Mazin Qumsiyeh
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Mazin Butros Qumsiyeh (born 1957 in
Beit Sahour Beit Sahour or Beit Sahur ( ar, بيت ساحور pronounced ; Palestine grid 170/123) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian town east of Bethlehem, in the Bethlehem Governorate of the State of Palestine. The city is under the administration of the ...
) is a Palestinian scientist and author, founder and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History (PMNH) and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at Bethlehem University where he teaches. After serving on the faculties of the University of Tennessee (1989–1993),
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
(1993–1999), and Yale University (1999–2005), he now researches and teaches at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities since 2008. Here Qumsiyeh joined with other professors to introduce the first Biotechnology Masters program in the region. Over the course of his career he has published well over 150 scientific papers on topics ranging from cultural heritage to biodiversity in addition to several books. He also serves on the board of a number of Palestinian youth and service organizations such as Al-Rowwad Children Theater and Siraj Center.


Education

Mazin Qumsiyeh received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Jordan in 1978, before getting a Masters in Zoology – specializing in Systematic and Evolutionary Biology – from the University of Connecticut in 1982. He completed a PhD in Zoology/Genetics from Texas Tech University in 1986 and went on to do a Clinical Cytogenetics fellowship with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee (1991) and a Clinical Molecular Genetics fellowship with Duke University (1998). As a result he was certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics in two specialties: Clinical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics.


Career

After receiving his PhD, Qumsiyeh worked on mechanisms of gene amplification as a research fellow with
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility located in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on children's catastrophic diseases, pa ...
from 1987 to 1989. He joined Memphis State University's Department of Biology as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in 1988 where he taught a course on Embryology before departing in 1993. In collaboration with D. P. Suttle, he rejoined St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a consultant with the Department of Pharmacology from 1989 to 1991. In 1990 he became a research associate at the Mammals Section of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History where he worked for nine years while also serving as the Cytogenetics Laboratory Director, Department Head, and Interim Director for the T. C. Thompson Children's Hospital (1991–1994). From 1995 to 1999 he served as the Director of Cytogenetics Services and Associate Clinical Professor with the Departments of Pathology, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, and Genetics at Duke University Medical Center. Then he joined Yale University as the Director of Cytogenetics Services and Associate Clinical Professor with the Department of Genetics from 1999 to 2004. Qumsiyeh became a member of the Yale Cancer Center during this time. After 2004 he became director of SiParadigm Inc.'s Cytogenetics Services where the laboratory conducted testing for breast and hematologic cancer research. Returning to Palestine in 2008, Qumsiyeh became a part-time professor and thesis advisor at Bethlehem University while also teaching Advanced Molecular biology as an adjunct professor with Birzeit University. In 2014 he founded the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability with Bethlehem University using $250,000 in funding donated by him and his wife. He serves as director of both institutions and has focused their programs on outreach, empowerment, and education efforts with great success.


Palestine Museum of Natural History and Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability

PMNH'S school programs work with students at mixed and single gender schools to develop environmental clubs which plant gardens and recycle while also promoting entrepreneurship projects that give back to their communities. Emphasizing a philosophy of respect, PMNH'S volunteers, staff, and participants are encouraged to respect themselves, others, and the environment by creating and maintaining a healthy sustainable environment for all living things. Working in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and the Environmental Quality Authority, PMNH is developing new ways to educate and empower women to create a healthier environment that increases local
productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...
via ecotourism, permaculture, and home-based projects. PMNH's staff also worked with the Ministry of Women's Affairs to start an educational empowerment program for women in rural communities. The institutions' efforts have attracted volunteers locally and internationally. Volunteers and grant funding have enabled PMNH to develop educational modules for youth and adults to help them protect endangered ecosystems. Employing interactive and experiential approaches to learning, the museum organises exhibits, nature-oriented field trips, and botanical and community gardens. Qumsiyeh leads an ongoing project funded by the
Darwin Initiative The Darwin Initiative is a UK Government funding program that aims to assist countries with rich biodiversity but poor financial resources to meet their objectives under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Convention on International T ...
to benefit over 200 farmers, and oversaw another project funded by the British Council which employed researchers and volunteers for gathering, preserving, and using aspects of cultural heritage to meet sustainability goals.


