The College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates organised a four-day landmark event, Second International Conference on Arabs’ and Muslims’ History of Sciences, during 8-11 December 2014 with the theme, “The impact of early Arab and Muslim scholars on recent scientific and technological advances”.
The conference was organised jointly with the Arab Union of Astronomy and Space Sciences, and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah. The event was part of this year’s scientific and cultural activities of the City of Sharjah, designated as The Cultural Capital of the Muslim World, 2014. The conference was simultaneously held along with the 11th Conference on Space Sciences and Astronomy.
It is to be recalled that the First International Conference on Arabs’ and Muslims’ History of Sciences, was held during 24-27 March 2008 with the theme, Arabs’ and Muslims’ Scientific Contributions to Humanity. The very first event had over eight hundred delegates from 36 countries with over three hundred presentations. The conference had successfully attracted over 50 historians of science.
The 2014 Conference aimed to foster communication between scientists and researchers interested in the history of science, and to reflect the impact of Muslim scholars on the progress of civilisations and their scientific aspects.
The Conference covered the following topics:
1. Early Scholars and Research Methodology.
2. The contribution of early Arab and Muslim Scholars in: Astronomy and Space Sciences; Basic Sciences; Applied Sciences and Engineering; Humanities; Medical Sciences; Art and design; History and Explorations; Technological Applications; Agriculture Sciences; and Environmental Science.
3. Role of Arab and Muslim scholars in promoting inter-civilizations and transformation of knowledge.
4. Role and contribution of Arab and Muslim Scholars in advances in modern sciences and technological advances.
5. Role and contribution of Arab and Muslim Scholars in international technological and scientific organisations.
6. Role and contribution of Arab and Muslim Scholars in international technological and scientific organisations.
7. Western Scholars’ recognition of Arab and Muslim scholars’ effort and creativity.
8. Modern models and inventions, which are based on discoveries made by early Arab and Muslim scholars.
9. The current status of research and development of scholar activities in Arab and Muslim countries.
The conference had a very rich programme including: Keynote talks by renowned speakers; oral and poster presentations; specialised workshops and exhibitions accompanied with tourist visits and cultural evenings. There were over 400 participants from 42 countries in the 2nd International Conference on the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences and the 11th Conference on the Space Sciences and Astronomy combined. The participants included representatives from the United Nations, a number of universities and institutions concerned with the study of the history of sciences located across the globe, the European Space Agency (ESA), the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Arab Union for Space Sciences and Astronomy (AUASS).
The University of Sharjah was established as a non-profit institution for higher education in October 1997. The University is comprised of 14 colleges catering to over fourteen thousand students with a faculty of about six hundred. The University currently offers a total of 85 academic degree programmes including 50 bachelor degrees, 17 master’s degrees, seven PhD degrees, one graduate and 10 associate diploma degrees.
[Sameen Ahmed Khan teaches in Engineering Department, Salalah College of Technology (SCT), Salalah, Sultanate of Oman. [email protected]]