Tarek Shawki
Encyclopedia
Tarek Galal Shawki
(born June 12, 1957 in Cairo
, Egypt
) is currently the Director of the Regional Bureau for Science in Arab States. Prior to his appointment in June 2008, he was the Chief of the Section for "ICTs in Education, Science and Culture" within the "Information Society Division" in UNESCO (Paris, France). Dr. Shawki has served as the regional advisor for Communications and Information at the UNESCO
Cairo Office (UCO) between January 1999 and November 2005. The UCO is a regional office for science, technology, and information for Arab states. Shawki has been a panelist on the National Science Foundation
and the National Research Council
. His leadership is considered paramount to the Arab region in modernizing university education in basic and engineering sciences, through the promotion of the Mathematica
technology.
Dr. Shawki has pioneered the strategic public-private partnerships with the IT corporate within UNESCO which includes Microsoft, Intel, Cisco and Apple, Inc. He has been the key architect of the standard setting effort by UNESCO involving the "ICT Competency Framework for Teachers" ( ICT-CFT). Dr. Shawki has been developing major programmes involving the effective use of ICTs in education, science and culture.
in Egypt
and Brown University
in Rhode Island
, U.S.
, Shawki spent 13 years as a researcher and professor of theoretical and applied mechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, one of the top engineering schools in the world. Shawki has a Ph.D.
and an M.Sc. in engineering
, an M.Sc. in applied mathematics
, and a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering
.
(born June 12, 1957 in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
) is currently the Director of the Regional Bureau for Science in Arab States. Prior to his appointment in June 2008, he was the Chief of the Section for "ICTs in Education, Science and Culture" within the "Information Society Division" in UNESCO (Paris, France). Dr. Shawki has served as the regional advisor for Communications and Information at the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Cairo Office (UCO) between January 1999 and November 2005. The UCO is a regional office for science, technology, and information for Arab states. Shawki has been a panelist on the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
. His leadership is considered paramount to the Arab region in modernizing university education in basic and engineering sciences, through the promotion of the Mathematica
Mathematica
Mathematica is a computational software program used in scientific, engineering, and mathematical fields and other areas of technical computing...
technology.
Dr. Shawki has pioneered the strategic public-private partnerships with the IT corporate within UNESCO which includes Microsoft, Intel, Cisco and Apple, Inc. He has been the key architect of the standard setting effort by UNESCO involving the "ICT Competency Framework for Teachers" ( ICT-CFT). Dr. Shawki has been developing major programmes involving the effective use of ICTs in education, science and culture.
Educational Background
Educated at Cairo UniversityCairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Shawki spent 13 years as a researcher and professor of theoretical and applied mechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, one of the top engineering schools in the world. Shawki has a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
and an M.Sc. in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, an M.Sc. in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
, and a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
.
Quotes
- The evident revolution in both communications and information technologies suggest a parallel revolution in the ways we pass knowledge to future generations. The children of today receive and process information in significantly different ways as opposed to their parents and grandparents. They are 'multi-dimensional/multi-processor' receivers of knowledge which renders current education models almost useless. We are envisioning a future in which the education world will be forced to engage into major re-structuring in order to meet the challenges of education delivery in the technology era.