News

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) sponsored the 5th annual Kuwait Water & Electricity Exhibition, an initiative headed by Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity & Water (MoEW) under the title of "Conservation is a Social Responsibility". The two day exhibition saw participating companies, from the public and private sectors who specialize in energy, display products and services that offer practical and scientific energy conservation solutions.

AUK's sponsorship of the exhibition goes in line with the University's commitment to social responsibility, and reflects the high level of standards that AUK has for developing its Engineering programs. "AUK is proud to sponsor this conference, as we recognize the importance of energy and water conservation and are developing academic programs, such as Electrical Engineering, to support such important initiatives," explained Maher Dabbouseh, Director of the Office of Admissions at AUK.

AUK professors from the Computer & Electrical Engineering department and the MoEW have worked together on tackling issues related to energy conservation and renewable energy. This provided the opportunity for AUK students' who are seeking degrees in Electrical Engineering at AUK to address some of the issues and create projects that covered the themes of water, electricity, and alternative power sources, some of which were sponsored by international companies.

At the Exhibition, AUK received an award of recognition for its participation and contribution to the cause. Dr. Detlef Hummes, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at AUK who supervised the student projects and presented on behalf of AUK, explained that this opportunity also showcased what AUK students are capable of accomplishing. "It's an honor to see our highly motivated students' work being recognized around the world," he said.

In addition to being recognized for its contributions to the exhibition, MoEW awarded AUK for its continued dedication to energy conservation practices across the university's campus. Mr. Abolghasem Alavinejad, Director of Campus Services at AUK, received the award on behalf of the department. AUK has received this honor multiple times over the years and is committed to continuing this tradition.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 17th November 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) at AUK, has partnered with the Learning Difficulties Professional Association (LDPA) to offer a program to educate individuals who work with, or live with, young people challenged by learning and/or developmental difficulties, such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), on how to promote better learning practices. Two versions of the program will be offered; one conducted in Arabic (October 2015), and the other in English (March 2016). Each version of the program will cover 3 modules, each of which will help identify key challenges faced by individuals with learning difficulties and offer solutions on how to overcome them.

The overall emphasis of the program is placed on how individuals with learning difficulties learn, how to create their individualized learning profiles, and introduce varied instructional materials and activities that help improve their learning abilities. It will also highlight the social-emotional skills required by students to overcome behavioral issues they may face. Participants in the program may earn an Advanced Certificate in Special Education upon successful completion of all the modules.

"We are excited to be delivering this series of courses with LDPA to schools, teachers, parents, or therapists, to support them in helping all students with learning difficulties to reach their full potentials. This program aims to assist those interacting with such students to better understand the challenges they are facing and aid them in overcoming them , as they are often overlooked in mainstream classroom settings," explained Buthaina Alkhubaizi, Director of the CCE.

About LDPA:

The Learning Difficulties Professional Association (LDPA) is a social welfare association, that has been founded on 2002, aiming at promoting long life learning for children, teens and adults with Learning Difficulties and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. LDPA was established with a mandate of assisting the educational organizations and investing in teachers capabilities in order to increase LD/ADHD students educational outcomes and move them forward "FROM DIVERSITY TO INCLUSION"

About CCE:

CCE was established in 2004 and, in addition to offering language courses in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, offers an array of courses and workshops aimed to assist in the personal and professional development of individuals and groups within the public and private sectors. Course offerings are specifically tailored to meet the needs of their clients, whether they are independent groups or corporations.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 15th November 2015

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) entered into an agreement with The George Washington University (GW) - Washington DC, to establish a program for undergraduate student exchange and collaboration. GW and AUK agreed to an Undergraduate Exchange for up to a maximum of two academic semesters (fall or spring) with the other institution on a non-degree basis. Undergraduate students may each enroll at the other institution for no more than one academic year.

Late in April 23, 2015, a delegation from AUK, consisting of the President of AUK, Professor Nizar Hamzeh and the Dean of the College of Arts and Science, Dr. Rawda Awwad, visited GW to meet with Provost, Dr. Steven Lerman, Associate Provost for International Programs, Dr. Donna Scarboro, Associate Provost for International Programs, Professor Edward W. Gnehm Jr and other GW senior administrators, and discussed academic collaboration between the two institutions.

The Undergraduate Student Exchange Program will be administered through the Office of International Programs at GW and the Office of the President at AUK.

