Dr. Farouk El-Baz.

 Legendary Contributor to Earth and Planetary Scientific Geology.

 Dr. Farouk El-Baz is the research Professor and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University. He received a B.Sc. degree (1958) in chemistry and geology from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; an M.S. degree (1961) in geology from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Rulla, Missouri; and a Ph.D. degree (1964) in geology from the University of Missouri, after performing research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1962-63). He taught geology at Assiut University, Egypt (1958-60), and the University of Heidelberg, Germany (1964-1966). In 1989, he received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from New England College, Henniker, New Hampshire.
He participated in the Apollo program from 1967 to 1972 as Supervisor of Lunar Science Planning at Bellcomm, Inc. of Bell Telephone Laboratories, Washington, D.C. During these six years, he was Secretary of the Site Selection Committee for the Apollo lunar landings, Chairman of the Astronaut Training Group, and Principal Investigator for Visual Observations and Photography. Beginning in 1973, and for the next ten years, he established and directed the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. In 1975, he was selected by NASA as Principal Investigator for Earth Observations and Photography on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first joint American-Soviet space mission. From 1982 to 1986, he was Vice President for International Development and for Science and Technology at Itek Optical Systems of Lexington, Massachusetts.
 
Dr. El-Baz served on the Steering Committee of Earth Sciences of the Smithsonian Institution, the Arid and Semi-Arid Research Needs Panel of the National Science Foundation, the Advisory Committee on Extraterrestrial Features of the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, and the Lunar Nomenclature Group of the International Astronomical Union. In 1979, after the United States and China had normalized relations, he conducted the first visit by U.S. scientists to the desert regions of northwestern China. In 1985, he was elected Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences and represents the Academy at the Non-Governmental Organizations Unit of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. He also served as Science Advisor (1978-1981) to the late Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt.
 
He is known for pioneering work in the applications of space photography to the understanding of arid terrain, particularly the location of ground-water resources. Based on the analysis of space photographs, his recommendations resulted in the finding of ground-water resources in the Sinai Peninsula, the Western Desert of Egypt and in arid terrains in northern Somalia and the Red Sea province of Eastern Sudan. Furthermore, during the past 20 years, he contributed to interdisciplinary field investigations in all major deserts of the world. 
 
At present, his research objectives include applications of remote sensing technology to the fields of archaeology, geography and geology.
Dr. El-Baz is President of the Arab Society of Desert Research, and the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including: NASA’s Apollo Achievement Award, the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and Special Recognition Award; the University of Missouri Alumni Achievement Award for Extraordinary Scientific Accomplishments: the Certificate of Merit of the World Aerospace Education Organization; and the Arab Republic of Egypt Order of Merit-First Class. He also received the 1989 Outstanding Achievement Award of the Egyptian American Organization, the 1991 Golden Door Award of the International Institute of Boston, and the 1992 Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1995, he received the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Science and Space Technology of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and the Achievement Award of the Egyptian American Professional Society. He also received the 1996 Michel T. Halbouty Human Needs Award of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
 
As a senior executive his duties included the strategic planning for technology utilization of high resolution imaging systems. During this period, plans were developed for the utilization of the Large Format Camera (LFC) on the Space Shuttle missions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
From 1973 to 1982, he was the Research Director for the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. This position entailed the establishment of the Center and its management for the first ten years of operation.
 
At Bellcom, Inc., and Bell Telephone Laboratories, Washington, D.C. equal percentages of time were spent on: (1) development of a training program for the Apollo astronauts and instructing them in observations and photography; (2) analysis of data returned from all lunar missions as they may affect the selection of landing sites and scientific instrument payloads for each Apollo mission; (3) supervision of the work of geoscientists and engineers in fields related to lunar exploration; and (4) preparation of reports on the results of the Apollo lunar missions. This work was performed in support of the Apollo Program Director at NASA headquarters, Washington, D.C.
 
From 1965 to 1966, he was a geologist for the Exploration Department at the Pan-American-UAR Oil Company, Cairo, Egypt, where he interpreted geophysical data for the development of offshore drilling operations. This led to participation in the discovery of El-Morgan Field, the first and largest oil-producing field in the Gulf of Suez.
From 1964 to 1965, El-Baz worked as an instructor for the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography at Heidelberg University in Germany.
From 1958 to 1959, he was a Demonstrator of the Geology Department at Assiut University in Assiut, Egypt. The laboratory instruction included paleontology, mineralogy and geological field mapping.
 
