Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer science fiction. From autocorrect to self-driving cars, the groundwork for AI has already been laid out, with lots of buzz around what’s coming next: intelligent robotic systems that can interact with humans and among themselves.

But before people can start talking to robots, LAU alumni, students and faculty decided to put AI to the test at an event called AI Rivals Human Music Composers, held Tuesday 10 at the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury Health Sciences Auditorium on LAU Byblos campus. The event was co-organized by the School of Engineering and the AI Club, and sponsored by ACM SIGAPP (Special Interest Group on Applied Computing) French Chapter.

Three composers sat at one end of the panel: famed Lebanese musician Jean-Marie Riachi, LAU Music Instructor and composer Joseph Khalife and Anthony Bou Fayad, multimedia computer engineer and musician at Antonine University. On the other end was the AI computer program development team: Ralph Abboud (BE, ‘17), an LAU computer engineering alumnus and current graduate student in computer science at Oxford University, and LAU Assistant Professor of Engineering Joe Tekli.

“There are two distinct approaches to composing music: the emotionally driven and the brief, or job-driven,” Riachi began. He explained his belief that while a computer can compose music based on a specific brief and set of inputs, it most definitely cannot simulate the emotions and passion that go into music composition. “It took me 15 years of trials before I was able to create my first true hit,” he added.

“A truly enjoyable musical piece is molded with heartfelt passion and human emotions,” said Khalife about the intensity of emotionally driven composition.

Bou Fayad pointed out that “Music follows a certain set of rules, and only evolves when you learn the rules very well and then break them.”

Alumnus Ralph Abboud co-created the Music Sentiment-based Expression and Composition (MUSEC) program used at the event. He explained how computers require lots of “teaching” – or input – to reach the level of intelligence to compose music. “Computers can’t feel, but they can be taught how to feel, so [human] composers can set the pace,” remarked Abboud. He reassured the composers at the other end of the panel that they need not worry about AI “replacing” them. Rather, he said, AI can help them gain valuable time in the process.

When it was time for the audience to guess if a piece was human-composed or AI-created, there were some surprises. Audience members mistook the first piece of music for human-composed when it had actually been created by the MUSEC program. The audience found that the sentiment rating – how much a music elicited love, fear, anger, surprise, joy and sadness – closely correlated with the AI rating, proving that Abboud’s MUSEC could simulate the human sentiments that go into music composition.

AI first caught Abboud’s attention back when he was a computer science undergrad at LAU and heard about a program that beat the world champion at Go, an extremely complex board game. Since then, he was unable to curb his curiosity and went on to design MUSEC. He plans to make a career in AI following graduate school at Oxford.

Abboud is not the only one. Since he founded the AI Club at LAU, it has grown to include over 30 members this year.

According to the Assistant Dean of the School of Engineering Barbar Akle, who moderated the event, now is a critical time for Artificial Intelligence: “This is where we lay the groundwork for how generations to come will interact with AI in the future.”

This is why AI education is important. “There’s a lot more to AI than a computation technology that simulates how humans think, feel, behave and make decisions,” explained Tekli, who specialized in intelligent data processing, as it allows for “a better understanding of the very nature of the human mind and psyche, unraveling the mysteries of human intelligence.”

Ralph Abboud plays musical pieces with varying levels of complexity to explain how his AI program, MUSEC, works.

The panel consisted of three music composers (on the left) and the MUSEC development team with Assistant Dean Barbar Akle (C) and Joe Tekli (far right).

It would take quite a bit of travel for someone to enjoy a dish of sizzling Indian curry, Nabulsi knefeh, Saudi dates, Syrian barazek, Japanese noodles, Armenian sou boreg and Baalbaki sfiha all on the same day. But hundreds of LAU students, faculty, staff and foreign dignitaries did just that on Wednesday at LAU’s International Heritage Day on Beirut campus.

The event, which has become a highly anticipated LAU tradition, was organized by student clubs so that members could celebrate their heritage and learn about others’. Of the 78 different nationalities represented on campus, six were spotlighted at the event, which also featured traditional costumes, music, dance and cultural activities.

“Heritage Day is one of the major events that we have been holding for more than 10 years now, to introduce students to a variety of cultures and to promote diversity,” said Raed Mohsen, dean of students on Beirut campus. 

Students from the Indian, Palestinian, Armenian, Japanese, Syrian, Saudi and Lebanese clubs worked together for months to make sure their booths best represented their heritage.

“When you type in ‘Syria’ on Google, you’re most likely going to see images of war and refugees,” said Farouk Kuftaro of the Syrian Club. “We wanted to show the forgotten vibrant side of our beautiful culture.” He pointed to a life-size ard el-diyar that volunteer students built on campus, which simulates a traditional Damascene home, complete with a central fountain, called a bahra. The students went as far as hiring a professional musical troupe, who played traditional Syrian songs, the Arada, for passersby.

Nearby, Kourken Papazian, a member of the Armenian Club, prepared to perform a traditional dance wearing an Armenian-style vest. “LAU is the only place where we can actively reach out to non-Armenians and break stereotypes while promoting our culture,” he said. Armenia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Samvel Mkrtchian, nodded in agreement. He said that Armenian students in Lebanon have a dual role: “They are students first, but they also help raise the awareness of the larger community about important Armenian issues.”

Around midday, dozens of students buzzed around the grounds, sampling food and taking in the visual displays. Members of the Japanese Club did origami and calligraphy, the Palestinian Club drew in people with its mouth-watering dishes, and the Indian Club gave free henna tattoos to attendees.

Head of Chancery at the Indian Embassy Ovessa Iqbal was very impressed with how the members of the Indian Club managed to represent different regions of an extremely diverse India at their booth. “This is the first time the Indian Embassy takes part in this event, and it has certainly paid off,” Iqbal said, praising the students’ dedication.

“I salute LAU’s efforts to create a platform where students can celebrate their heritage and truly come together,” said Abdul Razzak Ismaeel, the first secretary at the Syrian Embassy.

For Tarek Na’was, LAU associate professor and chair of the Faculty Senate, the event is an annual highlight. “I hope even more students will be encouraged to celebrate their heritage next year,” he said. 

Mouth-watering Nabulsi Knefeh at the Palestinian booth.

Syrian musical troupe plays at the Syrian booth where students reproduced a traditional Damascene house.

A student sits back for a Mehendi (Indian Henna) treat on her hand at the Indian booth.

LAU’s Nutrition Program organized its third Nutrition and Food Science Research Conference on April 12 on Beirut campus. Called Advances and Challenges in the Middle East, the conference brought together 500 attendees, including professional dietitians, food scientists, community nutritionists, representatives of UN agencies and graduate students from 20 universities.

Speakers presented the most recent research in the fields of nutrition and food science, especially in light of a dramatic increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Lebanon and the region due to poor dietary habits.

In his address, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Nashat Mansour said that one of the conference’s objectives was to “address challenges in Lebanon and the region, in particular the challenges of non-communicable diseases, child obesity, and food safety. I believe that the themes of this conference are timely if not critical.”

Mansour also announced the Fall 2018 launch of the MS in Nutrition program, which “has a wonderful mix of theory and practice, and a research thesis that will be the culmination of the receiving courses.”

The conference’s two keynote speakers were Kathleen Woolf, director of the PhD in Nutrition Program at New York University, and Juana Willumsen, senior officer at the Department for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases at the World Health Organization.

