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
Peace Engineering, a Budding New Discipline, May Spread to the Middle East
The emerging field encourages engineers to think about how technology and plans for rebuilding cities could contribute to—or hinder—peace and…
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News & Reports
Researcher in Oman: Why Do So Many Postmenopausal Women Die of Heart Disease?
Women are much more likely to die of heart disease after menopause. A researcher in Oman wants to help find…
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News & Reports
Anorexia in the Middle East Is an Overlooked Problem, Say Researchers
Anorexia and other eating disorders in the Middle East need more academic study, medical and media attention, experts say.
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U.A.E. Researcher Joins Quest for Heat-Resistant Vaccines
Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi are trying to create vaccines that don’t need to be refrigerated—an important quality…
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Researchers in Oman Attack the Global Food-Waste Problem
Food waste is clogging up landfills in Oman, so the government has turned to researchers in search of an alternative.
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News & Reports
A Liberals Arts Approach to the Refugee Education Challenge
A Jesuit charity and university team up to offer a diploma that can be a steppingstone to a bachelor’s degree,…
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Iraqi Researchers Use Art to Help Sexual-Violence Survivors
In a region with a psychiatrist shortage, nonexperts are called on to help refugees cope with psychological trauma. Art therapy…
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Iraqi Laboratory Engineers Better Crops for Farmers
A researcher at the University of Duhok is experimenting with growing plants in controlled conditions to provide plants to farmers…
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The Cradle of Humankind Could Be in North, Not East Africa
New discoveries of fossils in North Africa and evidence of prehistoric butchery make experts rethink the story of human evolution.
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Geologists Search for Clues to Dinosaurs’ Extinction
In Iraq, researchers hope to find rock layers that yield an understanding of how and why life came back after…
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