Benjamin Plackett
Since 2013, Benjamin has been travelling to the Arab world to tell stories of science and research, sometimes in recent post-conflict zones. He’s met researchers, who at great personal risk, hurriedly buried their expensive lab equipment as ISIS approached Mosul and he’s interviewed university administrators attempting to rebuild the region’s answer to Oxbridge even as terrorist attacks continue to threaten the campus. His work has been published by Scientific American, Associated Press, CNN, and Engadget amongst others. He has an M.A. in journalism from New York University and a B.Sci. in biology from Imperial College, London.
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News & Reports
Academy Awards Fellowships For Improving Teaching
A new fellowship program introduces Arab teachers to best practices, and to each other.
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News & Reports
Exiled Syrian Engineer Designs Wheelchair Upgrade
After escaping war in Syria, Tarek Kasmieh used his research grant to design a kit for motorizing wheelchairs.
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News & Reports
Researcher Suggests a Way to Protect Refugees’ Babies From Stress
A Syrian scientist in California is working to improve mental-health outcomes for babies born during wartime.
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News & Reports
Young Researchers’ Funding Struggles Magnified in the Arab World
A recent study of the difficulties young U.S. researchers face echoes in the Middle East—but the story is slightly different.
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Tips & Resources
Learning the Right Language is Key for Refugees
For Syrian refugee students, the choice of which language to learn is key, and not always obvious, says a new…
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News & Reports
An Egyptian’s Quest to Customize Cancer Research
Few treatments are developed specifically with the Arab world’s genetics in mind. But Lobna Mourad wants to change that.
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News & Reports
Lebanese American University’s Unique Perch in New York
The university increases its reach in the West while keeping things simple.
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News & Reports
Arab-World Archaeologists Must Avoid Disturbing Islamic Graves
Genetic analysis on skeletons of humans who died since the birth of Islam is almost nonexistent.
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News & Reports
New Research Path Offers Hope For Gulf’s Coral Reefs
Genetics research could help the region’s struggling coral reefs to fight back.
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News & Reports
Arab Researchers Dive into “Big Data”
Data science research is booming in the region, bringing both business solutions and a much-needed source of employment.
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