Abed Ayyad: Biophotonics

I’ve come to the UAE to shamelessly talk about biophotonics.

(Abed Ayyad, TEDxDubai 10.10.09)

Notes from the Talk:

What is biophotonics?

“A conflation of physics and cellular biology… It is about providing certainty via light.” Or as Wikipedia puts it:

The term biophotonics denotes a combination of biology and photonics, with photonics being the science and technology of generation, manipulation, and detection of photons, quantum units of light. Photonics is related to electronics in that it is believed that photons will play a similar central role in future information technology as electrons do today.

So what?

• Biophotonics is helping us find innovative ways at understanding and attacking disease. (Think “bespoke medicine”.)

Why the UAE?

• "Arab countries need to invest in scientific development".
• Biophotonics is still new enough that we can make really crucial advances. It is new, interdisciplinary and interesting.
• “Our own traditions, have prepared us to accept innovation in science”.

Call to action:

• “We must strategically encourage science!”

Thank Ayyad! To science!

Anna

Official Blogger/Tweeter TEDxDubai