Information Technology and Information Transfer, An ESANA Perspective

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1 Information Technology and Information Transfer, An ESANA Perspective Abstract Nayer Wanas President of the Egyptian Student Association in North America (ESANA) 1999/ University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON, N2L 3E8 Canada Tel: (519) Fax: (519) We are currently live in a unique era, an era in which human civilization is at a start of a new phase of its evolution. As we depart the industrial age as it has been for the last century we simultaneously enter an era of knowledge. This can be in analogy with the transformation from the agricultural based production to the industrial process of manufacturing during the 19 th century. In this world, and more so in the future, information will constitute the most important component of any economical activity. Natural resources will be subordinate to human investment. This fundamental change offers numerous opportunities, but also raises serious challenges. In this article, we will focus on the impact of this change and how it can be used to impact Egypt, and specifically the prosperity of its research community. We will also present ideas to bridge the gap between scientific research in Egypt and its counterparts in more developed nations. Information Technology a Global Technology Information technology presents itself as being a global industry. For this reason it must be global not only within reach, but also be of equal access and mutual benefits. The current world situation does not reflect this fact. These new and emerging technologies have been geared towards the advancement of the developed world. Countries of the third world can not afford to miss what is currently known as the Third Wave. Every effort must be made to utilize the new technologies to support leapfrog development strategies. Technology transfer is the only vehicle to ensure the world, now coming together through technology, does not fall apart due to inequality and the neglect of the basic needs of the world s poor. Venture capitalism, fueling risky start up business companies, needs to be matched by venture development. Financing creative ideas aiming at improving the living standard of the needy. The digital gap of income and education inequality needs to be bridged through digital opportunities of new tools and equipment. Tele-education shortens physical distance separating those in need from the service or commodity that they want. It thus provides a unique opportunity for the projection of talents across borders and exchange of experiences across different systems. Technology Transfer and Information Transfer What do we need to establish technology transfer? It is not strange to anyone that technology transfer has been a target for many years. We have constantly heard third world countries trying to achieve this goal. Yet they have always been limited to technology consumers. This has tremendously exhausted their limited resources without achieving solid steps towards any progress. For any meaningful advance, societies must be technology producers. It is inevitable that technology transfer can t be achieved

2 without information transfer. How can we achieve information transfer? Are there simple solutions to the mechanism of information transfer? This fact leads us to try and identify the problems associated with previous experiences and try to overcome them. During the 60 s Egypt was to start the creation of an automotive industry through the birth of Nasr Car. This factory began as an assembly plant for FIAT. As we enter the 21 st century, that same factory remains an assembly plant. A similar effort was done with the same car manufacturer in Spain, 6 years after that plant started it was exporting it s own line of cars to Egypt. This is the difference between technology consumption and technology production. Egypt must take strives to transfer the relevant information associated with this new era. It must utilize the examples presented by other nations to gear towards its own development. Yet is this transformation a straightforward one? Allow me to give another example, I am sure no one will disagree that Egypt has a traffic problem. If you meet anyone, Egyptian or non-egyptian, who visits Egypt his first comments about his experience, would definitely be about the traffic. Here in North America, this problem seemingly doesn t exist. So this would lead us to the simple solution which is to transfer the North American traffic model based on the highway to Egypt as it is. Would this be a suitable solution? I would fail to agree. At a closer glance, we would find that this model has caused the suburban communities to emerge. It has made the Downtown, or city core, less and less important to the individual, thus causing it to be deserted in times other than business hours. In turn, this has caused the social entity in the North American culture to diminish from the district to the individual. The social structure in North America is currently composed of isolated islands of individuals, individuals that hardly interact together. This doesn t fit with the culture and social structure we have in Egypt. As we can see there is no simple solution. We have to bridge these experiences to suit the cultural and social aspect of the Egyptian society. With this fact we need to ask ourselves who has the major role in understanding these issues and transforming these successful examples to ones useful to Egypt? I will not try to answer this question, yet I will leave you with the following comment. The minimum wage employer in Egypt struggles daily to feed his family, while in North America the minimum wage employer can choose his house and his car. Again, I ask myself who has the major role in understanding these issues and transforming these successful examples to ones useful to Egypt? I believe the answer is obvious. ESANA, An introduction Allow me to introduce the Egyptian Student Association in North America (ESANA). The ESANA is a branch of the National Egyptian Student Association (NESA). The NESA aims at integrating the Egyptian scholarly community across the globe. With more then1500 members, studying for postgraduate degrees in over 64 different cities across North America, ESANA represents around 90% of the total NESA members. The ESANA is supervised and sponsored by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, yet it retains its independence. The ESANA is legally an independent entity with full student authority over the use of it s resources. The ESANA Bylaws state its four primary goals 1- A Syndicate goal To protect and care for the affairs of its members. To objectively analyze and struggle to solve their problems. To represent them in front of all official and non-official levels

