Arab scientists meeting in Taiz agree that . . . Science is a valuable tool [Archives:2002/43/Reportage]

YEMEN TIMES STAFF
TAIZ BUREAU STAFF
Yemeni society needs to depend more on accurate scientific research according to participants of an annual science conference which drew hundreds to Taiz last week.
Organized by the Yemeni Scientific Research Foundation, (YSRF), the 5th annual Taiz Science Conference concluded last week in the Sofitel Hotel.
More than 500 participants from 18 foreign and Arab countries attended the conference and almost 300 scientific research papers were presented and discussed. It was a gathering of Yemeni scientists as well as Arabs from the four corners of the globe.
Participants at called for the need to depend on the scientific research for the benefit of the society. Key recommendations follow:
1 – Lobby the government to adopt the El-Baz proposal put forward to get one Ryal discount for each telephone call for the benefit of the scientific research.
2 – Arabicize the practical sciences.
3 – Lobby the government to adopt the proposal put forward by Dr. Mustafa Bahran concerning the future strategy for the scientific researches in the following fields:
Environment & energy
1- Establish a joint Arab center for an environmental cooperation.
2- Establish energy studies center comprising Yemeni scientists and experts as main resources to generate energy, particularly in the remote and backwater areas.
Geology
1- Take a keen interest on the practical geological researches along with supporting the basic infrastructure of central labs.
2- Establish the Yemeni Center for Remote Sensing Control to establish a mineral wealth database, and conduct geographical surveys for the benefit of agriculture, dams and water catchments. This will enable researchers to know all there is to know about the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth has undergone.
Engineering
1- Make use of local raw material such as marbles rocks and mud. These materials contains a valuable properties.
2-Promote the compound industries in the field of synthesizing industrial limbs, and teach it as a main subject at the Engineering Faculty.
3- Maintain and operate the irrigation installations effectively, and raise awareness among farmers to maintain the agricultural equipment.
Mathematics
1. Use mathematical applications and statistical means to solve the geometrical problems that may occur in our practical life.
Agriculture & veterinary medicine
As a result of the rapid increase on importing the vegetable oils and its high consumption along with slowdown of the domestic oil production, participants suggest to:
1 – Co-operate between the agricultural and the industrial sector.
2 – Expand agricultural production, specifically oil vegetable production and making use of it.
3 – Consume more natural vegetable oils particularly, the sesame oils to be used in the industries.
4 – Establish special centers for extracting natural insecticide. Studies in this regard have been confirmed that some of natural seeds have chemical properties in eradicating and lessening the plant epidemics.
5 – Make use of the plants that have medical properties.
6- Conduct nationwide surveys in the country in order to know all there is to know about the wild animals.
Biology
Participants made several recommendations to adopt the program of animal wealth species in our country through:
1 – Taking advantage of the hybridization in order to produce hybrids among different species.
2 – Raising awareness among students of the great importance of the hygienic education along with taking a keen interest of the tamed animals, such as, goats, rabbits, chickens, and birds.
Medicine
1 – Provide treatment, preventive healthcare, and hospitalization in the backwater and remote areas.
2 – Raise awareness among working-class population in these remote areas especially of the hereditary diseases as well as cancer and reproductive diseases.
3 – Establish a an eye bank for eye transplantation.
The three-day Science Conference also dealt with three major lectures delivered by Dr. El-Baz, the Director of the Center of Remote Sensing from Boston University in the USA. In his lecture, Dr. El-Baz discussed the use of satellite images in groundwater.
Dr. J. A. Bazzaz, a Professor in Biology at Harvard University spoke on how carbon dioxide is damaging the atmosphere.
Dr. Mustafa al-Absi, the Director of the Behavioral Medicine and the Chief Scientist, of STAR and BPASS Research Programs at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in the USA delivered a lecture on factors of heart diseases and strokes.
In the same context, Dr. Mohammed Bamashmoos of the Italian National Research Council talked on “What contributions are the drug eluting stunts going to give in the treatment of coronary artery diseases”.
Dr. Abdulkareem al-Iriani, the Chairman of the Board of the YSRF, summarized the conference.
“The YSRF was established in 1996. Its main objective is to support Yemeni researchers and experts in all scientific approaches. It has gained the attention focus by the wise leadership chaired by the president of the republic, Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Yemeni Science Magazine has been issued by the YSRF,” he said.
“The YSRF has taken a deep interest to hold this conference in different cities of the republic in the field of the scientific researches.”
The YSRF chairman of the board said: Undoubtedly, the YSRF has been a positive and that a number of participants along with vital researches have deeply and logically dealt for the benefit the society and development.
Dr. Mohammed Abdulbari al-Qadasi, chairman of the preparatory committee, said that the recommendations of this year are fruitful, abridged, and yielding.
“The conference was attended by the eminent Yemeni as well as Arab professors including Dr. Mustafa al-Absi, Mohammed Bamashmoos, Dr. Mahdi Qaderi, Dr. Naser Zowia, Prof. Farouk El-Baz and Fakhri El-Bazzaz and a host of others,” he commented.


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