Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - U.S. Ambassador Stuart Jones hosted a reception yesterday to honor Elham Zeadat Aranki, one of thirteen Arab scientists selected for the 2013 U.S Department of State’s Women in Science Hall of Fame program. Honored guests from government, academia, civil society, and students interested in science and technology attended the ceremony.

After graduating from Jordan University, Engineer Elham Zeadat Aranki worked for eight years as a standards engineer at Jordan’s Institution for Standards and Meteorology. With a loan of 10,000 Jordanian dinars and her knowledge of chemistry, Ms. Zeadat started Bloom Dead Sea Gift Enterprise in 1995 by developing two products. Since then, she has created 162 products that are exported to 42 countries. In addition to 40 some employees in her Amman factory, she has contracted over 300 rural families throughout Jordan to make packages for Bloom products in their homes to be packaged later at the company .

The Environment, Science, Technology and Health Regional Office at the U. S. Embassy in Amman launched the program in 2010 to honor outstanding female scientists throughout the Middle East and North Africa. To date, 39 Arab women from a variety of scientific disciplines have been selected for their professional accomplishments and ability to motivate and inspire young women to pursue scientific careers.

Prior Jordanian Women in Science Hall of Fame honorees include: Assistant Director Reem Hamdan, an electrical engineer with Electric Distribution Company – 2011; and Dr. Wejdan Abu Al-Haija, the Dean of the King Abdullah II School of Engineering at Princess Sumaya University for Science and Technology - 2012.

For additional information on the Women in Science Hall of Fame program, you can contact abulabanym@state.gov and demarsce1@state.gov or visit the U.S. Embassy in Jordan’s web page at http://jordan.usembassy.gov/wshf_2013.html.