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AUC at COP28

December 18, 2023

AUCians across disciplines made their voices heard in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference which is the world’s largest climate conference. Faculty, students and alumni shared their expertise on topics such as green buildings and education, showcased award-winning sustainable startups, and delivered powerful speeches. Read more about AUC at COP28 below.

Learn more about the University's Climate Change Initiative.

Alumni

Two men stand smiling in front of a presentation booth

George Efram ‘20

Sustainability Analyst, Oscar Limited

Exhibited a startup company in the Green Zone and organized the panel, "Sustainable Procurement: How It Can Help the UAE Meet Its Net Zero Target"

man with black hair smiles at camera

Amir El-Shenawy ‘13

Award-Winning Film Director and Producer

Screened his short documentary, Drowning Fish, which follows one of the last fishermen of Qarun Lake in Fayoum, Egypt, at the Green Zone during a panel, "Local Storied, Global Impact" and at the Blue Zone.

man in grey suit stands in front of a blue background with white COP28 logo on it

Ramy Saleh ‘12

Chief Business Development and Sustainability Officer, El Marakby Steel

Panelist and promoted partnerships within the private sector as well as between NGOs and the private sector, focusing on sustainable steel production

three people sit in front of a presentation screen

Yamama Kenawy ‘96

Founder and Managing Director, Tadweera

Led the panel, "Tadweera's Initiative for Green Education in Sustainable Communities"
 

Other Alumni Participants

Karim Refaat ‘98 ‘03; Manal Hassan ‘90; Dalia Kamar 17; Minister Rania Al Mashat ‘95,; AUC Trustee Ahmed Ismail ‘97; Amir El Shenawy ‘13; Haytham El Maagergi ‘99; Miray Zaki ‘04; Mirna Arif ‘02 ‘07; Samar Negida ‘11 ‘14; Sherif Hafez ‘99; Shereif Rostom ‘05; and Soha El Turky ‘94 ‘98

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Students Win 'Most Novel Idea' for Total Artificial Heart Design

December 14, 2023

A team of AUC undergraduate and graduate students secured the award for the Most Novel Idea at Heart Hackathon, the world’s first total artificial heart design competition, where student teams from around the globe design, prototype and assess their total artificial heart

Multidisciplinary with students from different majors, Team Peribsen worked to design, manufacture and develop the business plan for their total artificial heart. They were mentored by Professor Khalil Elkhodary '03, '06 and utilized AUC's new Eltoukhy Learning Factory for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the first of its kind in Egypt.

Aliaa Moussa, mechanical engineering; Salma Omar, graphic design; and Lana Mahmoud, electronics and communications engineering, represented AUC in the final round of the competition held in Dallas, Texas at the 29th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support

Other team members included Abdelrahman Sultan '18, who is pursuing his master's in mechanical engineering at AUC and served as team captain;  and team heads Ahmed Ali '23; Mohamed Waheed '22; Nour Makhlouf '23; and Menna Tallah Hassan '23.
 

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AUC Team to Launch Egypt’s First Healthy Aging Study

December 5, 2023

"Four cups of coffee a day could help prevent Parkinson's disease and dementia," according to Mohamed Salama, professor at AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, who presented his research on healthy aging, the first of its kind in the Middle East, during the Faculty at the Forefront media panel. 

The Longitudinal Study of Egyptian Healthy Aging (AL-SEHA), the first nationally representative panel study on aging in Egypt, aims to fill knowledge gaps that are necessary to set health, social and economic policy priorities. AL-SEHA also works on prioritizing resources and promoting effective strategies for healthcare and social systems in Egypt, in addition to improving the lives of the country’s aging population. The project is set to launch in 2024, thanks to Salama; Hoda Rashad, director of AUC’s Social Research Center; and a team from the center.

"Four cups of coffee a day could help prevent Parkinson's disease and dementia."

“There has been a growing global interest in healthy aging studies because these reveal the challenges and opportunities that will face the world in the future, especially in low- and middle-income countries that suffer from a scarcity of data in this field,” he said.

Egypt is a particularly interesting example since it is the most populous Middle Eastern country as well as the third most populous country in Africa, Salama noted. “Although the Egyptian population is still young, the number of older people is increasing,” he said. “Egypt is in an ideal position to prepare its population for healthy aging based on medical, economic and social research that effectively addresses the multifaceted challenges faced by an aging society.”

"There has been a growing global interest in healthy aging studies because these reveal the challenges and opportunities that will face the world in the future, especially in low- and middle-income countries that suffer from a scarcity" ... This valuable information can also help reduce access inequities and age-based discrimination while facilitating the evaluation of health policies and analytical studies."

The study will include about 20,000 participants aged over 50 representing all of Egypt’s governorates. The study will span at least 10 years, with researchers following up with participants every two years to track changes in their health. Salama and the team will collaborate with government agencies, civil society and not-for-profit organizations in Egypt, in addition to the SHARE project, which researches the connection between policy and the quality of life for European citizens and beyond.

Salama hopes the findings will inform policy and planning to improve healthcare services for older adults in Egypt. “This valuable information can also help reduce access inequities and age-based discrimination while facilitating the evaluation of health policies and analytical studies,” he said.

In addition to paving the way for better health outcomes, the study will also shed light on the impact of climate change and societal changes. “These changes include, for example, the continuing trend toward urbanization, with more older people moving to the cities, which in turn affects the way older people live and creates new challenges related to access to health care services and social isolation,” Salama explained.

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