AUC faculty and graduate students from the chemistry and biology departments as well as the Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, joined over 300 researchers from around the globe at the 18th International Conference of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ICBMB) under the theme, “Toward a Better Future for Humanity.”
Hosted at AUC and chaired by Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry Hassan Azzazy, the conference discussed a variety of topics that address global and national challenges to improve human life, from health diagnostics and cutting-edge findings in cancer treatment to genomic studies of neurodegenerative diseases and the production of biofuels from agricultural waste.
"The conference highlighted the need to form national and regional alliances in specific research areas, develop sustainable research collaborations with relevant African societies, and provide further opportunities and support for young researchers as well as women biochemists and molecular biologists," said Azzazy.
Organized annually by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology's Egyptian National Committee, "ICBMB represents the largest regional gathering of biochemists and molecular biologists," Azzazy explained.
The 18th ICBMB included 78 lectures and poster presentations, with researchers from the Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well as prominent speakers from India, the United States, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Germany and Egypt.
"A major highlight this year is the active participation of young researchers and women scientists in various conference activities," Azzazy said.
If you struggle navigating traffic in the morning, soon your car may be able to take the wheel. In fact, in 10 years' time, autonomous vehicles are expected to become a main form of transportation — but what still stands in the way of their development?
In this short Q&A, Yasser Gadallah, professor of electronics and communications engineering at AUC, breaks down how autonomous vehicles are developing, some of the challenges of the field and why it's important to explore.
Professor Yasser Gadallah, professor of electronics and communications engineering, discusses his work on automated vehicles and adapting the technology to the Egyptian market in order to fit its own specific needs, requirements and environment.
Why did you choose to study autonomous vehicles?
Autonomous vehicles are an important technology that's rapidly developing globally, to the point where they’re actually expected to be one of the main forms of transportation within around 10 years. This is why it's very important for us to start studying them from our perspective, focusing on our region, because culture has a significant impact on how these systems operate. What functions for the Western world, for example, might not work for India, for Egypt, or for Africa in general. As this technology progresses, it’s very important for us to tackle challenges from our own context in order to develop technologies that suit our needs and environment.
What is the role of psychology in the development of autonomous vehicles?
The reason we're starting to look at autonomous vehicles from a psychological perspective is because as human drivers, we use psychology to anticipate pedestrian behavior on the street. As a driver, when I see an object or situation that I haven’t seen before, I can evaluate if it's a dangerous object or if it's something that's not harmful for me, my vehicle or the surrounding environment. The use of psychology allows me to make behavioral predictions if I encounter somebody who may be at risk of moving in front of the vehicle. The vehicle itself unfortunately does not have this kind of intelligence. The psychological dimension has not been sufficiently looked at in the literature so far, and it's really important for us to try to train autonomous vehicles to deal with pedestrians the exact same way as humans do.
What are some of the challenges you face in your work?
The most important obstacle in our field in Egypt is the regulations because in order for us to conduct our research in this area, we need the ability to take videos of the environment and pedestrians interacting. Obtaining the required permits to do this can be more challenging than in other parts of the world, where the regulations may make it easier to obtain the footage needed to extract the necessary data. This is one thing that we’re continuously working on. The other challenge is building understanding with the people around us about our research in order to enhance collaboration between us and our community to advance our studies.
How has AUC played a role in your work?
AUC has been very supportive. We have received financial aid from the University, which has helped us obtain the required equipment and hire research assistants, and this really encourages professors and researchers to innovate. This gives us the opportunity to pursue applied research and to feed it into the business world as well as publish in highly regarded venues.
In this region and in Egypt, in particular, AUC is regarded as a leader. When issues arise, we often find that people come to AUC scholars for their insights. This makes it very important for AUC to continue propelling efforts toward innovation and contribute to the design of new technologies so we can use their support to continue to tackle areas of research that have not been studied within the region.
What has been the most rewarding moment of your work so far?
It’s a new field, and things change and materialize as we go. We have started developing our own models and releasing publications in this field, and we are beginning to see some of the fruits of our labor. We obtained a new grant only two months ago, which helps us continue acquiring our own equipment and onboarding more people to accelerate our work. I think we will see the results of our efforts very soon.
