Page 23 - Mansoura National University

A SCIENTIFIC VISIT FOR STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES TECHNOLOGY TO THE

MANSOURA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY AND THE ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUM.

Students from the Faculty of Health Sciences Technology made a scientific visit to the Vertebrate Paleontology
Center and the Zoological Museum at Mansoura University on Tuesday, February 25. This visit, part of the
university's commitment to environmental awareness and promoting knowledge of biodiversity. The delegation
was received by Professor Osama Al-Ayan, Dean of the Faculty of Science; Professor Ihab Attia, Vice Dean for
Graduate Studies and Research at the Faculty of Science; and Dr. Nermin Ali, Graduate Studies Coordinator at the
Faculty. The delegation was accompanied during the tour by Dr. Mohamed Ahmed, Dr. Hossam El-Sakka, and Dr.
Nada El-Gharbawi.
They introduced the center, which was established in 2010 under the leadership of Dr. Hesham Sallam to study
and document the natural heritage of vertebrate fossils. They also introduced the most important areas of
research and study, explained the fossilization process and determined the ages of fossils based on the
geological map of Egypt. They also reviewed the most prominent scientific discoveries, such as the
Mansourasaurus, the evolution of terrestrial to aquatic whales, and the most recent discoveries, such as the
Phoemicetes and Totsites.
They also displayed a fossil of Bastidon, a carnivorous mammal that dominated Egyptian forests 30 million years
ago. They also presented a rare piece of meteorite from southern Egypt, giving students the opportunity to
interact with it.
The students were accompanied to the Zoology Department Museum by Dr. Mustafa Daoud and Dr. Mirna
Sarhan, who provided a detailed explanation of the various taxidermy methods and reviewed the Zoology
Department's panorama, which includes preserved and taxidermied specimens from all classes of the animal
kingdom.