The one-year program offers candidates the chance to gain professional experience across various functions within AUC, and develop their technical and soft skills. The University will assist participants who complete the program in preparing resumes and will provide references to potential employers in Egypt. Some may have the opportunity to stay at AUC if there are suitable vacancies. 

 "This program reflects AUC’s commitment to fostering diverse, inclusive and accessible learning communities. It is our responsibility to lead by example, and we hope to create a model for others in Egypt and the region.” 

AUC will also establish partnerships with Egyptian ministries and NGOs to upskill and offer on-the-job training for people with disabilities in areas such as English-language proficiency, IT development, communication and soft skills to effectively contribute to the local workforce.

“This program reflects AUC’s commitment to fostering diverse, inclusive and accessible learning communities,” said AUC President Ahmad Dallal. “By offering professional development for people with disabilities, we are enriching our campus and doing our part in creating access and opportunities for a diverse talent pool. It is our responsibility to lead by example, and we hope to create a model for others in Egypt and the region.” 

“We value the unique contributions of each individual, and this program diversifies our talent pool and breaks barriers to create a strong workforce that reflects the richness of Egyptian society.” 

Candidates will be selected through various channels and must meet the program's selection criteria. Enrolled participants will be assigned to different jobs at the University based on their academic qualifications and professional experience. 

“This program gives people with disabilities the chance to develop their professional skills at AUC, preparing them for success in the career they pursue through a structured training program and on-the-job training,” said Sarah Refaat, senior associate vice president for human resources. “We value the unique contributions of each individual, and this program diversifies our talent pool and breaks barriers to create a strong workforce that reflects the richness of Egyptian society.” 

Find out more about the program details and requirements and how to apply.

A research team led by Distinguished University Professor Hassan Azzazy in the Department of Chemistry developed a novel long-term dual disinfectant formula dubbed NanoGuard. The long-lasting disinfectant, which is now patented in the United States, can be sprayed on common surfaces such as doorknobs, stair rails and elevator buttons to protect them against microbial contamination and prevent the spread of microbes to individuals.

The NanoGuard team consisted of graduate students Saif El-Din Al-Mofty in the chemistry program as well as Obaydah Abd Alkader Alabrahim (MSc ’24) and Jude Majed Lababidi, a nanotechnology master’s student at AUC. “Our success was tied to our synergy. Every objective was lined up, and we worked together to overcome obstacles,” said Al-Mofty.

The team’s disinfectant is unlike others, keeping surfaces clean in the long term without requiring special application procedures. “We designed a new disinfectant that can be easily applied to surfaces and remain active against microbes for at least two weeks,” said Azzazy. 

“We designed a new disinfectant that can be easily applied to surfaces and remain active against microbes for at least two weeks.”

The product fills a niche in the world of disinfectant formulas: “Most commercial disinfectants are short term and require repeated application, while current existing long-term disinfectants are expensive and require facility evacuation as well as specialists to apply them,” Azzazy explained.

The team developed a prototype of the disinfectant over the course of one year, first selecting the short-term chemical that would kill germs upon contact and later choosing the long-term chemical. Next, they sought a method to encapsulate the two selected chemicals within nanovesicles and tested the shelf life and stability of the formula during storage. Al-Mofty said, “Once we found the formulation that was stable, clean and easy to apply on surfaces, we proceeded to the next phase of making the product user-friendly.”

The researchers obtained a patent from the United States Patent & Trade Office to protect their intellectual property, and they are currently looking to connect with international manufacturers for possible licensing agreements to produce and later market NanoGuard. “My hope is for NanoGuard to become trusted, well-recognized and capable of protecting homes, universities and families from future pandemics,” said Al-Mofty.

The NanoGuard team was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Johns Hopkins International Healthcare Design Competition. The results of the NanoGuard research were initially published in Nanoscale Advances under the title “A novel long-acting antimicrobial nanomicelle spray.”

The candidates are current Vice President Kamala Harris representing the Democratic Party and former President Donald Trump, running on behalf of the Republican Party. 

Middle East Policy

On the most basic level, our faculty experts predict that Middle East policy would remain constant between the two candidates. However, they agree that Trump may be more supportive of Israel and less sympathetic to the humanitarian crises in Palestine and Lebanon. 