Activism

In the early 2000s Qumsiyeh became more active in political and social causes, particularly Palestinian rights. He has been interviewed by '' The Washington Post'', '' The New York Times'', and '' The Boston Globe'', as well the CNBC and
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
news networks. Since 2003 he has served as Vice President of the Middle East Crisis Committee and in 2000 he cofounded
al-Awda The Palestinian right of return is the political position or principle that Palestinian refugees, both first-generation refugees (c. 30,000 to 50,000 people still alive )"According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency – the main body ...
, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, where he was national treasurer and media coordinator until 2004. While living in North Carolina, he was the Media Coordinator for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, and from 2003 until 2008 he was the Media Coordinator for the Palestinian American Congress' Connecticut chapter. Additionally, he co-founded the Academics for Justice and Boycott Israeli Goods campaigns. From 2005 until 2007 he was a steering committee member of the US Campaign to End the Occupation and the Association for One Democratic State in Israel/Palestine. In the course of his activism Qumsiyeh was arrested in May 2010 and 2011 in
Al-Walaja Al-Walaja ( ar, الولجة) is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, four kilometers northwest of Bethlehem. It is an enclave in the Seam Zone, near the Green Line. Al-Walaja is partly under the jurisdiction of the Bethlehem Governorate a ...
. He has lectured and presented on human rights around the world such as: the
NATO Defense College NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. It is located in Rome, Italy. History The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the f ...
,
St. Edward's University St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition. History Founding and early history St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC ...
, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) is an annual 4-day literary festival held every October in Ubud on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Established in 2004, it is considered Southeast Asia’s biggest and most meaningful Literary festival, li ...
,
SOAS SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...
,
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
, the Palestinian American Council, the Rhodes Forum,
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
, the Munich Rachel Carson Center, Leipzig University Institute of Oriental Studies, Yale University's Calhoun College, and many others. Past lecture topics range from human rights, Palestinian resistance and empowerment, the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle, and the one state solution.


Recognition

In 2020, Qumsiyeh was a laureate of the Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation award, which honors exceptionally successful work for solidarity within or between communities and acknowledges remarkable accomplishments that represent a true source of inspiration. That same year, Qumsiyeh was also a
Takreem Takreem ( ar, تكريم) is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 by Ricardo Karam to honor Arab individuals or organizations that have contributed to the development of their respective communities and to the betterment of the world in the f ...
Foundation laureate for his work on Environmental Development and Sustainability. In October 2011, Qumsiyeh was honored with the Social Courage Award from the
Peace and Justice Studies Association The Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA) is a non-profit organization headquartered at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. It was created following increased interest in peace-building after the September 11th attacks in USA, and it ...
at the Joint Conference of PJSA and the Gandhi King Conference in Memphis, Tennessee. Montana Peace Seekers Network recognized his international efforts by naming him Peace Seeker of the Year for 2013. Arab World Books included him in their March 2008 selection of writers "who have enriched our pages with their creative writings and enlightened us with their progressive thinking". The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee also honored Qumsiyeh with the Alex Odeh Award. Al-Awda's Connecticut Chapter awarded the 2005 Activism Award to Qumsiyeh and a year prior he was recognized by the
American Friends Service Committee The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (''Quaker'') founded organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by Am ...
's Connecticut Chapter. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee awarded their 1997 Raymond Jallow Activism Award to him as well.


Books

Qumsiyeh is the author of four books: * * * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qumsiyeh, Mazin 1957 births Palestinian writers Palestinian scientists Living people People from Beit Sahour Museum directors