Zewail City of Science and Technology

Established in 2012, Zewail City of Science and Technology is a nonprofit, independent institution of learning, research and innovation. The concept of the City was proposed in 1999 and its cornerstone laid on January 1, 2000. After numerous delays, the project was revived by the Egyptian cabinet's decree on May 11, 2011 following the January 25 Revolution. The Cabinet proclaimed it a National Project for Scientific Renaissance and named it Zewail City of Science and Technology. On December 20, 2012, a special law for Zewail City was granted, allowing students to enroll at its university and Egypt to begin a new era of modern development in scientific research and technological production. The City’s first component: the University of Science and Technology which was established to prepare a new generation of scientists and entrepreneurs, a generation capable of thinking critically and creatively, mastering basic sciences and knowledgeable about the cutting edge interdisciplinary fields of basic and applied sciences and engineering. The second component is a collection of state-of-the-art Research Institutes. In the Research Institutes world-class science is carried out and they also address strategic priorities and inherent problems relevant to the country; examples include treatments for epidemic and infectious diseases such as diabetes and Hepatitis C, which are widespread in Egypt. Research is currently underway to find alternative sources of energy including solar energy, which Egypt has in abundance. Exploring planet and cosmic forces by studying fundamental physics of our universe is another frontier of study at the Research Institutes. The original research developed at the City is transferable to industry through the third component of the City: the Technology Pyramid. It will become the leading hub for high-tech innovation and development by attracting international corporations as well as incubating national startups and spin offs. The fourth component is an Academy to prepare outstanding students after preparatory school in order to prepare them to the modern education at the university level. Lastly, the fifth component: the Center for Strategic Studies, which is designed to conduct large-scale feasibility studies across all areas identified as national priorities. To date, the City has managed to attract world class scientists to join in this vision and to help Egypt become a major player in science and technology on the regional and global levels. Currently, research in fundamental physics, biomedicine, solar energy, nanotechnology and other fields is underway. We accepted the first and second cohorts of students to the University of Science and Technology; in the first year, 300 students were admitted out of 6000 applicants, a 5% rate that is comparable to those of Harvard and Yale! We have also appointed an effective team of staff at the City, and both the administrative building in Garden City and the campus in the 6th of October City, at the outskirts of Cairo, are now fully operational. Zewail City of Science and Technology – with its five constituents: the University of Science and Technology, the Research Institutes, the Technology Pyramid, the Academy, and the Center for Strategic Studies – is designed to bring about effective participation in 21st century science, to elevate local technologies to an international level and to increase national productivity. We aim to contribute to building a knowledge-based society, founded on creative thinking through providing a merit-based education and engaging with the public at large, and integrating the challenge of a rigorous academic study, with the spirit of collaborative work and scientific discoveries. Established in 2012, Zewail City of Science and Technology is a nonprofit, independent institution of learning, research and innovation. The concept of the City was proposed in 1999 and its cornerstone laid on January 1, 2000. After numerous delays, the project was revived by the Egyptian cabinet's decree on May 11, 2011 following the January 25 Revolution. The Cabinet proclaimed it a National Project for Scientific Renaissance and named it Zewail City of Science and Technology. On December 20, 2012, a special law for Zewail City was granted, allowing students to enroll at its university and Egypt to begin a new era of modern development in scientific research and technological production. The City’s first component: the University of Science and Technology which was established to prepare a new generation of scientists and entrepreneurs, a generation capable of thinking critically and creatively, mastering basic sciences and knowledgeable about the cutting edge interdisciplinary fields of basic and applied sciences and engineering. The second component is a collection of state-of-the-art Research Institutes. In the Research Institutes world-class science is carried out and they also address strategic priorities and inherent problems relevant to the country; examples include treatments for epidemic and infectious diseases such as diabetes and Hepatitis C, which are widespread in Egypt. Research is currently underway to find alternative sources of energy including solar energy, which Egypt has in abundance. Exploring planet and cosmic forces by studying fundamental physics of our universe is another frontier of study at the Research Institutes. The original research developed at the City is transferable to industry through the third component of the City: the Technology Pyramid. It will become the leading hub for high-tech innovation and development by attracting international corporations as well as incubating national startups and spin offs. The fourth component is an Academy to prepare outstanding students after preparatory school in order to prepare them to the modern education at the university level. Lastly, the fifth component: the Center for Strategic Studies, which is designed to conduct large-scale feasibility studies across all areas identified as national priorities. To date, the City has managed to attract world class scientists to join in this vision and to help Egypt become a major player in science and technology on the regional and global levels. Currently, research in fundamental physics, biomedicine, solar energy, nanotechnology and other fields is underway. We accepted the first and second cohorts of students to the University of Science and Technology; in the first year, 300 students were admitted out of 6000 applicants, a 5% rate that is comparable to those of Harvard and Yale! We have also appointed an effective team of staff at the City, and both the administrative building in Garden City and the campus in the 6th of October City, at the outskirts of Cairo, are now fully operational. Zewail City of Science and Technology – with its five constituents: the University of Science and Technology, the Research Institutes, the Technology Pyramid, the Academy, and the Center for Strategic Studies – is designed to bring about effective participation in 21st century science, to elevate local technologies to an international level and to increase national productivity. We aim to contribute to building a knowledge-based society, founded on creative thinking through providing a merit-based education and engaging with the public at large, and integrating the challenge of a rigorous academic study, with the spirit of collaborative work and scientific discoveries. Zewail City of Science and Technology

Zewail City of Science and Technology

Ahmed Zewail

Title: Founder of Zewail City of Science & Technology

Ahmed Zewail was born in Damanhur, Egypt, and grew up in Alexandria. His father worked as a bicycle and motorbike fitter before becoming a government official. After studying at the university in Alexandria, Zewail moved to the US to undertake his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After some time spent working at the University of California, Berkeley, Zewail transferred to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 1976, where he continues to work. Ahmed Zewail is married with four children.

His Work:
Chemical reactions in which molecules held together by atoms meet and reorganize into new compounds are one of nature's most fundamental processes. This transition from one constellation to another happens very quickly. The process is possible because the atoms inside a molecule vibrate. The time between these vibrations is very short - 10-100 femtoseconds. In the late 1980s Ahmed Zewail developed methods for studying chemical reactions in detail. By using laser technology to produce flashes of light just a few femtoseconds long, reactions can be mapped.

Mahmoud Abdrabou

Title: President of Zewail City of Science and Technology University

Dr. Mahmoud Abdrabou is the Dean of Strategic Affairs and Director of the Accreditation Unit at Zewail City. He earned his Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with honors in 1987 and his Master of Science in mechanical design engineering in 1990 from the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, where he worked as a demonstrator and Assistant Lecturer.
He received his doctorate degree in mechanical design in 1995 through a joint supervision program between Cairo University and Aachen University in Germany. In 2005, he was promoted to professor, and in April 2017 he was appointed as the Dean of Strategic Affairs in the University of Science Technology at Zewail City.

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Zewail City of Science and Technology