The first conference of the Kamal A. Shair Central Research Science Laboratory (KAS CRSL) was held at AUB on Thursday, June 17 2010.
Convened by KAS CRSL Chairman Yousef Mouneimne, the event was held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the lab, which serves AUB students, encouraging research on all applied sciences at the University.
The conference was held at Charles Hostler Auditorium at AUB's campus.
In 2007, the lab was dedicated in the name of late Kamal A. Shair in recognition of a financial donation granted by Shair to the facility.
During the first session of the conference, Professor Mouneimne said that AUB was planning to expand the core lab so that it would accommodate more equipment and researchers.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Patrick McGreevy said that KAS CRSL has set an example for other universities in pooling resources and using them strategically.
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Dean Ibrahim Hajj paid tribute to Kamal Shair, who was also a member of AUB's board of trustees, for the support he provided to the core lab.
He also noted that AUB will recruit more researchers in KAS CRSL.
Dr. Ali Bazarbachi, the associate dean for basic science research at the Faculty of Medicine Ali Bazarbachi, noted that research was a priority for the faculty.
He outlined a number of achievements by the Faculty of Medicine including the establishment of a regulatory internal structure for biomedical sciences, institutional animal care in addition to a renovation project which will transform Diana Tamari Sabbagh Building into a collection of "centers of research excellence" in the few coming years.
Following the introductory speeches, a number of research studies in various scientific fields were highlighted.
For instance, Dr Hala Gali-Muhtasib, from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, discussed the results of her research on Thymoquinone from the black seed plant, which has shown a promising role in the treatment of colon cancer.
Later an award was distributed to the best researcher.
