonigle's invention holds the promise of reliably predicting volcanic eruptions weeks, even months, in advance. The aircraft operates at a drastically reduced cost compared with previous efforts, while eliminating the often deadly task of physically measuring volcanic gases.
Andrew Muir (South Africa)
A longtime champion of the extraordinary natural resources of his native country, Andrew Muir has pioneered a programme to address the devastating impact of HIV/Aids in South Africa. With the Rolex Award, Muir will expand his Umzi Wethu Training Academy for Displaced Youth, a multifaceted intervention programme that provides Aids orphans and individuals living in child-headed households with training and jobs in ecotourism in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Muir will also raise visibility for the project so it can be replicated throughout Southern Africa, home to 80% of the world's orphans.
Elsa Zaldívar (Paraguay)
Paraguay is suffering from a severe housing shortage, with two out of five people living in poverty. The Rolex Award will enable Elsa Zaldívar to produce low-cost particle board from recycled vegetable fibre, strengthened with melted plastic waste, which will be used to build houses, thereby helping to save Paraguay's forests. The Award will also fund construction of three demonstration homes to encourage the use of this material.
Posted by Nadeen El Ajou