Principal organizer and Assistant Professor of Nutrition Lama Mattar said that she had invited Woolf and Willumsen to give the conference a broader spectrum. “The two speakers complemented each other very well thanks to their different backgrounds,” Mattar said.

Willumsen also spoke during a panel discussion on nutritional policy in Lebanon alongside Mohammad Sandid, president of the International Diabetes Federation in Lebanon; Joyce Haddad, the head of Disease Prevention at the Ministry of Public Health; and Chaza Akik of the Center for Research on Population and Health at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Rana Saleh of AUB’s Knowledge to Policy Center acted as the panel facilitator.

Over the course of the day, presentations covered an array of topics, including cardiovascular diseases and nutrition in Lebanon; dietary implications of household food waste in urban areas; food security of Syrian refugees in Lebanon; and behavioral patterns behind the high mortality rate caused by NCDs.

Woolf’s presentation focused on the association between NCDs and diet, physical inactivity and short sleep duration – the latter having become a “hot topic” in research, she noted.

“The Arab countries have been experiencing one of the greatest shifts going from infectious diseases to more NCDs,” she told the audience.

Presenter Lara Nasreddine of AUB underlined that point, saying that the rate of deaths attributed to NCDs in the eastern Mediterranean “is close to 53 percent. Lebanon has the highest in the region, with 84 percent of deaths in the country attributed to NCDs.” Cardiovascular diseases are “the main contributor to these deaths, at 45 percent of mortality in the country,” she added.  

Nutritionists in the audience were eager to follow up on the data presented at the conference. “We lack data, and we always have to refer to data from outside Lebanon,” said Hoda Yassin, coordinator of the Nutrition Department at Bahman Hospital. “We need such conferences.”

The event was also a meeting point for experts in academia, NGOs and the Ministry of Public health to explore collaboration opportunities, and “to ultimately work toward the implementation of this research through interventions and so on,” Mattar noted.   

For nutrition graduate Rayan Chourbaji, LAU “is constantly updating knowledge in the field. It’s very nice because the conference includes several topics, and is not limited to a single area.”

Nutrition clinic owner Mona Hijazi was grateful the conference allowed access to the studies presented. “It is important for us in Lebanon, for example, to know the percentage of people who suffer from cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and how many moms breastfeed.”

The conference concluded with a competition for the best poster presented by students from universities across Lebanon. 

Attendees included professional dietitians, food scientists, community nutritionists, representatives of UN agencies and graduate students from 20 universities.

Kathleen Woolf’s presentation focused on the association between NCDs and diet, physical inactivity and short sleep durations.

Principal organizer of the conference, Assistant Professor of Nutrition Lama Mattar hoped that the event would lead to collaborative implementation of the research.

Dean Nashat Mansour remarked that the themes of the conference were “timely if not critical.”

Byblos campus was abuzz with activity, as students mingled with representatives from embassies, consulates and other educational institutions for Global Day, which has become an annual LAU tradition. The event, organized by the Student Development and Enrollment Management’s (SDEM) Office of International Services, encourages students, faculty and staff to pursue exchange and study abroad programs.

“We, at LAU, believe that so much learning happens outside classroom walls,” said Elise Salem, the VP for Student Development and Enrollment Management.

“This event offers our students the chance to spend one semester abroad, and they often come back with a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of appreciation for what LAU has given them,” explained Dina Abdul Rahman of the Office of International Services.

“The benefits of study abroad go both ways,” she added, “Since we, at LAU, also get to host international students who in turn enrich our students with experiences of their own.” Abdul Rahman also stressed the importance of linking students with potential scholarships offered by embassies and educational institutions.

Among the representatives from local embassies and consulates were dozens of members of the LAU community who have either experienced study abroad or have expressed interest.

“It often felt like I’m my country’s ambassador,” said political science and international relations major Asma Meskawi, who went to France as an exchange student for a semester. She said the experience taught her so much more about life than she could have learned in the classroom only.

“I got exposed to new cultural and academic experiences,” agreed Carol Abdul-Khalek, another political science and international relations student who also studied in France. To her, the experience was not only academically enriching, as she also learned how to live independently and adapt to a different lifestyle.

Global Day also featured some info sessions held at Beirut campus.

Global Day encourages students, faculty and staff to pursue exchange and study abroad programs.

LAU is celebrating its 8th Annual International Dance Day Festival in Lebanon (IDDFL) from April 13 to 21 with a special and timely theme – human rights – as citizens across the world try to make sense of the news around them and protect the most precious right of all: Hope.

“Why human rights? Honestly speaking, because I felt we are at a very crucial point in our lifetime worldwide, and not just in Lebanon or the Middle East,” said principal organizer Assistant Professor of Dance and Associate Chair of the Department of Communication Arts Nadra Assaf.

Performers at the event are university students from LAU and middle- and high schoolers from across Lebanon. The guest choreographers were invited from the US.

“This year it just happens that all our guests are from the United States; they are also very unhappy with their rights and their laws,” she added. “So, I thought this would be a good platform to speak. We like to think of dancing as a way to communicate; it’s not just about dancing for fun or showing off.”

For this year, the IDDFL choreographers selected 26 dancers out of the 76 who auditioned. The dancers, aged 12 and above, are from schools and dance schools across Lebanon. Over the course of one week, they attended an array of intensive rehearsals and workshops, both practical and theoretical, with the latter restricted to dance teachers and LAU Performing Arts students.

Over the years it has been tradition for the festival to end in two major performances: One at the public garden in Byblos and a gala performance on the Beirut campus. This year, however, Assaf has something else in store for the city of Byblos.

Residents and visitors will be treated to surprise pop-up performances in seven locations around the city on April 20.  

“In order to keep the theme consistent, we chose human rights – peace, equality, play and rest, justice, freedom, public assembly, and the right to hope,” Assaf said. The performances will start with peace and end with hope. “It’s like a story,” she added.

The pop-ups, which will last for an hour and 20 minutes, will be announced on social media with an approximate timeline.

“If [audience members] miss us at one location, they can find us at another. It should take us approximately one hour and 20 minutes to finish,” she said.  

The on-site dances will be mainly improvised, and not all will have music accompaniments.

“For the peace and the hope there won’t be music, because that would kill the ambiance. It has to be only the sound of the dance movements.”

For the gala, in the Gulbenkian Theater on Saturday April 21, the evening will open with a dance by the LAU Dance Club followed by a short speech on why IDDFL chose human rights as a theme. The dancers will then perform all the numbers created under that theme.

Christy McNeil Chand, assistant professor of dance at Cal Poly University in California, choreographed a piece for the gala performance that reflects what she thinks the world needs now: fun and happiness. Chand, who teaches jazz primarily and also participated at LAU’s IDDFL last year, based the routine on 1920s and 1930s dance styles, such as the Charleston and the Lindy Hop.

“I think there is a lot of sadness and a lot of confusion and a lot of anger, and there’s a lot of us who could use a bit of fun and happiness right now,” she said.

Assistant Professor of Dance at the Texas Women’s University Mathew Henley has been part of IDDFL for three years. This year, he said, is particularly different in terms of the level of professionalism exhibited by the dancers. “People are coming to understand what the festival is about. There is also a sense of commitment to dance, not only while they’re here but people making effort throughout the year to be ready for the festival,” he added.