In a lecture entitled, "New Concepts and Changing Global Realities: Response in the Arab World", Dr. Farouk El-Baz explained:
"The status of technology, employment and poverty alleviation in the Arab region presents a unique case. Other regions of the world have fared better in a shorter period of time. This was in spit of the fact that the "Arab Revolt" against Ottoman rule permitted a reasonable measure of autonomy since the early 1920s. Furthermore, indigenous national movements have taken control of most countries since the Egyptian revolution of 1952. However, little progress was made in half a century.
"Several Arab governments experimented with systems based on imported concepts to no avail. Slogans like ‘Arab socialism,’ ‘scientific socialism’ and ‘Islamic socialism’ followed one another and swept from one country to the other. None succeeded in improving the lot of the people; on the contrary, most resulted in demoralizing the populations. The net outcome was altering the nature of indigenous markets and crippling of the local economies. Central governments continued to amass power and a malaise gripped the populations. Loyalty to work and country became a rare commodity and self-interest took hold at all levels of society. Stagnation set in and became the norm. Recent directives to enlarge and empower the private sector through ‘privatization’ are noteworthy steps in the right direction. Egypt, among other countries, has made commendable efforts in this regard, yet much more needs to be done.
"Other attempts for improvement were made through ‘technology transfer,’ which instilled a false impression of ‘modernization.’ The transfer of technology without ‘know how’ can be detrimental. It enforces dependence on imported machinery, and worse yet, ideas and innovation. The more recent attempts of ‘technology incubation,’ at centers like those in the Emirate of Dubai, need to be augmented and emulated throughout the region.
The status of the Arab region as a whole is the antithesis of what it used to be. A few centuries ago, Arab rule was at the helm of civilization. Arabs of that time amassed freedom of thought and invited all nationalities and races under the protection of their State. They facilitated commerce through open borders and instituted a global marketplace with other people throughout Europe and eastern Asia.
"Comparison with today’s situation is sobering. Commerce between Arab countries is close to non-existent, and that with the outside world is negligible. The Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of 22 Arab countries amount to less than Spain’s. Furthermore, all exports of 280 million Arabs (other than oil and gas) are equal to those of Finland, a country with five million people. Reasons for this include the marginalization of the role of women in the production sector. A society cannot fully develop its potential without the intellect and energy of its best among both men and women.
"Although corrective measures are being undertaken throughout the region, we must not allow the changes to be ‘too little, too late.’ Because of our faith in the ability of the Arab individual and the basic goodness of the Arab culture, we must collectively identify areas that need improvements. We must also tirelessly work to implement the required changes to remedy the problems. Alleviation of illiteracy, poverty, scarcity of employment opportunities, and lack of initiatives can only be done on a sustained basis. There is no quick fix. However, with vision and imagination, small steps can have deep impact and lead to great achievements, as has been demonstrated in several Arab countries. Thus, continued strides must be undertaken in such areas as leadership, education, management practices and societal ethics.
"Leadership in many Arab countries is characterized by stagnation and the preservation of the status quo. Initiatives become rare and few decision makers value the motivation of the workforce by example. Where the leadership slumbers in a reactive mood, a malaise of inaction filters to the technocrats who become obsessed by preserving their status and their perks. In such cases, corruption sets in and development is invariably sacrificed. In recent years, however, technological development and government efficiency were given the highest priority by some leaders. Improvements occurred in the ‘hardware’ of information and communication with parallel modifications in the ‘software’ of the legislation. Successful examples include those of Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and the U.A.E., resulting in the initiation of e-government and Internet penetration in record time. Such initiatives are required and should be encouraged, throughout the Arab region.
"The educational systems in most Arab countries must be overhauled to excise regressive notions, fear of dialogue and suppression of innovation. They need to be directed toward preparing the youth for the global marketplace and arming them with what is required to compete with the rest of the world. More than 50% of Arab females are illiterate; a generation that is raised by ignorant mothers is useless, even harmful. Future generations must be educated and properly trained. They should be empowered with analytical thinking and, through motivation, encouraged to excel and innovate. Paramount emphasis on education and training does that, as in the case of the Emirate of Sharjah, where ‘people are beautiful by knowledge’ through a variety of superb educational institutions.
"Management practices in many sectors need to be updated and their goals redirected. The shackles of control of authority must be broken down to allow autonomy with responsibility. Handing power to those who are qualified by ‘trustworthiness’ is detrimental. Management at all levels should be entrusted to those with credible ability, and promotion should be based on merit alone. In this regard, learning from the experiences of others is a virtue. To strengthen the loyalty and productivity of its workforce, the United States imported management practices from Japan.
"In addition, the ‘work ethic’ has to be re-introduced to the hearts of the Arab people. Enriching one’s self without hard work is a cursed social ill that should be condemned. Expecting handouts from the State as a given right should be erased from the minds of people. They must be convinced that work for the common good, any type of it including manual work, is honorable. Arabian Gulf countries have realized this and have begun to take steps to remedy the situation.
"Alleviation of poverty in the Arab region will not occur unless the level of its populations is upgraded by capacity building. Civilization is initiated by valuing knowledge, and is sustained by the unstinting acquisition and diffusion of knowledge. This has been proven again and again throughout human history. Those who opened their physical and mental borders to knowledge wherever it originated and continued to build upon it, created lasting civilizations.
"One significant aspect of the knowledge building process is a sustained effort in science and technology or research and development. The state of the Arab region today is clearly evident from the scarcity of emphasis on scientific investigation and the indifference to technological innovation. Arab countries spend less than 0.5% of their national budgets on research and development. The developed countries spend more than 2% on these endeavors. To catch up with the rest of the world, the Arab countries need to quadruple their expenditure on research and development. It is heartening to witness the initiation of a debate on the issue in the Arab region. Furthermore, some countries have already taken steps to increase expenditure on science and technology. For example, Saudi Arabia has announced an increase in the budget of this vital endeavor. Although it is not all that is required, this and similar steps to follow will surely lead to a better future."

Dr. El-Baz is author to tens of scientific books such as: Space and the Destiny of Mankind; Astronaut Observation from the Apollo-Soyuz Mission; Apollo Over the Moon: A View from Orbit; Desert Landforms of Southwest Egypt: A Basis for Comparison With Mars. This is in addition to hundreds of special reports and scientific papers. 
Dr. El-Baz was asked if he has a word for the young generation of Arab Americans. He immediately said: "I have four daughters and four grandchildren - and more on the way. 

To them and all other young Arab Americans, I wish to say, ‘always seek knowledge.’ When you gain knowledge, you increase your self respect. This increases the respect of and by others. The more people respect you, the more you want to learn and become more useful to them. It is a wonderful self-enhancing exercise, which maintains your feeling of accomplishment and assures you a happy life."