With the participation of around 350 scientists representing 35 different countries and 700 planetariums, the 20th International Planetarium Society Conference (IPS 2010), Back to Alexandria, the Cradle of Astronomy, opened today at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina with a captivating presentation by Serageldin entitled Fifty Centuries of Science in Egypt. Once again, Serageldin took his audience on a “roller-coaster ride through time and space, demonstrating the journey of science through fifty centuries. He illustrated the role of the Ancient Egyptians, the Ancient Greeks, the Muslim scholars, the Renaissance scholars; and, leading the journey through to the present day, he pointed out several internationally acclaimed Egyptian scientists, such as Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Sir Magdy Yacoub, Dr. Ahmed Zewail, and Dr. Mostafa El-Sayed. Serageldin ended by proudly showcasing the stellar and multifaceted role undertaken today by the New Library of Alexandria.
Other keynote speakers at the conference are Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Director of the Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University, and Dr. George Saliba, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Science in Columbia University.
Click here to view a webcast of the presentation