Alumni Community Action Grant 2017 and 2018
2018 ACAG | Alumni Implementer: Ala’ Khalifeh Fulbright Grant Year: 2005 Field of Study: Electrical and Computer Engineering Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of California, Irvine Project Name: Early Entrepreneurship Exploration Project Location: Jordan Project Description: After completing his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, Ala’ Khalifeh saw a unique opportunity to increase entrepreneurship in the tech and engineering fields in his home country of Jordan. As a professor of computer engineering at the German Jordanian University, Khalifeh is organizing a series of entrepreneurship workshops and competitions for university students. The workshops give students the ability to develop business plans and learn from top industry professionals in their fields. Having participated in several entrepreneurship competitions, Khalifeh is connecting his students with both local and regional competitions in Jordan. These competitions give his students a chance to test their ideas and gain exposure to the wider business world. Khalifeh plans to keep mentoring his students after the workshops finish in order to help them develop their projects into fully-formed businesses.
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2018 ACAG |
Alumni Implementer: Hiba Hamdan Fulbright Grant Year: 2012 Field of Study: Molecular & Cell Biology Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology Project Name: DREAMS: A Precollege Boot Camp Project Location: Lebanon Project Description: Based on her own experience as a research associate and stemming from her students’ testimonies at the University Preparatory Program at the American University of Beirut, Hiba aims to give students the same transformative opportunity to acquire life-long skills to not only excel in school but also provide them with coaching and career advice. As a trainer and consultant, Ms. Hamdan has co-designed and delivered training sessions on teaching strategies, classroom management, student-centered and interdisciplinary teaching (including STEM). On the heals of her 2016 ACAG project that brought scientific inquiry to middle-school students, Ms. Hamdan is applying these same hands-on learning approaches for 10th-grade students. Hiba is coordinating with a team of experts to help transform the lives of students from public and private high schools in Lebanon as they prepare to embark on their future path to life-long learning in science and other disciplines.
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2018 ACAG | Alumni Implementer: Fatma Aljarrah Fulbright Grant Year: 2014 Field of Study: TESOL- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Wisconsin, River Falls Project name: Restoration and Empowerment of Pre-service English Language Teachers (REPELT) Project Location: Gaza, Palestinian Territories Project Description: As a TESOL instructor herself, Fatma Ajarrah wanted to develop a training to build the capacity of TESOL instructors in Gaza and equip them with more practical and theoretical tools to be prepared in the classroom. REPELT was an intensive training program for empowering pre-service English language teachers to develop their competencies to match the requirements of the local teaching environment in the Gaza Strip. The project aimed at bridging the gap between what prospective teachers have learned and the reality of the work conditions in the schools of the Gaza Strip, specifically those operated by UNRWA. The REPELT program pulled the knowledge that EL teachers have gained in university and applied it to a practicum that reflects the live classroom. This pre-career professional development project helped to enhance the participants in all aspects of the teaching experience.
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2018 ACAG | Alumni Implementer: Anas Bahnassi Fulbright Grant Year: 1998 Field of Study: Pharmaceutical Sciences Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Heath Sciences Project name: “Pharmacovigilance: A step in the right direction to improve patient’s safety” Project Location: Lebanon Project Description: As an industry leader in the pharmaceutical industry who also serves as a continuing education provider, Dr. Anas Bahnassi developed, coordinated and helped moderate a series of workshops centered on pharmacovigilance and its role in assuring patient safety, for Lebanese and Syrian healthcare practitioners. Through a series of modules, pharmacists were able to develop their awareness and understanding of the monitoring and reporting of adverse drug reactions in the provision of safe and effective drug therapy. After the training, these professionals are now committed to working together to ensure continuous and proper reporting of adverse drug reactions and have committed this program’s success.
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2017 ACAG
| Alumni Implementer: Yosra Abid Fulbright Grant Year: 2010 Field of Study: Law Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution Project name: “Bringing Mediation to Law School” Project Location: Tunisia Project Description: Yosra Abid is the President of the Tunisian Association for ADR and an advocate for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) techniques. One such technique is mediation, but according to Yosra, this concept is not frequently taught in Tunisian law schools. Yosra’s Alumni Community Action Grant project, “Bringing Mediation to Law School,” plans to remedy this by providing mediation workshops at four law schools in Tunisia. These sessions will familiarize more than 80 students and 40 faculty members with the benefits of mediation and will encourage them to utilize it in their own law practices. Yosra hopes that these workshops will empower law students to be advocates for mediation techniques in their own careers.”
