Cairo, 18 April 2016 – The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the British Council in Egypt announced Dina El Zohiry as Egypt’s face for science in FameLab®’s final competition held on Saturday 16 April, 2016 at the British Council in Agouza.
This year Famelab® has attracted more science communicator’s than ever before with a 100% increase in the number of applicants from last year, raising the number to 1,200.
Dina El Zohiry, 21, senior student of Biotechnology at Cairo University, and Science Director at Computeck International Company and a trainer at The Arabic Society of Stem Cells and Molecular Biology, competed against 200 participants from Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailiya, and Beni Seuf, and 12 finalists. These finalists participated in a Master class weekend in science communication led by Malcolm Love, science communicator from the UK.
In light of her winning first place Dina said “For some people technology makes life easier but for disabled people technology can make life possible. It was a blessing for me to take part in clarifying how with more science and advanced technology we can erase disability off humanity. It was a spectacular opportunity to share that through the world of FameLab® where each topic had its own challenge and new experience.”
Over the past seven years 2,700 people participated in FameLab® competition in Egypt, and 75 have been qualified to the finals. Each year we have one winner and one runner-up to travel to the UK to participate in Cheltenham science festival. Professor Essam Khamis and Jeff Streeter announced Dina El Zohiry who won first place and Mahmoud Nasr as runner-up to represent Egypt in the Cheltenham Science Festival competing against 20 winners from other countries.
Professor Essam Khamis, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research pointed to the importance of the competition in discovering youth who are passionate about science, as they have the ability to simplify and connect science with all segments of society, thus helping to build knowledge societies. “Passion for science and the desire to disseminate knowledge are important factors in the enrichment of the national culture, and are the foundation for young people in innovation and development. The Ministry of Scientific Research has been keen on supporting the competition and promoting it within all the governorates, as we are keen on motivating young people to better understand science and disseminate it broadly, raise awareness, and pave the way to a practical scientific and prosperous future.
Jeff Streeter, Country Director, British Council Egypt said: “Science and Innovation are key elements in any successful 21st century economy. Getting the message out about the excitement and importance of science is something we in the British Council are passionate about. Therefore, we are very keen on developing a generation of science communicators and encouraging them to reach their potential and connect with a wider public.”
Dina and Mahmoud presented their scientific idea to a panel of judges including; Dr Yasser El Shayeb, Director of the Embassies of Knowledge Initiative, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, advisor to the Minister of Higher Education, and associate professor of Engineering at Cairo University; Dr Hanan Ghozlan, Professor of Microbiology in Faculty of Science at Alexandria University, and coordinator of IMAC program “Industrial Microbiology & Applied Chemistry”; Dr Ehab Abdel Rahman, Associate dean for graduate studies and research and Director of Yousef Jameel Science and Technology Research Center at the School of Sciences and Engineering at the AUC; and Dr. Ahdaf Soueif, the renowned Egyptian Writer, Novelist and Critic. They were judged according to the golden rule of the 3 Cs: content, clarity and charisma.
This year’s competition is supported by the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Programme, the Delegation of the European Union in Egypt, Misr El-Kheir Foundation, Al-Alfi Foundation, the National Research Centre, the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, Beni Suef University, Suez Canal University, the Egyptian Radio and Television Union and Al Masry Al Youm Corporation.
FameLab® is an international competition initiated by the Cheltenham Science Festival and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) in the UK. FameLab® International is delivered by Cheltenham festival’s global partner the British council.