Christel Farah, who is a teacher and choreographer at Al-Sarab Dance Company, said she waits for the festival all year, and is especially excited to perform within the theme of human rights. “The theme is important to discuss even if in dance. This is the first time I personally try to talk about this subject.”

The IDDFL is part of UNESCO’s designated International Dance Day, which falls on April 29.

Many consumers prefer certain brands over others when they do their shopping. Marketers know this and work to build a “brand identity” for their products, which drives sales. But what happens when a consumer’s attachment to a specific brand becomes less of a preference and more of a lifestyle?

LAU’s own Mona Mrad, assistant professor of marketing at the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB), has studied this phenomenon with Charles Cui of the University of Manchester. They call it “brand addiction” and provide insights for marketers to create products that appeal so much to individuals that they become more than just customers.

Mrad began researching the concept while studying for her PhD in marketing under Cui, her supervisor at the University of Manchester. A former fashion design student, Mrad wanted to understand what happens “when the consumer-brand relationship reaches its highest level.”

Since there was little on the topic, she began her work from the bottom. Mrad and Cui held focus groups and conducted interviews and surveys with shoppers across the UK and US, the places with the highest rates of shopping per capita. They found that those with the condition experience an emotional attachment to a brand that is similar to that one feels to their loved ones. For these addicts, Mrad says, “brands represent their actual, authentic self.”

Mrad presented several research papers on brand addiction at prestigious international conferences, and has recently published two articles in European Journal of Marketing and Journal of Business Research identifying brand addiction and exploring its attributes. She has become one of the leading scholars in the field thanks to her and her colleagues’ continuous research on the topic.

She wants to make it clear that brand addicts differ from other addicts in that they do not experience the pathological symptoms of more negative addictions, such as a loss of control, that can harm relationships. On the contrary, many have told Mrad they feel good about their lifestyle and believe it has had a positive impact on them.

“For most people, it may not be a negative thing at all,” Mrad says. “By aligning themselves with a particular brand, brand addicts feel positive emotions, like comfort and joy – like being home.”

Brand addiction does not have to be an expensive habit, either. While some brand addicts obsess over haute couture, there are people on the other end of the spectrum who have less lavish addictions, for example, to certain food or sports-equipment brands. “It is about an emotional attachment,” she says, “not a price tag.”

They also do not tend to get into trouble because of their addiction, personally or financially, she points out. “Brand addicts make it part of their lifestyle. They don’t usually feel guilty after their purchases or go into debt because of them, like shopping addicts do. They plan to purchase from their brand of choice and put money aside to pay for it.”

Still, Mrad cautions, “There is a thin line between healthy and non-healthy addictions.” For this reason, she is conducting a new study on how brand addiction can help people pull themselves out of similar, though negative, dependencies, such as shopping addiction.

As for what her research can teach marketing students, Mrad points to the techniques successful brands use to create the type of loyalty that drives brand addiction. “Brands that are successful research their customers’ tastes, market conditions and the economy. That way they can make forecasts and evolve in a careful way so that they don’t lose touch with their core customer base. But they must keep very close contact with their customers all the time.”

Brand addiction can be less lavish than an addiction to haute-couture.

One of the world’s largest automotive companies has reached out to LAU to leverage some of the university’s talent.

The Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) Group sent representatives to LAU on April 17 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will offer undergraduate and graduate students at the School of Engineering internships at the company’s seat in Munich, Germany. The five-year agreement allows students to conduct six-to-12-month internships in all branches of engineering, including mechanical, electrical, computer, mechatronic, and industrial.

While in Lebanon, the company is also signing MOUs with engineering schools at Antonine University, the American University of Beirut, and Saint Joseph University.

The agreement is highly beneficial to both BMW and LAU. The automaker is seeking Lebanese students to fill their need for qualified engineers with strong educational backgrounds and unique skill sets. For LAU students, the internships are an excellent opportunity to learn, grow and experience working in a major international company. The MOU also adds to LAU’s third strategic pillar of expanding the university outside of the country through partnerships and programs.

The BMW representatives toured the new Engineering Lab and Research Center on the Byblos campus, viewing the extensive, state-of-the-art equipment the School of Engineering uses for both faculty research and student instruction.

What makes LAU students a good fit for the company’s internships, BMW IT Manager Markus Boenisch said during the tour, is that “they are very well educated, and they are very well equipped to work in a diverse, innovative company like BMW.”

Dirk Dreher, vice president of logistic planning, agreed. “It’s advantageous for BMW to have young minds in the company who can apply their diverse knowledge in real-life situations.”

On the student side, “Working for six to 12 months at a company like BMW in Germany will provide our engineering students with a distinct opportunity to have hands-on experience and interact with world-class engineers,” said Raymond Ghajar, professor and associate dean at the School of Engineering.

“The selected students will apply their theoretical knowledge and learn new concepts and practices while acquiring hands-on experience in different areas of engineering and applied sciences related to the automotive industry,” added Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Joe Tekli, who works closely with many of the interns who will be heading to Munich.

He noted that there is a possibility of conducting more graduate-level internships, paving the way for other collaborative programs between LAU and the BMW Group.

Internships are a major part of the School of Engineering’s curricula, with students required to gain experience outside of LAU’s gates as part of their education. Students accepted to the BMW internships will begin this summer. 

As Jimmy Nassif, logistics AI and VR project lead at BMW, noted at the end of the tour, “Today’s students are learning about new innovations at major universities like LAU. They can further expand their learning and experience from industry leaders like BMW, where they become more specialized in their fields of study while investigating and developing innovative solutions for practical usage in concrete application scenarios.”

BMW representatives were given a tour of the new Engineering Lab and Research Center on LAU Byblos campus.

BMW team with faculty members of LAU’s School of Engineering.

Currently in its 10th year, the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship Program (MEPI-TL) sent off another impressive cohort of 24 new students who presented ambitious projects that address pressing social, economic and cultural issues in their countries of origin.

The MEPI-TL program partners with LAU to provide scholarship and learning opportunities to deserving students from Lebanon and elsewhere in the Arab World. The program aims to “transform participants into well-rounded individuals, endowed with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the marketplace and to take on the challenges facing their home countries.” MEPI-TL offers a full scholarship covering accommodation as well as living expenses for eligible students from Algeria, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, the West Bank, Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon. Senior-year MEPI-TL students create capstone projects on a topic of their choice.

“This is one of the more inspiring mornings I’ve spent,” said Elise Salem, LAU vice president for student development and enrollment management, during the capstone project viewing Wednesday on LAU’s Beirut campus. “Having students present projects as a culmination of their hard work in university has been both refreshing and eye-opening. I kept thinking how some of these students must have been inspired by their time here at LAU, and passionately driven by the causes they feel strongly about back home.”

While some projects offered food for thought, others shed light on lesser-known topics. They ranged from a plan to reduce food waste and feed the poor in Tunisia; a short film to preserve the embattled culture of the North African Amazigh minority; and a project promoting civic engagement among school girls in Yemen in the hope of delaying the country’s widespread early marriages.

“MEPI-TL students are very much influenced by their upbringing back home, and they try very hard to channel that influence into positive, actionable work that can truly have an impact on their communities,” said LAU Associate Professor Ramzi Haraty, who is also the MEPI-TL scholars’ advisor. “They have to work on capstone projects every year, but this is the first time we’ve pushed them to present their projects publicly, and make themselves heard with the larger LAU community.”

