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The seventh World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ) will officially open this morning, with a keynote speech by the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Ahmed Zewail at Qatar Foundation.
Initially scheduled to be hosted in Cairo, the conference (WCSJ) is being held in Qatar following events in Egypt earlier this year.
The conference has been described as "historic," for a number of reasons. It is the first time the event has been brought to the Middle East, and it is being hosted at a time of great political significance for the region.
It will also be the first edition of the conference at which the majority of participants come from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Zewail, the Linus Pauling Chair of Chemistry and Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology, will open the conference alongside other officials including the president of Qatar Foundation, Mohamed Fathy Saoud, the executive chairman of the Qatar Science and Technology Park, Tidu Maini and the minister counselor for the Egyptian Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology, Abdelhalim el-Zoheiry.
Hundreds of participants have arrived in Qatar to take part in workshops, panel discussions and other events, representing some 80 nationalities.
Zewail said: "Media and science have a huge responsibility toward society, and I am pleased that this conference in Doha comes at a historic time -- the so-called Arab Spring. A new era for progress through the quest for and dissemination of knowledge is now within reach."
The conference is jointly organised by the Arab Science Journalists Association and the United States' National Association of Science Writers.
Yesterday, pre-conference workshops included sessions on ‘reporting climate change and biodiversity,' ‘the digital storyteller,' ‘implementing a science journalism curriculum' and ‘cancer: the role of journalists in informing attitudes and beliefs.'
Tomorrow, following Zewail's keynote speech, the conference will include a plenary session on ‘unveiling Arab science,' as well as sessions focused on underground epidemics, malaria, bioethics in the media and a session entitled ‘Energy, water and food nexus,' by the Qatar National Food Security Programme, among others.
The European School of Oncology will also sponsor a session on the role of journalists in placing cancer on the global health agenda and breaking the stigma surrounding patients and their families.
"The session will be particularly relevant for reporters in Qatar, following the launch of the country's comprehensive National Cancer Strategy last month," said a spokesperson for Qatar Foundation.
The conference concludes on Wednesday evening with a session on ‘Journalism and democracy in the Arab world.'
"The decision to invite conference organisers to hold the WCSJ in Doha, reflects Qatar's national vision for fostering a science and research culture in the Arab world, thus marking a significant occasion for Qatar Foundation," said the spokesperson.
"Qatar Foundation is leading the nation's drive to become a knowledge-based economy through building capacity for critical thinking and innovation," he added.