On Rebuilding a New World Order

In the attendance of many former presidents and prime ministers, Serageldin delivered the opening statement at the preparatory meeting for the third Nizami Ganjavi International Center(NGIC)/ Club de Madrid (CdM) Baku Forum on the theme Rebuilding Trust in Wider Europe – A High Level NGIC/CdM Initiative.

Facing Facts: What’s Wrong with the Current World Order!

- NGIC-CdM meeting in Andorra

We are gathered here today at a critical moment in world history. The world order that had so patiently been erected in the last half century has become unraveled. It is not the end of history as Fukuyama claimed, nor is it the clash of civilizations as Huntington believed… it is much worse.

Discussions on Internet Public Policy at the IGF

At the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held from 2 to 5 September in Istanbul, Serageldin joined fellow panelists from Australia, Europe, USA, Africa, the Middle East and representatives of International Organizations, in a workshop session entitled “One World, Diverse Content and Flexible Access”.

A Lecture at Martin Bodmer Foundation

The Martin Bodmer Foundation invited serageldin to give a lecture at their exhibition entitled Alexandria the Divine held from 5 April to 31 August 2014. He was specifically asked to give the same highly applauded lecture he had given at the University of Geneva in celebration of its 450th anniversary, in March 2009.

A Panel Discussion on Digitization at CDNL

At the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL) held during the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Congress, and hosted by the National Library of France, Serageldin joined fellow panelistsin a discussion on Digitization as a tool for national and international cooperation.

Embracing the Challenge, Inventing the Future

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)’s Section on Education and Training (SET) 40th Anniversary Summit opened with Serageldin’s keynote speech entitled “Building Tomorrow’s Library Today: The New Library of Alexandria”...

Valuation of Environmental and Cultural Benefits : Session 03

Valuation of Environmental and Cultural Benefits : Session 04

Valuation of Environmental and Cultural Benefits : Session 05

Valuation of Environmental and Cultural Benefits : Session 02

Valuation of Environmental and Cultural Benefits : Session 01

It's Natural: Know the World, Know Yourself

- Barcelona

Keynote speech at the international conference cycle "Ciutadella Park: The First Science Park in Barcelona".

The Future Roles and Challenges of Museums

In the closing session of the international conference cycle "Ciutadella Park: The First Science Park in Barcelona", organized by the Natural History Museum of Barcelona and the Barcelona Zoo Foundation, Serageldin gave a keynote speech entitled ‘It’s Natural: Know the World, Know Yourself’.

On the Art of Living

Serageldin contributed a short essay to the book, 'The Art of Living: a Practical Guide to Being Alive' compiled by Claire Elizabeth Terry, President, The Art of Living. The collection features contributions by the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mario Vargas Llosa, Muhammad Yunus, Deepak Chopra,Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Desmond Tutu, and many other international figures.

Ancient Wisdom

It was alongside the rivers here by the Nile and in Mesopotamia that agriculture and the first civilizations arose. Egypt … a land as old as time … a legacy of grandeur and achievement that defies time. Herodotus called Egypt “the gift of the Nile” and the Ancient Egyptian gave the world an unparalleled gift of knowledge and ancient wisdom

Cosmology

Since the earliest times, humans have looked at the heavens and tried to understand the stars, the sun, the moon. Gradually we learned to understand the structure of the universe and today we have come to know the magnitude of the physical universe in which we exist. Its vastness in terms of time and space exceeds the wildest dreams of the Ancients and the enormity of the cosmos is really a challenge to the human imagination to fully embrace. This is the story of modern cosmology.

Voyage to the Moon

Humans have long been enthralled by the moon. … even before machine-powered flight was a reality, some were dreaming of travelling to the moon. In an amazingly short time, 66 years from the first flight of the Wright brothers in 1903, to 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong actually walked on the moon. It was the greatest accomplishment of humanity … and this is the story of that voyage to the moon.

The New Library of Alexandria

The Ancient Library of Alexandria was the greatest adventure of the human intellect. Part academy, part research center, part library, it welcomed the greatest thinkers of the age. The library completely disappeared over 1600 years ago but continued to inspire scientists and scholars everywhere. A few years ago it came to life again. This is the story of this great Egyptian project … the story of the rebirth of the fabled Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria.

