Loading ...6 awesome TED talks about science and technology by Arabs
Nina Awad
Stepfeed
Take a look at these 6 TED talks done by Arabs worldwide as their success redefined and reignited hopes for a better life, emotionally intelligent technologies, social change and tolerance of diversity.
1. Rana el-Kaliouby, Egypt
Rana el Kaliouby, founder of Affectiva, aims to add emotion to the everyday digital experience. El Kaliouby created 12 billion emotion data points from 2.9 million faces from volunteers in 75 different countries, making her a rising pioneer emotion-enabled digital applications.
2. Fahd Al-Attiya, Qatar
In a Qatar, where there’s virtually no water left for consumption, Fahd Al-Attiya became the Chairman of Qatar’s National Food Security Program and must ensure the availability of food. Faced with an unfathomable task, Al-Attiya took to technology and created a program that aims to create sustainable agriculture.
Al-Attiya also hopes that with the use of this technology, other countries that are facing extreme climate change and dry lands would be able to secure food supplies.
3. Aya Bdeir, Lebanon
Aya Bdeir was a young engineer and artist who hoped to create a world where interactive learning was accessible to everyone and therefore, she created LittleBits, an open source system of modular circuits that stay connected with magnets, making the use of electronics accessible to every and easy to learn.
Bdeir is also the founder of Karaj, a lab in Beirut that is made for experimental art and technology.
4. Maysoon Zayid, Palestine
Maysoon Zayid has a medical condition called cerebral palsy, a ailment which leaves one impaired with spastic paralysis. Born with this condition, Zayid went on to become a successful comedian and writer who didn’t allow her condition to set her back in life. Other than her career as a comedian who touched the hearts of many, Zayid continues to inspire others as she spends many months in occupied territories running workshops for disabled and orphaned children.
Furthermore, Zayid aims to change the stigma of disability and alternate the images portrayed in the media in order to obliterate hatred and comments made by social media users.
5. Shereen El Feki, Egypt
Often between the UK and Egypt, Shereen El Feki works on several issues related to health and sexuality within the Arab region. In this TED talk, El Feki discusses how Arabs are influenced by the modern pop culture. She also highlights the importance of merging mediums of both Western culture with Arab culture.
Though raised in Canada, El Feki focuses on writing about social issues in the Middle East and is addressing social stigmas and challenged accompanying Arabs, especially youth.
6. Sheikha Al-Mayassa, Qatar
As a chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani used the country’s rich history to push for cross-cultural interactions. She stresses that because we’re all eager to become our very own individuals, embracing our cultures and tradition must be done. Sheikha Al-Mayassa also highlights the importance of art and how it can be used as a global language that embraces tolerance and understanding.
Furthermore, Al-Mayassa aims to show the world that while many think of Arab women as oppressed individuals, more and more Arab women are the leading forces behind the region’s mission to promote diversity while creating opportunities for upcoming generations.