On May 18^th 2010, the U.S Consulate General, Jerusalem organized, in cooperation with the University, a lecture for Dr. Thomas Taha Rassam Culhane, an expert in climate change as well as an urban planner. His organization which is called Solar CITIES teaches people who live in Cairo's poorest areas how to build rooftop solar water heaters and how to make use of the different forms of renewable energy. He has worked on multiple renewable energy projects and promoted ideas related to global climate change and how to respond to such change across the world.

A number of instructors, researchers and students from the University who are interested in the field of climate change attended the meeting. Among the participants was Dr. Jalal Dabeek, Director of the Earth Sciences and Seismic Engineering Center and Dr. Marwan Haddad, Director of the Water and Environmental Studies Institute at the University. Dr. Haddad welcomed Dr. Culhane and said that such meeting gives the participants a chance to benefit from Dr. Culhane's knowledge and experience in the field of climate change and climate crises.

Dr. Culhane discussed several issues related to climate change such as how to preserve and protect energy resources, and how to make use of renewable energy resources such as solar energy and others. He also spoke about his experience and work in many countries across the world where he has succeeded in providing a number of houses with clean energy. Through his organization (Solar CITIES), Dr. Culhane, for example, was able to install more than 30 solar tanks on the rooftops of many neighborhoods in Cairo, Egypt.

He also discussed the use of modern technology in creating clean communities where people abandon traditional energy sources, mainly fossil fuel, and depend on renewable forms of energy such as solar or wind energy. According to Dr. Culhane, this will help in reducing the amounts of carbon dioxide that are being emitted into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuel, thus reducing the severity of climate change.

Dr. Culhane further expressed his happiness to be in Palestine and to have the opportunity to share ideas and discuss globally significant issues with Palestinian experts and researchers.