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By Yakin Ouederni

AUC's centennial labs tackle everything from innovation and education to technology and architecture

Additive Manufacturing

Wire-based additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, in the lab enables the manufacture and repair of medium-to-large, metallic net-shaped parts and components with high precision, high mechanical properties, high cost savings, high efficiency and sustainability, and a high production rate compared to traditional manufacturing. This technology is applicable in various industries, including aviation, automotive, marine, oil and gas, tools and molds, and biomedical implants. This is the first integrated metal additive manufacturing robotic system locally and regionally.

Digital Egyptology

At a time when Egypt's archaeological and cultural heritage is threatened by looting and destruction, this lab helps meet the needs of heritage practitioners through the integration of technology into their training to ensure that Egypt's rich cultural heritage is digitally documented -- leading to better preservation and easier accessibility. The lab also facilitates the development of new courses and provides technical support for updating existing ones.

Behavioral and Economic Decision-Making Lab

This is the first experimental economics lab in Egypt and North Africa and the second in the Arab region. Experimental economics labs provide a way to collect data in a controlled environment. The lab at AUC has three domains: academic through multidisciplinary and international research collaborations, applied research and experiential learning; public policy through implementation and testing for policy interventions; and business and NGOs through management, marketing, engagement and capacity building.

Interdisciplinary Centennial Lab for Innovation and Technology in Education

Established by AUC's Graduate School of Education, this lab addresses key issues faced by students and teachers in Egypt relating to technological, socioeconomic and geographic barriers to learning. The lab is built on the concept of "inclusive and equitable quality education," the fourth of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and is intended to reach teachers and students in public schools, as well as rural and remote areas.

Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics (BIG)

Advances in DNA sequencing technologies have led to the generation of astronomical volumes of genetic information, posing major challenges to data analysis and interpretation. The BIG lab provides AUC faculty, researchers, students, and national and international collaborators with the skill set and computational power needed to answer genomic-based research questions, from precision medicine, environmental health, water quality and food safety to renewable and sustainable energy.

Next Architecture

NextARCH Lab is an architecture and urbanism research incubator focused on bridging the gap between academia and industry in Egypt. It creates an ecosystem of high-quality research that can compete in the global market. Studying architecture and urbanism in Egypt, the lab serves as a channel for engaging academia and industry in meaningful dialogue that leads to tangible solutions for the urgent urban challenges confronting our cities today.

Systems

Conducting cutting-edge research in computational and networking systems, this lab explores contemporary topics in computer science and engineering, such as blockchain technology, mobile and pervasive computing systems, and cybersecurity. These tracks will cater to emerging applications in health care, bioinformatics, smart cities, green systems, information and communications technology and Industry 4.0 (industry automation), among others.

Education Management

The Middle East Institute for Higher Education at AUC's Graduate School of Education, in partnership with the School of Business, created this lab to serve as an incubator for education directorates in each of Egypt's 27 governorates, supporting the Ministry of Education's decentralization efforts to transform Egypt's public education system -- the largest in the Middle East and Africa. The lab empowers education leaders to promote school-based reform, teacher autonomy, and student-centered and active learning.

Alternative Innovation Management

AUC's Access to Knowledge for Development Center launched this lab to develop alternative methods for measuring innovation in developing countries, as innovation in these regions does not usually fall into orthodox measures. Innovation is typically assessed using criteria such as patents and university degrees, leaving out informal aspects in developing countries, such as informal skill development and alternate methods of intellectual property protection. Through evidence-based studies, the lab works to present its findings to policymakers and inform national innovation policy in Egypt and the region.

 

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Making an impact and #MakingAUCProud

 

AUC students win first place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition in California for their novel design of a highly stable and efficient walking quadruped.

 

AUC student and Olympic athlete Haydy Morsy wins first place at the 2019 Pentathlon African Championships, qualifying her for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Morsy was honored by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as a top Egyptian athlete and world champion.

 

 

Laila Ziko (MSc '13, PhD '19) is a winner of the Innovators Under 35 MENA award, presented by MIT Technology Review Arabia and Dubai Future Foundation, for her research on the use of microbes to cure diseases.

 

 

AUC students -- the only team made up entirely of undergraduates -- win the Omnicom Media Group MENA Inter-University Challenge, competing with students from other international universities to solve a real data science analytics problem.

