AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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Report on Science and Human Rights

Fall/Winter 2005 Vol XXV, No. 2

Environmental Health, Chemistry, and Middle East Peace

Lauren Chow
Science and Human Rights Intern

Each year, the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program holds a public lecture and reception to honor a U.S.-based scientist for his or her work in furthering human rights in the scientific community. Held in coordination with International Human Rights Day, the event recognizes individuals whose contributions embody the aim of the program itself. The 2005 recipient of this honor is Dr. Zafra M. Lerman, a tireless human rights advocate and pioneer in her efforts to resolve critical issues in the Middle East.

Dr. Lerman believes that scientists, not lawmakers, are best qualified to engage in scientific policy debates to progress toward peace. She organized two conferences of high-profile scientists from several countries in the Middle East, hoping to initiate transboundary dialogues on pressing regional issues. These meetings were unprecedented in their creation of permanent communication pathways between scientists, regardless of political or cultural differences. In tribute to Dr. Lerman's groundbreaking work, a panel of eminent U.S. chemists met December 2 at AAAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. to discuss scientific education and collaboration in the Middle East.

A distinguished professor of science and public policy at Columbia College, Chicago, Dr. Lerman both founded and heads the college's Institute for Science Education and Science Communication. She also serves as chair of the American Chemical Society's Subcommittee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, which helped to organize the conferences. Dr. Lerman's unrelenting human rights activism led to her description as a "one person urgent-action-alert" by Science and Human Rights Program Director Audrey Chapman, continuing, "There are very few persecuted scientists who have not benefited from [Dr. Lerman's] actions."

Opening the lecture, Dr. Lerman provided details of the goals and composition of the two conferences, held on Malta. The first, held in December 2003, drew fifty-eight participants, with scientists from Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Participants met in focus groups led by six Nobel laureates to address environmental, economic, health and educational problems. The second conference, held in November 2005 with eighty-five participants, welcomed new representatives from Bahrain, Iraq and Qatar.

Dr. Lerman highlighted the need participants of both conferences expressed for further workshops. Discussing her goals for the third conference, she intends to increase the number of participating countries, possibly including northern Africa.She also hopes for higher turnout from women, young scientists and members of each country's respective National Academy of Sciences. Restating her strong belief in scientific collaboration's ability to effect peace, Dr. Lerman quoted Yuan T. Lee: "Borders are only lines on a map, nature doesn't know borders." Lee, science advisor to the president of Taiwan, is one of the Nobel laureates who attended the conferences. The ensuing panel discussion, reiterated the insignificance of geographical borders.

Ahmed Mohamed, a Welch visiting professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University and faculty member at Zagazig University, Egypt, discussed the changing role and perception of science in the region, citing output levels of several countries in various fields of research. Stressing the need for increased scientific discourse in the Middle East, Dr. Mohamed discussed the threat of avian flu in the context of the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. With an estimated two million, many from Asian countries, making the pilgrimage in January 2006, the looming threat of a pandemic demands urgent regional attention.

Charles Kolb, President and CEO of Aerodyne Research, Inc., discussed several of the environmental and health problems in the Middle East. Explaining how domestic pollution problems quickly become transboundary, Dr. Kolb stated the need for reliable data on air and water quality. Dr. Kolb also called for the formation of an international umbrella organization to enable communication and regional collaboration. Without mechanisms to define, motivate and propose collaborative work, Dr. Kolb concluded that general transboundary air quality problems would continue to degrade.

Arthur B. Ellis, Director of the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation, spoke of the foundation's role in promoting disruptive breakthroughs that change the scientific landscape. Dr. Ellis explained how advancements such as the NSF TeraGrid project, NSF Middleware Initiative, data mining and remotely run instruments revolutionize the ways scientists interact by further breaking down physical borders.

E. Ann Nalley, President-Elect of the American Chemical Society, closed the panel, discussing her experiences at both conferences. Dr. Nalley emphasized the conferences' importance in fostering a sense of camaraderie and confidence in participants. Recounting the profound difference newfound access to equipment and academic exchange made for researchers previously working in isolation, Dr. Nalley shares with many the belief that "what Zafra did will change the atmosphere in the Middle East."

For more information about the Malta Conferences, see http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/83/8351sci2.html