Speaker profiles

Speakers of the Environment Commission

In alphabetical order

Muna AL AMRI, United Arab Emirates

Muna Al Amri holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from American University of Sharjah. She works as Senior Environmental Coordinator in Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) in the environmental auditing section of the Environmental Management Sector. She is currently seconded by the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) to the UAE's national Ecological Footprint Initiative where she focuses on Footprint science, sustainability issues and information management system.

Meshgan Mohammed AL AWAR, United Arab Emirates

Dubai Police Academy

Secretary General, Zayed International Prize for the Environment

Dr. Meshgan Mohammed Al Awar, a candidate for the 1st Federal National Council elections in the UAE 2006, is counted among the top women achievers of the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Meshgan received her Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and Geology with Distinction from U.A.E. University Al Ain U.A.E. She received her PhD in Philosophy from University of Wales College of Cardiff UK, 1996.

In October 2003, Dr. Meshgan was offered Participation certificate from the Office of Space Science (NASA) in Mars Exploration Rover Mission. She was also awarded the Middle East Women's Achievement in 2004 for the best Social Contribution. In 1999, Dr. Meshgan was awarded the best female employee in the Dubai Government Excellence Program/UAE. She is the Managing editor of the Society & Environment Magazine, a publication of Zayed International Prize for the Environment. She also served on many Environmental Projects and Organizations such as Assurance group for Tire Industry Project for World Business Council for Sustainable Development, UN, NGO-IRENE, ECOSOC, etc. She is also associated with the advisory board of several National and International Environmental Publications. She is a visiting Faculty to Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University, USA from 2006 and provided lectures for the first organized Arabic Language Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (ALLEEDS) by The FBI Academy for Middle Eastern and Northern African law enforcement police executives, July 26, 2006.

Dr. Meshgan as a researcher and scientist, has written research papers on different environmental issues "Vehicle emission, Environmental security etc." campaigned on environmental issues and represented the UAE in countless international conferences and seminars.

Robert ARGENT, Australia

Water Division,

The Bureau of Meteorology,

Melbourne, Victoria,  AUSTRALIA

Dr Argent has over twenty years international experience in water and natural resources research, teaching, design, consulting and project management. Over the period from 1990 to 2007 he worked at The University of Melbourne, focussing on environmental model development and integration. His research interpreted and delivered environmental research findings into forms that met the needs of managers and decision makers.  In early 2008 Robert moved to the Bureau of Meteorology to lead development of the Australian Water Resources Information System (AWRIS).  This world-first system will offer end-to-end coverage of Australia's key water data. It will span from ingestion of data from across the country, through data checking and augmentation, extensive analysis and reporting, and delivery of data and information to end users.

Stanley Hartmann, United Arab Emirates

Stanley Hartmann has many years of experience in the ICT working as an Oracle Certified Professional, before he joined the Biodiversity Management - Marine Sector of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) in 2004. Originally a Fisheries Biologist, he heads EAD's Fisheries Statistical Unit, which unit is responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of fisheries landing statistics for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

 At present, he is duly involved with the establishment of a National Fisheries Information System, that will hold fish landing statistics for the United Arab Emirates, and which will be jointly operated by the EAD and the Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW).

Stanley is also member of the Research Team for UAE Ecological Footprint Account, responsible for the estimation and scenario modeling of biocapacity and consumption rates of UAE's Fishing Grounds land use type.

Luis LEON, Canada

Dr. Leon currently holds a position as Research Scientist with Environment Canada-National Water Research Institute (NWRI) and as Research Associate with the Biology Department at the University of Waterloo.  Dr. Leon is a Civil Engineer with M.Sc. degree in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo.  Fields of expertise: hydrodynamics & water quality numerical modeling, watershed-lake model integration, NPS models.

http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~lfleonvi/cv_luisleon_main.pdf

Mario Giovanni MOLINA Masferrer, El Salvador

I am a Chief of Territorial Reference System of SNET (Territorial Studies National Service) in El Salvador from April, 2007. From April, 2002 to March, 2007 I was the GIS Coordinator in Territorial Reference System in SNET.

My department is in charge of the development of ICT for Early Warning Systems and Geospatial applications for Forecasting, Monitoring and Mapping of Natural Phenomena that can generate a disaster. I have worked with GIS Applications for 12 years and in  the last 7 years my interest is Geo-hazards, Risk and Vulnerability Zonation using GIS and Remote Sensing Technologies.

Education

BSc, Mathematics, University of El Salvador

MSc, Statistics Applied, University of El Salvador

Diploma, Geo-Hazards Zonation using GIS, ITC, Enschede, The Netherlands

Professional

Professor, Department of Computing, Mathematics School, University of El Salvador (1992-today)

GIS Specialist, Environment Program of El Salvador, Ministery of Agriculture and Livestock. (1995-2002)

GIS Coordinator, Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET), Ministery of Environment (2002-2007)

Chief of Territorial Reference System in SNET. (2007-today)

 Knut Erik SOLEM, Norway 

(e:mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

 Dr. Knut Erik Solem is Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He has been Member of the Boards of Directors of its Centre for Environment and Development (SMU) and of ProSus (Project Sustainable Development), financed by the Norwegian Research Council. Dr. Solem was also Member of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Ecology (IndEcol) Program at NTNU, which he helped develop, and which is the only such program in Norway. He has advised the Norwegian Government on Cabinet and departmental levels as well as private companies on strategic issues of educational competence, labor market and socio-economic change. Dr. Solem has been a member of the Environmental Information and Action Task Force for the European Environment Agency of the European Union (EU), located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Formerly Senior Advisor, Policy Development Secretariat of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada, and a senior defense scientist in the Department of National Defence (DND), he has also worked for the United Nations, at the UN Secretariat,  New York, where he participated in the planning and organizing of research and training conferences and special workshops for diplomats from developing countries, as well as deputizing for the UNITAR Director General and Assistant Secretary General in the session leading up to the creation of the United Nations University. 

Dave SWAYNE, Canada