Syria’s Shrinking Academic Portfolio AND The World’s Sinking Groundwater Stock

Syrian neuropharmacologist, Amal Alachkar, on a temporary appointment at U.C. Irvine takes up how the Syrian academic and scientific infrastructures is at risk amidst Syria's nearly 3 year old civil war. Her appointment is made possible by the Scholar Rescue Fund. Other sources worthy of listeners' support include: the Syrian Organization for Relief and International Awareness Inc. (Facebook page SORIA), and the Syrian American Medical Society. Returning to Ask A Leader, is James Famiglietti, earth sciences engineer and professor at UCI. Accompanying him are Jamiat Nanteza and Sasha Richey, veritable rock stars and doctoral candidates, who address international water security issues from persistent and deepening groundwater depletion. All three consider their research in Eastern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia with the advanced technology available through the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (G.R.A.C.E.) satellite system that locates and measures ground water depletion globally. The Pentagon's highly secure Office of Net Assessment is also paying attention to these trends.