Faculty Bulletin

Our three Award juries have just decided the latest winners of the AUC Faculty Merit Awards for Excellence in Academic Service, Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors, and Excellence in Teaching. Now as ever, the jurors had difficult decisions to make.

Juries include a mix of recent past Award winners and representatives from each of the AUC Schools. Winners will be honored at the June 15, 2013 Commencement ceremonies.

For a full list of past Award winners, please see the following webpage (today’s winners will be added to the list within the next few days):

http://www.aucegypt.edu/fac/awards/Pages/default.aspx

Excellence in Academic Service

•Mahmoud Farag, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Mahmoud has been with AUC since 1971. In recent years he has been most visible through his work in the University Senate. From 2008-2010 he was the first Senate Chair at the New Cairo Campus; since that time, he has been the tireless Chair of the Senate Faculty Affairs Committee. Among his many achievements in the latter role was his success in building consensus for the replacement of the old PPP document by the new Faculty Handbook (the Handbook resolution passed, astonishingly enough, by unanimous vote). From 1992-2005, he served as Vice Provost of the University, transforming AUC’s Faculty Support Grants Program into what it is today. Also while Vice Provost, he founded such familiar AUC entities as the Research Advisory Council, the Graduate Admissions Office, and the Annual AUC Research Conference (which he directed for its first thirteen years of existence). He is also the Director of Engineering and Science Services, which serves more than 600 major public and private sector companies, banks, and governmental agencies, enrolls more than 3,500 trainees, and offers 6 professional certificates and more than 90 intensive courses. These are simply a few of the highlights of Mahmoud’s vast service record, which fully qualifies him for this well-deserved award.

Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors

•Maki Habib, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Maki joined AUC in 2007, having spent much of his previous career in Japan. He is Professor of Robotics and Mechatronics, and his research topics strike a futuristic as well as a humanitarian note. Among the most prominent articles for which he was the lead author are “Efficient Method to Generate Collision-Free Paths for an Autonomous Mobile Robot Based on a New Free-Space Structuring Approach” and “Simulation Environment for an Autonomous and Decentralized Multi-Agent Robotic System.” His work in the area of removing dangerous landmines can be found in such obviously useful works as “Humanitarian Demining: Reality and the Challenge of Technology– The State of the Art,” “Mechanical Mine Clearance Technologies and Humanitarian Demining: Applicability and Effectiveness,” and “Controlled Biological and Biomimetic Systems for Landmine Detection.” Maki is the author of more than 200 refereed journal articles and conference proceedings publications, has written more than a dozen book chapters, and authored or edited six books. Described by one of his colleagues as “the pillar of the Mechatronics concentration in the Department of Mechanical Engineering,” he is known to his students as a tough but likable mentor. Maki is the fourth winner of the Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors Award from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, an AUC record.

Excellence in Teaching (2 winners)

•Rania Jabr, English Language Institute

Rania is a Senior Instructor who joined AUC in 1990. She is praised by students not only for her abilities as an instructor of English, but for her skills in teaching writing as well. Despite evidence that she can be a rather demanding instructor (“strict” is a word frequently encountered in the course evaluations), the popularity of her classes is considerable. Highly organized, and not inclined to waste even a minute of valuable class time, Rania is praised for leading her classes “at a balanced tempo,” while “communicating with students in a gentle manner.” It is remarkable how often students seem to be almost stunned by their improved skills after spending a semester with her. Indeed, a fair number of students wish that they could take “every class at AUC” with her. “Friendly,” “helpful,” and “perfect” are other words frequently used to describe the classroom persona of Rania Jabr. Her record shows a consistent pattern of teaching excellence.