President Hamzeh of AUK explained that the purpose of the MOU is to promote academic collaboration between the two universities and to provide AUK and GW students with the opportunity to experience education outside their classrooms and environments. "Studying abroad must be viewed as an essential component of a college degree and critical to preparing future leaders," said President Hamzeh. This is the first step towards a larger goal for the two institutions. "In the future, our mutual goal is to expand this academic collaboration to include faculty exchanges, research collaboration and development of new programs," explained President Hamzeh.

Dr. Donna Scarboro, Associate Provost for International Programs at GW said, "We look forward to our engagement with AUK. GW is very active in both receiving and sending students to provide a vital dimension to higher education. Students from abroad enrich our local classroom by bringing new perspectives and knowledge; and exchange gives our students a means to achieve nuanced awareness of world cultures, strengthening the links among citizens in the future."

About GW:

The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from across the country and around the world.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 4th November 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) Library invited Springer, one of the world's largest scientific publishing companies, to hold a workshop to cover best practices in scholarly publishing to members of the university's faculty and staff last week. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Thafeer Atta, the Licensing Manager for Middle East and Central Asia, Dr. Nabil Khelifi, a Publishing Editor for Earth Sciences & Geography, and Dr. Jeffrey Robens, an Editorial Development Manager from Springer's Singapore location, and included an overview of current publishing trends and offered tips to the attendees on how to proceed with publishing their articles.

Mr. Atta introduced Springer, a publisher of many works of Nobel laureates in the field of science, and discussed current research trends in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, meanwhile focusing on the GCC and in Kuwait. Dr. Khelifi spokeabout the process of publishing in Springer journals and conference proceedings and how to submit successful book proposals. . The workshop concluded with a lecture from Dr.Robens, who explained the logistics on how to effectively write articles for journals and successfully publish those articles in the appropriate academic journals. He also provided some tips for authors to consider when starting their manuscripts.

Faculty and staff from the Business, Humanities, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering departments, attended the workshop. The Library Director, Ms. Asma Al-Kanan, thanked Springer for organizing the workshop and the speakers for their continued support and service to libraries around the world.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 2nd November 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

The Chair of the Department of Music and Drama at the American University of Kuwait, Dr. Lisa Urkevich, has been appointed as Visiting Scholar at Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies for the academic year 2015-2016, where she will study the earliest known recordings from the Arabian Peninsula; the Hijazi sound files of 1906-09. Urkevich has already spent three months stationed at Harvard investigating the sound files which were originally recorded on wax cylinders and discovered in Makkah, Jeddah, and surrounding areas. They have not yet been thoroughly examined by the scholarly community.

Around twenty hours of recordings, or almost three hundred individual recordings, survive. Although many include Call to Prayer (Athan), street-life sounds, and Quranic recitations, they are mostly dominated by music; wedding songs performed by women, children's songs, work songs, and songs performed by professional male musicians. She will return to Harvard two more times during this academic year to complete her research and in Spring 2016, she will present her research findings at Harvard University.

In October 2015, Dr. Urkevich's accomplishments were recognized as she received the Alumna of the Year Award in Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The Alumni Association recognizes people who have made outstanding contributions to the University, their fields, and their communities. This year, the honor was extended to Dr. Urkevich, who received a BA degree from the University of Maryland in 1986. She was selected from thousands of other alumni for this distinguished honor. At the Award Ceremony, the presenter was the Chair of the Music Department Dr. Linda Dusman. She showed photographs and video footage of Dr. Urkevich engaging in fieldwork in the Arabian Peninsula while speaking extensively of Urkevich's professional achievements. In December 2015, Urkevich will visit the Maryland campus to tour the music facilities with administrators and discuss possible future collaborations with the department and its students.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 28th October 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

Professor Ahmad A. Rabaa'i, Chair of Computer Science and Information Systems at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), and Assistant Professor of Information Systems, released a book in October 2015 entitled Evaluating the Success of Large-Scale Information Systems Applications, in which he discusses the effectiveness and success of Information System (IS) applications.

Published by Scholars' Press, the book stems from a central interest in the importance of systematically evaluating operational large-scale integrated IS applications in organizations and addresses often debated concepts in the field of Information Systems. Research and study for this book were conducted in the IS-Impact Research Track at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) - Australia, where the IS-Impact model served as the core theory. Introduced by Gable et. al in 2008, the IS-Impact model attempts to measure and evaluate the effectiveness (or impact) of IS applications and their ability to offer solutions within organizations from a user's perspective.

