Mohamed Aly Ahmed

Mohamed Aly Ahmed (An Egyptian scientist and writer specializing in scientific culture and simplifying science) a Professor and Head of Plant Pathology Department (formerly), Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University.
==Early life and education:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed was born in the Abdeen district of Cairo in 1948, and began his studies there until he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Sciences (plant pathology) from the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, in 1970 with an excellent grade, degree of honors, and a Master's degree in Agricultural Sciences (fungal plant pathology) from the same college in 1974, then a doctorate in agricultural sciences (fungal plant pathology) from the Department of Fungi at Georg-August-Universität von Göttingen, West Germany in 1983 through a scholarship provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - DAAD).
==His professional activity:==
Up to date, Professor Dr. Ahmed teaches courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, while constantly updating courses, developing practical lessons and exams, and providing reference books for students in the department and college library. He supervised many master and doctoral theses at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, and the Institute of Environmental Studies and Research, Ain Shams University, as well as National Research Center and Agricultural Research Center. From 1983 to 1988, he also established the first unit for Mushroom Research and Production, and a Macrofungi Herbarium in Egyptian universities, at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University. He remained the director of that unit since its founding in 1988 until its activity ceased in 2008 when he became a Professor Emeritus at the college.
==Participation in the activities of developing education, quality assurance and accreditation:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed is a member of the quality assurance unit at the college, the continuous development and qualification project for accreditation, and the committee for developing academic regulations and curricula for the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the college. He also participated in special seminars for developing education, quality and accreditation, and in the training course on designing a website on the Internet and web design course, which was organized by the German Universities of Kassel and Gottingen with Cairo University during the period from October 18-19, 2000 at the Computer Center at the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, and at the Fifth International Conference on Internet Education (Towards a Knowledge Society) ICT- Learn 2006, organized by the Human and Technology Development Foundation during the period from September 11-13, 2006, Cairo, Egypt.
==Influential role in the community:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed carries out research in accordance with the research plan of the department and college in partnership with research authorities in Egypt. He has also published written and translated books in the field of fungi, lichens, mushrooms, plant diseases, and scientific culture in general, as well as supervised postgraduate students.
He also provides applied scientific consultations in the field of commercial mushroom production, diagnoses plant diseases, and participates in providing community service through the activity of the Mushroom Research and Production Unit. In addition, he participates in the guidance convoys carried out by the college, and transferring the results of applied research, in addition to implementing and following up on the college's strategic plan. He also participated in the first national conference for Marketing University Services on 18 and 19 March 1998.
==Evaluation and arbitration of research and scientific degrees:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed participates in peer reviewing research for international journals, and reviewing scientific publications in the field of specialization. He also participated in the activities of the Tempus project (Trans-European Mobility for University Studies) to establish a new master's degree in cooperation with four European educational institutes, six Egyptian universities, and evaluation of the research of a faculty member to obtain a professorship in the specialty (plant sciences/pathology) - Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research - Al-Mustansiriya University - College of Basic Education - Scientific Promotions Committee - Republic of Iraq. He was also involved in the judging panel for the Ain Shams University Appreciation Award (2018), together with his contribution as a scientific reviewer of research publications submitted to the Assiut University Journal (2019). He was also involved in the judging panel for the research submitted to obtain the Prof. Dr. Abdel-Al Mubasher Award presented by the Prof. Dr. Abdel-Al Mubasher Center for Fungi - Assiut University (2019).
==Scientific activity in the field of fungi and mushrooms:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed was the founder and director of the Fungi Preservation and Identification Laboratory at the Microbial Resources Center (CAIRO-MIRCEN) at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University (1984–1988), in which the work was continued to identify fungal isolates received from various scientific organizations and individuals researching the field of fungi in Egypt and the Arab countries. This was under the auspices of the international organizations International Cell Research Organization (ICRO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) , and the Macrofungi Herbarium, which is the first herbarium of its kind in the Arab region (1988–2008). The herbarium aimed to inventory the types of Large fungi in Egypt and the Arab region, such as mushrooms, lichens, Truffles and others, in addition to studying their biodiversity, preserving them as a reference group, preserving genetic assets in fungal banks and protecting species that are vulnerable to extinction.
