While U.S. Senator, presidential candidate and long-time Africa advocate Sam Brownback discussed the politics of African problems last night, a Boston University professor whose name is all but unknown on cable news shows is leading research that could change the fate of some of the often discussed — but rarely truly addressed — problems of the African continent.

By using sophisticated technology, Farouk El-Baz, director of BU’s Center for Remote Sensing, was able to locate an underground lake between Darfur and Egypt two years ago. In the 1980s, El-Baz was able to transform 150,000 acres in Egypt into arable land, and he plans to use United Nations support to initiate a well-drilling project in war-torn Darfur. Such plans have the ability to radically change the areas most vulnerable to strife prompted by resource scarcity and are promising for those looking for a practical, if only partial, solution to problems in parts of Africa.

Last week’s Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony highlighted the importance of scientific research and awareness to peace promotion. Al Gore and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change received the prize because, as the prize committee said, in areas with changing or harsh climates, “There may be increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states.”

Brownback’s statements that conditions in Africa foster the development of al-Qaida activity are convincing. When countries have secure resources and are able to not only sustain peacekeeping missions requiring portable water, but also eventually native populations, conflicts are more likely to be resolved and terrorist organizations will have fewer new, disgruntled recruits. Brownback drafted legislation to allocate 50 percent of African aid for tangible resource improvements, according to a June 2006 Wall Street Journal article. By focusing on immunizations and water wells, Brownback and other politicians can pay for more than lip service and fund the sort of real change El-Baz pioneers.