The Glory of Alexandria

To the whole world the very name of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina conjures up the image of a glorious past, of a shared heritage for all of humanity. 2300 years ago, Alexander the Great, in pursuit of his dreams of culture and conquest, selected the site for a new capital, Alexandria, and his successors in Egypt, the Ptolemies, made it the intellectual capital of the world.

Egypt Reawakens

In the 15th and 16th centuries, while Europe was going through a scientific revolution, Egypt had sunk to backwardness and obscurantism. It was first stirred from its slumbers with the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte and his expeditionary force which included 150 scientists, printing presses and the best available science and technology. Later it was at the hands of Mohamed Ali Pasha, sent by the Ottoman Sultan as commander of an expeditionary force, as he set about modernizing the country.

Muslim Grandeur

The dark ages settle in Europe and the ancient world, but out of the east comes a new force … Islam explodes out of Arabia and within a few decades a vast new Muslim empire dominates world civilization. It is to write a brilliant chapter in the history of knowledge and learning, tolerance and understanding. While Europe sinks into the dark ages, from Iran and Iraq in the east to Andalusia in the west, with Egypt and the Levant at the core, the torch of art and science is held high.

How Biology Became a Science

This series of 25-minute episodes, each enriched with an abundance of visual material, is available in both English and Arabic. Dr. Serageldin takes us on a journey of exploration and discovery in the realm of science, from distant space to the frontiers of tomorrow.

The Story of Life on Earth

The story of life starts with the formation of earth from the primeval dust 4.5 billion years ago … but it is not until nearly a billion years later that life begins in the warm waters of the oceans and earth evolves into the planet that we know today .. full of life and wonder.

Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)

The enormous diversity of life … a constant and endless fascination for humans from the most ancient of times. But how do we organize the enormous amount of information that we have about life on earth? With the help of the internet, in the early part of the 21st century, scientists are collectively writing a book that will include all the species known and all the literature on the biodiversity of the planet.

Darwin and Evolution

Darwin’s theory of evolution is the overarching theory of biology. Ever since it was formally articulated, it has brought organization to the enormous diversity of life. Thanks to Darwin, this enormous variety is explained, not only explaining why it exists, but even that it is traceable to a common ancestor. Darwin managed to assemble all the species of the world into his masterwork.

DNA

In 1953 Watson and Crick produced a scientific paper of one page which is considered one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. It revolutionized science and opened up the way to modern biotechnology. In that paper Watson and Crick had correctly described the structure of DNA and explained the mechanism of heredity… Humans had found the building blocks of life.

The Story of Aviation

From oldest times human beings have looked at birds flying and dreamt of one day being able to soar into the air. That dream has captured the imagination of human beings from all times and they continued this dream of flight until finally, from balloons to fixed wing aircrafts to helicopters the story of flight took off. This is the story of aviation.

Friends of the BA in the US Hold Book Fundraiser

Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina – Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia (DC- MD-VA), a part of the Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister Cities Committee , held an event under the theme « Celebrate Egypt » to raise funds for books dedicated to Egypt’s children. The garden party was hosted on the banks of the Potomac River at the home of...

Astronomy

Since the beginning of time, humans observed the heavens and saw patterns in time and space, in the cycles of day and night, the lunar month and the seasons marking the solar year. The patterns of the stars and their movement marked time and also helped to find directions, Gradually we learned to understand the stars…this is the story of the journey from observation to understanding. It is the story of Astronomy.

Serageldin opens NGIC & Club de Madrid Forum

As Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC), Serageldin was Master of Ceremony at the NGIC and Club de Madrid’s II Global Shared Societies Forum “Post 2015 Agenda And Shared Societies”. In a session on “Shared Societies as a Driver in Conflict Resolution”, Serageldin shared his insights...

BioVision 2014 Closing Session

Global Challenges and the University of Tomorrow

Assisting Researchers The BA SuperCourse and the Help Desk

Biovision 2014 Welcome Note

BA Annual BoT Meeting headed by President of Egypt

As Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC), Serageldin was Master of Ceremony at the NGIC and Club de Madrid’s II Global Shared Societies Forum “Post 2015 Agenda And Shared Societies”. In a session on “Shared Societies as a Driver in Conflict Resolution”, Serageldin shared his insights...

