Non-resident Scholar
Originally from Aleppo, Syria, Dr. Karam Shaar has lived for 12 years in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and New Zealand, spending four years in each. He is particularly interested in Syria’s political economy. His writings on the subject have been published in the Middle East Institute, The Aleppo Project, Carnegie Middle East Center, and the Atlantic Council. He has been quoted by Syria Direct, CNBC, PRI-BBC, Forethought and Al-Arabiya. Karam was active in his support for democratic reforms in the first year of the Syrian uprising (2011-12), but he later fled the country and continued his activism from abroad.
Malaysian researchers turn pineapple waste into disposable parts for drones
Reuters, BANGI, Malaysia
Malaysian researchers have developed a method to transform the fiber found in normally discarded pineapple leaves to make a strong material that can be used to build the frames for uncrewed aircraft, or drones.
The project, headed by Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan, a professor at the University Putra Malaysia, has been trying to find sustainable uses for pineapple waste generated by farmers in Hulu Langat, an area about 65km from Kuala Lumpur.
“We are transforming the leaf of the pineapple into a fiber that can be used for aerospace application, basically inventing a drone,” he said at a workshop.