L'Oreal-Unesco programme awards 5 Arab women scientists

Dr. Tamara Al Zein from Lebanon, in addition to 4 other women scientists from Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Egypt, received the L'Oreal-Unesco award for women in science (Egypt and Levant fellowship) for the year 2016. The awards were announced during a celebration organized on September 20th at the ESA in Beirut.  The winners were chosen based on their advanced scientific research in cancer, MRI, Radio diagnosis, ground water research and toxic material. The awardees were the following:

- Dr Tamara Al Zein from Lebanon, Research Associate at the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission- The National Council for Scientific Research. She won the award for her innovative materials that help to remove radioactive contamination, and measure the radioactivity 

- Dr Ghinwa Khaddur from Syria, Researcher at the Natural Resources Research Division of the General Authority for Scientific Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Damascus, Damascus.

- Dr May Fathy Tolba from Egypt, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo

- Dr Amani Al-Gharaibah from Jordan, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Department of the Faculty of Engineering in Amman Private University

- Dr Shatha A. Shafiq from Iraq, Assistant professor in the Department of Science - Faculty of Science - Mustansiriya University, Baghdad

In its speech pronounced during the celebration, the representative of the awards emphasized the need to challenge barriers which hinder women's participation in the advancement of science.  Indeed, and since the launch of this award, 2530 women scientists have been recognized some of whom are also Nobel prize winners. (As-Safir, September 22, 2016)