The students’ projects were scored by a jury consisting of Shawn Tenbrink, MEPI program coordinator at the US Embassy; LAU alumna Ghid Amhaz (MD’12), who was an MEPI-TL scholar herself; and Khodr Fakih, LAU associate professor of law.

“I highly encourage the students to pursue work on their projects after graduation, and not to give in to obstacles,” said Amhaz, having once been in the same spot herself. With much support from LAU, MEPI, the local municipality and generous donors, she was able to restore a neglected healthcare facility in a rural village of the Bekaa Valley, turning it into a fully functional medical clinic.

“If you go on to become a doctor or an engineer, always try to have a part of your life about giving back to the community,” advised Tenbrink. “When it comes down to funding for these projects, look toward MEPI,” he added, pointing out that the scholars are eligible to apply to the program’s smaller individual grants that are on offer.

The first prize was awarded to Egyptian student Abdelrahman Ghalab for his project, Bits from the Gloom, which proposes to train Syrian refugees in Lebanon in computer programming so that they can find proper jobs and eventually be empowered to leave the refugee camps.

“Bits from the Gloom grew on me, and I’m far too involved to abandon it after graduating,” said Ghalab about his winning project, excited to see it come to life.

Three other projects tied in second place: Micheal Bechara’s Olea Europaea, which recommends exporting Lebanese oil produce to help the local rural community; Wafa Garbout’s VOTEK, a prototype for an online voting platform in Tunisia; and SidAli Mohri’s Dzair Exchange, which promotes citizenship in Algeria.

For more information about the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) visit: https://mepi.state.gov

MEPI-TL Cohort of 2018.

Tunisian student Wafa Garbout presents her project, VOTEK, to the jury.

LAU alumna Ghid Amhaz relates her MEPI-TL success story.

AVP for SDEM Abdo Ghie, Ramzy Haraty, Elise Salem, winner Abdelrahman Ghalab, MEPI-TL Program Director Dina Abdul Rahman, Shawn Tenbrink, and Ghid Amhaz.

Going through lists of university majors, minors and fields of study can feel like a confusing task for high-school students to tackle.

That is why the Career Exploration Day at LAU, which took place over two days this month, was redesigned this year under the motto More Knowledge for Better Decisions. In this event, LAU invites interested high-school students from across Lebanon to campus to learn more about the university, its programs of study, campus life and more. The students can then make informed choices about the different majors LAU has on offer and get an idea of potential career paths they can pursue after their time at university.

“Not only does this day help students envision future areas of study and work, but they also have the chance to interact with professional leaders in a career-focused environment,” said Michel Najjar, LAU’s executive director of student recruitment.

The event, organized by the Student Recruitment and the Dean of Students’ offices took place in Beirut and Byblos campuses to make sure students from different parts of Lebanon could attend. Each student got to attend four out of more than 20 career-exploration sessions given by 50 faculty members, who walked them through LAU’s academic programs, as well as potential internship and career opportunities. The students were able to match the type of Lebanese Baccalaureate they are currently enrolled in to its recommended majors to help guide them further.  

“My go-to option was business school, but I’ve always had an interest in law,” said Bassem Abdul Jawad, a grade 11 student. “Today I learned that LAU offers a minor in legal studies that would go very well in line with my business degree,” he added, relieved that he finally found a solution to accommodate both of his passions, and that he didn’t have to pursue another degree outside of LAU.

To really spend the day like an LAUer, the students got a little fun after the intensive sessions. Presented with a giant blackboard placed next to the Safadi Fine Arts Building on Beirut campus, they were invited to write their answer to the question “If I were to join LAU, I would… .” Students visiting both campuses made statements with photo props relating to different majors and student activities as they posed for pictures. They also enjoyed the boisterous atmosphere, replete with a game of tug of war and free LAU spirit gear handed out by organizers.

After a day of learning and fun, many young students went home with more insight about their future, knowing that LAU can help them get there.

Students visiting both campuses made statements with photo props relating to different majors and student activities as they posed for pictures.

In previous generations, or even just a decade ago, much of what is becoming the norm today would have been considered science fiction. Technology is developing so fast, it can sometimes feel like it’s difficult to keep up.

With this brave new world in mind, LAU held a panel discussion Wednesday at the Adnan Kassar School of Business on generational transforming technology. At the evening session, which was sponsored by Byblos Bank, business and technology experts discussed the Third Industrial Wave, the Internet of Things, and blockchain.

Silva Karkoulian, professor and chair of the Department of Management Studies at AKSOB, introduced the speakers and their subjects. She asked the audience to “Imagine a future where people get to participate or keep the value that they have created by eliminating the middleman.” That world is coming, she said, citing examples of technologies that hold vast promise for some businesses but that can disrupt entire industries.

The panel experts agree with Karkoulian that we will soon live in a very different world. They said new technologies with massive calculation power, shared driverless cars (substantially reducing congestion), automated drug administration, and big data will affect nearly every aspect of our daily lives.

“I used to have to wait every year to attend COMDEX [an annual week-long technology convention that started in the late 1970s]. Now I get real-time information about what’s happening in the world,” said Mohamad Akra, chairman and CEO of Banan Information Technology and a post-doctoral research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His discussion touched on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IOT) – the concept of attaching everyday objects to computerized instructions.

“Industry 4.0 means we won’t need our muscles anymore,” he said jokingly during his presentation, noting that the development of AI and IOT is accelerating mass usage due to the improvement of sensor technology.

Another largely hyped but little understood concept is blockchain, a decentralized digital ledger that publicly and permanently records all transactions. Until recently, it has almost exclusively been associated with the crypto-currency Bitcoin. But the computerized public ledger that was developed alongside the digital currency is increasingly being seen as a useful tool for other industries, such as traditional banking, academia and governments.

Tarek Bohsali, digital advisory services lead at Microsoft in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, and the blockchain technology practice lead within MEA Digital Advisory Services, described the new and future uses of the tool as “blockchain 2.0.” This could include smart business contracts, “know your customer” (called KYC, and targeted at banks), and general financial transactions.

“Why can’t we take this innovation and apply it to other things?” said Bohsali in his presentation. “If a business process involves several parties that don’t trust each other, blockchain might be a good scenario for them.”

After the panel discussion, he said, “This topic is difficult to understand for the general population, but it’s important for people, especially young people, to understand and learn about blockchain, or at least to be taught how to learn on their own, come up with ideas, and hopefully build something out of it.”

For his presentation, Adjunct Professor and Co-Founder of energy company Creative Power Solutions Jamal El Hout spoke about the Third Industrial Wave, which refers to the convergence of a number of technologies, processes and web-based services. This new reality means a new economy based on brainpower rather than manpower, which will undoubtedly upend many political, financial and social systems in economies across the world.

Khaled Mehio, a new LAU MBA graduate, said he was happy to get an overview of information that might otherwise be challenging to access.

“The way the material was presented was amazing. They talked about advanced things that I wasn’t aware before, and they delivered the information in a simple and direct way.”

Silva Karkoulian, chair of the Department of Management Studies, speaking to the crowd.

The panel (from left): Tarek Bohsali, Mohamad Akra, Jamal El Hout, and Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Management Studies Silva Karkoulian.

Stephen King once said, “When you sit down to write, write. Don’t do anything else except go to the bathroom, and only do that if it absolutely cannot be put off.” Perhaps the winners of LAU’s Sixth Annual Creative Writing Competition did just that in order to produce their pieces on the topic Your Contribution to Your Country as a Global Citizen Once You Graduate.

Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Nashat Mansour handed out the awards – vouchers from Antoine Bookstore – on April 20 to the winners: psychology major Marianne Azar, who won first prize for Best Essay; English major Khaled Rajeh, who took second place for Best Essay; and television and film major Adam Jammal, who came in first for Best Short Story.

Chair of the English Department Rula Diab said the competition aimed to encourage students from “any major and any discipline” to write.

“It’s a really great way to acquaint people all over campus with the importance of writing and writing skills, and reminding both students and faculty that creative writing is not just limited to English majors,” she said.

The competition was started six years ago by English Instructor Samira Shami and Lecturer Chadi Shidrawi. A jury of four – Diab, Shami, Shidrawi, and Paula Habre, senior instructor of English and the director of the LAU Writing Center – selected the three winners from among 10 contestants.

The winners were chosen based on two criteria: creativity/innovation, and language proficiency, Diab said, explaining, “How competent the student is in language and how well they can play around with words and get their message across.”

Contestants were required to pass by the Writing Center before submitting their work. “They have to go to the center once they have produced their piece. It serves a double purpose: It helps us make sure it’s the student who is writing it, and it also gives some support in the writing of it,” Shami said.

Jammal said the competition forced him to write something other than a screenplay.

“I am the kind of person who puts himself in a position where I am forced to do something at a specific time. So this was a chance for me to write something in prose, something for me to let out, because in screenplays you cannot write subjectively; you have to translate what you are seeing,” he said.

The competition also gave him the opportunity to get into someone’s head “and just throw in everything that I wanted them to say. It was a beautiful experience.”

The winners will receive their certificate at the SAS Awards Ceremony on May 10.

From left: Chadi Shidrawi, Khaled Rajeh, Marianne Azar, Dean Nashat Mansour, Rula Diab, Adam Jammal, Paula Habre and Samira Shami.

The Model United Nations (MUN) is known to be a breeding ground for future world leaders, and LAU’s MUN program is among the top in the region. The MUN helps students learn hands-on lessons about diplomacy, international relations, and the role and history of the United Nations.

On the weekend of April 22 and 23, top MUN students from LAU and high schools across Lebanon convened on Byblos campus for the Model United Nations Champions' League (MUN-CL), an elite program tailored toward youth with unique leadership skills.

The MUN is part of a series of simulation programs at LAU that also includes the Model Arab League and Model European Union. Around 375 LAU students are active members, along with students from a number of Lebanese middle and high schools. While the office of Outreach and Civic Engagement (OCE) has organized the programs over the past 13 years, this is the first Champions' League event.

On the first day of the retreat, participants checked into a local hotel and were trained during two half-day sessions by top experts in the fields of debate, communication and impact. On the second day, they went to LAU’s Byblos campus, where they underwent a boot camp and assumed the role of ambassadors of UN member states for simulation exercises.

These young leaders are taking charge in programs that “cultivate diplomatic literacy, life skills, and the attitudes necessary for active citizenship,” according to OCE Assistant Vice President Elie Samia.

During the simulation programs, students “accomplish the sophisticated tasks of school relations, training and educational development, public relations, public information, and logistics and operations,” Samia added. “And they go beyond the call of duty to achieve the multiple cognitive and reputational objectives of our simulation programs.”

“I believe the MUN program at LAU is truly essential for students to take part in, whether as delegates or secretariat members,” said ​ Sofiane Timtaoucine, MUN-CL director general and a final-year political science and international affairs major. “The students’ knowledge, resilience, cultural awareness, and negotiation skills are all put to the test.”

For Frederic Mourad, the MUN-CL secretary general and former student delegate himself, members of the simulation programs also learn skills that they can apply in their education, such as the ability to plan, organize and concentrate. “They develop in many ways because of the challenges presented to them at MUN,” said Mourad, who graduated from LAU with a BS in 2012. “They apply themselves and gain a new outlook on the way the world works.”

It is a program that has a lasting impact. “Over four years I have spent as part of the MUN, I was able to train hundreds of high-school and middle-school students,” said Timtaoucine. “I have run into so many of them who have joined LAU with the intention of serving the same way I did, because they too wanted to leave an impact on others and help improve the community any way they can.”

The participants pictured with Assistant Vice President of Outreach and Civic Engagement Elie Samia.

Over two intense days on April 21 and 22, 41 teams from universities across Lebanon participated in the LAU Case Competition, a student-led initiative that has succeeded in creating a space for students to meet, network, and collaborate with professionals from different industries and compete to solve real-life business cases.

The experience trains competitors to think critically about business problems and to come up with innovative solutions, skills they will need in the professional world.

Zakaria Jouni and Badih Salha, lead consultants and founders of the LAU Case Competition, which promises to become a yearly event, decided to create their own version of the competition at LAU after struggling to find opportunities abroad.

“As we were trying to apply for case competitions around the world,” said Jouni, “we were rejected because we were non-US students and residents of Lebanon. But this obstacle did not stop us, and we decided to stay here, at LAU, our home, and do things our way. Thus the LAU Case Competition was born.”

The competition’s organizers invited students from universities across Lebanon to participate. Each team was composed of four undergraduate students, and presented with four case studies from the participating firms – Ernst & Young (EY), Cisco, Leo Burnett, and Careem – that demanded focus, quick thinking and innovation in order to find the best solutions.

Winners were awarded their prizes at the closing ceremony on Sunday before a crowd of excited student participants, representatives of the partner companies, faculty, staff, as well as LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra.

In his address to the students, Jabbra affirmed that, “We have a motto at the university: the 21st century belongs to the innovators... Education is absolutely essential, but no longer sufficient. In order to stay ahead of the curve, over and above education, we need to be innovators.”

The company representatives all said it was difficult to choose the winners of their cases.

Nadim Dimashkieh, senior director at EY, applauded the teams and organizers for their professionalism and announced LAU students Julie Assaad, Wendy Hajj, Fares Ghoul and Charbel Saade as the winners of the case, giving them each the opportunity to undertake an internship at EY at the time of their choosing.

“As a first-year student, I learned today what I will be learning in the coming years,” said Assaad. “So this experience kind of summed up everything that my major encompasses: networking, meeting teams – and the stress.”

Hani Raad, general manager at Cisco Middle East, announced that the winning team, comprised LAU students Rayan Audi, Elie Fatteh, Joey Feghali, and Chadi Osseiran, would receive a wireless networking hardware device worth 1,000 USD to help them bring their product to life. Raad also recognized three other teams for their excellent work and offered them, along with the winning team, the opportunity for mentorship and engagement with the Cisco team.

Diego de Aristegui, communication director at Leo Burnett MENA, emphasized how “it was refreshing to see the high quality of thinking and entrepreneurial minds of students. I really admire LAU for carrying these sorts of initiatives.” The winning team received internships at Leo Burnett.

Nour El Assaad, marketing manager at Careem, awarded winners credits for the company’s services, certificates, an opportunity to spend the day at their offices, a chance to meet a Careem executive, and, for first-place winners, an internship as well.

The biggest surprise of the night came with one team’s triple win. Karam Aawar, Lara Al Bashouti, Mira Al Kamand, and Maysaa Shehadeh, all from Rafic Hariri University, won the Leo Burnett Case Award, the Careem Case Award, and the LAU Case Competition Award, a special monetary prize given to “the team that showed the utmost dedication, professionalism, innovation and creativeness in the competition,” according to Salha.