 

 

 

Students from George Washington and DePauw universities as well as Westmont College visited AUC as part of the Faculty-Led Program, taking courses at AUC and visiting different parts of Cairo.

 

AUC's Cairo International Model Arab League student delegation receives the Overall Distinguished Award as well as awards in four out of eight councils at the U.S. National University Model Arab League conference in Washington, D.C., where AUC continues to be the sole representative of universities in Egypt and the Middle East.

 

Julia Viani Puglisi is the first Harvard PhD Egyptology student at AUC. A recipient of AUC's Simpson Endowed Scholarships for Year-Abroad Program in Egyptology, Puglisi came to the University as the result of a study-abroad partnership between AUC and Harvard, facilitating international collaboration between both institutions.

 

 

AUC students from the School of Business and School of Sciences and Engineering win first place in Canada's Engineering and Commerce Case Competition.

 

 

AUC's Cairo International Model United Nations student delegation receives a record-breaking 19 awards at the National Model United Nations conference in New York -- the highest number of awards in the history of the program at AUC. The students also received the Outstanding Delegation Award, the highest award at the conference, for the 10th consecutive year.

 

AUC undergraduates -- the only team from Egypt, the Middle East and Africa -- win second place at the SensUs 2019 competition in the Netherlands for developing a biosensor to measure therapeutic
drugs in patient blood.

 

 

Biotechnology PhD student Sarah Halawa '11, '14 receives the L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award for her doctoral dissertation on the genetics and epigenetics of cardiovascular diseases.

 

 

 

AUC student team ranks first in the NASA Space Apps Cairo hackathon and is nominated for the global competition.

 

 

Serage Amatory '19 and Radwa Hamed '17 are named 2019 Knight- Hennessy Scholars. AUC is the only University in the Middle East that has representatives in the 2019 cohort of the prestigious program at Stanford University.

 

 

Madina Mahmoud '12, '18 wins the 2019 Eni Young African Talents Award from President of Italy Sergio Mattarella for her master's research on desalinating saltwater to preserve freshwater sources.

 

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KHALED TARABIEH
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

Seizing the moment for green architecture

The Inspiration

The simple truth is that the way we build our buildings will determine the survival of future generations. Our homes, our stores, our offices, our factories -- building them requires a vast expenditure of energy in the form of materials, waste, recycling, resource use and efficiency. We continue to use concrete and red bricks in the same way as decades ago. We have increased our use of building systems for our comfort, which has a devastating impact on our energy bills. Our construction waste remains high at all times, with a record number of landfills and a maximum load on our environment. Our carbon emissions continue to increase, with limited efforts to curb them. The moment for green architecture has arrived.

It's time to look carefully at our built environment, think outside the box and build a sustainable future -- not only in terms of renewable forms of energy, but also enhancing our conventional building methods and materials, adopting a greener and sustainable approach that puts efficiency as a design principle and delivering buildings with much better quality, minimum emissions and a lesser load. At the Building Sciences Lab, we're exploring a number of ways to do that.

The Process

Tarabieh with students in the Environmental Testing Chamber

All of our research projects, from smart window applications to thermal performance of building materials, are interdisciplinary. We draw faculty and students from across the University: construction engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, physics, chemistry and psychology. We use state-of-the-art equipment, starting with our Environmental Testing Chamber, which allows us to conduct full-scale thermal testing on composite walls made with any building materials currently used in the market or under development in our labs, such as building blocks made with compressed earth, upcycled building materials made from plastic bottles or shredded waste paper and resin. In other words, instead of relying on computer simulation models alone, we can set up actual building conditions and validate or calibrate our simulation models through experimental testing and observe how they perform in real time.

We use calibrated state-of the-art measuring equipment to sense the performance of our environment in all of our work: air-quality testing devices to determine the level of gases in our air; weather stations to monitor sonic wind measurements, solar radiation, ambient temperature, relative humidity and the amount of rainfall; devices to measure the visible transmittance of our glazing systems; humidity sensors for wood characterization to develop a smarter generation of windows; and metering systems to measure campus building energy use and make us aware of our carbon emissions, enabling us to determine our environmental load as a campus and take the appropriate measures to benchmark with our peer institutions worldwide. That's the bulk of our work: testing materials and finding ways to make them energy-efficient, cost-effective and accessible, and taking action toward better building designs.