•Hani Sayed, Department of Law

Hani joined AUC in 2005. Although he was so surprised to be nominated that he did not even submit materials to our office the first time it happened, the testimony of students and colleagues shows an outstanding track record in the classroom. One department colleague writes that Hani’s main strengths as a teacher are “his impressive intellect, a natural teaching ability and commitment to and respect for his students.” He is described as “an intellectual master at the top of his craft,” one who “challenges, cajoles, prods, and provokes” the students to reach new levels of academic performance. Hani addresses not only the top students in the class, but (his colleagues report) has given special attention to students with learning disabilities. One well-travelled former student, who describes herself as “thrilled” to write an unsolicited letter of nomination, found Hani to be an even more skilled teacher than the best professors she had at SOAS in London and at Harvard. Other students frequently describe him as “the best professor I’ve ever had,” and often give even more precise compliments. For example: “[Dr. Sayed’s class is a] class of thoughts; it gives the seeds to grow new scholars.” He is praised for always coming to class prepared, always covering enough material for the full three hours to be fruitful, and always being excited about the class and the material. It would be no exaggeration to say that Hani has changed the lives of many AUC students.

Please congratulate our newest winners the next time you see them. The next set of Awards will be announced in December 2013, for presentation at the February 2014 Commencement ceremonies. For any questions about the nomination or selection process, please contact me at gharman@aucegypt.edu.

The following list includes faculty grants only. Graduate student grants are now handled exclusively by Dr. Amr Shaarawi, Dean of Graduate Studies. Please contact Dr. Shaarawi’s office for news about the status of applications for Graduate Student Grants.

My office will process the checks for the following grants as quickly as we can, but please allow some time for this to happen, since there is a very heavy workload for my assistant (Nancy Wadie) once the grant decisions are made. If you have not yet provided a letter of acceptance from the conference for which you have received a grant, no check will be issued until we receive such a letter.

CONFERENCE GRANTS

BUS (School of Business)

*Ahmed Abdel-Meguid (ACCT). Washington, DC, USA. August 2012.

*Neveen Ahmed (MGMT). Cambridge, UK. June 2012.

*Samer Atallah (ECON). Calgary, AB, Canada. June 2012.

*Samer Atallah (ECON). Athens, Greece. July 2012.

*Mohammed Bouaddi (ECON). Montreal, QC, Canada. May 2012.

*Mohammed Bouaddi (ECON). Calgary, AB, Canada. June 2012.

*Mohamed Elbannan (ACCT). Rome. Italy. June 2012.

*Mohamed Elbannan (ACCT). Washington, DC, USA. August 2012.

*Dalia ElEdel (ECON). Istanbul, Turkey. May 2012.

*Dalia ElEdel (ECON). Valencia, Spain. June 2012.

*Steven Formaneck (MGMT). Istanbul, Turkey. May 2012.

*Ibrahim Hegazy (MGMT). Istanbul, Turkey. May 2012.

*Glenn Williams (MGMT). Istanbul, Turkey. May 2012.

GAPP (School of Global Affairs and Public Policy)

*Hussein Amin (JRMC). Las Vegas, USA. April 2012.

*Mohamed Elmasry (JRMC). Chicago, USA. August 2012.

*Usha Natarajan (Law). Cambridge, MA, USA. May-June 2012.

*Gianluca Parolin (Law). Rabat, Morocco. June 2012.

*Gianluca Parolin (Law). Denver, USA. November 2012.

*Sheila Peuchaud (JRMC). Chicago, USA. August 2012.

HUSS (School of Humanities and Social Sciences)

*Tahia Abdel Nasser (ECLT). Beirut, Lebanon. May 2012.

*Holger Albrecht (POLS). New Orleans, USA. August-September 2012.

*Soraya Altorki (SAPE). Cambridge, UK. July 2012.

*Mona Amer (SAPE). Orlando, FL, USA. August 2012.

*David Blanks (HIST). Grand Rapids, MI. August 2012.

*Jason Blum (HIST). Chicago, USA. November 2012.

*Ebony Coletu (RHET). Philadelphia, USA. May 2012.

*Ira Dworkin (ECLT). San Juan, Puerto Rico. November 2012.

*Andrea Eberle (SAPE). Rome, Italy. September 2012.

*Amina Elbendary (ARIC). Prague, Czech Republic. August-September

2012.

*Lori Fredricks (ELI). Paris, France. September 2012.

*Raghda El Essawi (ALI). Denver, USA. November 2012.

