U.S.-ARAB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUPPORTS “ISLAMIC SCIENCE REDISCOVERED” EXHIBITION IN CALIFORNIA
Traveling Exhibition Makes First Appearance on
West Coast at San Jose Tech Museum
The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) today welcomed to Silicon Valley the "Islamic Science Rediscovered" exhibition, an award-winning touring exhibition that celebrates the golden age of scientific discovery in the Islamic world. The Chamber, in cooperation with the San Jose Tech Museum and MTE Studios -- founders and designers of "Islamic Science Rediscovered" -- co-hosted a V.I.P. reception for local leaders in recognition of the September 3 opening of the exhibition.
"From a business perspective, this exhibit highlights the critical role of innovation, and it is fitting that the exhibition should open here in Silicon Valley, the heart of technological innovation in the United States," noted David Hamod, the Chamber's President & CEO. "This event sends a powerful message about the groundbreaking contributions of Muslim scholars and inventors to civilization and society. That constructive message is particularly poignant today, as we near the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11 -- the single most disruptive event in the history of U.S.-Arab relations.”
That point was reinforced by Ann Bowers, Chairwoman of the Board of The Tech Museum in San Jose, California, the first stop on the West Coast for the touring exhibition. "I know, for many of us, this culture and civilization is all too unfamiliar ... It is in that spirit that we invite you, indeed encourage you, to journey with us as we re-examine history, celebrate the contributions of Muslim scholars to science and technology, and acknowledge the influence of their discoveries and inventions on contemporary society."
Through highly interactive and sensory exhibits divided among 40 stations, the exhibition brings to life remarkable inventions from the golden age of Islamic science, a thousand-year period stretching from the eighth century to the eighteenth century. The exhibition covers the main fields of Islamic scientific endeavor, including architecture, arts, astronomy, engineering, exploration, flight, mathematics, medicine, optics and water control.
Designed to unearth the scientific know-how of an Islamic Golden Age that is unfamiliar to Western culture, "Islamic Science Rediscovered" demystifies this world-class civilization and introduces visitors to the vast influence of its discoveries and inventions on contemporary society. Many discoveries and inventions emanating from the Muslim world predate by years, sometimes by centuries, discoveries that are typically thought to be developed in the West.
A thousand years before Orville and Wilbur Wright took flight, for example, Abbas ibn Farnas was soaring over the hilly Andalusian countryside in a one-man glider. In the same spirit, Al-Jazari in the year 1206 helped to lay the foundations of modern engineering and writing with his Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. In that tome, he described fifty mechanical devices, along with instructions on how to build them, more than 200 years before Leonardo da Vinci became revered for comparable technological ingenuity.
Modern engineering is indebted to Muslim inventors for many technologies, such as segmental gears, the crankshaft, and the float valve.
As part of "Islamic Science Rediscovered," The Tech Museum will host six lectures that help to serve as a bridge between ancient Arabia and contemporary society. For example, one lecture will focus on the birth of algebra, which was established as a mathematical discipline by Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi in the ninth century, while another lecture will explore the influence of weaving and carpet looms on the development of computers. One of the more provocative lectures, entitled "Stereotyping Muslims: Myths and the Media," will take place on November 13.
"Islamic Science Rediscovered" premiered at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, and it was then hosted by the Ontario Science Centre and The TELUS World of Science in Canada. It is scheduled to showcase at The Tech Museum from September 3 until the end of February 2012.
Ludo Verheyen, founder and CEO of MTE Studios -- based in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates -- was on hand for the San Jose launch. "MTE Studios is honored to be working with such an accomplished and esteemed venue," he said. "The Tech Museum is perfectly located to maximize visitor numbers to the exhibition. We are also very grateful to the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce for its strong, consistent support of this exhibition."
Verheyen concluded, "The exhibition has drawn record crowds at previous venues, allowing visitors to understand how a great civilization created prosperity all the way from Spain to China. We are delighted to take this exhibit to the West Coast of the United States, and we look forward to the day, very soon, when the exhibition may travel to museums and science centers across the globe."
"From a business perspective, this exhibit highlights the critical role of innovation, and it is fitting that the exhibition should open here in Silicon Valley, the heart of technological innovation in the United States," noted David Hamod, the Chamber's President & CEO. "This event sends a powerful message about the groundbreaking contributions of Muslim scholars and inventors to civilization and society. That constructive message is particularly poignant today, as we near the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11 -- the single most disruptive event in the history of U.S.-Arab relations.”
That point was reinforced by Ann Bowers, Chairwoman of the Board of The Tech Museum in San Jose, California, the first stop on the West Coast for the touring exhibition. "I know, for many of us, this culture and civilization is all too unfamiliar ... It is in that spirit that we invite you, indeed encourage you, to journey with us as we re-examine history, celebrate the contributions of Muslim scholars to science and technology, and acknowledge the influence of their discoveries and inventions on contemporary society."
Through highly interactive and sensory exhibits divided among 40 stations, the exhibition brings to life remarkable inventions from the golden age of Islamic science, a thousand-year period stretching from the eighth century to the eighteenth century. The exhibition covers the main fields of Islamic scientific endeavor, including architecture, arts, astronomy, engineering, exploration, flight, mathematics, medicine, optics and water control.
Designed to unearth the scientific know-how of an Islamic Golden Age that is unfamiliar to Western culture, "Islamic Science Rediscovered" demystifies this world-class civilization and introduces visitors to the vast influence of its discoveries and inventions on contemporary society. Many discoveries and inventions emanating from the Muslim world predate by years, sometimes by centuries, discoveries that are typically thought to be developed in the West.
A thousand years before Orville and Wilbur Wright took flight, for example, Abbas ibn Farnas was soaring over the hilly Andalusian countryside in a one-man glider. In the same spirit, Al-Jazari in the year 1206 helped to lay the foundations of modern engineering and writing with his Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. In that tome, he described fifty mechanical devices, along with instructions on how to build them, more than 200 years before Leonardo da Vinci became revered for comparable technological ingenuity.
Modern engineering is indebted to Muslim inventors for many technologies, such as segmental gears, the crankshaft, and the float valve.
As part of "Islamic Science Rediscovered," The Tech Museum will host six lectures that help to serve as a bridge between ancient Arabia and contemporary society. For example, one lecture will focus on the birth of algebra, which was established as a mathematical discipline by Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi in the ninth century, while another lecture will explore the influence of weaving and carpet looms on the development of computers. One of the more provocative lectures, entitled "Stereotyping Muslims: Myths and the Media," will take place on November 13.
"Islamic Science Rediscovered" premiered at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, and it was then hosted by the Ontario Science Centre and The TELUS World of Science in Canada. It is scheduled to showcase at The Tech Museum from September 3 until the end of February 2012.
Ludo Verheyen, founder and CEO of MTE Studios -- based in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates -- was on hand for the San Jose launch. "MTE Studios is honored to be working with such an accomplished and esteemed venue," he said. "The Tech Museum is perfectly located to maximize visitor numbers to the exhibition. We are also very grateful to the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce for its strong, consistent support of this exhibition."
Verheyen concluded, "The exhibition has drawn record crowds at previous venues, allowing visitors to understand how a great civilization created prosperity all the way from Spain to China. We are delighted to take this exhibit to the West Coast of the United States, and we look forward to the day, very soon, when the exhibition may travel to museums and science centers across the globe."