The Next Steps

We keep expanding our research to account for other links in the construction chain. The performance of our buildings doesn't depend only on the quality of the materials. It also depends on how we use, install, apply and maintain the materials and, most importantly, how we educate our students and integrate our research in the labs with knowledge in the classroom. We're looking at the process from start to finish, capitalizing on the young minds as our primary asset to mitigate the present environmental challenges and instill green buildings as a means of coexisting with the environment. We are adopting a cradle-to-cradle mindset instead of the conventional cradle-to-grave.

The IMPACT

Testing window assemblies in the Building Sciences Lab

We want to transform the built environment to show that green architecture is a smart, sustainable solution to a major problem. Here's one small example: Windows are a critical part of any effort to conserve energy in a building. Most builders choose windows based on cost, and in Egypt, they rely on word of mouth to find suppliers. We're developing a rating system for smart windows so builders can easily access information about inexpensive, energy-efficient, high-functioning windows. In effect, we're helping to create a market for green windows. If builders want these products, the industry will want to provide them. That's how transformation starts.

The Future

Because we're a liberal arts research University, because we work across disciplines, because we were founded to help solve problems and share knowledge -- this is a place where the sky is the limit. Just think of our approach to sustainability. When we built our New Cairo campus, we made sure it was a model of best practices in green architecture and landscape design. Everywhere you go on campus, you can spot environmental design thinking: in our building materials and systems, in the strategic placement of our vegetation, and in the indoor and outdoor spaces created for people to use on a daily basis. AUC produced the region's first Carbon Footprint Report for a university campus, of which I was privileged to be part of the AUC team, and using this data, we were able to drop our energy performance down by 33% in the last decade. We lead by example -- generating creative, innovative, impactful ideas and turning them into reality.

 

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THOMAS SKOUTERIS
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND CHAIR
DEPARTMENT OF LAW
DIRECTOR, IBRAHIM SHEHATA MEMORIAL 
LLM PROGRAM IN INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW

Assembling the first archive of international law practice in the Arab world

 

The Inspiration

"State practice" is of great significance for international law. It refers to "what states do" in the field of international law. It includes treaties, court decisions, legislation, diplomatic practice -- the list is quite long. Knowing "what states do" is of tremendous importance for the study of customary international law and for policymaking, but also for understanding the discipline in a cross-cultural perspective. Throughout the centuries, the Arab world became the focal point of many developments in international law and politics. At the same time, our knowledge of the practice of Arab states remains fragmented. This is because, unlike other parts of the world, it has never been systematically studied. The purpose of this project is to remedy this gap. We'll collect, classify, summarize and annotate documents relating to state practice in the Arab world, and make it accessible to a global audience.

The Process

The everyday work is truly exciting. First, there is the conceptual task of organizing the practice of international law across 22 countries into categories and fields. Then, there is the Herculean task of discovering relevant data among the sea of available public documents. Third, there is the scientific work of selecting, annotating, characterizing, connecting and analyzing information. Then, there are the many pleasures and challenges of teamwork.

The Next Steps

The Next Steps During the first year, we are focusing on setting up a database for the organization of information, testing our operating procedures and focusing on the study of limited aspects of the practice. During the following two years, we will focus exclusively on the collection and processing of data across 22 Arab states. We now have a team of 10 -- AUC faculty, students, alumni and external collaborators -- which will grow and diversify as we proceed.

The Future

AUC is the natural environment for this project. Aside from our location, our faculty, students and alumni have expertise that is hard to match. This project, together with others that are currently in progress, is part of an unfolding multi-pronged strategy to affirm the position of AUC's Department of Law as a leading academic hub in the Arab world.

The IMPACT

Once the work is done, the professional community in the region and globally (governments, legal advisers, academics, law firms, international organizations and NGOs) will be able, with the click of a mouse, to access much-needed information in English and Arabic. This will be empowering for Arab states and Arab international lawyers. One of the reasons (alas, not the main one!) why the discipline is currently so Eurocentric and the Arab world so misrepresented is the lack of access to information.