The Mushroom Research and Production Unit, which is the first research unit in the Arab region working in this field, is considered a unit of a special nature affiliated with the Center for Agricultural Studies and Consultations, Ain Shams University (1988–2008). This unit aimed to use agricultural organic waste resulting from food processing in the cultivation of some commercial types of mushrooms, which leads to protecting the environment from pollution resulting from the accumulation of these organic wastes without exploitation. The unit also supervised for the establishment of the mushroom and truffle research unit at the Desert Research Center in Cairo in 1991.
Professor Dr. Ahmed was appointed as a visiting professor to the Institute for Applied Fungi Research and Environmental Studies (Geselschaft fur Angewandte Mykologie und Umweltstudien GAMU) in Krefeld, Germany, in the period from July to September 1995, in which he visited some scientific institutes in this field, spawn production laboratories for various types of commercial mushrooms, and giant mushroom farms in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Professor Dr. Ahmed has contributed to the establishment of a modern scientific school specialized in the field of utilizing organic waste in growing mushroom fungi and producing an economic crop from them, as well as the biotransformation of these organic wastes to produce good fodder for ruminants, or using them as organic fertilizer with a good effect on plant growth that also helps them to resist diseases through joint research with the departments of Horticulture, Agricultural Microbiology, Animal Production, Biochemistry, Food Industries, and Plant Protection, in addition to the department of Plant Pathology.
Since its establishment in 1988, the Mushroom Research and Production Unit has been involved in small projects for youth and productive families, as it provided a model for a successful small project that can be implemented on a small scale and with limited capabilities for growing mushrooms. Free publications, simplified booklets, and inexpensive training courses were provided for those wishing to implement a small project. The unit also provided spawn, and made an effective contribution to marketing the mushroom product and selling it within the university. He also participated in the First Symposium on Mushroom Production and Processing in Egypt, which was organized by the Food Science and Technology Association on November 12, 1988, at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels in Cairo, by giving a lecture on how to benefit from organic waste in cultivating mushrooms.
==Activity in the cultural and intellectual field:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed was the general coordinator of the first exhibition featuring works and translators by faculty members at Ain Shams University, November 2003, and general coordinator of the Ain Shams University pavilion at the Cairo International Book Fair at the International Fairgrounds in Nasr City, January 2004, which was the first participation of Egyptian universities in the international exhibition.
Professor Dr. Ahmed has actively participated in writing in the field of scientific culture, with scientific books for the general public issued by Dar Al-Maaref and Dar Nahdet Misr, such as biological terrorism, fungi in our lives, and natural reserves in Egypt. He has a distinguished scientific contribution for scientific writing for youth (51 books), which won the Science Simplification Award from the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Cairo, Egypt, and was chosen as a member of the Writers Union to create a specialized division for scientific writing for youth at the level of the Arab world, in addition to cooperating with the Suzanne Mubarak Exploration Center for Science in producing an educational seminar to simplify science about the different types of fungi in the framework of the center's plan to provide graphic information to students at different levels of education in the year 2000.
Professor Dr. Ahmed lectured at the Suzanne Mubarak Exploratory Center for Science in the field of scientific culture for students and graduates of Egyptian universities, and in various cultural palaces in scientific seminars for the public dealing with scientific and cultural topics - Ministry of Culture (2003–2005), and he held scientific and cultural seminars periodically from 2000 to 2011, in the training course for nutrition and environmental sciences organized by the Public Service Center at Ain Shams University, with two lectures (Therapeutic Nutrition of Mushrooms) and (Mushrooms, Integrated Healthy Food) in September 2004, in addition to preparing and presenting scientific programs and lectures on Egyptian television.
Professor Dr. Ahmed also wrote scientific articles in some cultural and general magazines, for example (Wild Plants) and (Truffles are a Desert Treasure) in the Kuwaiti Al-Arabi Magazine in 1997 and 1999, and (Grow Mushrooms in Your Home) in Amoun Magazine in 2005, and (Mushrooms, cultivating a business) in Community Times magazine, and others in the agricultural newspaper, Shams Al-Agriculture magazine, and many Egyptian and Arab newspapers.