3 2- A Propagatory goal To expose the true civilized and Islamic Character of Egypt. To propagate the national effort of the country and Arab world for peace in front of the American, Canadian and International Societies 3- A Political goal To express, study and analyze the nation s problems, as well as those of the Arab world and international community. 4- A Scientific goal To follow up scientific deficiencies in Egypt Research solutions as much as human and practical resources available to Egypt allow. ESANA, A Perspective of Information Transfer for Scientific Research in Egypt Egyptian Researchers who have come to North America to pursue their postgraduate degrees compose the bulk of the ESANA members. They have always been concerned with what the future has instore for them once they return to Egypt. After spending so many years conducting research in this hyperactive environment what next? Should we go back to fit in the current system? Should we be content with the research environment in Egypt as it is? Should we continue to build on what we have invested time and effort on in North America and stay back here for an outstanding research career? Should we leave the relaxed life style present in North America to the more demanding one in Egypt? Although there is always the third option of returning back and struggling with the system to support achieving a break through, yet to be realistic this option is not always on top of the agenda of the average individual. The ESANA had tried to tackle the lack of research in Egypt by putting some solutions to the questions previously stated. We have tried to transfer the information and experience we have acquired here in North America and reflect on them on the situation in Egypt. The following are some points that we have suggested to help improve the research environment in Egypt. The Library is certainly a key deficiency affecting the research community in Egypt. No one can emphasis the role of the library more then it deserves. The lack of references and recent publication is probably the major deficiency of conducting any research in Egypt. The lack of equipment required for some fields is also a key contributor to the limited achievement of research in Egypt. At first glance the solution to such a crucial problem will face a lot of financial limitations, yet the creation of centers across the country is the answer to this. Establishing central libraries and laboratories for each group of research institutions is the logical solution. Facilitating the common use of these facilities through internetworking these institutions is the optimal way to achieve the best use of these resources. This key point is crucial for any research development, and that is why we have started with it in our proposal. Highly developed countries have even gone further by establishing specialized research institutions around these basic research facilities to boost certain scientific domains. Modern communication facilities have diminished the need for such a move. The current boost in the Internet has created what we know now as the global village. Hence you don t have to physically move to communicate effectively with other individuals.

