WHO IS FAROUK EL-BAZ
Prof. Farouk El-Baz is the Honorary Chairman of Farouk Elbaz Centre for Sustainability and Future Studies (FECSFS) at The British University In Egypt, and one of the members of the board of trustees of the university.
He was retired as the Director of the Center for Remote Sensing and Research Professor at the Departments of Archaeology and Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Associated Faculty at the Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, U.S.A.
Farouk El-Baz is also the president of the Arab Society for Desert Research. He serves as faculty advisor of two Boston University student organizations: the “1001 Wells for Darfur,” and the “Egyptian Club.”.
His students use satellites and computer analyses to locate water in desert ecosystems.
Farouk El-Baz has helped find groundwater resources in the Western Desert of Egypt the Sinai Peninsula, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, northern Somalia and Darfur, saving these arid locales from long periods of drought. His studies have included many disciplines, which he combined to achieve goals and research results that were not available at that time, which created a rich and diverse group of studies and opened new areas for research.
ELBAZ
Story of Prof. Farouk
Farouk El-Baz was born in Zagazig town Sharqiya Governorate (to parents from Dakahlia Governorate, Tukh Al Aqlam village), on the second of January 1938. He was the fourth son in a family of nine children, three girls and six boys. His father was an educator at Al-Azhar religious schools in Zagazig, Damietta and Cairo until Farouk graduated from the School of Science, Ain Shams University at the age of 20.
When the family moved to Cairo, he was able to finish his secondary education. His biology teacher commented on his proficiency at dissecting a frog and said that El-Baz would make a skilled surgeon. Upon completing his secondary education, EL Baz discovered his grades would not grant him an entry into the Faculty of Medicine. Thus, he enlisted in the Faculty of Science of Ain Shams University, where he graduated as a geologist in 1958.