In addition, Professor Dr. Ahmed prepared and presented "Fungi Lectures" on Egyptian Television, Nile Channel for Higher Education (in 2004), which were the first lectures in the Arabic language in this field. It is considered an illustrated scientific encyclopedia in the field of fungi. This series included 15 lectures discussing the origin and development of fungi, fungal tissues and their modifications, the economic importance of fungi and their role in human life and the environment in which they live through their physiological activity. The lectures then addressed the modern classification of fungi into three kingdoms, the most important orders, families and genera, and the role of fungi in the future and well-being of humans. These lectures are broadcast periodically (available on the International Information Network).
Professor Dr. Ahmed also prepared and presented episodes of a scientific program that included some publications (Agriculture in the time of the Pharaohs - Fungi in our lives - Bioterrorism) on Al-Manara Channel for scientific research, episodes of the program (From the Verses of the Merciful), Al-Tanweer Channel, as well as episodes of the program (Knowledge Bank), Nile Channel for Higher Education. He was also a guest of the episode (Enlightenment Dialogue) on the subject of bioterrorism, Al-Enlightenment Channel, and a guest of the program (Good Evening, Egypt) for several times to discuss the commercial production of mushrooms as one of the small projects.
Professor Dr. Ahmed has written cultural/scientific articles in National Geographic magazine for youth, such as The Ancient Egyptian Farmer... who planted an ancient civilization... and reaped eternal glory, and insects... The Food of the Future, and Sobek... the Sacred Nile Crocodile, and the Sycamore... the Sacred Pharaohs Tree, the Lotus... the lily of the Nile... a symbol of purity and purity, and The Paradise of Wildlife in Ancient Egypt, and Biofuel... Food for The Poor... Fuel for The Rich, and Did The Pharaohs Build The Pyramids of Mexico?, Are Fungi Intelligent Creatures?, Natural Reserves in Egypt, and others.
==In the national field:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed participated in the research team of the national campaign to advance the maize crop at the republic level during the years 1984 and 1985 in the Gharbia Governorate, and also participated in the project on practical applications of biofertilization of modern lands using mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen non-symbiotically. The project is concerned with improving crop growth in newly reclaimed areas and the biological resistance of these crops to fungal diseases, at the Biofertilization Unit at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, from 1986 to 1988. He was the principal investigator for Project No. 266, entitled (Evaluating the effectiveness of pesticides to combat seedling death diseases, seed rot and roots in economic crops - cotton) funded by the Ministry of Pest Control Research Support Fund at the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Agriculture, during the year of 1988.
Professor Dr. Ahmed also participated in teaching in the training course on food microbiology and quality control organized by the Center for Microbial Wealth (CAIRO MIRCEN) at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, under the supervision of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Regional Office for Science and Technology in the Arab Region (ROSTAS), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), by giving lectures and practical lessons on the most important types of fungi in foods [in the first session (7-20 November, 1987) and the second session (12-25 November, 1988)]. Another contribution was in the training course for integrated systems for utilizing organic waste, which was held at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in the period from 29 October to 2 November 1988, by giving two lectures on the use of organic waste in the cultivation of oyster mushrooms in Egypt and protecting mushroom farms from microbial contamination.
Professor Dr. Ahmed also worked as a scientific advisor for mushroom production at the Comet Agricultural Consulting Company, as this provided job opportunities for new graduates and productive families, especially in modern societies, through a small project approved by the Academy of Scientific Research, from 1988 until 2001. He also participated in the training program at the Youth Graduates Training Center to rehabilitate them to work in small production projects at the Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, during the years of 1994 and 1995.
==Membership of scientific committees:==
Professor Dr. Ahmed is a member of the Specialized Advisory Committee (Agricultural Studies) to fill the positions of professors and assistant professors, Supreme Council of Universities, Ministry of Higher Education (2008–2011), member of the Egyptian Plant Pathology Society, the Natural Toxicology Society, and the Committee for Preparing the Developed Curricula for the Biology Course for Agricultural Education Ministry of Education, Egypt (2002 to date), and the Committee on Encyclopedias and Simple Scientific Books. He was also a member of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Cairo (2007–2009), member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Arab Publishing and Distribution House, Cairo, and the National Committee for Microbiology (2004–2009). Currently, he is a member in the Egyptian Writers Union (2006 to date). He also works as an expert at the Arabic Language Academy (2017 up date).
Professor Dr. Ahmed was the scientific advisor to the Arabic edition of the American magazine National Geographic for Youth; a monthly scientific magazine for youth issued by Nahdet Misr Press and Media Company with a license from the American National Geographic Society (2004–2016). The magazine specializes in disseminating culture and scientific research in the fields of geography and natural sciences. It also focuses in advocating for environmental preservation and raising awareness of ancient and contemporary human culture around the world.
