The American University in Cairo, USAID And Alexandria University To Launch the First Symposium on Sustainable Water Solutions External

The American University in Cairo (AUC), The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Alexandria University will launch Egypt’s first international symposium on water sustainable solutions on September 6 in Alexandria, Egypt. The two-day event will be attended by several ministers, public figures, reputable water researchers and professors from across the country, water experts and private sector representatives, in addition to representatives from Center of Water Excellence Egyptian partner universities: Ain Shams, Alexandria, Aswan, Beni Suef, and Zagazig.  The opening speeches will be delivered by Abdelaziz Konsowa, president of Alexandria University, Leslie Reed, USAID mission director, Cairo and Said Allam, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University.

Speakers at the symposium include Hossam Moghazy, professor and head of the Irrigation and Hydraulics Department at Alexandria University; Salah El Hagar, professor of mechanical engineering at AUC; Ali Elbahrawy, professor of hydraulics at Ain Shams University; Essam Shaaban, chief of party for the Center of Excellence for Water Project; Yasser Khalil, director of Alexandria Water Resilience Center of Excellence, Alexandria; Kurt Becker, professor of engineering education at Utah State University; Daniel Hastings, PhD candidate in environmental studies, University of California, Santa Cruz; Brent Haddad, professor of environmental studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, Rominder Suri, professor of environmental engineering at Temple University; Manal Eloffy, the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF); Maha Elbana, associate professor at Beni Suef University and Radwan Mostafa, professor of mechanical power engineering, Zagazig University.

The event will showcase the findings and research output of prominent scientists and leading engineers in four areas of the water field, namely, water use efficiency, integrated water resources management, safe treated water and reuse, and non-conventional water resources and desalination through the lens of climate change.

The decision to focus on these four fields of water occurred during the design phase of the National Water Research Roadmap (NWRR). The roadmap, which aims to create a mechanism to fund applied research projects tackling real-world problems in the water sector, was developed by The Center of Excellence for Water. AUC was awarded a $30 million fund by USAID to establish the Center of Excellence for Water at Alexandria University in 2019, in partnership with Egyptian Ministries and Governorates, U.S. Universities, Egyptian Universities, Egyptian Research Centers, Egyptian and US foundations and the private sector.

The NWRR initiative was executed in collaboration with the public and private sectors and contributes to Egypt’s national strategy for water research. The NWRR document is the first iteration of this national initiative and will be followed by annual revisions to account for advancements in applied research and emerging needs within the Egyptian Water Research landscape.

"The first international symposium of the Center of Excellence for water is a milestone of our project that we are very proud of. It will be an annual event rotating in all our Egyptian Partner Universities (EPUs). It will showcase the research outcomes of the project and allow for the exchange of ideas between water scientists, engineers, practitioners, professionals, postgraduate and undergraduate students," said Essam Shaaban, chief of party for the Center of Excellence for Water Project.