Literally jumping for joy, Shehadeh said, “This was an amazing opportunity. This is a pivotal moment for us. We believed in ourselves and our ability.”

After the competition wrapped up and the guests filed off campus, Salha stated, “What we’re aiming for is much bigger than this; this is only the beginning.”

The audience at the closing ceremony and prize-giving included student participants, representatives of the partner companies, LAU faculty and staff.

Each team was composed of four undergraduate students, and presented with four case studies from the participating firms.

The competitors had to think critically about business problems and come up with innovative solutions.

LAU’s young biologists made their way to the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury Health Sciences Auditorium on Byblos campus for two days of research, presentations and discussions on the latest advances in science during the annual Young Biologists Symposium on April 24 and 25.

The theme of the symposium was Computational Biology: The Genomic and Computational Revolution.

“The acceleration of discovery in so many fields makes this the golden age of young biologists, who will pave the way for new understandings and ultimately the betterment of humanity’s living conditions,” said Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences Sima Tokajian, who revived the symposium after a three-year hiatus.

The first day of the symposium brought together scientists and researchers from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and the University of Antwerp, Belgium, who presented the latest findings in antimicrobial resistance, telescripting and oncogenomics. Other attendees included undergraduates, graduates, postdocs and prospective PhD students.

On the first day, keynote speaker Professor Ghassan Matar, the vice chair of AUB’s Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology, and Ihab Younis, assistant teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon in Qatar, gave compelling presentations. Later on, LAU students presented their research projects during an interactive poster session and discussed their work and achievements.

The symposium is “a source of motivation for the graduate students and a means for the exchange of information,” Tokajian said. “It provides exposure to inspiring stories and trains the students to develop the needed expertise to present and discuss their research in a clear and meaningful way.”

For LAU Molecular Biology graduate Zeinab el-Masri, whom Pennsylvania State University granted a full scholarship to work toward her PhD, the amount of information delivered by the speakers was “amazing.” She said the poster session resembled a résumé through which she was able to present her project.

Senior Biology student Mohammad Khalifeh found the symposium “very beneficial, especially for those who want to continue graduate studies. The speakers are from more than one field, which helps you weigh your options.” Khalifeh was accepted into Redding University’s neuroscience master’s program.

On the symposium’s second day, a workshop on Computational Approaches for Medical Oncogenomics was given by Joe Ibrahim, one of the biology program’s success stories, who is currently finishing his PhD in medical bioinformatics at the University of Antwerp. He graduated from LAU’s biology graduate program in 2015 and pursued a second MS at the University of Manchester, England.

“The symposium is a very good opportunity for young researchers, for older researchers, for post-docs, and for PhDs to get together around one common goal, which is science,” he said.  

Ibrahim credited LAU with fostering an environment that propelled him “toward research and toward this kind of inquisitive mentality.”

“I had background knowledge that I acquired from LAU, from the labs, the courses, from being a research assistant to Dr. Tokajian,” he said.

“LAU gave me the best education I could have had and prepared me for this journey.”

The young biologists with the speakers and attendees.

Chairperson of the Department of Natural Sciences Sima Tokajian called this the golden age of young biologists.

LAU student Jennifer Moussa demonstrates the poster which details her research and findings.

During an interactive poster session, students had the chance to discuss their projects and achievements.

Only ten years ago, Interprofessional Education (IPE) and collaboration was a novelty – not just in Lebanon, but also in the region. Today, integrating IPE in health professions curricula has increasingly gained momentum and started to appear on the list of accreditation standards. 

According to the World Health Organization, “IPE occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.” At LAU, students from the different health science domains – medicine, nursing, pharmacy, nutrition and social work – have been learning collaboratively to provide an enhanced, patient-centered healthcare after they graduate.

Since 2012, LAU has stood out among the pioneers in the region to incorporate IPE and collaborative practice in its curriculum.

In this spirit, the LAU IPE program hosted its second conference, entitled Interprofessional Collaboration in Acute and Chronic Care. The two-day conference featured plenary sessions at the Metropolitan Hotel in Beirut followed by a series of parallel, interactive simulation workshops during its second day on LAU’s Byblos campus. Under the patronage of H.E. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Ghassan Hasbani, represented by Dr. Bahige Arbid, the conference was made possible by the generous support of Intermedic and Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation (MSD).

“The compartmentalization and fragmentation of diverse services provided by highly skilled professionals has had negative consequences on the quality of patient care and the incurring costs of healthcare delivery,” declared Imad Btaiche, dean of LAU’s School of Pharmacy and chair of the IPE program, in his address at the opening ceremony. Building a health system where professionals collaborate and form a “complex whole,” he said, was as important as developing infrastructure and recruiting highly talented individuals.

The conference hosted a group of internationally renowned speakers who have been instrumental in advancing IPE in their respective institutions, and brought together healthcare practitioners, faculty and students from more than 20 health and educational institutions from the country and the region, including LAU.

By ensuring efficient collaboration between LAU’s three health sciences schools and the Nutrition and Social Work programs, “IPE will lead to avoiding medical errors, enhancing communication and improving the patient experience,” said Dean of the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine Dr. Michel Mawad.

Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Nutrition Program Nadine Zeeni agreed. “It has been proven that when healthcare professionals work together, it leads to fewer medical errors and better care,” she explained, illustrating IPE’s potential to shift the dynamic of the healthcare experience from physician-centric to patient-centric. Zeeni is also the LAU-IPE coordinator and chair of the Conference Planning Committee.

For Arbid, “The significance of IPE is twofold: on one hand, it proves that the key to solving any health challenge is never up to one profession alone, and on the other, it reminds us all that we have yet to bridge the gaps between health practitioners.” He cited, as an example, the need to give nurses fair compensation and recognition in the healthcare industry.

“We are in a continued effort to educate not only the public, but also the health professionals on how much nurses know,” remarked Distinguished Professor of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Nancy Hoffart, founder of the IPE program at LAU and founding dean of the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing.

The sentiment was shared by LAU alumnus Ahmad Al Jammal (BSN ’17), who is currently working in the Intensive Care Unit at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital and practicing what he learned through the IPE program. “In cases of cardiac arrest, all the success stories I’ve witnessed were the collective effort of inhalation therapists, nurses and physicians, and not one of them alone,” he said.

“The insights, examples and action plans suggested at the sessions are very rational propositions,” said Raneem Rabah, head of the pharmacy department at Kassab Hospital in Sidon, who learned about IPE for the first time at the conference. “The speakers shared practical information that is both enlightening and reassuring because it will be easy to apply.”

One of the many interactive simulation sessions on Byblos Campus.

Dr. Mawad directing a question at one of the panel speakers. Seated next to him (from left) Vice President of Human Resources and University Services Roy Majdalani, Dean Btaiche, and Dr. Bahige Arbid.

Hoffart (L) and Btaiche (R) during one of the panel discussions.

Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Nashat Mansour, Nadine Zeeni, Dean Michel Mawad, Dean of Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing Anahid Kulwicki, and Dean Imad Btaiche.

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra headed for London for the UK launch of the RELIEF Centre, a research collaboration focused on one of the world's most pressing current challenges: how to build a prosperous and inclusive future for communities affected by mass displacement. University College London’s (UCL) Institute for Global Prosperity led the event in collaboration with the American University of Beirut (AUB) and LAU’s own Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS).