In addition to publishing his first book, Ahmad A. Rabaa'i has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles in conferences and journals including the Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems and the International Journal of Business Information Systems.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 25th October 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

AUK invited Dana Aljouder, a Kuwaiti author, to give a lecture and discuss her first release, a new novel entitled Evora: The Secret Child. The novel is part of a trilogy about a 16 year old female protagonist, Jací, who learns to trust her instincts and become her own hero.

Evora: The Secret Child is the first installment of the trilogy in which the reader is introduced to Jací, a teenager who is struggling in a world not her own, and the beginning of her journey on an adventure of self-discovery.

Aljouder co-wrote the book with Nicole Vardi, a Los Angeles based writer and set designer with Brazilian-Portuguese roots. The two met while studying architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where they discovered a shared interest in fantasy, adventure and writing and became instant friends. Aljouder explained that the fact that she and her co-author grew up in different cultures helped them incorporate variations of folklore from different parts of the world into the novel. "Nicole and I grew up with in separate cultures. She comes from a Brazilian-Portuguese background and I come from Kuwait. We have tracked variations of the Brazilian stories her father told her to Portugal, Africa, and Arabia," said Aljouder.

A large group of students attended the talk, along with faculty and staff members. Students asked several questions about Dana's experience as a young author and the difficulties she faced in her journey of writing. The discussion was followed by a book signing where Dana signed copies of her book for students. Dana Aljouder is currently working as an interior designer at Pace in Kuwait. She is also pursuing her passion in writing and performance art.

Nicole Vardi is a Los Angeles based writer and set designer. She has designed for Larry King, The Daily Rehash show, as well another web series and features. She is currently an assistant to Bette Midler.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 22nd October 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) has recently supported the production of a newly founded academic journal issued by Oxford Gulf & Arabian Peninsula Studies Forum (OxGAPS), a University of Oxford-based platform, called Gulf Affairs.

The initiative was facilitated by one of the founders of the journal, Suliman Al-Atiqi, an AUK 2008 alumnus, who is currently a doctoral candidate at St Antony's College, University of Oxford.

Gulf Affairs is an independent, non-partisan journal that aims to bridge the voices of scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers to further the knowledge and dialogue on pressing issues, challenges and opportunities facing the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Each issue of the journal revolves around a specific theme, focusing on the most pressing matters related to the GCC and contains contributions from experts in various disciplines and professions who address each issue's theme. The inaugural issue of the journal, entitled "Labor Market Dynamics in the GCC States" was released on September 7, 2015. It features a range of scholarly analyses that shed light on contemporary challenges and opportunities facing the GCC labor markets at large, as well as cover the ongoing efforts to support labor market reforms. Among the articles featured in this issue are:

• Renegotiating the 'Social Contract' in the GCC, by Zaid Belbagi
• Kafala System Remains Resilient in the GCC, by Kaltham Al-Ghanim
• The Politics of Labor Policy Reform in Bahrain, by Laurence Louër
• Challenges to Employing Kuwaitis in the Private Sector, by Osman Gulseven
• Battle against the Thawb Syndrome: Labor Nationalization, Industrial Diversification, and Education Reform in Saudi Arabia, by Makio Yamada
• Rent Distribution and Labor Market Reforms in the UAE, by Steffen Hertog

The journal issue also features expert commentary and interviews with senior authorities in the GCC that provide an insider's view of the pressing topics of the region.

Eugene Rogan, Senior Member of the OxGAPS Forum and Director of the Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, provided the introduction to the inaugural issue of Gulf Affairs, in which he explained why the existence of such a journal is important. "The publication of the inaugural issue of Gulf Affairs marks a new departure for Arab Gulf studies in Oxford and Britain more generally. There has been a pressing need for an independent and non-partisan periodical to provide reliable research and analysis on this geostrategic region... We hope that Gulf Affairs will encourage new scholarship and debate on the GCC and its member states," he wrote.

Suliman Al-Atiqi is a remarkable example of an AUK alumnus who managed to apply the long-life learning skills he gained as a student at AUK to pursue initiatives that benefit his country and the GCC region at large He is the Committee Chairman of the Oxford Gulf & Arabian Peninsula Studies Forum and the Managing Editor of its journal, Gulf Affairs. Suliman is also the general section co-editor of the St. Antony's International Review. He previously served as an analyst for the United Nations Development Program and was the Program Lead of its "Barriers and Opportunities at the Base of the Pyramid" global research initiative. His current scholarly research focuses on the Gulf Arab states in international relations.

The full issue of Gulf Affairs can be accessed at www.oxgaps.org/gulf-affairs/publications/labor-market-dynamics-in-the-gcc-states

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 1st October 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015