- What are the departments of the Institute of Environmental Studies and Research, Ain Shams University?

The Institute of Environmental Studies and Research is one of the specialized institutes in the graduate studies in the field of environment. It has seven sections, each department represents a faculty in specialization.

The Institute's departments include:

Department of Environmental Humanities, Educational Sciences and Environmental Information, Environmental Economic, Legal and Administrative Sciences, Basic Environmental Sciences, Applied Environmental Sciences, Environmental Engineering Sciences and Department of Environmental and Agricultural Sciences.

He added that these departments award the postgraduate degree, diploma, master's and doctorate in environmental sciences.

- What are the most important features of the Institute compared to other faculties at the university?

What distinguishes the Institute of Environmental Studies and Research is to link it with any scientific specialization with the environmental aspects, noting that the Institute requires the researcher to accept the study that the research topic is integrated from all dimensions, to solve the problem or the scientific issue to serve the scientific cause, and therefore the use of professors of different scientific disciplines.

- Does the Institute offer training courses or grants in the field of the environment other than scientific degrees?

Yes, the Institute organizes environmental assessment courses for the projects. These courses have been organized since the 1980s and are organized periodically each semester. The master researcher is subject to the B level. The PhD student receives a C level course, which usually deals with national projects and issues. He added that the Institute of Environmental Studies and Research is distinguished at this course, pointing out that there are professors from universities and research centers are different Institute to get them.

Al-Qassas pointed out that there is a training course in integrated environmental management, which is obtained by a graduate of any faculty and lasts for one month before joining the institute, and includes all disciplines. Based on the scientific grades obtained by the student, the specialization will be determined and discussed.

- How many students are enrolled in the Institute?

The institute has 200 graduate students divided into seven departments, but the Department of Economics, Law and Administration is the largest in terms of number of students, because it includes three different disciplines, and there are many students in the various scientific disciplines at the Institute.

- Is there a specific number of students accepted every semester?

Typically, 7-10 PhD students are accepted in each department, and in the Masters, 15- 20 researchers are accepted in each department.

- What is the extent of your cooperation with the ministries, agencies and research centers?

One of the prerequisites for admitting a student to the Institute is to work in (company, ministry, etc.), and must include in his papers the approval of the employer on the research project to be studied, and in this way we communicate with the different parties.

- Is there any mechanism for communication between you and graduates and environmental scientists in Egypt in general?

Since 1984, the first batch of students and researchers has been graduated. We are now preparing to establish an association of graduates of environmental institutes in Egypt and the Arab countries, which will be announced soon. The aim of this association is to develop a network of researchers between different researchers and to establish a mechanism of communication between these institutes and graduates.

- Since 1984, a long history of giving to the Institute, is the Institute of Environmental Studies and Research Ain Shams University the first specialized institute in Egypt?

The Institute was established since 1981 and is the first institute in the Middle East. There was a similar institute of the same name at the University of Khartoum in Sudan, but the Khartoum Institute at that time awarded only a master's degree while the Institute of Environmental Studies and Research - Ain Shams University awarded the master's and doctorate degrees.

He added that the Institute contributed to the development of regulations for all environmental institutes of almost all Egyptian universities at the time of its establishment, as the Institute of Environmental Studies and Research - Ain Shams University has sufficient experience in this field.

- What about the Environmental Consultancy and Research Center?

The Center for Environmental Consultancy and Research comprises various units concerned with environmental studies that can take place in Egypt or in any Arab country. The Center has important contributions in some Arab countries such as Kuwait, in addition to our work in Egypt.

He explained that the Center has important contributions through the studies of environmental assessment of projects, whether national projects, tourist villages, medicines, pesticides, etc., adding that the Institute had the final decision in several important projects in Egypt.

Do you have cooperation with other countries?

Yes, we cooperate with several other countries such as China, Germany, Austria, Azerbaijan and others through memorandums of understanding in the fields of environment, food security and climate change.

- A mini workshop was held between you and Dr. Ahmed Al-Sawy, a professor of engineering abroad, what are the most important aspects that have been addressed?

We had a previous experience before the meeting of the Association of Scientists in America and Canada, where we were able to produce the biodiesel from some oily plants using the treated sewage, and the use of biodiesel on some equipment and we were able to know the gases produced when used on machines and also to measure the efficiency of these machines when used.

During the meeting with Dr. Ahmed Al-Sawy, they discussed how to produce biodiesel through the root plant. He also referred to the mechanisms of agriculture without soil using sensitive measurements to measure the specific needs of the plant.

- What is the extent of your interest and scientific conferences in the field of the environment?

There is a great interest of the Institute in conferences and influential workshops. Workshops and conferences related to sustainable development have been held in Egypt. During the coming year, an international conference on sustainable development and the challenges facing development will be held in Egypt, through which the mechanisms of linking graduate studies and scientific missions abroad to the issues of society will be discussed.