The launch, which took place on April 24 at the British Museum in London, also featured the president and provost of UCL, the CEO of the Economic and Social Research Council, AUB President Fadlo Khuri, Lebanon’s Ambassador to Britain Rami Mortada, along with other prominent guests. Rihab Azar, a London-based Syrian oud player, and Cameron Bray, the poet-in-residence at the Institute for Global Prosperity, performed for the guests.

In his speech, Jabbra touched on some of the darker moments of recent history, especially concerning the modern refugee crisis, before delving into the role played by organizations, and LAU in particular, in ameliorating the situation.

“As we all know,” he began, “the movement of population throughout history has been unstoppable. Some of it was voluntary in search of a better life, and some of it forced as a result of violence, discrimination, conflicts and all our wars.”

He cited the UN High Commissioner on Refugees’ estimate that there are 65 million refugees in the world, 10 million of whom are “in a very serious crisis that threatens their very existence.”

Over one million Syrian refugees live in Lebanon in a precarious financial and legal situation, he noted. The crisis, which began in earnest in 2011, has rocked the Lebanese political, social and economic spheres. Close to 60 percent of refugees in Lebanon live in extreme poverty and lack basic necessities like food, decent shelter and medical care. Lebanese schools are trying desperately to accommodate refugee children, though many do not attend or complete their studies. Disturbingly, due to the above factors and others, there are very high rates of under-age marriage, violent discipline from parents, little help for children with disabilities, and women struggling to raise families without assistance.

Jabbra pointed to challenges that Lebanon must overcome to accommodate the refugees and reduce the social strain on them and the Lebanese. Still, he said, “In the sweep of history, there has always been a glimmer of hope in the darkest of moments. And today marks not only a glimmer of hope, but an inspiring innovative approach to the serious and gripping crisis that afflicts Syrian refugees in Lebanon.”

He turned to Henrietta Moore, director of UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity, and asked her what the global community can do to create inclusive prosperity in the context of mass displacement, and how people’s quality of life in Lebanon can be improved regardless of their status.

Moore responded by proposing a four-part research program that addresses how refugees and communities can work together for a better environment, how institutions can help communities impacted by refugees expand their capabilities to flourish, how to provide educational opportunities for communities and the refugees they host, and finally, how to trigger economic growth and ensure that it includes refugees.

“A great example of this approach is the Kaparelli project in Greece, North of Athens,” Moore said. “This project is using Syrian refugees to cultivate abandoned land in Kaparelli. Residents who were at first very skeptical of the project later cooperated with the refugees for the benefit of all concerned.”

Jabbra praised the four-pronged approach, but noted that it did not include goals beyond creating prosperity regarding the ultimate fate of Syrian refugees. This is something that is on the top of many Lebanese people’s minds: Are the refugees to be repatriated, integrated or resettled? “I know this is a tough question because of its political ramifications,” Jabbra said, “but it cannot be ignored.”

For his part, Jabbra noted the extensive work done by LAU with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Jabbra cited the major study produced by the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital called The Prevalence of Aggression in Syrian Refugee Children Attending Afternoon Public Schools in Beirut: A Cross-Sectional Study. He also cited the official and unofficial work done by LAU’s medical students in hospitals, clinics, and religious institutions and centers across Lebanon.

LAU’s Institute of Migration Studies (IMS), established in 2007, before the Syrian war broke out, has engaged in the study of refugees in Lebanon and abroad with collaboration and funding from the French government and Sweden’s Gothenburg University. In June of this year, the IMS will host the largest regional conference on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

Faculty and students from the School of Arts and Sciences have been studying the politics of reception, the situation of Syrians in refugee camps, and how they respond to governmental initiatives. Faculty members have published several papers in upstanding journals on the topic.

Of course, Jabbra also noted, the Centre for Lebanese Studies is heavily involved in refugee education. Finally, he said, is the “as-yet-unrealized potential for the Adnan Kassar School of Business, which can help Syrian refugees achieve a reasonable standard of living… Implementation would involve, among other things, marketing and management. Faculty could contribute their skills and knowledge, while students would have a major opportunity to learn while helping others.”

In conclusion, Jabbra told the crowd, “LAU stands ready to work with you across our departments and disciplines to help contribute significantly to this innovative approach to the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon. Not only do we owe it to ourselves, but most importantly, to humanity.”

President Jabbra asserted LAU’s commitment to the innovative approach to the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon.

Year round at LAU, there are a number of events that bring graduates back to campus.

On April 23, dozens of former Nutrition Program students gathered at their alma mater to reconnect, network and muse over good times spent together as students.

The Nutrition Program at LAU is highly competitive, and although it is only 10 years old, it is already a leader in the region.

“Today our graduates have spread across the globe in search of growth and knowledge, and your performances make a difference everywhere,” Nadine Zeeni, associate professor and coordinator of the Nutrition Program, told alumni gathered. She remarked on the program’s achievements and underlined its interdisciplinary nature, which, she noted, leads to better understanding and collaboration for the benefit of patients. 

Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Nashat Mansour told alumni, “No matter when you graduated or where you end up, we want to make sure you feel you are still part of the LAU family.”

After the speakers, attendees were invited to chat and have fun at a reception, where they met up with old classmates and networked.   

“It was so interesting to catch up with classmates and instructors and to learn about the new initiatives in the program,” said Melissa Tina Hanati, who was among the first cohort to graduate from the program, in 2012. Now working for an NGO that deals with public health, Hanati said that she is grateful for the opportunities the program gave her during her studies. “It prepared us on so many levels, and the internships they provided us exposed us to different sectors so we could find out where we best belong.”

For her part, Samantha Gerdy, who graduated in 2014, said she “loved the opportunity to reconnect with our friends and professors, and even network with new nutrition alumni.”

Gerdy went on to found the Albi Diet Center and also works as a part-time instructor at her alma mater. “Not only has LAU provided me with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to start my own business, it has also given me the incredible experience of being an instructor in the same program I graduated from!” she said after the reunion. “I am honored to have graduated from a university that offers more than a quality education. LAU is one of the most student-centered, thriving, and innovative universities out there.”

Assistant Professor of Food Science and Technology Hussein Hassan mingles with nutrition alumnae.

Nadine Zeeni acknowledged the difference nutrition graduates are making across the globe.

Dean Nashat Mansour expressed his wish that graduates always feel part of the LAU family.

Former Nutrition Program graduates reconnected with their classmates and with their professors.

Just a few years back, LAU embarked on its second strategic plan for academic excellence with the featured highlight of creating an honors program that provides enhanced educational opportunities for motivated, academically talented and inquisitive undergraduate students.

Today, 161 students across both campuses are enrolled in LAU’s Honors Program, the first of its kind in the Middle East. It spans eight different majors: architecture, bioinformatics, biology, business, computer science, economics, engineering and political science.

Earlier in April, the program honored its first two cohorts of graduating students from the classes of 2017 and 2018 at a ceremony held on Byblos campus and attended by the Advisor to the Minister of Education and Higher Education Jinane Chaaban, LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra, Provost George K. Najjar, and deans of schools, faculty and proud parents.

