Alumni Implementer: Mohamed Mrini
Home Country: Morocco
Fulbright Grant Year: 2001
Field of Study: Energy and Environmental Analysis
Fulbright Host Institution: Cornell University
ADG Activity: Certified Sustainability Practitioner Training
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2019
ADG Activity Description: Mohamed Mrini attended the Certified Sustainability Practitioner Training offered by the Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE). The two-day training in Dubai focused on challenges that professionals face in the fields of sustainability, supply chain, corporate responsibility, and corporate communications. Using the results of his research on the Moroccan agricultural and industrial sectors, Mrini presented on corporate social responsibility and sustainability in Morocco. Mrini will apply these new skills as a sustainability consultant and energy auditor in Morocco to help his community address depleting natural and energy resources.
Alumni Implementer: Diala Lteif
Home Country: Lebanon
Fulbright Grant Year: 2013
Field of Study: Transdisciplinary Design
Fulbright Host Institution: Parsons School of Design – The New School
ADG Activity: Middle East Studies Association 2019 Conference
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2019
ADG Activity Description: Diala Lteif attended the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) 2019 Conference in New Orleans, LA in November 2019. She presented her paper “Refugees and the Making of Beirut, Lebanon” as part of the panel “Refugees, Order, and Change in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.” She received helpful feedback on her paper from other panelists and attendees. She hopes to collaborate with her new contacts in the future. The conference also provided Lteif with important critique that will further develop her PhD research while also connecting her with like-minded scholars from around the world.
Alumni Implementer: Marwa Halmy
Home Country: Egypt
Fulbright Grant Year: 2008
Fulbright Host Institution: University of Idaho
ADG Activity: Bioinformatics Analysis for Conservation Genomics Professional Training Course
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2019
ADG Activity Description: In October 2019, Marwa Halmy attended the 10-day professional training course “Bioinformatics Analysis for Conservation Genomics” held at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, VA. Through lectures, discussions, and hands-on sessions about methods of scanning, Halmy learned how to conduct successful genomics projects using new technology and software. Halmy intends to take these new skills to her home institution, Alexandria University, where she will teach graduate students about conservation projects using modern software to protect Egypt’s endangered plant species.
Alumni Implementer: Majda Atieh
Home Country: Syria
Fulbright Grant Year: 2002-2004
Field of Study: English/African American and Comparative Literature
Fulbright Host Institution: Howard University
ADG Activity: Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (PCA-ACA) 2019 conference
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2019
ADG Activity Description: Majda Atieh attended the 49th annual Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association 2019 conference in April 2019. Majda was a panelist on a session entitled “American Literature IV: Families, Communities, and Activism in African American Literature,” where she discussed her paper on Alf Laylah Wa Layla (Arabian Nights). Majda also participated in other professional panels discussing new forms of narrative and storytelling techniques in a digital and visual age. Since completing her ADG activity, Majda has already started designing digital projects and resources for graduate and undergraduate English courses where she teaches at Tishreen University in Syria. Informed by the conference, Majda also plans to conduct new training workshops for teachers that focus on the integration of both visual and augmented reality in teaching methodologies.
Alumni Implementer: Asem Alkhateeb
Home Country: Jordan
Fulbright Grant Year: 1999
Field of Study: Human Medical Genetics
Fulbright Host Institution: University of Colorado
ADG Activity: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2018
ADG Activity Description: In October 2018, Asem Alkhateeb traveled to San Diego, California to attend the American Society of Human Genetics conference, the largest meeting for human geneticist in the world. Scientists come together to discuss the latest developments in the field and initiate collaboration. Asem presented his data findings on a novel gene mutation found in a patient and was able to share his findings with other scientists who are working on the same gene. Asem’s long term goal is to collaborate with others at the conference on functional analysis for the effect of the mutation. The connections he made at this meeting will help him and others further their genetic research.
Alumni Implementer: Lulwa Almuhana
Home Country: Bahrain
Fulbright Grant Year: 2011-2013
Field of Study: Anthropology and Education
Fulbright Host Institution: Columbia University
ADG Activity: Eighth Gulf Comparative Education Society (GCES) Symposium
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2018
ADG Activity Description: In April 2018, Lulwa Almuhana attended the Eighth Gulf Comparative Education Society (GCES) symposium, which was held in the United Arab Emirates. Recognizing the lack of comprehensive research in the field of education in the Arab Gulf region, the GCES was created to allow comparative and professional discourse on unique educational issues within the region. The 2018 GCES symposium explored the impact of public, private, and philanthropic actors in education in the Gulf, with attendees, including GCC and international education experts and practitioners who able to provide a multitude of perspectives on topics ranging from cultural appropriateness and expatriate teacher perceptions to a review of public-private partnership in education from a global governance perspective. The conversations at the symposium continue on, as Lulwa keeps in touch with her peers to further build expertise on the nature of education in the Arab Gulf.