 

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HANADI SALEM
PROFESSOR OF MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Working at the cutting edge of a new manufacturing technology

The Inspiration

Manufacturing is undergoing a massive shift. A technology called additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is revolutionizing the industry, from motor vehicles and consumer products to medicine, the military, gas and oil, and aerospace. We're seeing breakthroughs every day in fields such as robotics, biomedical engineering, machine learning, architecture and so many more. At AUC, we're establishing an Additive Manufacturing Centennial Lab. We expect it to be the local and regional pioneer in additive manufacturing research, development and benchmarking. We'll prepare new generations of scientists and engineers to work with this essential technology. And we'll develop and share our processes and resources.

Metallic net-shaped parts manufactured at AUC's Additive Manufacturing Centennial Lab

Metal additive manufacturing is one of the fastest growing areas in the 3D printing industry, which is predicted to have an economic impact of $40 billion by 2027.

IDTechEx

The Process

Members of our team meet regularly to make plans, brainstorm new ideas and solve problems. At the completion of a project, we submit a written report and give a presentation, which leads either to refinement or approval. We also share our work at major conferences. The projects are diverse, from jet engine parts and racecar spindles to artistic statues. We build net-shaped metal parts and components. What we all share is a commitment to using additive manufacturing in ways that will benefit the industry, environment and society.

The IMPACT

Revolutionary technological advances push the boundaries of progress -- economically, socially and environmentally. Additive manufacturing not only allows for efficient use of materials and production at a relatively lower cost than traditional manufacturing, but also reduces complex assembly efforts and increases design flexibility. By embracing the full potential of additive manufacturing and integrating it into traditional manufacturing and product development processes, we'll see new applications scaling to almost every industry. Companies can limit outsourcing to third parties by developing concepts in-house. They can also create an advantage over competitors by shortening their product development cycle. Last but not least, additive manufacturing is a green process, with minimal waste and reduced emissions. This is progress for everyone. Our additive manufacturing facility offers a unique proposal: the freedom to create more, to inspire innovation and to better society.

The Next Steps

We recently received funding for establishing an integrated metal additive manufacturing robotic system -- the first locally and regionally. We're getting ready to launch our Additive Manufacturing Centennial Lab, which will be a leading facility for exploring new adaptations of additive manufacturing. That's just a small sample of the work ahead. Both Egypt and AUC have a strong entrepreneurial culture, so there's always something new.

The Future

AUC is positioned to be a global leader in this field. Our faculty members have expertise in it all -- from reverse engineering, process design, modeling and simulation to structural characterization. Our students are highly trained in the field. Our facilities are state-of-the-art. And the University is committed not simply to conducting research, but also to raising awareness and transferring the technology to the local and regional industries where it can have the greatest benefit.

 

TAREK SELIM '92, '95
PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND STRATEGY
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
 

Preparing for the road ahead with autonomous vehicles

The Inspiration

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has already begun. Technology and digitization are changing our daily lives -- overturning assumptions, creating new platforms and products, establishing a new normal. One of the biggest changes we'll see is in transportation. We're doing research with the World Economic Forum -- I'm a member of their Global Agenda Council on the Fourth Industrial Revolution -- specifically on the future of autonomous vehicles, more commonly known as self-driving cars. With the Fourth Industrial Revolution, autonomous vehicles and self-driving cars will be the norm -- not necessarily on a full scale, but on a much larger scale than most people perceive. On a related track, we're also looking at the development of smart cities.

The Process

This is a multidisciplinary project, so I have research assistance from students in computer science, economics and business. My specialty is economics, but I also have a background in business and engineering -- I was a visiting professor at the MIT Industrial Performance Center. While at MIT, I was co-researching industrial innovation for emerging markets, so when the World Economic Forum offered me the possibility of researching the future of the global autonomous vehicle industry, I was immediately interested. Together, we're mapping a number of variables: wireless and laser technology, 3D sensor measurements of nearby cars and pedestrians, semi-auto-braking with the concrete possibility of complete driverless auto-parking, GPS city infrastructure requirements, risk factors of autonomous driving collision, customer valuation of new technology, market behavior and social resistance to change, new requirements for the car insurance industry, and government regulatory provisions for safety and accountability.

