AWST meet from Monday

The conference will be held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, Honorable President of the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. DBWC participates in the meet along with the Arab Science & Technology Foundation (ASTF).

It has been organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), in coordination with Etisal Event Management and Public Relations company.

"Few days only separate us from the (Arab Women in Science and Technology) conference which is considered the first of its kind in the region. The participants emphasized the significance of the conference as it's discussing many important topics and the time issues in the field of technology, and we thank all the organizers, supporters and the sponsors of the conference including GET Group, the platinum sponsor for the conference. This sponsorship stems from the group's deep faith in the significance of the conference which will shed the light on a critical and important field. It is seen that the developed world competes and races for achievements in the field of technology since it has become a source of power for those who are experts and specialists in it. The conference also discusses important issues that deal with the interest of the Arab woman. The occasion will be a precious opportunity to meet elite speakers, scholars and experts. All this will help in drawing the attention of Arab women towards a significant field, that needs a lot of effort and investment so that one can become well-acquainted with it," Dr. Abdalla Abdelaziz Alnajjar, President, Arab Science & Technology Foundation said.

Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Research Professor and Director, Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University, United States of America, will be the head of the first session of the conference titled "The Efforts of Arab Countries to Empower Arab Women in Science and Technology."

Dr. El-Baz said, "Professionally trained Arab women represent a vast, yet underutilized, power. We cannot embark on creating a knowledge society without the energy of women scientists and engineers. Therefore, the AWST conference has a great role to play in highlighting the role of women in development. It will uplift the potentialities of women scientists and engineers at all levels of Arab society and institutions and will have a great impact on women's role in society."

Dr. Issa Eid Batarseh, Professor in Electrical Engineering and Assistant Dean of Graduate Affairs, University of Central Florida, United States of America, who participates in the fourth session of the last day of the conference said that "there is a genuine lack of networking, training and mentorship in the Arab world for women in science and technology. The unfortunate fact is that the percentage of women in leadership positions in high tech industries in the Arab World is shamefully low when compared to the West."

Dr. Batarseh said, "The painful fact, I feel, is that Arab women are not hard on themselves! I think they should be more aggressive in positioning themselves in the scientific and technological debate and become part of the scientific community to lead change."

He added that since Arab woman scientists and engineers have proven their creative capabilities for innovation at the business and technical levels, there is no reason why they could not excel in the S & T field also.