Alumni Implementer: Muhammad Waseem Alhusami
Home Country: Syria
Fulbright Grant Year: 2007
Field of Study: Human Resources Management
Fulbright Host Institution: Purdue University
ADG Activity: PROSCI Change Management Certification Program
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2018
ADG Activity Description: Muhammad Waseem Alhusami attended the Prosci Change Management Certification Program in Riyadh, KSA. This three-day experiential learning program teaches how to apply a holistic change management methodology and toolset, including the Prosci ADKAR® Model, to a real project. Alhusami learned to effectively assess, analyze, plan, design, develop & execute a change management strategy and plan more effectively in his current position as an Organizational Development Manager in Saudi Arabia. In addition to the training, he is now certified in the Prosci's Change Management methodology. With these tools, Alhusami plans to implement incremental and radical changes in his workplace by building and customizing a change management strategy and developing change management plans for communications, sponsorship, coaching, and training. Alhusami will also deliver some lectures about the principles he learned during the course to his executive and management teams.
Alumni Implementer: Marwa Waseem
Home Country: Egypt
Fulbright Grant Year: 2007
Field of Study: Environmental Sciences
Fulbright Host Institution: University of Idaho
ADG Activity: “Botany 2017” Conference
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2017
ADG Activity Description: In June 2017, Fulbright alumna, Marwa Halmy, attended the “Botany 2017” conference in Fort Worth, TX that was organized by the Botanical Society of America. Presenting her research at “Botany 2017”, Halmy had the unique opportunity to expand her professional network and receive critical feedback, from an international perspective. Halmy also attended several workshops focused on new techniques in ecological studies and software used in next-generation sequencing. Halmy is grateful for the knowledge she gained by attending this conference. Her new perspectives and skills will be reflected in the capacity-building activities she is planning for her students and the Faculty of science at Alexandria University, where she teaches. This experience has also advanced her goal of becoming an academic professor specializing in conservation biology. In the long-run, Halmy hopes that her research will help conservation efforts in Egypt, directed towards ameliorating the impact of human activity on important plant species.
Alumni Implementer: Basima Abdulrahman
Home Country: Iraq
Fulbright Grant Year: 2012
Field of Study: Structural Engineering
Fulbright Host Institution: Auburn University
ADG Activity: LEED AP Building Design and Construction
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2017
ADG Activity Description: Basima Abdulrahman is a structural engineer by trade but took advantage of the ADG opportunity to get an advanced LEED AP designation certification, with a focus on building design and construction. She attended the technical training course offered by Everblue in Washington, DC. She was then able to prepare and take the LEED AP BD+C exam. With this specialized certification in hand, Abdulrahman is now working to introduce the concept of Green Building design to Iraq by adapting LEED rating systems. Green building design has been Abdulrahman’s area of focus and she is looking for ways to bring it to Iraq and join the worldwide movements to switch to resource efficient buildings. Basima Abdulrahman has founded KESK, the first initiative established to offer green design consulting services for high-performance and sustainable buildings. Her private work includes developing courses and materials for students and professionals on green building design strategies and impacts.
Alumni Implementer: Ahmed Alzubaidi
Home Country: Iraq
Fulbright Grant Year: 2011
Field of Study: Global Health Leadership
Fulbright Host Institution: New York University
ADG Activity: Leadership: Preparation and Qualification (Cairo, Egypt)
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2016
ADG Activity Description: Ahmed Alzubaidi is the Deputy Director General with the Iraqi General Secretariat for Council of Ministers. Through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, Alzubaidi studied Global Health Leadership at New York University. Through the 2016 Fulbright Alumni Development Grant, Alzubaidi had the opportunity to learn from other leadership experts and to present his training program at the Arab Administrative Development Organization in Cairo, Egypt. From his experiences on the Iraqi Council of Ministers, Alzubaidi led a training program that helped prepare leaders to manage internal conflict within their organizations. Alzubaidi left the conference with a nuanced perspective on a leader’s role when confronting crises. He gained better “insight in estimating the impacts of government regulatory reforms on recovery from national and regional economic crises.” Thanks in part to the Fulbright program, Alzubaidi is prepared to be an exemplar of leadership for Iraq’s future.
