Quick Facts
Biography
Sirin Hamsho, (Arabic: سيرين حمشو ) also transliterated Serene Hamsho, born in Hama, Syria 1986, is a Syrian engineer and inventorspecializing in renewable energy. She received an international patent for a wind turbine system design in 2015,and was recognized by the BBC's 100 Women and featured in the finale of the programme's international edit-a-thon in 2016.
Education and work
Hamsho received a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering from the University of Kalamoon, Syria in 2008, and an MSc degree in management of renewable energy from the University of Versailles, France. In 2012, Hamsho joined General Electric in Schenectady, New York, where she currently holds the title of Wind Turbine Electrical Design Engineer.
In addition to her BS in electronic engineering, she holds a BS in Islamic law from Damascus University in Syria. She is also a board member of Al-Andaluse Islamic Studies Center in Syria and a consultant at Center of Women of Faith and Leadership at IGE, Washington D.C and a board member of New York Interfaith for Power and Light.
Patents
Hamsho invented a design that protects the electrical components inside a wind turbine. In an interview with HuffPost Arabi, she said "we noticed the damage affecting those elements as a result of the ongoing turbine movement, which pushed me to think of a way to preserve it." Hamsho is considered to be an inspiring Arab woman as her patent came out during the critical time of the Syrian crisis and the Arab Spring in the Middle East
Personal life
Hamsho is married to Omar Al Assad, a French scientist and MIT-educated engineer; they have two daughters, and live in Niskayuna, New York. Hamsho holds dual French/Syrian citizenship. In January and February 2017, she was caught up in Executive Order 13769, Donald Trump's restriction of travel to the United States from several other countries. When the order was signed on January 27, she was in Qatar with her children and was unable to return to the United States until February 26.