Mark Deets, assistant professor of history, expects Trump to cut back on some of the overseas assistance and aid: “Democrats generally spend more on development and Republicans on defense.” Deets explained that Harris is a “typical interventionist” who believes that American leadership is needed abroad, while Trump tends to take a “populist approach,” appealing to isolationists who believe the United States “should not be as involved in foreign affairs” with the exception of Israel.

Sean Lee, assistant professor of political science, corroborated this belief: “My suspicion is that U.S. policy would probably become less pro-Ukraine than it is right now if Trump wins the election, while the Middle East policy likely won’t change much.” 

 “Middle Eastern foreign policy can only move in one direction: the pro-Israel direction.” 

Lee argued that, despite more humanitarian language surrounding President Joe Biden’s conduct, the Biden-Harris administration has not made an effort to enforce domestic U.S. law, much less international humanitarian law in Gaza. “Documents show that the Biden administration has gone against its own State Department experts who found that Israel is blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to maintain arms transfers to Israel. Under Trump, the situation is likely to get worse,” Lee said.

For example, it wouldn’t surprise Lee to see Trump sign off on an annexation of the West Bank based on his 2020 “peace plan” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Likewise, “to the extent that there’s any pressure now for Israel to not maintain a permanent presence in Gaza, I wouldn’t be shocked if that goes away under a Trump administration,” he added.

In a nutshell, Lee believes that “Middle Eastern foreign policy can only move in one direction: the pro-Israel direction.” And while Deets would like to see the United States backing off from its support for Israel, he doesn’t “see it happening anytime soon, regardless of who wins.”

The Arab-American Vote

Following the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, many predict that the Arab-American vote will be a toss up. “The Biden-Harris administration has disappointed so many on its Gaza policy that a number of people are going to step back and either cast a throwaway vote or a third-party vote,” Deets said, sharing that some of these protest votes may swing in Trump’s direction.

“The feeling of abandonment by both candidates is especially true with the younger generation,” Deets added. “They’re very upset with Democrats for their support of Israel.” They’re also skeptical of Trump for his extreme support of Israel during his term and repeated use of the word ‘Palestinian’ as a slur, according to Deets. 

This could be significant as Arab-Americans represent a large number of voters in certain swing states such as Michigan. “I don’t know exactly what the polls are now in Michigan, but it’s one of those states where that issue could throw the election,” said Deets. In 2016, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in Michigan — home to over 200,000 Arabs — by a mere 11,000 votes.

“The Biden-Harris administration has disappointed so many on its Gaza policy that a number of people are going to step back and either cast a throwaway vote or a third-party vote.”

The protest vote has gained traction through national movements such as Uncommitted and Abandon Harris, which have been lobbying Arab-American voters. Many have turned their support to Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, and other independent or third party candidates.

U.S. Domestic Policy

Alaa El Hadidi, adjunct faculty in AUC’s Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research, broke down current American voter priorities into the following: Middle East policy and human rights, China policy, the economy, migrants and the environment.

While policies can be static, El Hadidi said to watch the different attitudes between the two parties, especially with foreign policy. “They have very different approaches to the region; however, the place of the Middle East in the overall American strategic interest will remain the same.”

This extends to each party’s China policy: “One of the very few things both parties agree on is that the rise of China is a threat and that they need to rival the country’s major economic trade partnerships in the Gulf and beyond, though each candidate has their own approach.”

Domestically, El Hadidi thinks human rights will be a huge voter issue. “The last time America was so polarized was during the Vietnam War, which happened almost at the same time as the civil rights movements,” he said. Today, the issue of human rights manifests through the Middle East policy, abortion rights and the migrant issue.

On migration, El Hadidi recalled Trump’s immigration ban on eight Muslim countries. “We can expect Trump to be more stringent on immigration rules, whether from Latin America or the Middle East.” Meanwhile, a Harris administration would be more flexible on immigration and more vocal about humanitarian crises, including along the U.S.-Mexico border.

One final issue to watch is the environment. “Trump now has his famous slogan to encourage increased production of fossil fuels: ‘Drill, baby, drill.’ With the Democrats, environmental policy is a dilemma. On one hand, they want cheap oil, but on the other, they want less oil produced,” said El Hadidi, explaining that the Biden-Harris environmental policy is costly to consumers.