*Nadia Harb (ALI). Denver, USA. November 2012.

*Hani Henry (SAPE). Klagenfurt, Austria. July 2012.

*Hanan Kholoussy (HIST). Denver, USA. November 2012.

*Sanaa Makhlouf (ELI). Dubrovnik, Croatia. June 2012.

*Rose Parfitt (POLS). New York, USA. May 2012.

*Michael Reimer (HIST). Denver, USA. November 2012.

*Yasmine Salah El-Din. Ankara, Turkey. May-June 2012.

LLT (School of Libraries and Learning Technologies)

*Carolyn Runyon (Library). San Diego, USA. August 2012.

SSE (School of Sciences and Engineering)

*Shereef Abdelazeem (EENG). Bari, Italy. September 2012.

*Ashraf Abdelbar (CSCE). Philadelphia, USA. July 2012.

*Ashraf Abdelbar (CSCE). Washington, DC, USA. November 2012.

*Mohamed Aly (MENG). Chicago, USA. August 2012.

*Sherif Aly (CSCE). Istanbul, Turkey. June 2012.

*Hassan Azzazy (CHEM). Santa Clara, CA, USA. June 2012.

*Florin Balasa (CSCE). Karlsruhe, Germany. June 2012.

*Necla Demir (CHEM). Las Vegas, NV, USA. June 2012.

*Mohamed El-Morsi (MENG). Chicago, USA. August 2012.

*Nermine El Sissi (MACT). Madison, WI, USA. August 2012.

*Wafik Lotfalla (MACT). Clearwater, FL, USA. June 2012.

*Tarek Madkour (CHEM). Kobe, Japan. October 2012.

*Magda Mostafa (CANG). Barcelona, Spain. June 2012.

*Ahmed Rafea (CSCE). Groningen, The Netherlands. June 2012.

*Mohammed M. Sadek (MACT). Würzburg, Germany. August 2012.

*Sherif Saleh Safar (CANG). Dubrovnik, Croatia. September 2012.

*Mohamed Shalan (CSCE). San Francisco, USA. June 2012.

*Ahmed H. Sherif (CANG). Lima, Peru. November 2012.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Core (Teaching Fellow)

*Karl Galle (Core). “Art, Science, and the Mathematical Communities Who Brought Them Together in Renaissance Central Europe.” Nuremberg, Germany & Munich, Germany, and London, UK. July-August 2012.

GAPP (School of Global Affairs and Public Policy)

*Hamid Ali (PPAD). “Darfur Political Economy: A Quest for Development.” Cairo.  June-October 2012.

*Hamid Ali (PPAD). “Oil and OPEC: Oligopoly or Oligarchy.” Cairo. June 2012-May 2013.

HUSS (School of Humanities and Social Sciences)

*Richard Fincham (PHIL). “Faith and Reason: The Role of Human Skepticism in the Development of German Idealism.” Tübingen, Germany. August 2012.

*Salima Ikram (SAPE). “Plymouth Museum Animal Mummies.” Plymouth, UK. June 2012.

*Gavin Rae (PHIL). “Thinking About Thought: Hegel, Heidegger, and Deleuze.” Madrid, Spain. June-July 2012.

*Mark Westmoreland (SAPE). “Catastrophic Images: Documenting the Wars in Lebanon.” Beirut, Lebanon. May-June 2012.

SSE (School of Sciences and Engineering)

*Karim Addas (PHYS). “Force Calibration for Optical Traps Employed for Microrheology of Non-equilibrium in vitro and in vivo Cytoskeletal Systems.” Göttingen, Germany.  October 2012.

*Asma Amleh (BIOL). “Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Coated Nylon: Novel Biomaterial for Prosthetic Implants.” Cairo.  June 2012-June 2013.

*Mohab Anis (EENG). “Design of Nanometer SRAM Circuits for Yield Maximization.” Cairo and Waterloo, ON, Canada. July-December 2012.

*Mahmoud Farag (MENG). “Materials and Process Selection for Engineering Design, 3^rd edition.” Cairo and London. June 2012-April 2013.