Chaaban thanked LAU for pioneering the establishment of the program and for “giving exceptional, motivated students an opportunity to challenge themselves.” She proclaimed the program another accomplishment that puts Lebanon and LAU on the map for academic excellence.

The program requires students to complete six special courses and attend three soft-skills workshops covering topics from setting goals and writing professional emails, to leveraging emotional intelligence and engaging in debate.  

“At LAU, you found faculty that are committed – and passionately so – to your intellectual advancement and academic maturity,” Jabbra told the student honorees during the ceremony. He went on to specially thank Associate Professor of Biology Sandra Rizk, who is the also the director of the program and has led the efforts to establish it.

Rizk, in turn, thanked Jabbra, deans and faculty for “attracting students who are truly thirsty for knowledge” and dedicated most of her speech time to playing a series of student testimonials about the impact of the program.

“You don’t just get to learn from faculty, but also from other students who are just as serious about learning as you are,” said alumna Christina Lawandos (BS ’17) of the special dynamic that she experienced. “The class becomes an educational and an inspirational hub for both the students and the outstanding instructors assigned to give those classes. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all my favorite courses at university were the Honors Program courses,” she added.

These Honors Program courses have very small student-to-instructor ratios, which promotes active learning and encourages discussions, critique, debate, research and critical thinking. To qualify, students need to maintain a GPA of 3.5 or above during their first year at LAU, and must demonstrate that they are willing to take their education above and beyond.

“You as a group, as well as individuals, represent the best of LAU,” said Provost Najjar addressing the honorees. He went on to point out that together, they make up the top three percent of the entire student body, which means that they have “a lot to be proud of, and even more to look forward to.”

“Harvard, Paris Tech, London School of Economics, Sciences-Po and LAU’s own Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine are but a few names on the long list of our Honors Program graduates’ next stops,” said Rizk, adding that two students actually got accepted directly into Waterloo University and McGill PhD programs, straight after completing a bachelor’s degree at LAU.

Following the speeches, Jabbra, Najjar, Chaaban and Rizk took to the stage to distribute the honorary cords, pins and tassels to the graduates of 2017 and seniors of 2018, much to the delight of their proud professors and parents. 

The student honorees.

(From left) Honors Program Officer and MC Rasha Khalife, Program Director Sandra Rizk, President Jabbra and Provost Najjar.

Advisor to the Minister of Education and Higher Education Jinane Chaaban, Provost George K. Najjar, and LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra bestow the cord and pin to a student honoree.

A group of LAU business students spread their wings during a very special visit to the Middle East Airlines’ new Aviation Academy in Beirut.

The students had the chance to meet MEA Chairman Mohamad El-Hout, who is a member of the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB) advisory board. El-Hout joined the EMBA students on a guided tour of the academy.

The students are part of the EMBA Selected Topics in Hospitality and Tourism course at AKSOB, and they were among the first non-MEA affiliates to visit the academy.

MEA is Lebanon’s national airline and is ranked highly in safety, efficiency and global outreach.

The new center – which trains pilots, technicians, flight attendants and other specialists for MEA – was recently inaugurated but has not been previously visited by educational institutions. AKSOB was invited to tour the academy and learn about its mission.

According to AKSOB Program Officer Fida Haidar, the school makes sure students get the chance to interact face-to-face with key corporate leaders as part of their education. “They meet business leaders who are visionaries and who have turned their companies into major industry players,” she said. “This expands their horizons and their understanding of what it takes to run a successful business.”

AKSOB’s EMBA students have met other industry leaders in similar initiatives in which top executives "have shown them the ropes,” said Haidar, “and taught them about overcoming challenges and lessons learned from their professional experience.”

Students viewed the academy’s simulation center, where pilots and associated staff make use of advanced machinery to simulate critical situations in flight, as well as its conference and logistics facilities. It is one of the only centers in the region with such large and advanced equipment – all brand-new – such as cockpit simulators, a life-size replica of a plane and a large pool to practice water landings.

This kind of visit not only allows students to learn about various business types and models, but it also gives them a chance to learn from trailblazers in different fields.

“These initiatives give our students a great advantage in terms of exposure to real-life business leaders and their companies,” said AKSOB Dean Said Ladki. “There are long-term networking opportunities for them in the future, too, as a result of AKSOB’s corporate-visit initiatives.” 

EMBA students and members of the LAU community pictured with the flight simulator in the background.

A replica of a plane at the MEA’s Aviation Academy.

Nutritionists graduating from LAU will now have the skills to perform Nutrition-Focused Physical Exams (NFPE) after a six-module program was incorporated in the curriculum this spring 2018 in a pioneering move in Lebanon and the region.

The NFPE is a head-to-toe clinical examination in which dietitians examine a patient for signs of malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and loss of muscle and fat mass. It has become a requirement for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). 

“For that purpose, we created a six-module course at the LAU Clinical Simulation Center in Byblos for students enrolled in the Nutrition and Dietetics Coordinated Program (CP),” Nutrition Instructor Cosette Fakih El-Khoury said. 

The NFPE includes an examination of vital signs, skin, nails, head and hair, eyes and nose, mouth, neck and chest, abdomen and the musculoskeletal system in order to identify nutrition-related problems. The modules were incorporated this semester into the Dietetic Practice Seminar II, and were taught by family physician Dr. Sandra Abi Akl, whom the Clinical Simulation Center hired for that purpose.

“We are fortunate to have the quality education, ideal structure and interprofessional culture at LAU, which allowed us to use the Clinical Simulation Center in close collaboration with the School of Medicine, especially Dr. Nadia Al Asmar, the center’s associate director,” said Assistant Professor of Nutrition and CP Coordinator Maya Bassil. This opportunity will “not only meet the accreditation competency, but go beyond it and provide to our Nutrition CP graduates an experience that is second to none in the region and probably even in the world,” she added.

Upon completion of the course, students are required to take a simulation exam, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) at the center.

For the OSCE, students make rounds at five stations representing different clinical situations and treat volunteer patients. Students have 15 minutes at each station, and a panel of experts reviews their work.

CP senior Rebecca Labaki said the NFPE has already given her an edge over others in the field of dietetics.

“The fact that we as nutritionists are able to examine further and more in-depth gives us more credibility in the eyes of the patients,” she said. “We now have a chance to make contact with our patients and get closer to them.”  

The experience at the Clinical Simulation Center was especially exciting, she said, because students had the opportunity to “examine a patient simulator that made an imitation of bowel or respiratory sounds. We were able to hear what different cases sound like.”

“We are lucky enough to be the first year at LAU to be experiencing such a thing and to be doing the OSCE exam. It is something that I will show off,” she said.

The modules were designed by Abi Akl, in close collaboration with Khoury and Internship Coordinator at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital Sandra Karnaby, and were recreated “to fit the needs of the nutrition-focused examinations.”

Khoury said that Abi Akl had to do “a lot of research to understand what we need, because this is very recent. For example, in my long years of experience in the field, I was never taught how to use a stethoscope.”

The need for NFPE in Lebanon is related to high percentages of malnutrition cases in hospitals, which often go unnoticed until they have become too severe, she said.

“The more skilled we are as dietitians in identifying these cases, the earlier we can take aggressive preventive intervention [steps], which will reduce the risk of complications and improve response to treatment,” Khoury explained. “The cost is then lower, and the patient’s hospital stay is reduced.”

Nutrition CP students had the opportunity to examine a patient simulator or mannequin at the Clinical Simulation Center.