It is with great sorrow that the scientific community and operators in the field of roads and transportation, in the whole world, have received the shocking news of the death of Egyptian scientist Abdel Halim Omar.
Omar, a professor of transport engineering at Carleton University, is considered one of the most influential professors of transport engineering in Canada and the world.
It is from the saying that failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, Omar started a new revolution in the field of roads pavement, after being dismissed by Egypt's Alexandria University.
He met failure in the primary stages of his career, yet, it was his motivation to become a man, who managed to change the ways roads are paved forever. Making the world's first vibratory roller, he faced problems from big companies, who either wanted to buy his innovation or bury it. Omar was even faced with attempt preventing him from publishing his researches and revolutionizing the field of pavement construction.
However, through his abilities and devotion, he came out with his Asphalt Multi-Integrated Roller (AMIR) machine.
Rather than patching and continuously repairing roads after severe cold seasons, the invention attempted to solve a major problem of potholes and cracks of asphalt.
Last year, he signed an agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production to manufacture units of his heavy machine. A move that will make the country a major producer and exporter for such invention.
Omar's history
Omar, who was a Professor at Carleton University, has been the Director of the Centre for Geosynthetics Research Information and Development since 1987, transforming the University to an internationally leading research center in the fields of transportation engineering, and asphalt pavements.
According to the university, his research has generated more than $3.5 million in grants and research contracts from investors all over the world. He is the author of more than 270 Journal, papers, and technical reports.
In recognition of his achievements, Omar was elected a Fellow to the CSCE in 1998. He received 28 Canadian, Egyptian and international awards, including the NOVA award by the Construction Innovation Forum, the Nobel prize for construction innovation, making him the first civil engineer to receive both awards in the same year.
He was the member of several important committees and has been named the 1999 Top Newsmaker by the USA magazine, Engineering News-Record.
In 2005, he was awarded Sandford Fleming Award by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) for his remarkable contributions to the development of transportation engineering in Canada.
Before his death, the official website of the Carleton University published an article documenting the Egyptian professor's journey entitled "Abd El Halim is Paving The Way To A Pothole-Free Future".
Contributed by: Taarek Refaat
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