Ammon News -
AMMONNEWS - U.S. Ambassador Stuart Jones honored Jordan’s recipient, Dr. Wejdan Abu-Elhaija, one of twelve scientists selected from the Middle East North Africa region for the 2012 U.S. Department of State’s Women in Science Hall of Fame program, at a reception in his residence on Tuesday, June 12. HRH Princess Sumaya and other honored guests from the government, academia, and civil society along with high school and college students interested in science and technology attended the ceremony.

The Environment, Science, Technology and Health Regional Office at the U. S. Embassy in Amman launched the program in 2010 to honor outstanding Arab female scientists throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Twelve women from a variety of scientific disciplines were selected for their professional accomplishments and ability to motivate and inspire young women to pursue scientific careers.

Dr. Wejdan Abu-Elhaija is the Dean of the King Abdullah II School, Princess Sumaya University for Science and Technology. She was the valedictorian of her electrical engineering class at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, and earned her PhD in Electrical Machines from Queen’s University of Belfast. Dr. Wejdan won several awards for her research, including the Hisham Adeeb Hijjawi Applied Science Award in 2004 and the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau Award for the Best Design Model in 2008. The University of Jordan Center for Women's Studies gave her the Award for Academic Women Leaders in 2007. Dr. Wejdan is the first female Dean of Engineering in any university in Jordan.

The 2011 Women in Science Hall of Fame honoree from Jordan was Electric Distribution Company Assistant Director Reem Hamdan, an electrical engineer.

For additional information on the Women in Science Hall of Fame program, you can contact AbulabanYM@state.gov and demarsce@state.gov or visit the U.S. Embassy in Jordan’s web page at http://jordan.usembassy.gov/wshf.html