What are your goals moving forward?
I'm really hoping that we won’t stop at just publishing papers. My goal is that we will be able to design important elements for the operation of autonomous vehicles and begin to collaborate with the automotive industry. Whether we eventually create our own startups or simply partner with leading automotive companies remains to be seen, but my goal is beyond simply publishing new findings — to take it to the next step and apply our research in the industry.
For a team of architecture students at AUC, preserving Egypt’s heritage is vital to building a sustainable future. With collaboration from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Salford, Laila Hany ’23, Heba El Kammah ’23, Mostafa Zahran ’23, Saja Sameh ’23 and Amgad Abdulgawad ’23 set out to study how traditional crafts and buildings can be used to develop sustainable employment and housing across Egypt.
Put into practice, their graduation project can help shape an eco-friendly future that conserves Egypt’s history. The key? Adapting and reusing what’s already in place.
The team began by analyzing sites in historic and downtown Cairo as well as Alexandria, with each student choosing one area to focus on. For example, Hany, who worked in Cairo’s Al Khalifa neighborhood, explored how reviving the tradition of stained glass could also help create sustainable forms of employment for residents.
Beyond sustainable development, the team pointed out that reviving Cairo’s historic buildings and crafts may be crucial to the survival of some of Egypt's history and traditions, which are in danger due to economic hardships.
Of course, considering the numerous factors at play is a delicate task.
“The main challenges were finding solutions that balanced heritage conservation, zero-carbon sustainability, revival of traditional crafts and tourism in an eco-friendly manner,” explains Zahran, who studied the landmark Haret Bergwan on Cairo’s famed Moez Street.
“With extensive research, the group was able to find connections between these different factors to create viable solutions to these issues simultaneously," added Zahran.
The team’s research took them to COP27 and the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, “Time Space Existence,” hosted by the European Cultural Center. Hany and El Kammah presented the team’s work with the support of their thesis adviser Sherif Goubran ’14, assistant professor of sustainable architecture.
“Presenting at COP27 and then displaying our work in Venice is something we are all proud of and excited about,” said Goubran.“The responses we got in all external exposure opportunities showed how important and timely our work is.”
The team’s projects found that both past and present have a role in the conversation about sustainable development. “We have a lot to learn from the past that can be applied to the future. We already have the technology to help societies and the planet thrive and flourish,” says Zahran.
In the pursuit of sustainability, Egypt’s heritage is the foundation. For Zahran, this enables future development to maintain a deep connection to its origins: “We can revive the Fatimid Cairo artisans’ hope through innovation that suits modern needs while maintaining their crafts’ essence.”
A warm welcome to all our new faculty! With research interests from international policy to visual storytelling, we are thrilled to have incoming faculty this fall who are experts in a range of disciplines. Read more about the wide array of knowledge they bring to AUC, and enjoy hearing a few fun facts – they may surprise you!
Find out a fun fact about each of our new faculty members for Fall 2023 who are experts in a range of disciplines spanning different academic schools.
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
"I think it's important for professors and students to have a good rapport. So, I try to keep it very cheerful and as fun as possible."
Research Interests: I work on the political economy of the Middle East, with a focus on global North-South relations. I look at some of the ways in which international finance and Western aid, in particular, influenced domestic political economies, as well as the consequences of that money on things like inequality and the perpetuation of poverty traps.
Assistant Professor
Department of Construction Engineering
"I think I have the balance between being a hard worker and a social butterfly. I love participating in both worlds."
Research Interests: My master's work was in structural engineering, consisting of finite element modeling and the use of experimental and numerical modeling to map complex structural elements. For my PhD, I shifted to city-scale modeling, focusing on using data-driven approaches and machine learning techniques to enhance the resilience of our cities in the face of climate-induced disasters.
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
"One day, I hope that when I come to work, the car will drive itself. I wouldn't have to drive everywhere I go."