*Walid Fouad (BIOL). “Molecular Characterization of Transgenic Bahiagrass Expressing Regulatory and Structural Genes Conferring Freezing and Chilling Tolerances.” Gainesville, FL, USA. June 2012-Janaury 2013.

*Magdi Moustafa (MACT). “Availability of Cloud Computing Systems Subject to Hardware and Software Failures.” Storrs, CT, USA. September 2012.

*Jehane Ragai (CHEM). “Anti-tumor and Anti-LeishmanialCharacteristics of Some Nitrogen and/or Sulfur Containing Heterocyclic Compounds.” Cairo. May 2012-May 2013.

*Ahmed H. Sherif (CANG). “Sustainable Hospital Architecture: Configuration of the Window Openings of Intensive Care Units for Comfort and Energy Saving.” Cairo. September 2012-December 2012.

*Suher Zada (BIOL). “The Cytokine and Chemokine Profiles in Egyptian

Hepatitis C Virus Genotype-4 in Relation to Liver Disease Progression.” Cairo. June 2012-May 2013.

TEACHING ENHANCEMENT GRANTS

BUS (School of Business)

*Steven Formaneck (MGMT). “Case Teaching Workshop.” London, ON, Canada. August 2012.

SSE (School of Sciences and Engineering)

*Ahmed Moustafa (BIOL). “Development of Course: Systems and Comparative Genomics.” Roscoff, France and Reykjavik, Iceland. June 2012.

On Tuesday, May 18, Dr. Mahmoud Farag (Mechnical Engineering) will lead the Senate for the final time in his two years as Senate Chair. This seems like the appropriate moment to ask him a few questions about his work in the Senate and elsewhere at AUC. His record here is long and distinguished, having joined AUC in 1971 after six years teaching at Ain Shams University. From 1992 to 2005 he was Vice Provost at AUC, and in that capacity undertook several studies of the AUC research culture whose recommendations have proven to be unusually valuable for several completed and ongoing reforms. He has served as a visiting scientist/scholar at institutions ranging from Sheffield in the UK to MIT and the University of Kentucky in the USA to Aachen Technical University in Germany. He has published four engineering textbooks, edited one book, and written several book chapters and authored r co-authored more than 80 papers in academic journals and conference proceedings on issues related to the effect of microstructure on the behavior of engineering materials. He also has wide industrial experience and has even done service on corporate Boards of Directors. When his career at AUC began, no engineering courses were offered; today, he has the satisfaction of seeing applied engineering being among those disciplines covered in AUC's first-ever doctoral program, to be launched this fall in the School of Sciences and Engineering.

Q: You are just finishing two years as Senate Chair, and many people seem to be pleased by your time at the helm. Could you describe your approach to the Senate? What do you think is its proper role within the University?

During my time as chair of the Senate (2008 – 2010) I always kept the following aspect of the University Senate in my sight: the Senate ensures faculty participation in governance and in discussion of issues important to the university community. Developing a list of important agenda items for senate committees is also an important aspect in ensuring that the Senate deals with relevant issues. We should be assertive but also respectful of other constituencies in the University.

Q: You have many years experience in engineering. Did you always know that this was what you wanted to do, or was there a certain key moment in your studies when you decided that engineering was the right path for you?

I have always liked science and mathematics as subjects at school. I also enjoy drawing, painting, and making models. Engineering combines all these things. So it was natural for me to go into engineering. I selected mechanical engineering because it deals with moving components and machines, which I find fascinating.  

Q: You did your Ph.D. at Sheffield University in the U.K. Perhaps you could have stayed and worked permanently in Britain or some other foreign country. What made you prefer to return to AUC?

At the time of my finishing my Ph.D., living and working in Egypt was much easier than it is now. AUC had an excellent name and research facilities and the opportunities to grow were very good. I also had family obligations.

Q: You were the first Chair of AUC's Department of Engineering (a unified Department in those days) beginning in 1984. Maybe you could tell us the story about how the Department was born. Was there opposition to creating the Department? If so, how was it overcome?

