Meet Saleem, an automated chatbot that promotes brain health and mental well-being over Facebook Messenger. Developed by Asmaa Saeed, a public health master’s student in AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, the Arabic-speaking bot seeks to teach Arab individuals ways to improve their brain health in a conversational manner, such as giving advice on maintaining healthy eating habits or referring individuals to mental health websites and resources.

“The chatbot teaches individuals about various lifestyle factors associated with long-term brain health and mental function,” Saeed explains. “It gives the users tailored, personalized tips and recommendations for proactive steps and behaviors to support brain health.” 

Saeed, who is also a research assistant at AUC, received an award from the International Brain Research Organization/Dana Brain Awareness fund for improving global engagement, outreach and brain awareness in an underrepresented region.

Saeed built Saleem because she is interested in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. “While science is doing its best to develop treatments that can prevent or delay these diseases, it’s not there yet,” she states. “Until it is, we need to adopt healthy lifestyles and behaviors that eliminate certain risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity, depression, physical inactivity and smoking.”

Saeed hopes that Saleem’s interactions with users will inform and influence them to make healthier choices. “The main challenge with this project is that there is limited awareness about brain health in this region and people here are not always willing to change their lifestyle,” she says. 

To encourage better habits, Saeed made the chatbot as engaging as possible. “I named the chatbot Saleem, used human-like characteristics in the profile picture, developed empathic statements for the bot to use and enabled the program to utilize emojis, customized tips and referrals to helpful resources,” she says. “Developing Saleem was my favorite part of this project.”

Even Saleem’s name is an encouragement of brain health. “In Arabic, Saleem means healthy, and there is a famous Arabic wisdom that says, ‘The healthy brain resides in the healthy body,’” Saeed explains. “This perfectly matches with Saleem's goals literally and metaphorically.”

Saleem offers an array of solutions for its users. “For instance, we know that social connectedness impacts brain health,” Saeed states. “The chatbot gives users this advice: ‘Stay in touch! Rich social networks offer sources of support, ease stress, fight depression and stimulate the brain.’”

Saeed says her time at AUC was very important to the development of Saleem. “I created the idea of Saleem for my final project in my Global Health Communication Course. Professor Mohamed Salama helped me polish the idea and guided me throughout the steps of making the chatbot into its best version,” she recalls. 

Saeed’s project was also a finalist in the Global Health Change Makers pitch competition, hosted by the American University of Beirut. The competition promotes projects that relate to global health and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “Saleem contributes to the goal of maintaining healthy lives and promoting well-being as societies age,” she explains. 

Saeed is optimistic about the future of her project and about public advocacy. “I believe that the impact of brain health advocacy and public awareness will one day improve health outcomes for both the individual and the community,” she concludes.

An alum works to solve the international puzzle of resilience versus vulnerability.

As countries scramble to improve their resilience to climate change, the need for cross-border cooperation becomes apparent. Youssef Nassef ’87, ’89, director of the Adaptation Division of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is working at the forefront of these international collaborations. 

The UNFCCC’s initiatives on resilience support adaptation programs that achieve three goals: identify urgent needs in developing countries, create projects that address those needs and generate funding to implement the projects.

To read the full article, click here.

Recycling, reutilizing and repurposing are key to conserving resources.

“Go to waste” has never been on Salah El Haggar’s agenda. A mechanical engineering professor at AUC since 1987, El Haggar is a guru when it comes to waste management, renewable energy applications and recycling. 

“It’s all about making use of what is normally perceived as garbage or trash. Every single piece of waste can be repurposed with economic profits to nations and individuals alike,” he said, adding that practicing this intense form of recycling will contribute to a stronger economy and open avenues for innovation.

To read the full article, click here.

This fall, students from AUC and City University of New York collaborated virtually to study income and wealth disparity in Egypt and the United States. Using art, these students aimed to increase awareness about inequality under the collaborative Global Scholars Achieving Career Success (GSACS) program.

GSACS connects students from universities in the MENA region and CUNY through Collaborative Online International Learning. The program is centered around developing career readiness skills while researching United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In a core course at AUC called Art, Science and Global Aspects of Contemporary Sculpture, taught by Mahmoud Farag, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, students examined the global aspects of sculpture and ways in which art is influenced by political and social restraints. Farag’s course was paired with a Humanism, Science and Technology course taught by Rochell Isaac, professor of English at LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York.

“Before taking this course, I hadn’t taken the time to focus on the meanings within sculptures. Now I can see that anything as simple as a box, for example, can represent something,” reflected Farah Salem, integrated marketing communication sophomore. “It was great to learn the process of putting my own ideas and sketches into sculptures.”

Together, students explored UN Sustainable Development Goal #10, which aims to reduce inequality within and between countries. Drawing from their research and life experiences in the United States and Egypt, the students identified factors that lead to wealth and income inequality and suggested possible avenues for mitigation. Finally, they created sculptures that draw attention to this issue.

Salem and her group sculpted a set of two staircases made from shoe boxes and paint to represent gender inequality specifically. The first is a straight flight of steps, representing a man’s journey in his career — being smooth and straightforward. The second set vaguely resembles a staircase and could be called instead an obstacle course — full of uneven steps and twists and turns, this set represents a woman’s experience in the workplace.

“Women are responsible for many things — working, raising children and caring for their homes — meanwhile, society is constantly judging them,” explained Omnia Antar, graphic design sophomore and a member of Salem’s group. “We wanted to convey this through the cracked staircase.”

GSACS has enriched several courses at AUC through virtual exchange and experiential learning. One of the most exciting parts for University students is the connections they form with others, despite being oceans apart.

“When I learned we were doing a virtual exchange, I was excited,” Salem said. “It was great getting to know how students from other countries and universities approach their projects and coursework. I really enjoyed this experience.”

Global Scholars Achieving Career Success (GSACS) is supported by The Stevens Initiative , which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

Learn more about the program here.

AUC’s forthcoming Data Hub for Climate Change Mitigation will provide a training platform for other universities to lower their carbon emissions.

Carbon is a major indicator of climate change. In the last century, the amount of carbon in our air has exponentially risen to a record high of over 400 particles per million — a level reached on Earth only millions of years ago. Yet while carbon emissions have a volume measurable in units of metric tons, calculating the amount any given country, organization or even person is emitting yearly is a difficult task.

When AUC initially decided to measure its carbon footprint in 2011, it faced similar challenges. However, since the first task force was commissioned to assemble this data, the University has lowered its energy consumption by 35% and published six climate footprint reports. “We measure everything in these reports, from our water and electricity use down to our composting and recycling activities,” said Khaled Tarabieh, University architect and associate professor of sustainable design in the Department of Architecture.

To read the full article, click here.