The IMPACT

The idea is to explore the commercial and regulatory frameworks needed to support self-driving cars. High-tech features are mapped with socioeconomic requirements, industry standards and smart city planning. How can the auto industry incorporate new technologies? How can cities adapt to a new driving paradigm? What social norms need to change? We're working at the edge of what's possible. Our research should help engineers, city planners and regular citizens get a clear view of what's ahead. For example, what will be the new normal in three to five years? Will all new cars be able to completely auto-park by then? That's the minimum threshold expected.

The Next Steps

Looking at the big picture: In the next decade, fully driverless cars may not be commercially available, but a close hit is highly possible. Then there's the question of whether they can be socially accepted on a global scale. As for my research team, we'll produce an article for publication, a report for the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and possibly a related case study.

For Egypt, traffic and commuting are major issues here. So there's a real sense of urgency -- and hope -- around this project and its wide impact.

The Future

Three ideas are pushing this research forward: technology, innovation and smart cities. Those ideas are also pushing Egypt forward. If you want to see the future, AUC is a good place to be.

 

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Developing new pharmaceuticals from the Red Sea and beyond

RANIA SIAM
PROFESSOR OF MICROBIOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

 

 

Siam on an excursion to gold mines in the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea to collect samples

The Inspiration

I'm fascinated by biological life in extreme environments: the mere existence of life under presumably unlivable conditions. The Red Sea is home to brine pools that are incredibly harsh in a number of ways. They are deep (2,200 meters below the surface of the sea), hot (some reach up to 69?C), have very high saline content and lack oxygen -- or all of these at once. My question was: How can organisms thrive under these conditions? I answer this by investigating the evolution of microbial genomes in such habitats.

 

The Process

The project started with AUC's move to the New Cairo campus and the research expansion of the School of Sciences and Engineering. External research collaborations and funding opportunities were promoted, such as the collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Over the course of five years, collaborative research teams -- including scientists and graduate students from AUC, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Greece and the United States -- went on expeditions to the Red Sea. We worked 12-hour shifts, sampling water and sediments from different sites. Then we isolated the DNA, performed high throughput sequencing and developed a huge genomic dataset. Since then, we've been mining that data for biocatalysts and enzymes that might have unique biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. Now the AUC Red Sea Marine Microbiology Group has graduated more than 50 Master of Science and PhD students, and some are still continuing their work on the Red Sea biocatalysts.

The IMPACT

First, we're understanding the evolution of microbes under harsh conditions. That knowledge can lead in many directions. We have discovered several unique Red Sea enzymes, including an esterase, nitrilase, mercuric reductase and an antibiotic-resistant enzyme. These enzymes have superior biochemical properties that would be attractive in several industries, including biotechnology, detergents and pulp. Recently, we've discovered new antimicrobial and chemotherapeutics agents. Humans have developed a resistance to many antibiotics as well as anti-cancer drugs. That's impeding infectious disease and cancer treatments. Therefore, the discovery of new drugs is mandatory for the treatment of resistant cases.

The Next Steps

We're going on expeditions to arid and semi-arid areas in the Caribbean, collecting samples from hydrothermal vents. We are also interested in sampling active volcanoes in the Caribbean -- and we'll continue to gather samples from the Red Sea. Additionally, we have a project for the transition of the Red Sea enzymes from the lab to the industry. It's thrilling to explore the unexplored. It's also thrilling to take what we've discovered and apply it in ways that could change people's lives.

Siam during an AUC-King Abdullah University of Science and Technology expedition to the Red Sea

The Future

AUC has put us on the cutting edge of the field. We've used state-of-the-art equipment in AUC's molecular biology and genomic labs. Students from AUC's biotechnology graduate program have played key roles in the project. AUC's faculty research grants helped us complete different parts of the project and ensured the publication of our research in peer-reviewed scientific journals. AUC has supported our collaboration with leading institutions around the world -- from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to the Technical University of Berlin and ETH Zurich. I believe that AUC is building the next generation of thinkers, researchers and discoverers: the people who will solve tomorrow's problems.

 

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COVID-19 is changing the name of the game in the world of business.
 

By Nahla El Gendy

 

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread globally, pushing governments to make significant interventions, businesses are continuing to adapt to the new normal while satisfying the altering needs of their customers.

