German Science Night 2022

Mohamed Sobhy Fouda illustratively simplifies the impacts of climate change on our earth. © DAAD Cairo

On the evening of May 25th 2022, the DAAD Regional Office Cairo organised the German Science Night, digitally, in the framework of its project “Clusters for Scientific Innovation in the Middle East and North Africa” (COSIMENA).

The “German Science Night 2022”, well known as the annual highlight of the DAAD Regional Office Cairo, was inspired by the upcoming “COP27” where world leaders meet annually to discuss and implement action against climate change, happening this year in November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh. In light of this crucial theme, the event gathered several partner organisations aiming to inform and educate the interested audience on various topics related to climate change, climate awareness and climate action in an interactive manner.

After the inspirational introduction of Fatma Soliman, Deputy Director of the DAAD Regional Office Cairo who shed light on the relevance of the topics within the “German Science Night 2022”, Philippe Maupai, Head of Science and Protocol at the German Embassy in Cairo highlighted the importance of discussing climate change in line with the continuous joint efforts of partners, organisations, initiatives and cooperation such as Cairo Climate Talks (CCT) which dedicated their work in Egypt for more than 10 years for this cause.

The “Interactive Science Workshops”, launched with a presentation by Dr Ahmed Elshazly (Heliopolis University), gave an overview over the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and practical tips on the implementation of more sustainable strategies for effective climate change management in universities. By “planting a seed of what’s going on” concerning climate change, Amr Seleem (Cairo Climate Talks) elaborated on the effects of climate change we are daily surrounded by, emphasizing that “we can and must change” to combat the ongoing destruction of our planet. On this note Mohamed Sobhy Fouda (Robone) added that the “young generation is the future” and opened up perspectives to the audience showing practical insights of machine learning (AI), proving that there are sustainable solutions to reducing the carbon footprint, encouraging young scientists to get acquainted with engineering to contribute to shaping the future with these technologies.

Amr Seleem highlights the urgency of taking action against climate change.© DAAD

In the second part of the event, Irene El Khorazaty & Prof. Dr Jörg Sundermeyer (Philipps Universität Marburg) presented ‘green chemistry’, a discipline that “is addressing the three fundamental challenges of our world – health, energy and sustainability” as well as the need for effective alternative energy resources.

As water scarcity, global warming and climate change are major risks to our life, Nour Abdo (Our Climate) elaborated on the correlation between water and climate change and the detectable effects reflected on the environment through droughts, and floods as well as on the water quality in general.

Prof. Jörg Sundermeyer, Irene Khorazaty, exchange on the topic “Green Chemistry”.© DAAD

The last part of the German Science Night 2022 offered a glimpse into prestigious programmes, universities and perspectives on “Studying in Germany”. In line with all the benefits of acquainting the language of the country you live and study in, Lilly von Stackelberg (Goethe-Institut Cairo) presented the “Studienkolleg Ägypten” a preparatory course for international STEM students interested in continuing their academic education in Germany.

With illustrative insights from the heads of the German University Liaison Offices in Cairo, Irene Khorazaty from Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hoda El Mahgoub from Freie Universität Berlin and Ingy Nafie from Technische Universität Berlin talked about the vast range of study and funding programmes and the life in Germany. These informative sessions sparked further interest among the audience to discover more about their opportunities at those renowned universities.

During this event, which aimed to simplify scientific ideas in an entertaining manner, the DAAD Regional Office Cairo with its project COSIMENA succeeded through the “German Science Night 2022” in bridging the gap between the scientific community and the public by engaging, encouraging and educating the audience about urging topics related to sustainability, climate awareness and “how nature-based solutions can help solve climate change”, as Philippe Maupai precisely noted. Furthermore, the presented German universities gave guidance to interested Egyptian high school students and graduates on continuing their academic education in Germany.