Research Interests: I work mainly in two areas: First, in cybersecurity, focusing mainly on privacy awareness. Privacy is an important element of cybersecurity globally, and there is a growing understanding of the challenges in this area. My second focal point is autonomous vehicles, which is something we're continuously working toward.
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology
"Everyone loves to eat and to talk about food. It's something that we all share."
Research Interests: I look at what people ate and how they prepared food during different time periods. I love studying and researching the history of food in Egypt. Whenever I tell anyone I study food, they are very interested in what ancient Egyptians ate, but there's so much more to discover about Egyptian food history!
Interim Dean
School of Continuing Education
"I want to reach more and more people, both in Egypt and beyond."
Research Interests: I'm joining the School of Continuing Education at a very important time, as it is celebrating its 100th year in 2024. Therefore, one of my main goals is to capitalize on the legacy, history and the reputation of SCE to expand its programs. I want to bring SCE’s services to the community and foster the ability to reach more and more people, both in Egypt and beyond.
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Policy and Administration
"I am looking forward to exploring all the ancient spaces of beautiful Egypt."
Research Interests: I work on climate change and energy issues, and I study how international institutions and interests interact with policy processes at the national level. I am primarily interested in the influence of international actors and interests on domestic policies and policy debates.
Associate Professor of Practice
Department of Arts
"Usually when I enter my class, I want to break the ice as fast as possible."
Research Interests: I'm really interested in visual archives. I have already begun building an archive here of pictures taken on the streets of Cairo. I also have a project with students and alumni from my previous university, where we focus on building archives and communicating them again in a different way via workshops.
Associate Professor
Department of Applied Linguistics
“Welcome aboard! I hope you have a stress-free course."
Research Interests: My research area includes a range of subjects within linguistics. For example, I work with sociolinguistics and discourse analysis. Sometimes, I work with cognitive linguistics, which is primarily related to how we learn language as kids and adults.
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
“My lifelong dream was to become an astronaut because I was interested in space and math and so on. Then I realized that I'm actually interested in exploration, so I ended up becoming a researcher and professor.”
Research Interests:
My research is about character computing, which is an extension of effective computing. This aims to merge psychology and computer science in order to model human behavior based on different situations and build adaptive applications. I am also interested in privacy and security, as well as utilizing machine learning and ethical AI so that people can be more aware while dealing with data.
Psychology and computer science are seemingly different fields. However, I'm very interested in combining different disciplines because in the end, computer science is a tool that can be applied in any domain. My interest during and after my PhD was to see how you can actually understand human behavior more by building computer simulations and adjusting the computer algorithms in order to understand people as individuals and treat all of them distinctly.
Professor
Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology
"It's always an adventure to work on an excavation."
Research Interests: I do archaeological research in Dayr al Barsha, which is a cemetery site from the Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom located in Minya governorate. I also study the history of Egyptology and how the discipline has evolved over the last 200 years, with a focus on how it developed in Belgium particularly.
During excavations, you're there with a big team of people from all nationalities and specialties who contribute to the knowledge of the site. We always find incredible things, sometimes very unexpected things. We once found the meter stick of an American archaeologist who was working at the site in 1915. He just left it behind. We also found an intact tomb several years ago, with a coffin, mummy and two models preserved as if they were made yesterday. It’s always an adventure to work on an excavation.
Associate Professor of Practice
Department of the Arts
“Each project is a journey, like pulling a thread. You keep pulling it until you reach something, but not the end. There’s never an end.”
Research Interests: I have been a practicing artist for around 20 years. I'm a visual artist in an expanded sense; I'm not really tied to one medium. I create mixed media installations, and I perform. I also create films, both experimental documentaries and docufiction. I keep myself entertained. Right now, I’m working on my first feature-length film. It's a docufiction that’s going to take me a couple more years to finish.
My work is often inspired by the mundane and daily life, drawing inspiration from things that I experience on a daily basis. I try to push them further and investigate their significance in a larger sociopolitical sense. I don't really think of a particular project as a special project. Each project is a journey, like pulling a thread. You keep pulling it until you reach something, but not the end. There’s never an end.
