Fulbright Academy meet held in Capital

The seventh annual conference of Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology was opened by Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Abu Dhabi on September 30.

The conference took place for the first time in the UAE and was held in partnership with Higher Colleges of Technologies. The focuses were on sustainable cities and sustainable development.

“We are pleased to host the seventh annual international conference of the Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology and to join the list of other major cities that have acted as your host — Berlin, Panama City, Boston, Skopje, San Francisco and Heidelberg. In particular, the Higher Colleges of Technology is delighted to be supporting your conference both here, at Abu Dhabi Women’s College, and at Sharjah Women’s College,” said Shaikh Nahyan in the opening speech.

“In less than 10 years, the Academy has become a respected stimulus for informed and innovative discourse on critical global concerns such as health, education, environment, and economic development. It has drawn power from a pool of more than 300,000 extraordinary people around the world who have participated in the Fulbright Exchange Programme since its beginning in 1946. Some of that power is energising this room tonight, and I thank the Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology for locating its intellectual generator in the United Arab Emirates.”

Among the 44 national and international speakers was Kim David Eger, member of the Board of Directors of Fulbright Academy and CEO of Eco Smart Shutters, a US-based energy efficiency company.“What we achieve with this conference is concrete things that go forward. We pick up a few specific projects and work to make them happen,” Eger told Khaleej Times.

Already Fulbright Academy has met with HCT, Masdar and another company, that is yet to be named, to turn the food waste of HCT campuses into water. Degraded food may create compost, but it also releases water, which can be collected and treated so it may be used for irrigation and other purposes. “We think we’ll have the first unit installed as early as January,” said Eger. “If you think about it, Khalifa City HCT alone has 15,000 students, so a lot of food waste can be turned into something useful,” he said. — silvia@khaleejtimes.com