== In the literature field ==
Professor Dr. Ahmed published and translated many highly awarded books and series among the world.
Publications and translations by Professor Dr. Mohamed Aly Ahmed
Number	Title 	Publisher 	Date
1 	Scientific Encyclopedia of Mushrooms - 4 parts (1200 pages).
* Wild Mushrooms and Truffles.
* Cultivation of Mushrooms.
* Cooked Mushrooms and Their Nutritional and Medicinal Value.
* Practical Exercises for Cultivating Commercial Species.
* |Arab House for Publishing and Distribution	1995 	
2 	World of Fungi (907 pages). 	Arab House for Publishing and Distribution 	1998
3 	Mushrooms and its Magic World (271 pages) 	Dar Almaearif 	1998
4 	Industrial Mycology (jointly) (624 pages). 	Arab House for Publishing and Distribution 	1999
5 	Fungi in Our Lives (The Scientific Knowledge Book Series) (164 pages). 	Dar Almaearif 	1999
6 	Scientific Tales Series (8 Books):
* The Microscope and Seeing the Hidden World
* The Return of Cattle Egret , the Return to Nature
* The Guardians of the Environment
* Carnivorous Plants
* Insects whose profession is agriculture
* The Mushroom Grove
* The Sun Runs the Machines
* Did the Pharaohs Build the Pyramids of Mexico?
* |Dar Almaearif
(Winner of Science Simplification Award - Academy of Scientific Research and Technology)	1998- 2000 	
7 	Agriculture in the Days of the Pharaohs (Read series) (171 pages). 	Dar Almaearif 	2000
8 	Dictionary of The Fungal Terminology (476 pages). 	Academic library 	2001
9 	Protected Agriculture Technology (jointly) (270 pages). 	Free Education - Faculty of Agriculture - Ain Shams University	2001
10 	Bioterrorism. . An imminent Danger Threatening Humanity (173 pages). 	Dar Nahdet Misr 	2001
11 	Nature of Life (Series of 6 books):
* Honey bees
* Mushrooms
* Sunflowers
* Frogs
* Pigeons
* Whales. 	Dar Nahdet Misr 	2001
12 	Series What do you know about? - (9 books)
* Diseased Plants
* Intelligent Plants
* Animal Language
* Flightless Birds
* Ocean Water Cultivation
* Life in Space
* Genetically Modified Foods
* Secrets of Luminous Beings
* Disguise and Disappearance in The Living World.
* |Dar Almaearif
(Winner of Science Simplification Award - Academy of Scientific Research and Technology)	2000- 2003 	
13 	Plant Diseases - for the third grade of agricultural vocational secondary schools (233 pages). 	The Ministry of Education 	2002
14 	The Encyclopedia of Living Organisms (Series of 4 books):
* Kingdoms of Monera and Protista
* Kingdom of Fungi
* Kingdom of Plants
* Kingdom of Animals.
* |Dar Almaearif 	2003 	
15 	Strange Creatures (Series of 6 books):
* Beetles, the Miracle of Insects
* The Mysterious World of Microbes
* Migratory Birds
* Flying and Electric Fishes
* The Social Life of Insects
* The Wonders of Flowers.