"The current circumstances that the world is facing are more of a game changer. Any business, regardless of its position in the market, has to consider this and adjust accordingly in order to survive," said Alain El-Hajj '15, computer science graduate and chief operating officer of Paymob, a digital payment enabler empowering the underserved, consumers and merchants with access to financial services. "Feeling forced to change your day-to-day operations isn't an easy thing, but, fortunately, we are quite used to it."

COVID-19, and any other crisis, shouldn't change business models if they are well-structured but could definitely lead to what El-Hajj described as a typical evolution, where companies could reinvent themselves, refresh their thinking or invest in something new. "The current circumstances made us shift our focus to certain products more than others," he said.

Paymob recently partnered with another electronic payment service provider, Klickit, to offer digital payment solutions to GEMS [Global Education Management Systems] schools in Egypt, enabling tuition fees to be paid online. "This initiative will help cater to consumer needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to be implemented in countries other than Egypt," said El-Hajj.

More Home, More Internet

For technology-based companies such as Paymob, working from home did not introduce a drastic change. "Luckily for us, as a fast-scaling company, our need for technologies that help us perform our day-to-day operations more efficiently are pretty much the same for working remotely, and due to our great team, we've adapted quickly to these new measures," said El-Hajj.

Some companies, such as [34]ML, already applied a remote work policy before COVID-19. Founded by two AUC alumni, Ahmed Saafan '11 and Ashraf Mourad (MA '19), [34]ML is a software company specialized in the design and development of mobile applications. It recently launched the Around Egypt application to promote tourism and show the beauty and hidden gems of Egypt in 360 degrees -- a service that comes in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Offering an immersive virtual reality experience, the Around Egypt app reached more than 1 million users on Facebook and over 30,000 downloads since its launch in April 2020.

 

"The app features more than 30 different virtual reality tours of sites all around Egypt -- from Cairo to Aswan, from temples to national parks, from religious sites to entertainment venues, from 80 million years ago to the 21st century," said Saafan, construction engineering graduate, business lead at [34]ML and a member of AUC's rugby team. "There couldn't be a better timing to launch this app. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing everyone to stay at home, people are geared more toward the internet, online applications and technology in general. With tourism, this is particularly useful because mosques, churches, temples, museums and other tourist attractions in Egypt have been closed."

 

Around Egypt app

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is also working on adding to its existing portfolio Software as a Service (SaaS) products, a form of cloud computing whereby a service provider hosts applications for customers and makes these apps available over the internet for a monthly fee. "The pandemic has triggered us to pivot into a more product-led company and transform our business offerings," said Saafan.
 

Adapting and Adopting

Breakfast team working under strict health and safety measures

It's not only the internet whose consumption has increased but also food -- and, of course, companies had to adjust. According to Deloitte, one of the world's largest management consulting firms, out-of-home consumption that typically generated the highest profits has fallen, coming to "nearly a standstill," whereas at-home consumption has risen. This has caused disruptions in supply chains and may lead to long-term changes in customer behavior and demand, as Deloitte described it.

Breadfast, an online supermarket that delivers freshly baked goods and groceries to people's doorsteps, is adjusting its operations in this unprecedented situation by implementing firm health and safety measures.

"We have placed strict precautions to mitigate the risk of the coronavirus, from sanitizing all workspaces and wearing face masks to reducing shifts and having an alarm that goes off every hour for employees to pause operations and wash their hands," said Yehia El Darawy '12, '17, petroleum engineering major and country manager of Breadfast.

COVID-19 pushed Breadfast to accelerate its online grocery shopping: evolving from a bakery delivery service to an online supermarket, and increasing its portfolio to include more categories such as cooking ingredients, health and household items, baby needs and even meat -- with plans to add a broad range of products such as chicken, toothpaste and garbage bags, among others. The bakery also went from next-day delivery services to delivery within an hour in several areas across Cairo. "We are humbled by the opportunity to provide a safer way of grocery shopping with a wider range of products to keep our teams and customers healthy," noted El Darawy.

What About the Nonprofits?