Alumni Implementer: Dina Siniora
Home Country: The West Bank
Fulbright Grant Year: 2013
Field of Study: Sustainability MBA
Fulbright Host Institution: Duquesne University
ADG Activity: NY '16 StartingBloc Institute (New York, NY)
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2015
ADG Activity Description: Dina Siniora is an experienced business consultant who specializes in sustainability. Her Fulbright experience allowed her to combine her passion for science with an MBA degree, focused on sustainable business practices, at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Empowered by her 2015 Fulbright Alumni Development Grant, Siniora honed her leadership skills as the only Middle Eastern fellow represented at the 2016 StartingBloc Institute. StartingBloc is a social innovation fellowship that educates, inspires and connects emerging leaders to drive social innovation across sectors. At the Institute, Sinoria collaborated with experienced change makers who inspired her to consider new possibilities for Palestinian sustainability. Based on the business frameworks she learned at StartingBloc, she is interested in establishing a local organization that caters to disadvantaged people in the West Bank. Siniora is grateful for her alumni development grant experience as she continues to encourage social entrepreneurialism in local businesses, nonviolent social change in the Arab world, and sustainable humanitarianism in the West Bank with the support of the StartingBloc and the Fulbright program.
Alumni Implementer: Keltouma Guerch
Home Country: Morocco
Fulbright Grant Years: 2007 and 2008
Field of Study: Intensive English Language Program (IELP) and Colonial Women’s Writings Studies (PhD Research)
Fulbright Host Institution: Kent State University
ADG Activity: Connecting with my Fulbright Host University and Community with Presentations and Seminars (Kent, OH)
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2015
ADG Activity Description: Keltouma Guerch works for the Moroccan Ministry of Education as a teacher of English at the CPGE Center (Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles d’Ingénieurs) in Oujda, Morocco and is a strong advocate for cross-cultural education. Guerch, with the help of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, studied in an Intensive English Language Program (ILEP) and conducted PhD research on Colonial Women’s Writings at Kent State University. The Fulbright Alumni Grant enabled her to return to Kent State to collaborate with her U.S. counterparts in the field of Education, to present her work on Education and the Fulbright program’s impact in Morocco, and to share some sections of her PhD dissertation on women travelers’ narratives. She also spoke on the unique value of multilingualism in Moroccan education. Guerch utilized her grant to mend cultural understandings between the U.S. and Morocco and also enjoyed reconnecting with what she describes as her second family in Kent, Ohio.
Alumni Implementer: Doaa Baumi
Home Country: Egypt
Fulbright Grant Year: 2010
Field of Study: Islamic Studies
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Chicago
ADG Activity: Religious Dialogue: Wofford and Al-Azhar Workshop (Spartanburg, SC)
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2015
ADG Activity Description: Doaa Baumi is a teacher at Al-Azhar University and an advocate for interfaith dialogue. She discovered the necessity for personal religious encounters when she studied at the University of Chicago under the Fulbright grant. Accepting an invitation to speak on behalf of Al-Azhar University, Baumi traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina and led a week-long workshop with students in Wofford College’s Middle Eastern and North African Studies Program. The workshop built upon previous social media correspondence, further facilitating cultural exchanges and promoting “ethnographic research.” Baumi is grateful for the opportunity to share her culture with American students and plans to reciprocate Wofford’s hospitality by inviting American students to meet with Azharite students in Cairo, Egypt.
Alumni Implementer: Samer Al-Ratrout
Home Country: Jordan
Fulbright Grant Year: 2002
Field of Study: Architecture
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Texas A&M University
ADG Activity: Generative and Comparative Volumetric Records for Erosion at the Alamo (College Station and San Antonio, TX)
Alumni Development Grant Year: 2013
ADG Activity Description: Dr. Samer Al-Ratrout is a Professor of Architecture at the American University of Madaba in Madaba, Jordan. He is specifically focused on the research and technology surrounding local heritage sites. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program allowed Al-Ratrout to pursue his passion at Texas A&M University where he studied, researched and tested advances in the art of virtual heritage recording. In 2013, he was awarded a Fulbright Alumni Development Grant to begin an ongoing collaborative investigation with Professor Robert Warden on erosion at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to compiling volumetric data for the Alamo’s preservation, Al-Ratrout learned preservation techniques via photometric software that he shares with his architecture students and the Jordanian Department of Antiquities. This initiative worked to preserve an American historical site’s integrity and helped to encourage a better future for Jordanian heritage.
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