In the late 1960s AUC had an excellent name and research facilities in solid state science, which laid the foundations for a program in materials science and engineering in the early 1970s. This program was administered by the materials engineering unit within the science department. Other units were physics, chemistry and mathematics. As the materials engineering unit grew larger in terms of the number of faculty and students, it was a natural step for it to become a separate department. This process took about 12 years.

Q: Much of your research now deals with nanotechnology. The general public has the impression that this is a fairly recent field in engineering. Is it really that new? And if it is, then how did you get there from your previous fields of research?

To understand the behavior of materials, one needs to consider how atoms interact and relate to each other. As the experimental tools got more sophisticated and accurate, investigators were able to study materials on an increasingly smaller scale, almost observing individual atoms. A natural step beyond this is to try to build new materials by adding atoms together, which is main thrust of the nanotechnology research. From this point of view, research in nanotechnology is a natural progression to the research on the microstructure of materials.  

Q: You also have a lot of industrial experience in connection with your research, including some time spent on a corporate board. Did you ever consider working full-time in industry? What, if anything, makes academic life better than corporate life? 

Corporate life is very exciting and financially rewarding, but I am more inclined towards academic work. I like the collegial atmosphere, teaching and interacting with students and doing research.  However, industrial experience is essential if you want to teach applied engineering subjects, as I do. It enables the instructor to bring real-life case studies to the classroom.

Q: You first joined AUC in 1971. At that time we were still 13 years away even from having a Department of Engineering, and now your School is on the verge of launching AUC's first Ph.D. program, with applied engineering a major component of it. It's a remarkable story. When did you first consider that a doctoral program might be possible?

The story of introduction and development of engineering at AUC is a very interesting one and spans about 40 years. Our first engineering courses were offered in 1973 and since then engineering has been evolving and growing with the introduction of an increasing number of B.Sc. and M.Sc. programs. Introducing the Ph.D. program is a remarkable milestone in the development of engineering at AUC and reflects the strength and high quality of the programs. However, it would not have happened without the collaboration between the administration, the academic leadership, and the faculty.

Q: Let me ask you about one of your article titles: "Preparation and characterization of date palm fiber and polypropylene matrix composites." Could you explain to non-specialists like me why an engineer would be interested in date palm fiber? 

Vegetable-based biodegradable materials are new but their use is expected to dramatically increase because they provide a more economic and sustainable alternative to petroleum-based materials. They are currently used in some motorcar models and have great potential for use in a wide range of applications ranging from aerospace to biodegradable packaging. Using the natural fibers in the date palm fruit carrying bunches, which are currently discarded as agricultural waste, would be of great economic value since we have more than 7 million date palm trees in Egypt and many more millions in the region. Our work has shown that date palm fibers showed excellent properties and it is possible to use them in making biodegradable composite materials.

Q: In the early part of the decade, while serving as Vice Provost of AUC, you led the Research Advisory Council in compiling some reports on how to improve research at AUC. A number of your recommendations have already been implemented, and some others are under consideration. In any case, these are unusually helpful and constructive reports. What do you think is the one thing AUC could do to improve research the most? 

I believe that a strong culture of research is vital for the AUC community, faculty and students. A strong research record must be a major criterion for selecting faculty, who should be allowed enough time and be given enough support to enable them to continue doing excellent research after joining AUC. Our programs should also encourage students (graduate and undergraduate) to do research and to reward those who excel.

Q: You have experienced nearly 40 years of AUC history as a faculty member and administrator. That's a fairly large proportion of our institutional history, and it must give you a good sense of what can and cannot be accomplished in that amount of time. What would be your wishes for AUC over the next 40 years? How much better do you think the University can become?

There isn’t anything that AUC cannot accomplish if we put our minds to it. In the early 1970s we had no engineering and it was an uphill battle to even introduce a couple of engineering courses. Now we have 5 departments of engineering, which offer 6 B.Sc. degrees and 6 Masters degrees. We even have a Ph.D. Degree in applied science and engineering!! We are a unique institution at an excellent geographic location with very few obstacles in our way. I do not see why we cannot become the Harvard and the MIT of the Middle East within the next 40 years.