About the Author: Ambassador David T. Killion serves as U.S. Permanent Representative to UNESCO.

Next week I am going to a meeting in Switzerland for SESAME, which I happen to think is the most exciting and revolutionary scientific undertaking that practically nobody outside of the scientific community has ever heard of.

What is it and why do I think it is so radical and so important?

The first question is easy.

SESAME actually stands for ‘Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East’ and will be the region’s first major multi-country scientific research center. It’s being developed under the auspices of UNESCO and is scheduled to open fully in Jordan in 2015. When it is completed, SESAME will be the Middle East’s only source of so-called “high intensity synchrotron X-rays,” key building blocks for research into biology,… more »

About the Author: David Machak serves as the Information Resource Center Director at the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago.

On May 18, the U.S. Embassy partnered with the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago to launch the Caribbean’s first U.S. Science Corner. More than 100 students, educators, and enthusiastic members of the public attended this fantastic event that was highlighted on all local television stations. U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Beatrice Welters and Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Winston Peters addressed the audience and participated in a festive ribbon cutting ceremony. The two-hour launch featured two hands-on demonstrations — the science of fingerprinting and a presentation by a local forensic scientist who is also a former Fulbright scholar. 

Ambassador Welters stressed the importance of science to the future of both countries. She said, “This… more »