The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has appointed Algerian marine biologist Mohamed Hicham Kara as its life member, in recognition of his significant contributions to the development and application of science, technology and innovation in Africa.
The installation of the researcher, who works as a professor of marine science at the University of Annaba, eastern Algeria, came yesterday, Thursday, on the sidelines of the 14th General Assembly of the Academy, which is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and the World Science Forum, which took place from 5 to 9 December 2022 in Cape Town. Town, South Africa.
Al-Jazeera.net contacted Professor Muhammad Hisham Qarah via e-mail, and we had this dialogue with him:
Professor Mohamed Hisham Qarah was selected as part of the Life Sciences Committee of the African Academy of Sciences (websites)
At the outset, we are pleased to learn more about your exact scientific specialization in marine science and your areas of interest and research in it?
I studied marine science, which is a multidisciplinary and dynamic science concerned with everything related to the seas and oceans.
It is a very large and exciting scientific field that is concerned with all the processes and transformations that occur in the oceans, whether these processes are chemical, physical, geological or biological.
My exact specialty is biological oceanography which specifically studies organisms that live in the seas and oceans.
90% of the biodiversity on the planet is found in the oceans, which makes this branch very important, as this discipline studies the types of organisms and their relationships with their environment and life cycles.
The fact that life on planet Earth originated in the ocean is a good motivation for studying marine biology
Perhaps my choice of this scientific major is due to my attraction and interest in nature first, biological sciences second, and aquatic life in particular. In addition, I live in a coastal city, which makes proximity to the sea vital for me.
Besides all of the above, I consider the fact that life on planet Earth originated in the ocean as a good motivation for studying marine biology.
Mohamed Hisham Kara: 90% of the biodiversity on the planet is found in the oceans (Algerian press)
In your capacity as a researcher and professor of marine science at the university, what would you recommend to those interested in this major, given its effects on life and society?
I highly recommend this major to students because the field of marine science is enormous, and it is in this space that the future of the planet will be decided.
We must realize that the oceans represent 70% of the Earth's surface and that a large part of what happens on Earth is regulated by these water masses, especially with regard to the evolution of the climate.
Interested students should be aware of the ecological challenges that await our planet and should be eager to orient themselves toward the study and understanding of the ecological and biological processes of the oceans.
Developing this knowledge will certainly help win the battle to restore ecosystems and mitigate the effects of global warming and its consequences on biodiversity
Interested students should be aware of the environmental challenges that await our planet and should be eager to orient themselves towards the study and understanding of the ecological and biological processes of the oceans.
Developing this knowledge will certainly help win the battle to restore ecosystems and mitigate the effects of global warming and its consequences on biodiversity.
Dr. Hisham Kara (center) is a founding member of the Algerian Academy of Science and Technology (websites)
You were elected as a member of the African Academy of Sciences. Can you give us more details about this membership and its importance to you?
Being a member of the Academy is first and foremost an acknowledgment of the level and impact of the work you do as a bearer of this distinction.
And to be a member of the African Academy of Sciences is a prestigious title given the reputation of this organization, its continental character and the high level of selection criteria it applies.
Furthermore, the African Academy enjoys the support and recognition of the African Union, as well as many governments and key international partners.
This continental title that has just been conferred on me will certainly enhance the cooperation of the Algerian Academy of Science and Technology with the African Academy of Sciences, where our interests converge.
The goals we aim at together are: to recognize excellence through highly prestigious grant and award programmes, to provide expertise to shape science, technology and innovation strategies and policies on the continent, and to implement major research and innovation programs aimed at addressing Africa's development challenges.
Mohamed Hisham Kara: This specialty studies the types of living organisms, their relationships with their environment, and their life cycles (Algerian press)
Mentioning the Algerian Academy of Science and Technology, can you give us a glimpse of it in your capacity as a founding member and its current vice president?
The Algerian Academy of Science and Technology (AAST) was created in 2015. It is an independent scientific and technological institution affiliated to the President of the Republic.
It is a reference body that brings together prominent national and foreign personalities with a well-established scientific reputation, and its founding members were selected by an international jury composed of foreign academics.
The academic rank is the highest honorary rank in the hierarchy of science and technology in Algeria, as its holder retains it for life.
The Algerian Academy is responsible for promoting science and technology, supporting its impact on society and contributing to achieving the goals and directions of national development.
It has contributed greatly to the revitalization of the national scientific life, through a rich program of high-level conferences presented by its members, but also by organizing workshops and seminars on topical issues.
At the international level, we are present and active in many regional networks of academies whether African, Mediterranean or global, such as the Network of African Academies and the Academic Group for Development.
The African Academy of Sciences held the World Science Forum from 5 to 9 December 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa.
What characterizes this forum?
In fact, the African Academy of Sciences held the 10th edition of the World Science Forum in Cape Town, South Africa this year, under the theme “Science for Social Justice” and thus, the first time that this event was held in Africa, since the inception of the World Science Forum in 2009. It is one of the world's leading events dedicated to the role of science in society.
This forum has so far been held in Hungary, Brazil and Jordan.
The number of participants was expected to exceed 1,000 this year, as policymakers, scientists and activists from around the world had to discuss the most important issue of social justice, highlighting topics such as openness to science, research integrity and ethics, and technology governance. .