SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Syed Anwar Hashsham, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was among 10 Michigan State University faculty members to receive a Distinguished Faculty Award at the annual MSU Awards Convocation recently. The award recognizes a comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence in research and/or creative activities, instruction, and outreach. Hashsham is internationally known for integrating genomics and microfluidics with consumer electronics to solve issues related to human health and environmental biotechnology. His research includes the development of DNA chips to fast test for the Superbug MRSA, the development of a hand-held platform for genetic analysis, and environmental biotechnology. His early work on how microbial communities behave when faced with stress is seminal for environmental engineers working to describe community behavior in quantitative terms.— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Muslim Media Network

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has come under fire for skipping the 67th session of the UN General Assembly to attend a private ceremony where he received an award from a Jewish-sponsored organization.

Passing up the opportunity to address the General Assembly, Harper chose to receive the New York-based Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF) award from former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Thursday.

The Canadian official seized the opportunity to level criticism at the UN and accused its members of using the world body as a “forum to single out Israel for criticism.”

Harper further added that the policies of the Israeli regime are not to blame for “the pathologies present in that part of the world,” while reaffirming Canada’s support for Tel Aviv.

However, the Canadian prime minister’s decision not to speak at the opening of the General Assembly drew harsh criticism in Canada from opposition leaders, who called the move “absolutely ridiculous.”

“I think the message is that Canada, that the Harper government doesn’t care about the United Nations,” said Bob Rae, the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

This is the second consecutive year that Harper has shunned the UN event, preferring to send Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird in his place.

Many in Canada are concerned about Harper’s conservative policies as he is also accused of locking his government behind a wall of secrecy, defunding democratic institutions and giving away Canada’s sovereignty to the UK and the Israeli regime.— www.shafaqna.com/English

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Mississauga resident Dr. Farhan M. Asrar has been recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for his leadership skills.

Dr. Asrar, the chief resident medical doctor with McMaster University’s Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine program, has been announced as the winner of the college’s 2012 Leadership Award.

The national award is given to a resident medical doctor that “has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills during their residency training, has encouraged the development of future leaders in medicine and has shown strong role modeling and mentorship ability among his peers.”

The award adds to a long list of achievements for Dr. Asrar. In 2010, he was awarded an international scholarship to pursue a renowned space studies program, sponsored in part by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.

The following year the space studies program named him the Emerging Chair of the Department of Space Life Sciences and Space Medicine, inviting him to Graz, Austria to teach space medicine to participants from over 15 countries.

And earlier this year, he received the McMaster University’s 2012 Quality Assurance prize.

The 32-year old doctor is also actively involved in the Muslim community and is frequently invited as a guest speaker at various events. He initiated one of the most successful ongoing student volunteer fundraising initiatives in North America. The University of Toronto-based programme helps students sponsor orphans from around the world. To date, the programme has raised over $350,000 in charity, and has been successfully replicated in around a dozen universities and schools in North America.—www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Muslim Link