Horizons on Egyptian Television

"Horizons”, a television science series of 25 minute episodes, developed and presented by Serageldin and produced by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, will be aired on Channel One of Egypt’s national TV...

Serageldin Attends Review Panel Meeting of ICSU

Serageldin is invited to attend the third meeting of the Review Panel of the International Council for Science (ICSU) . The Panel is chosen by a Selection Committee of former officers of ICSU and is composed of 12 highly eminent persons, who are invited to review the mandate of ICSU.

Jurji Zaidan: The Man and His Legacy

Ismail Serageldin, a long-time admirer of Jurji Zaidan, was invited by the Zaidan Foundation (http://www.zaidanfoundation.org/) and the Library of Congress to participate in a symposium organized to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Zaidan's birth and the 120th anniversary...

A Professional Talk to NLB and LAS Teams

On the topic of: “The Challenges of Libraries in a Digital and Technological Age” , Serageldin gave a professional talk to the teams of the National Library Board (NLB) and the Library Association of Singapore (LAS). Serageldin also gave a talk, open to the public, on the “The Future of Education”...

Learning from History in Islamic Education

Addressing the Muslim community in Singapore, Serageldin gave a lecture entitled “The Role of History in Islamic Education” . Organized by The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), the MUIS lecture aims to provide key government and public sector leaders, as well as community and religious leaders, academics...

KIT Collection Reaches Alexandria Harbor

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina celebrates the arrival of almost 400,000 books and 20,000 journals, received from the Royal Tropical Institute—Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT) in Amsterdam. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed last October by Ismail Serageldin...

The Story of Astronomy – Part 1 (Featuring Dr. George Salib)

Dr. Serageldin takes us on a journey of exploration and discovery in the realm of science, to relive the greatest scientific and intellectual achievements of mankind. Featuring Dr. George Salib, Serageldin recounts the story of Astronomy in this episode.

The Story of Astronomy – Part 2 (Featuring Dr. George Salib)

Dr. Serageldin takes us on a journey of exploration and discovery in the realm of science, to relive the greatest scientific and intellectual achievements of mankind. Featuring Dr. George Salib, Serageldin recounts the story of Astronomy in this episode.

The Story of Space (Featuring Dr. Farouk Elbaz)

Dr. Serageldin takes us on a journey of exploration and discovery in the realm of science, to relive the greatest scientific and intellectual achievements of mankind. Featuring Dr. Farouk Elbaz, Serageldin recounts the story of Space in this episode.

The Story of Aviation (Featuring Dr. Farouk Elbaz)

Dr. Serageldin takes us on a journey of exploration and discovery in the realm of science, to relive the greatest scientific and intellectual achievements of mankind. Featuring Dr. Farouk Elbaz, Serageldin recounts the story of Aviation in this episode.

The Story of Earth (Featuring Dr. Farouk Elbaz)

Dr. Serageldin takes us on a journey of exploration and discovery in the realm of science, to relive the greatest scientific and intellectual achievements of mankind. Featuring Dr. Farouk Elbaz, Serageldin recounts the story of Earth and the advancement of space technologies.

Serageldin Co-chairs NGIC Meeting in Athens

At the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Serageldin convened with the board members of the Nizami Ganjavi Ineternational Center (NGIC) and Club de Madrid in a preparatory meeting for the II Global Shared Societies Forum: Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda - Measuring Shared Societies to be held in Baku this coming April. Serageldin presented a proposal for an academic program for NGIC.

Global Challenges and the University of Tomorrow

- Alexandria

This presentation was delivered at BioVision Alexandria 2014 Conference in the Library of Alexandria.

Reflections on the Third Anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution: Historic Hours and Tumultuous Times

Today, we celebrate the third anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. A milestone that calls for reflection on those three years of chaotic action, great moments, dashed dreams, big achievements, sacrifice and betrayal, and all the components of a human drama of the highest order. Tumultuous times, historic hours, greatness achieved, then lost, retrieved and lost again in the fog of uncertainty as the elusive dream of building our new republic on an inclusive society and a system of laws seems to be overtaken by...

Serageldin’s Reflections on Third Anniversary of Egyptian Revolution

As Egypt celebrates the third anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, Serageldin reflects on “those three years of chaotic action, great moments, dashed dreams, big achievements, sacrifice and betrayal, and all the components of a human drama of the highest order.”