4 The collaboration and coordination between research institutions in Egypt in a global action plan is important. Having research institutions complement each other rather then compete with each other is what will allow Egypt to take strives to boost its research community. Increasing the role of the industry in research will certainly have a profound influence on the research environment in Egypt. If Egypt is to blossom from a consumer of technology into a producer of technology, the government should realize that basic sciences are the basis for any meaningful and solid grounds for technological advancement. The Egyptian government should invest in boosting research in these areas. The research advancement in the basic sciences will be transformed to technological advancements in the long run. Means to achieve this boost are mentioned in the following points. The collaboration between Egyptian scientist, Egyptians and international scholars must be increased. The exchange of visits between these researchers will enhance and improve the research community in Egypt. It will help induce Egypt in current competition on research between the different nations. We have reason to believe that the importance of this exposure is no less than the exposure provided for national sporting teams on the international levels. Egyptian institutions should approach renowned researchers worldwide, especially Egyptians, to spend their sabbatical years in Egypt. This trend has been practiced in neighboring countries such as Greece. The researchers of these countries working for institutions in North America spend ever sabbatical they are granted in their homeland. Unfortunately we can t say the same about Egyptian researchers. We should encourage recent graduates, who participate in research, to purse scientific experience beyond Egypt. The exposure of these young researchers will aid the improvement of the research environment in Egypt. The government should encourage these students by assisting them. They should especially lift barriers facing those who manage to find scholarships at foreign institutions. These barriers maybe financial and/or bureaucratic. These researchers once they return to Egypt will be the major contributors to bridging the gap between Egypt and technologically advanced nations. Above all we need to improve the standard of living of researchers in Egypt. This will allow them to focus better on conducting research without the constant worry of providing for their dependents. It will also have a profound affect on the statistics of the number of scientists that return to Egypt. These points represent the corner stone of any possible advancement for research in Egypt. Improvement on these points will certainly facilitate the return of Egypt to its well-deserved location among nations in scientific research. We presently live in times where people hold-up slogans more often than they take actions. However, we the members of the ESANA have taken a different approach. The ESANA has taken steps to achieve these goals through its numerous projects. These projects are conducted through our many volunteers making the ESANA an exemplary association. Allow me to present some of these projects. ESA Book Campaign: The ESANA has taken strives to help improve the current situation of libraries in Egyptian institutions. This is done through collecting donations of books from institutions in North America that members of the ESANA attend as well as individuals. The ESANA has managed to contribute

5 what is worth over 3 million dollars of books through its annual book drive. The cost uncured on the Egyptian institutions was less then US$20,000. Libraries of AlAzhar University, Assuit University and Ganoub Alwady University have received these contributions in 1997, 1998 and 1999 respectively. The ESANA is currently in its 4 th book campaign aimed to support the library of Cairo University. ESA Study In North America (SINA) This is an effort that the ESANA has put together to try and find funding for colleagues in Egypt to purse their postgraduate studies in North America. Announcements for available scholarships and funding are collected together into a database to which researchers in Egypt are granted access too. Since the start of this ongoing project we were able to assist more than 300 researchers in finding funding to study in North America. ESA LINK New comers to North America normally go through the strides of cultural shock. They are generally refereed to as Fresh of the Boat since they go through a rough adaptation process. The ESA- LINK project aims at assisting newcomers to North America in adapting to this change. This is done with the assistance of our members throughout 80 different cities in North America. This not only reduces the financial cost of the process but also provides invaluable self-comfort. The project assists newcomers annually. ESA Professor in North America The ESANA is currently undergoing a new project to establish a comprehensive database of Egyptian professors and scholars throughout North America in cooperation with the Educational Buearues of Egypt in both the USA and Canada. This project will assist bridging the lack of communication between the Egyptian scholars in North America and their motherland. The geographical distribution of the members of the ESANA across North America will help achieve better results in this project. We hope to conclude this database during the year ESANA, An exemplary association We at the ESANA have reason to believe that we are members of an exemplary association. One that: Creates enough motivation for its members to join this association Possesses enough information concerning the current research environment in Egypt through its newcomers Developed objectives and goals to improve the current research situation in Egypt Above all, has taken the initiative to help enlighten the way to a solid research development in Egypt. For that I have reason to be biased to this promising group of young scholars. I can t but express my happiness with what I find in the members of the ESANA. Not only have they excelled in their research

6 and studies but they have also acquired maturity and dedication to assisting our beloved country, Egypt. The achievement of this association makes me envision a promising future for our nation. Conclusion No one can dispute that humanity is stepping into a new era. We are now witnessing the transformation from the industrial age to the knowledge era. Egypt needs to take strives to get involved in the rush humanity is experiencing in this regard. In this paper we present the vision of the ESANA to guide Egypt s progress in the research domain. Visions and ideas have been presented. The ESANA has also taken the initiative to change and help achieve many of these ideas. Though these contributions may be very small and not sufficient enough to transfer Egypt to the 21 st century, yet major change comes with small steps. The vision of individuals has made many changes in humanity, ones that have been engraved in history. We hope that the efforts of the ESANA will escalate with the contributions of many other such organizations. That these visions will inspire members of the research community and the Egyptian government to find the right path to change the research environment in Egypt. We look forward to the contribution of organizations such as the Association of Egyptian American Scholars (AEAS) to help achieve our goals.