The visit of the selection committee for the best environmentally friendly university to Ain Shams University

Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, met at the Zaffran Palace, the selection committee for the best environmentally friendly university of the Supreme Council of Universities, in the presence of Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Samia Abdo, Deputy Director Executive Director of University Hospitals and Director of Infection Control, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, Director of the University's Center of Excellence for Sustainability and Visiting Coordinator.

The committee was formed of: Prof. Hind Farouh, Professor of Environment and Sustainable Urban Development at the Housing and Building Research Center, Chairman, and the membership of: Prof. Tariq Mahmoud Attia, Professor of Construction Engineering and Project Management at the Housing and Building Research Center, Prof. Mohamed Nabil Abdel-Meguid, head of research at the Agricultural Research Center, Eng. Samah Saleh Abdel-Shafi, director general and responsible for sustainable development in the office of the Minister of Environment, Eng. Amjad Mohammed Al-Huwaihi, Head of Studies & Research and Testing Sector, New and Renewable Energy Authority, Eng. Ehab Mohamed Farouk, General Manager of Testing at the New and Renewable Energy Authority.

During the meeting, Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini confirmed that Ain Shams University pays great attention to the environment and sustainability within the framework of its strategy to shift toward fourth-generation universities.

He praised the efforts of the committee members in following up on the efforts of universities in the environmental file to choose the best environmentally friendly university.

The committee was previously received by Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, who reviewed during the meeting the university's efforts to preserve the environment and keep pace with development and progress, including the university's implementation of smart green projects in its infrastructure and educational and research programs, such as: expanding spaces Green campuses, creating smart green buildings, recycling paper waste, using solar energy, digital transformation, rationalizing water and energy consumption, as well as holding environmentally friendly activities within the framework of sustainability and climate issues.

After the meeting, Prof. Ghada Farouk accompanied the members of the committee on a tour of the Zaffran Palace and the Palace Museum, and another tour of the university campus with electric cars. Then the committee went to visit the Networks and Information Technology Center to see the digital transformation processes and the university’s servers, where they were received by Dr. Islam Hegazy, the director of the center, and Prof. Rasha Ismail, Director of the University's Electronic Portal and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences for Postgraduate Studies and Research. They also met with Prof. Mona Abdel-Al, Director of the University Education Development Center, who gave a mini presentation on the process of developing education at the university.

This was followed by a visit to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship I hub building, where they were received by Dr. Weam Mahmoud, Deputy Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, and Dr. Ahmed Abdel Aziz, Director of the Employment Center. They toured the building which includes the Innovation Center, the ASU Career Center, and the Training and Development Center. They listened to a brief presentation on the university's activities and projects related to sustainability. Videos were also shown about the campus, the Faculty of Medicine, the Medical City, and the Faculty of Engineering, and they listened to an explanation about green and smart buildings inside the university.

The visit concluded at the Faculty of Engineering, where they were received by Prof. Omar Al-Husseini, Dean of the Faculty. A tour was made of Egypt’s Center of Distinction for Solid Waste, the Center of Water Excellence, the Center of Excellence for Energy, and the Acoustics Building. A brief explanation of the work of each center was listened to, in the presence of Prof. Akram Farouk, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for Affairs. Community service and environmental development, Prof. Shereen Al-Ajroudi, Prof. Hoda Sousse, Prof. Mustafa Mari, Prof. Tamer El- Nady.

It is noteworthy that the competition for the best environmentally friendly university is organized by the Supreme Council of Universities under the auspices of Prof. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Ain Shams University was selected among the best 6 universities in the competition. The visit aims to select the three best environmentally friendly universities. The universities are evaluated based on several criteria, including educational systems, environmental preservation and sustainability, university infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste management, water management, environmental quality, and crisis management.