* |Dar Nahdet Misr	2004 	
16 	Translation of Encyclopedia of the Wonderful World of Knowledge - Insects and Spiders - Written by: Anita Jannery - Illustrated by: Jim Chanel - Licensed by Disney International	Nahdet Misr Company for Printing, Publishing and Distribution 	2005
17 	Journey on Paper (Series of 6 books) - (Winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award - Children's Literature Branch for the year (2007):
* Madurodam, the City of Dwarves
* The Valley of the Ants
* The Kingdom of Fungi
* The Red Planet
* Vampire Bats
* The Bottom of the Ocean.	Arab House Bookshop 	2006
18 	Introduction to Lichenology (jointly) (525 pages). 	Osiris Library for Publishing and Distribution 	2006
19 	Natural Reserves in Egypt (68 pages). 	Dar Nahdet Misr 	2006
20 	Natural Reserves in Egypt (68 pages). 	Family library 	2007
21 	Science and Technology Series - Bioterrorism is an imminent threat to humanity. (Special edition for the family library). 	Family library 	2007
22 	Journey on Paper (Series of 6 books) (special edition for the Family Library) –
* Madurodam, the City of Dwarves
* The Valley of the Ants
* The Kingdom of Fungi
* The Red Planet
* Vampire Bats
* The Bottom of the Ocean
* |Family library	2007 	
23 	Translating Your Environment Series (Aladdin Books Ltd, UK) - (6 books)
* Future Energy
* Pollution
* Recycling
* Genetically Modified Foods
* Global Warming
* Wildlife In Danger
* |Nahdet Misr Company for Printing, Publishing and Distribution	2009 	
24 	Fundamentals of Plant Diseases - (jointly) (280 pages). 	Free Education - Faculty of Agriculture - Ain Shams University	2009
25 	Translation of The Scientist as Rebel by Freeman Dyson (New York Reference Collection). 	Kalima Foundation - Abu Dhabi 	2010
26 	Translation of the series (Science of Life: An In-depth Look) - Publisher: Harcourt Education Ltd. United kingdom. (4 books)
* Food. From Where? and For Whom? (Nutrition Relationships) - Authored by Anne Folk
* Cells: A Society Without Idleness (Cells and Their Functions) - Authored by Sally Morgan
* Life to Compete or to Conform (adaptation and competition) - authored by Anne Folk
* Life .. its Color is Green (Green Plants) - authored by Sally Morgan
* |Aldaar Almisria Allubnania	2012 	
27 	Phytopathogenic fungi (500 pages). 	Almaktab Aleurbaa Lilmaearif 	2013
28 	Mycology (jointly) (1200 pages). 	Almaktab Aleurbaa Lilmaearif 	2015
29 	Classification of Fungi Based on Molecular Biology (860 pages). 	Almaktab Aleurbaa Lilmaearif 	2017
30 	Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Fungal Terminology (1200 pages). 	Almaktab Aleurbaa Lilmaearif 	2021
31 	Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Agricultural Terminology (1240 pages). 	Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo 	2022
32 	Introductory mushroomology (1080 pages). 	Arab Knowledge Bureau 	2024
==Scientific appreciations and recognitions==
1. Professor Dr. Ahmed was awarded "The Sciences Popularization Prize" for the year 2000, which was granted by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt in recognition for his publications on simplifying science for youth, published by Dar Al-Maaref in Cairo with the title "A Scientific Stories, and What Do You Know About?".
2. He has also received "The Sheikh Zayed Book Award", Children's Literature Branch for the year 2007, which was awarded by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Abu Dhabi for the "Journey on Paper" series issued by the Arab Book House library. The reasons for granting the award were "Because of its scientific accuracy in formulating information and educational methodology in the way it is presented, formulated and arranged, taking into account the precise artistic framework that employs scientific images appropriate to the context of information and ideas, which helps to shape the mentality of the Arab child and develop his aesthetic taste."
3. He was chosen as one of the pivotal figures influencing the progress of the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, during the university's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2018.
4. He was honored for his scientific excellence, journey of giving, and publications in the field of fungi during the Third International Conference on Basic and Applied Mycology - Professor Dr. Abdel-Al Mubasher Center for Mycology, Assiut University, in March 2019.
==Website external links==
# Fungi lectures – 15 lectures (Nile Channel for Higher Education)
# Lectures on plant pathogens - plant pathogenic fungi (Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University)
# Enlightenment Dialogue (Enlightenment Channel)
# Good evening, Egypt (Channel One - Egyptian TV)
# Biography (The path of a thousand miles begins with a single step)
# Fungi in our lives
# Agriculture in the Days of the Pharaohs (Al-Manara Channel)
# Fungi in our Lives (Al-Manara Channel)
# Life in Your Hands program (Nile Channel for Higher Education)
# Sheikh Zayed Book Award Distribution Ceremony (Abu Dhabi TV)
# Article and book program (Nile Channel for Higher Education)
# Lecture on Fungi in Our Lives (Parts One and Two)
# National Geographic Magazine Photography Competition Awards Ceremony
# Knowledge Bank - Ocean Water Cultivation (Nile Canal for Higher Education)
Category:Professors
Category:Ain Shams University alumni
Category:People from Cairo
Category:1948 births
Category:Egyptian people