ET-Feb-Mar

Feature et
With COP27 coming to Sharm El-Sheikh in a
few short months, all eyes are on Egypt, which
is leading by example and making significant
strides toward mitigating climate change. In
line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
the American University in Cairo (AUC) recently launched
the Water, Energy, Food Technologies Diploma (WEF), a new
professional diploma for students interested in water, agriculture,
and renewable energy.
The WEF diploma is introduced through AUC’s Engineering
and Science Services and the Center for Applied Research
on the Environment and Sustainability (CARES). It will provide
graduates with the tools and knowledge required to
meet Egypt 2030’s goal to reclaim 1.5 million acres of the
desert and provide solutions for water, food and energy resource
challenges in the country. Its curricula also include
agripreneurship for students interested in launching environmentally
sound startups.
The ultimate goal of the diploma is to bolster a new generation
of graduates equipped to tackle the issues facing
Egypt. “The diploma was curated to help provide innovative
leaders with the technical skills needed to push the agenda
of Egypt’s Vision 2030 targeting food security, water, and
energy challenges,” explains Hani Sewillam, professor at the
Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology and director
of CARES.
The diploma is a result of AUC’s participation in the Sure-
Map project, an initiative co-funded by the ERASMUS+
Programme of the European Union that, in part, aims to establish
engineering Master of Science programs at Egyptian
partner universities, including Heliopolis University, Aswan
University, Alexandria University and AUC. The diploma’s
curriculum combines know-how in solar technology, hydrology
and irrigation with mechanical, electrical and soil engineering.
Courses include modern agriculture, Modern Aquaculture,
Water Quality and Treatment. Water Desalination,
Sustainable Energy Management and more.
Through a multidisciplinary approach, graduates will learn
to “interact and coordinate with environmental scientists and
farmers” and mitigate human pressure on the environment.
“One of our main priorities in this program is to provide
students with hands-on experience to go directly from the
program and implement these solutions into communities,”
says Yomna El-Awamri, the community projects manager
with CARES. “So instead of relying on theory only, we made
sure that at least 50 percent of our courses are applied.”
The diploma takes commercial opportunities along with
financial restraints and incentives into account. The program
aims to provide participants with a sound technical and practical
understanding of innovation, design, entrepreneurship
and management of sustainable WEF projects in the desert.
The first class of WEF graduates from AUC will be joining
a country and worldwide effort to replenish and preserve
the natural world, which has been so impacted by human
activity.
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