"Disease and Corona did not stand as an obstacle in front of me in scientific research. Rather, it constituted an incentive and support for more work and achievement. During the past year, scientific research was completed twice the previous years."

With this determination and optimism, University Professor Abeer Al-Bawab receives her students at the University of Jordan, visitors and fellow researchers.

She spent 23 years teaching in Jordanian universities and scientific research in applied physical chemistry, “the chemistry of surfaces and colloids,” which she crowned with winning the “iupac” prize for distinguished women in chemical sciences, and first place, after she competed with 12 women representing the elite of chemical sciences. Among the most prestigious universities in their country are the United States, Australia, China, Finland, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and the Netherlands.

Abeer Al-Bawab: A cancer patient did not stand as an obstacle to me in scientific research, but rather constituted an incentive for achievement (Al-Jazeera)

Abeer Al-Bawab is the first Jordanian scientist to receive this award, and the second at the level of Arab countries, and it is known in this competition that the researcher in the field of chemistry cannot nominate herself. Before a group of researchers, and after the competition committee approves the nominated researcher, she will be notified of that. After that, the committee makes the qualifiers between the candidates, in order to show the results of the winners.

Abeer Al-Bawab with her students in the laboratory (Al-Jazeera)

Positive and appealing to life

The aroma of the doorman is characterized by positive speech and enthusiasm for life;

"Cancer is not the end of the patient, and the Corona pandemic is not the end of the world, and we are waiting for beautiful days that we want to live together," she says to Al-Jazeera Net.

She continues that cancer did not constitute an obstacle to my life and my scientific research. On the contrary, it opened doors for me in scientific research in medical procedures and treatments for cancer, especially breast cancer that is widespread among Jordanian women, and after I was treated for liver cancer that struck me two years ago, I returned to work with great vigor and vigor. And I now have a new goal of devoting the greatest effort into scientific cancer research.

Treatments, tests and food.

Abeer Al-Bawab: We need to plant the seeds of scientific research so that the generations will come after us and complete the building process on it (Al-Jazeera)

Chemistry ambassador

Abeer Al-Bawab visited more than 50 countries around the world, either as a lecturer in scientific conferences, or participating in others, teaching researchers and learning from them, discussing her various scientific research in food, water, cancer, teaching methods, and methods of teaching chemistry to students.

In addition to her scholarly role, Abeer Al-Bawab bore her responsibility to introduce Jordan and its history. “Some of those I met in international conferences were surprised by the presence of Arab and Jordanian women in these conferences, because they are convinced that the Arabs are depriving their daughters of education,” she said.

Corona and scientific research

During the Corona pandemic, and the closures and curfews that accompanied it, the gatekeeper accomplished a lot of the remaining scientific research in it, and with the presence of electronic applications to communicate with colleagues from professors and researchers, she spent hours in the scientific debate.

Corona showed - according to Abeer Al-Bawab's speech - the world's need for various research in various medical, chemical, physical and pharmaceutical sciences, and even economic and social sciences and others, and we in Jordan need to sow the seeds of scientific research and establish the necessary foundations for it, so that generations come after us and complete the building process on it.

Al-Bawab's scientific research varied. Through her research team, Al-Bawab was able to address the environmental pollution resulting from the remaining zibar water after extracting olive oil from the fruits, so that this water is treated to make it suitable for irrigation of crops.

She is currently working in her laboratory to treat the water used in the manufacture and extraction of phosphates, with the aim of being able to reuse it. She has scientific research in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, cleaning and other industries.

teaching methods

In addition to her scientific research, Abeer Al-Bawab recorded research in modern methods of teaching, which is based on making the student love chemistry in order to innovate and excel in it, especially since “old indoctrination methods are no longer useful with new students,” in addition to a number of practical projects, most notably the Chemistry Bus project that Schools tour in coordination with the Ministry of Education to teach students the importance of chemistry and to conduct chemical experiments in front of them.

During her scientific and educational journey, Al-Bawab combined teaching and administration. She held the position of Director General of the Scientific Research Support Fund at the Ministry of Higher Education for two years, and was appointed Dean for Scientific Research at the University of Jordan for two years as well.

The President of the University of Jordan, Dr. Abdul-Karim Al-Qudah (right) honors Dr. Abeer Al-Bawab (Al-Jazeera)

Abeer Al-Bawab received many awards, the most important of which were the Platinum Medal "Women in Change makers for the year 2019", the Outstanding Women Scientists in Science Award, the Arab Women’s Award for Science and Technology for Development of the League of Arab States, and the Distinguished Researcher Award from the University of Jordan.

It is noteworthy that the "IUPAC" organization was established in 1919 by the Union of Industrial Chemists and the American scientific academy community. The European Union has the active force in establishing a wide range of conferences and projects designed to promote and stimulate modern developments in chemistry, in addition to assistance in the aspect of chemical education and a general understanding of chemistry. .