The business impact of COVID-19 is not merely restricted to business entities but social enterprises as well, such as Helm, which provides advisory and coaching services for institutions, professionals and governments to work toward the effective and sustainable inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace. Like many entities, Helm pivoted from a physical academy to an online one and shifted the focus of its training -- whether individual or corporate -- to new, customized needs brought about by COVID-19. This has allowed people with disabilities under Helm's umbrella to not only work from home but also learn new skills online through different development courses. Consequently, Helm Academy's online platform became the first inclusive online learning platform in the Middle East and North Africa that is specialized for people with disabilities, according to Amena Elsaie '11 and Ramez Maher '12, co-founders of Helm.

"Since the start of the quarantine, our team has conducted a total of 180 client meetings per month instead of 20," said Elsaie. "We met virtually with e-learning experts across five continents to study the best technological solutions and learning management systems out there in order to provide the most suitable and accessible model tailored in Arabic
to fit our client needs."

One of Helm's employees while working from home

Within Helm, "we have temporarily shifted the organizational roles so that those whose jobs were affected are performing other duties and supporting other teams. We have also used this time to invest in the team's growth through bringing in consultants and organizations for capacity building and training to help lift the spirits of people during these turbulent times," Elsaie added.

Not only is COVID-19 affecting business operations at Helm, but it has also changed perceptions, ideologies and personalities. "We regularly give our people the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in order to identify their personalities and make sure they are doing what's best for them," noted Elsaie. "It's surprising how these tests have shown a drastic shift in people's personalities both pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, as extraverts turned to introverts, including myself!"

Will Things Be the Same?

Regardless of how tough this period has been for almost all businesses, it has offered eye-opening lessons that are here to stay.

"Productivity skyrocketed in certain areas, including technology and product functions, and that is something we all want to capitalize on. When these tough days are over, we will surely go back to our meetings and gatherings, but work-from-home arrangements and other measures will be adopted more extensively," said El-Hajj.

[34]ML has already started to focus more on its marketing activities. "Since everyone is online more now, we are investing more time into creating content for our marketing outlets," said Saafan. "We are also considering sticking to virtual meetings even after the end of COVID-19. From a business perspective, the pandemic has actually accelerated digital transformation across several functions and industries. For example, people are now more comfortable with online meetings and digital signatures."

Saafan also stressed how much he and his team have learned about unforeseeable circumstances suddenly changing set plans. "We now recognize the importance of a clause in our agreements for force majeure, which we never really understood before," he said.

These unforeseen circumstances have taught Helm's team to step out of their comfort zones and never take no for an answer. "When you think there is only one way of doing business, COVID-19 comes to show you that there are always other options. We just have to expand our horizons and think outside the box," reflected Elsaie.

And be flexible. "The most important lesson we learned is that you have to be very agile in order to make the best use of opportunities that come your way. There are a lot of competitors out there, so you have to change rapidly, adapt and try to read the trend as best as you can," said El Darawy.

For Paymob, COVID-19 proved "how betting on the right people and finding the right team are key for surviving all hardships," affirmed El-Hajj. "We will always continue to work hard to find the right talent and maintain the right culture through our growth, as COVID-19 is not the first challenge and will definitely not be the last."

 

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AUC's biotechnology alum is researching COVID-19 drug leads

By Yakin Ouederni

Reem Al Olaby (MSc '11, PhD '14) has one secret to her success: "It's never too late to try something new."

And that's why she hasn't taken a rest since the day she earned her PhD in biotechnology from AUC.

Kickstarting her career in medical sciences at AUC and venturing to different institutes in the United States and Qatar, Al Olaby is now an assistant professor at California Northstate University, where she teaches pharmacology, neuroscience, biochemistry, biology, and advanced cell and molecular biology. Over the years, most of her research has focused on developing drugs, most notably identifying drug leads against hepatitis C, malaria and Fragile X neurodegenerative disorder. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she once again delved into new territory.

"I felt that I should start learning more about the pandemic and help raise awareness of it," she said. "I thought, 'Why not use the expertise I have on drug discovery and do something?'"

Al Olaby has used her social media platforms to post videos where she busts myths about the coronavirus and explains the use of certain drugs to treat it. She also writes blog posts in English and Arabic to inform her followers of different developments and safety tips.

"I plan to do more videos about new discoveries, new drugs, the importance of face masks and more," she said.

Working on a team with other researchers and some of her students, Al Olaby is using computational biology to find drug leads for COVID-19. While this research is still in its early stages, Al Olaby is keen on producing an impactful outcome soon.

