Egypt experienced a huge brain drain during the three decades that Hosni Mubarak ruled the country. Formerly a highly acclaimed center for culture and education in the Arab world, literacy fell to just 66% in 2008.

To help lift his fellow countrymen and women out of its veritable dark age, Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail is working to establish a Science and Technology Institute in Cairo that will be modeled after the California Institute of Technology (home to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory). A Caltech Professor, Zewail has already enlisted six Nobel prize winners for the board of trustees, secured an enormous slice of prime real estate, and raised millions of dollars to achieve what has been a twelve year dream.

Prime Real Estate

Zewail’s ambitions to establish what he considers an invaluable institute for science and technology received a crucial boost when Egypt’s Supreme Council of Armed Forces presented him with a downtown villa in Cairo and 300 acres of prime desert worth a total of $1.6 billion.

A further $2 billion will be necessary to complete the project in entirety. Zewaili raised $100 million of that and hopes that once Egypt’s new government is established, they will contribute at least that much on an annual basis.

Reams of Red Tape

Both the Egyptian Cabinet and the Muslim Brotherhood have expressed their support of this project, although it is yet unclear who will be responsible for the ultimately decision-making. When Mubarak was still in power, the project stayed buried for years under reams of red tape.

Although he is convinced that Egypt needs this science and technology institute to lift students out of their collective funk, critics aren’t so sure. Lauri Brand, who is professor and director at the University of Southern California’s School of International Relations, worries that an economic downturn could derail plans. She also questions whether the institute satisfies the country’s most pressing needs.

Who will Attend?

There is also uncertainty over who would be eligible to study at what Pasadena Star calls “the Cairene Caltech,” or where they will continue their studies once they have completed their course work.

But Zewail does not appear deterred. Initially he won’t expect major breakthroughs, but at least students would be enabled to  focus on what is within their realm of capability. That starts, he says, with solar and wind energy.

Changes in the business and economic climates will come, he argues. “But we want to be the catalyst – we want to catalyze this process.”

:: Pasadena Star News

More on Science and Technology Development in Egypt:

17 Lost Egyptian Pyramids Found With Infra Red Technology

Post Revolution Egypt Wants New Wind Farms

Egypt May Survive Climate Change Thanks to AUC Students

image via RBerteig

The post Egypt’s Dark Age Could End With New Caltech-Style Research Institute appeared first on Green Prophet.

While Jordanians argue over whether enviro Queen Rania is entitled to throw lavish birthday parties at the expense of the populace, the business of achieving Jordan’s renewable energy goals continues apace. The Jordanian Renewable Energy Society (JRES) and a Spanish firm have made arrangements to adapt sophisticated solar-cooling technology for domestic applications, according to the Jordan Times. The original project will be installed at the JRES headquarters in West Amman, with a long-term view towards making it available throughout the country. JRES is already an important eco-pioneer in Jordan. Their Green House to be completed later this year will serve as a demo site for citizens interested to experience a house that relies completely on renewable sources to meet its energy needs.

By incorporating passive design, solar panels and a 3-5 kw wind turbine, JRES will give provide skeptics firsthand evidence that we can move away from our oil addiction.

In a country where rain is intermittent and dwindling water resources are shared among an expanding population, harvested rainwater gives the experiment even more independence.

The agreement to domesticate absorption solar cooling is the third major JRES initiative signed by JRES President HRH Prince Asem Ben Nayef, according to the paper. In time, after its initial trial runs, JRES is confident that everyone in Jordan can ultimately benefit from this technology.

Other JRES plans currently on the drawing board include a soon-to-be developed laboratory that will monitor the country’s wind speeds and solarity. They also plan to develop a database of renewable energy technology to facilitate easier transition initiatives and further research.

By 2015, Jordan hopes to generate 7% of the country’s energy needs renewably. JRES is striving admirably to ensure those goals are met.

:: Jordan Times

More on Jordan’s Renewable Energy Environment:

Jordan Society For Renewable Energy’s Eco-House Education

EDAMA Seeks To Forge Green Partnerships In Jordan

Foster + Partners: What’s So Sustainable About An Airport In Jordan?

The post Jordan Teams With Spanish Firm To Cool Homes With The Sun appeared first on Green Prophet.