Essam Heggy, an Egyptian-American astronaut, works for NASA in the field of rocket science, and he is the son of the great plastic artist Mohamed Heggy, and served as the scientific advisor to the President of the Republic in Egypt in 2013 before his resignation on June 30, 2014.
Issam was born in Libya in 1975 and obtained a primary certificate. His father joined the diplomatic work at the Arab League during its presence in Tunisia in the eighties, so he moved with his father to Tunisia and obtained an intermediate certificate, then returned to Cairo and obtained a BA in astronomy from Cairo University, after which he moved to Paris, in pursuit of science, and to complete his studies, he obtained a master's degree in space science in 1999, followed by a doctorate from the same university in 2002, the first Egyptian doctorate in the science of planetary discovery.
Hajji sent several messages to politicians in the Arab world, that the success of any project in political work will not be achieved without the presence of a real educational component included in this project. Adding that it is necessary to avoid attacking and criticizing any constructive ideas aimed at creating a scientific renaissance. Hajji noted the role of education in dissolving the distances between the classes of society, calling for abandoning the pessimistic view in the face of obstacles to any project that advances society.
Hajji mentioned his experience while working as a scientific advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, and how he saw the atmosphere of despair over any reform attempts of the educational process. Hajji stressed the need for education to be the project of the Arab revolution to raise the level of citizens, indicating the danger of ignorance to societies, adding that the path to democracy begins with education.
Hajji believes that reforming the relationship between men and women in the Arab world is the first real reform path, as it drains the mental, intellectual and economic energies of the Arab family.
Essam Heggy began his scientific career as a teaching assistant at the faculties of science at Cairo University in 1997, then as a researcher at the CNRS in France in 1999, then as a teacher at Cairo University in 2002, then as a researcher at the French Aerospace Center CNES, then as an assistant professor at the University of Paris, then moved to work at NASA for Space Research in the United States.
Dr. Essam Heggy is currently working in the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at NASA, in the radar imaging department, which oversees many scientific missions to discover the planets of the solar system.
Hajji is currently supervising a satellite project that studies groundwater and the effects of climate change on desert areas. He also works in a research team of scientists within a project in which NASA and ESA cooperate to study comets, as well as participate in research to explore water on Mars, train astronauts, and design spacecraft destined for different parts of the solar system.
He is also a professor of space sciences at the University of Paris in France and also a visiting member of the faculty at Caltech University in California, the same university where Dr. Ahmed Zewail studies, the top American university in the field of science.
Issam Heggy is a symbol for many young people in Egypt, and he was known for his position on the demands of university education reform and the eradication of rampant corruption in the educational system. He was ranked by the Arab League and the American Times Saint Pittsburgh magazine as one of the most important intellectual figures in Egypt and the Arab world when he was twenty-nine years old.
Issam Hajji has received many scientific awards in recognition of his role in discovering water on Mars and what this means for understanding the evolution of water on Earth, especially the development of water discovery in desert regions. In 2006, France granted him its citizenship as a distinguished scientist.
Cairo University dismissed the Egyptian scientist in 2004 due to his criticism of corruption in the university's administration at that time and his protest against the completion of administrative procedures. Despite his scientific achievement, Issam Hajji did not receive any honors in Egypt. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California, in the United States.
Mars exploration
One of the pioneering scientific missions in which Dr. Heggy participated was the mission to explore life on Mars, through ultra-sensitive equipment in the Western Desert in Egypt, to detect water at a depth of 600 m. For great scientific achievements, most notably the discovery of ice in its north and south poles, which means the possibility of a form of life in the past of this planet.
In recent years, Dr. Hajji traveled to Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, America and Japan, and gave many lectures as a reference on the subject of detecting water on Mars. He is always keen to participate in the discussions that take place within universities and research centers in Egypt, which he visits several times a year and meets classmates and work To discuss the latest scientific and research developments.
Dr. Hajji says: "The Arab educational system has many problems, but the most dangerous thing is the reality of young people to the point of misery in their dealings with their projects and dreams... Why don't we dream?!
He says, "We are a nation that is very preoccupied with its image of others and not completely preoccupied with its image of itself." He believes that the solution lies in working with earnestness, enthusiasm and confidence that our Arab history is honorable, and has many bright spots from which we must start and proceed to bypass the "civilizational bottleneck that We're getting into it now."
Dr. Hajji asks: "Why do Arab governments raise the slogan of investing in everything and not the slogan of investing in the field of education?" He believes that this is the real wealth that must be developed and matured in order to remedy the civilizational imbalance that the Arab nation suffers from. Dr. Essam Hajji got a set
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