"This time, I'm really determined to make sure that once I get something beneficial, I will do all that it takes to make it reach the bedside by finding the possible funds and sponsors," she said. "It's not just about patenting and revenue. It's about reaching the people that need to benefit from such drugs."

Her work on COVID-19 isn't limited to the sciences. A long-time advocate of diversity in the workplace, delivering lectures about racism in health care and health disparities, Al Olaby has been giving talks about the disproportionate effects of the virus and how it should be used as a wake-up call to eliminate biases in health care and the workplace.

"Viruses do not discriminate, but minorities and marginalized populations don't have the same quality of health care as privileged communities," she explained.

And while the pandemic has shifted her in new directions for her research, Al Olaby's life as a university professor didn't change too much. She was already using a blended approach in her classes, a mix of face-to-face and prerecorded lectures.

"The transition wasn't that hard for me," she said. "I continued doing the same thing I already do in class, so the students weren't impacted too much."

When it comes to things Al Olaby does outside of the classroom, the list goes on. Whether it's giving talks about diversity, encouraging people to be global citizens, helping college students with postgraduate decisions, building homes with Habitat for Humanity or taking up taekwondo with her family, Al Olaby always finds a way.

"It is never too late to learn something new, and nothing is impossible. Go after your aspirations, and visualize your success," advised Al Olaby.

Al Olaby credits her time at AUC for helping her realize her fervor for achievement and commitment to service. "AUC was a life-changer for me," she said. "My professors inspired me to be the professor I am today. Being a faculty member is a true blessing because we have the chance to inspire generations and leave a positive imprint in people's lives."

Her love for public health flourished at AUC as she took part in different competitions and campaigns, including one where she raised awareness of hepatitis C.

"This all gave me the experience that I'm using right now: the ability to share my ideas with others, public speaking, being a well-rounded researcher and looking at problems differently," she said.

After AUC, in 2017, Al Olaby earned her master's in public health from The George Washington University.

 

For Al Olaby, every class she teaches, every research project she conducts, every drug lead she finds and every personal decision she makes is grounded by her pride in who she is and her acceptance of diversity in all its forms. "I always introduce myself as Syrian-Egyptian," she said. "Be proud of who you are. It will impact your charisma, your confidence and how others treat you. Going around so much has made me resilient, more accepting of constructive feedback and different ideas. It made me appreciate the richness of diversity."

So whether it's finding that drug for the coronavirus, searching for new ways to give back to her community or taking up another new activity, Al Olaby knows one thing for sure: She's not anywhere close to stopping just yet.

 

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Tamima Hafez '20 details her new routine and how she learned to make the most of staying at home

Quarantining has taught me how to become disciplined. Every morning, my natural alarm clock wakes me up at about 8 or 9 am without needing to snooze my phone alarm for hours. Having that much free time and space in my day allowed me to create a system for myself, which I try to make the most of.

I wake up with a fresh amount of energy, make my morning coffee and enjoy the sun with some music for about an hour. Afterward, I either stretch, do a mini- workout or read. This allows me to gently wake up my brain and get ready for the tasks of the day. Depending on the amount of work or Zoom sessions I have, I plan my day accordingly to finish my work at around 4 pm. Sometimes, I don't have any work, and I can use this time to practice some of my hobbies, such as painting, singing and playing the guitar or piano. I was only taking three classes during my last semester, so I had lots of time to learn new skills and talents.

My experience with online classes was great. I loved working from home. Creating my own comfort zone and managing my time added so much discipline to my day.
 

When the sun sets, I use the nighttime to switch off and catch up on movies or series that I've always wanted to watch but never had the time. At first, this quarantining system was tricky because I realized that I lacked discipline -- not time -- but then I found a way to work around that and use my time preciously.

The best part about this for me is that I can use my time freely in the morning, which is different from having to be on campus to attend classes. I really appreciate my mornings, and now I actually have the time to enjoy them. So overall, this experience has absolutely affected me positively because it has allowed me to split my day according to my needs and preferences. The main drawback of the quarantine is not being able to spend my last semester as a graduating senior with my friends, but we'll make up for that after this is all over.

By Nahla El Gendy, as told by Tamima Hafez '20, a double major in theatre and English and comparative literature