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2017 ACAG
| Alumni Implementer: Frida Kiriakos Fulbright Grant Year: 2013 Field of Study: Computer Science Fulbright Grant Host Institution: California State University Project name: Information Technology Career Prep Program Project Location: Jordan Project Description: As a recent graduate of California State University’s program in computer science, Frida Kiriakos is eager to help other young students become successful in the field. To encourage more high school and undergraduate students in Jordan to pursue exciting computer science careers, she is leading the Alumni Community Action Grant Project, “Information Technology Career Prep Program.” The project will consist of a series of workshops taught by information technology professionals that will explain the career opportunities available to computer science students after graduation. Kiriakos hopes to one day expand the project into a long-term mentorship program for high-achieving students.
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2017 ACAG
| Alumni Implementer: Ahmed Saleh Fulbright Grant Year: 2011 Field of Study: Entrepreneurship Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Chicago Project name: Geek Factory Programming Bootcamp Project Location: Egypt Project Description: Ahmed Tawfic Saleh is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Geekfactory, a programming academy. According to Saleh, Egypt’s computer programming job market is experiencing a skills-gap. Although many Egyptian universities graduate computer science professionals every year, tech companies still face difficulties in finding "job-ready" engineers. To transform information technology professionals into seasoned software engineers, Saleh is launching the Alumni Community Action Grant Project, “Geekfactory Programming Bootcamp.” Through ten-week courses, this initiative will position participants for exciting programming careers by focusing on three key pillars: technical skills, soft skills and career preparation techniques.”
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2017 ACAG
| Alumni Implementer: Adel Takruri Fulbright Grant Year: 2006 Field of Study: Public Health Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Johns Hopkins University Project name: Cancer Prevention & Palliative Care for Healthcare Professionals Project Location: West Bank Project Description: An expert in public health, Dr. Adel Takruri has noticed that little attention is paid to two important aspects of healthcare: disease prevention and palliative care (services for patients with chronic disease and their families). To bring awareness to these important topics, Dr. Takruri is implementing the Alumni Community Action Grant project, “Cancer Prevention & Palliative Care for Healthcare Professionals.” Through lectures and engaging group activities, this initiative will introduce healthcare professionals to innovative methods of preventing chronic disease and providing palliative care. In addition, the project will engage the surrounding community by inviting patients to share past experiences that they have had with medical professionals. Dr. Takruri’s primary goal is to bring awareness to the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of people with terminal illnesses and their families.
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2017 ACAG
| Alumni Implementer: Salah Al Agha Fulbright Grant Year: 1993 Field of Study: Industrial Engineering Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Purdue University Project name: Raising Awareness of Home Composting Project Location: Gaza Project Description: “Salah Al Agha is a professor of industrial engineering at Islamic University in Gaza. In an effort to increase the amount of organic waste that is recycled by Gazan households, his Alumni Community Action Grant project, “Raising Awareness of Home Composting,” will teach primary school students home composting techniques. The project will be implemented through workshops, printed materials, and videos, through which students will learn the importance of composting both as a waste reduction technique, and a fertilizer source. Students will take hands-on approach to learning by participating in demonstrations on how to sort compostable material and begin the composting process.”
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2017 ACAG
| Alumni Implementer: Ziyad Ben Taleb Fulbright Grant Year: 2010 Field of Study: Public Health Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Florida International University Project name: Be Smart Don't Start: Hookah Smoking Prevention Workshop Project Location: Libya Project Description: Ziyad Ben Taleb is a public health specialist with an extensive training in medicine. Being an expert in the field of smoking prevention and cessation, Dr. Ben Taleb recognizes the alarming increase in rates of hookah (water pipe) smoking among youth in Libya. In response, Dr. Ben Taleb is implementing the Alumni Community Action Grant project titled, “Be Smart Don't Start: Hookah Smoking Prevention Workshop”. In collaboration with his colleagues in Libya, Dr. Ben Taleb will lead school-based hookah prevention workshops that will utilize music performances by local artists to convey anti-smoking messages to youth. This open-discussion method is designed to raise questions that will lead to an increased awareness about the negative health effects of hookah smoking, and will thus help dissuade Libyan youth from starting. |
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