Sponsored Post: Arab American Contributions to Science and Technology
America is a melting pot for countries all around the world. Arabs, in particular, have found the States to be a honing ground for their skills in various capacities. And this isn’t recent news, Arab Americans have made countless contributions to noble fields such as science, medicine, and engineering. Sadly, while their contributions are many, the work they have done has not been documented much. From biomedical breakthroughs such as the artificial heart to world mapping through cartography, innovation does not fall short on this side.
To shed some light on the awesomeness of Arab Americans through the years, we’re going to take you on a short, enlightening trip drifting through the annals of the history of science and technology. Particularly that which has materialized by the efforts of Arab Americans.
So come on along, and let’s dive into some STEM education!
The Invention of the iPod and iPhone
Everyone, except the notorious Gen Z, remembers the time of the glorious Walkman. Portable MP3 players were at their peak and baggy jeans were the go-to clothing for every fashion-conscious person. It was during this time that CEO Steve Jobs hired Arab American Anthony “Tony” Fadell to revolutionize the way people listened to music.
With incredible passion and an undying thirst to prove themselves, Fadell’s team conjured up the iPod in 2001. This device singlehandedly would go on to take over the era of the MP3 players and offer a singular solution for music aficionados to satiate themselves. The technology behind the iPod would then go on to inspire the team behind the iPhone and develop a powerful ecosystem for Apple.
Developments in Surgery
Belonging to a Lebanese immigrant family, Michael DeBakey grew up experiencing a mix of Middle Eastern as well as American culture. Equipped with a mixture of talents such as sewing, gardening, and operating machinery, DeBakey went on to earn a medical degree in 1932. He then went on to serve in the army as both a soldier and a doctor. During this time, DeBakey, along with his colleagues, went on to develop units specialized in providing care to soldiers wounded near the front lines.
DeBakey also has the esteemed status of providing surgical contributions that proved vital in paving the way for coronary bypass surgery, removal of blockage in the carotid artery, and pioneering the field of telemedicine by broadcasting a demonstration of open heart surgery via satellite all the way back in 1965.
Waffle Cone
To this day, history remains baffled at who came up with the idea of putting ice cream on top of a conical or cylindrical wafer. However, we have quite a few accounts of dessert vendors, all of whom were Arab Americans who claim to have started this enticing tradition. The most plausible narration is that which describes 1904’s World Fair and how Arab American dessert vendors won the hearts of the public through this tasteful innovation.
Internet Security
While we all enjoy access to some of the best internet security systems today at the tap of a button, this wasn’t always the case. Back in the 1980s, when the internet was still a fledgling, Taher Elgamal took a brilliant initiative to research and consequently publish a paper on the importance of internet security labeled, “A Public Key Cryptosystem and a Signature Scheme based on Discrete Logarithms.” His work proved imperative in the development of Digital Signature Algorithms (DSA) worldwide, which was then further refined into the Digital Signature Standard (DSS).
Today, this same system is incorporated quite heftily into state-of-the-art internet services such as those utilized by AT&T. The company is a leading internet services provider in the US and pays particular attention to the security of its customers with multiple safety services bundled up with its deals. To get a taste of their expertise, don’t shy away from giving AT&T customer service a holler.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap for all we have on Arab American contributions and how significant they were in promoting America as the land of advancements. There are still plenty of people who deserve to be highlighted alongside the above-mentioned pioneers but we hope that our compact listicle was enough to raise awareness of how paramount immigrants and their children have been in raising America into the great nation it is today.
Please note that this post was paid for by a third-party and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arab America or its employees. These posts help allow Arab America to produce our wonderful original content, thanks for your understanding.
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