Community Service and Environmental Development Sector

Faculty Production Units

1. Center for Scientific Services and Studies (Central Laboratory)

2. Space Weather Center
   

   The Space Weather Monitoring Center (SWMC) at the Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, is one of the pillars of the Egyptian Space Program, established in 2007. It is the first space weather center not only at the Egyptian level but also at the African level and ranks second in the Middle East. The center's vision is to support the Egyptian Space Program, assist in predicting space-related events and disasters, help in forecasting space weather in Egypt, and disseminate the culture of scientific research in the field of space and introduce university students to this promising field. The center undertakes many research and scientific tasks, focusing on studying space weather and its impact on space technology and daily human life. The center conducts important studies in the field of space weather regarding the monitoring and prediction of solar flares and magnetic storms and their effect on the Earth's ionosphere and related technological applications.

    

3. Plant Environment Laboratory Unit
   

   The Plant Environment and Environmental Pollutants Monitoring Laboratory (a joint unit with a special nature) was established under the supervision of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Home Economics. It is part of the central laboratory of the faculty, and the laboratory's strategy aims to:

• Contribute constructively to qualifying and training researchers in the Faculty of Science and other university faculties with related specializations in assessing the environmental impact of pollutants.
  
  
• Facilitate research work through devices capable of field and laboratory measurement and data collection with high and competitive technology.
  
  
• Generate financial resources through which the maintenance of equipment and the purchase of operating supplies can be financed as much as possible without the university bearing the expenses. The laboratory includes a microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer for measuring most heavy elements and macronutrients in the smallest amount of sample.
  
  
• It also includes the intelligent portable photosynthesis system for measuring photosynthetic activity and the effect of carbon dioxide on different plants. It also includes the Soxhlet apparatus for measuring fibers and fats in plant samples and oil distillation.
  
  
• It also includes a portable chlorophyll meter (greenness index) for field chlorophyll measurement. In addition to the basic equipment in the Plant Environment Laboratory.

4. Herbarium
   

   The herbarium of the Faculty of Science, affiliated with the Department of Botany and Microbiology, was established in 1997. It was then moved to the current building above the administration and developed according to the American project signed in 2005-2006 by Dr. Ahmed Agmal, may God have mercy on him.

   
   

   The herbarium currently includes many flowering plants (dicotyledons and monocotyledons) from various geographical regions within the Arab Republic of Egypt. The number of herbarized specimens is about 10,000, and there is a library containing specialized references and scientific theses related to the field of flora and taxonomy. The herbarium includes a microscopic unit for examining herbarized specimens, and there is a computer with a database of specimens within the herbarium.

   
   

   The herbarium was registered with the New York herbarium unit in 2021-2022 with the abbreviation (HEU). The herbarium is within the network of herbaria affiliated with the Academy of Scientific Research (our ranking is fifth according to the date of establishment and the number of specimens). The herbarium is considered a scientific reference for the conservation of biodiversity and also for researchers in the field of taxonomy and Egyptian flora.

   
   

   The herbarium includes a working team consisting of Prof. Dr. Lotfi Mohsen, Assistant Lecturer Mayada Mahdi El-Kilany, and Engineer Heidi Ayman. Practical lessons for the Flora course are taught to fourth-year students of the Chemistry and Botany branch and fourth-year Biology Education students in the herbarium.

    

5. Unit of Geological and Geophysical Consultations and Risk Reduction
   The Remote Sensing Unit at the Geology Department – Faculty of Science, Helwan University, is a distinguished center combining scientific and applied expertise in the field of remote sensing and geographic information systems. The unit was established in 2017. The unit aims to provide distinguished education and advanced research opportunities for its students, in addition to providing specialized consulting services to the community. What does the Remote Sensing Unit offer?

*  Educational Programs:
The unit offers distinguished academic programs in the field of remote sensing and geographic information systems at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

*  Scientific Research:
The unit encourages advanced scientific research in the field of remote sensing and geographic information systems and provides an ideal environment for students and academics to conduct scientific research relevant to the needs of society.

*  Consulting Services:
The unit provides specialized consulting services to the community in various fields, such as urban planning, natural resource management, prediction of natural disasters, and the study of all changes occurring in the environment.

6. Bioinformatics Unit
   
   The vision of the Bioinformatics Center is to be a multidisciplinary research and training center, distinguished locally and internationally, and to raise the institutional capacity of Helwan University. The mission of the Bioinformatics Center is to work on advancing the understanding of biological systems using computation. The general objectives of the center are to use, support, encourage, and develop bioinformatics tools to advance life and natural sciences. The specific objectives of the center are to:
   
   
   1. Equip the infrastructure for training and conducting research and provide logistical support for researchers.
      
      
   2. Form a multidisciplinary research team from different scientific departments to work in the unit.
      
      
   3. Excel in biological applications of synchrotron radiation.
      
      
   4. Excel in vision research and understanding biological structures through microscopic imaging as one of the fields.
      
      
   5. Register master's and doctoral theses on topics based on bioinformatics, within the faculty's research plan.
      
      
   6. Train scientific personnel at the university to fill the deficit in the specialization of bioinformatics to teach the bioinformatics course within the programs offered by the faculty.
      
      
   7. Host visiting professors from international universities to train Egyptian researchers.
      
      
   8. Encourage joint research with local and international universities and research centers.
      
      
   9. Apply for locally and internationally funded research projects.
      
      
   10. Achieve sustainability through effective marketing of the research outputs of the Bioinformatics Center and linking scientific research with industry.

7. Community Service Unit

Activities solving the groundwater problem in the Arab Rashid area and forming a research team of faculty professors to work on a definitive solution to the problem. Cleaning and afforestation in the Arab Rashid area. Cleaning and afforestation in the Arab Aneim area. Educational and awareness seminars in the Arab Rashid area. Educational and awareness seminars in the Arab Ghoneim area. Educational and awareness seminars in the El-Maasara area. Participating in medical convoys with various university sectors (Faculty of Medicine – Faculty of Pharmacy – Faculty of Nursing) in many places and the environment surrounding the university (Arab Rashid – Arab Ghoneim – El-Maasara – Ezbet El-Zabaleen in the Shaq El-Thoban area – Environmental Protection Association in the Tora neighborhood). Cleaning and beautifying streets and squares in its regional vicinity in Helwan in cooperation with the Helwan district presidency. Participating with the Monitoring Center in managing awareness seminars and medical convoys in many areas.