2021, 75th Anniversary Edition of the ACAG
Alumni Implementer: Nour El-Bashiti
Fulbright Grant Year: 2008
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Florida
Project Name: Speech-Language Pathologists of MENA Region Website
Project Location: Jordan
Project Description: Nour El-Bashiti is developing a website in both Arabic and English that will serve as an online platform for Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the Middle East and North Africa region to connect with each other and exchange ideas. The website gives SLPs access to an interactive hub for sharing ideas, gathering new information about disorders and intervention techniques, and discovering courses and workshops offered by specialists in the field. In addition, Nour’s website allows parents and caregivers of children with communication disorders to use the site as a resource to provide support and information.
Alumni Imple
menter: Ammar Al-Attar
Fulbright Grant Year: 2014
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: New York Medical College
Project Name: Anunnaki Science and Youth club
Project Location: Iraq
Project Description: Starting in the fall of 2021, Ammar Al-Attar developed his continued “Anunnaki Science and Youth Club,” which teaches the fundamentals of robotics coding and biology to children, with the hopes of inspiring children to pursue a career in computer science and biomedical research. The project provides young students with engaging and innovative learning methods in the sciences by merging virtual reality experiences with laboratory experiments.
2019
Alumni Implementer: Keltouma Guerch
Fulbright Grant Year: 2012
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Kent State University
Project Name: Autistic Children Outdoors
Project Location: Morocco
Project Description: Between September 2018 and June 2019, Keltouma Guerch led the “Autistic Children Outdoors” project which helped build the capacity of 40 autistic children in Morocco to succeed in situations of social anxiety, phobias towards animals, and other external stimuli. Guerch worked with children and their parents to provide horse-riding therapy sessions, cultural excursions, and swimming lessons. The project provided educators with methods and equipment to better assist the children and their families.
Alumni Implementer: Abdullah Al-Ghurban
Fulbright Grant Year: 2005
Field of Study: Educational Administration/Higher Education
Administration
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Project Name: A TESOL Teacher Training Course for English Language Teachers
Project Location: Yemen
Project Description: In 2019, Abdullah Al-Ghurban trained 36 Yemeni teachers on the best practices and methods for effective TESOL instruction in and around Sana’a, Yemen. Al-Ghurban leveraged his 26 years of experience to design and implement the five-week training using best practices and methods he learned in the U.S. on his Fulbright grant. Al-Ghurban designed the project so that Yemeni students could improve their English skills in order to pursue their academic and professional aspirations. Al-Ghurban hopes to use the project as a launchpad to establish a TESOL association for Yemeni teachers.
Alumni Implementer: Hosam Alraqiq
Fulbright Grant Year: 2018
Field of Study: Dental Public Health
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Boston University
Project Name: A Children’s Oral Health Assessment in Tripoli, Libya
Project Location: Libya
Project Description: Hosam Alraqiq’s project “A Children’s Oral Health Assessment in Tripoli, Libya” trained 12 Libyan dentists on proper methods for youth dental screening and data collection. He also updated current screening forms used throughout the region, and supported the documentation and reporting of 1,000 child dental screens conducted by dentists. This project helped establish a standardized system for data collection and reporting in Tripoli. Additionally, Alraqiq designed a “train-the-trainer” method in which trained dentists went on to train other dentists.
Alumni Imple
menter: Mohialdeen Alotumi
Fulbright Grant Year: 2004
Field of Study: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Murray State University
Project Name: Project of English for Graduating Students (PEGS)
Project Location: Faculty of Languages, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen
Project Description: The English Project for Graduating Students provided nearly 600 graduating English as a Foreign Language students with the necessary skills and knowledge to find and apply for jobs in today’s market in Yemen. By the end of Dr. Alotumi’s workshop, the students were able to efficiently search for jobs, write a professional cover letter, build a well-structured CV, prepare for a job interview, and seek out and participate in ongoing professional development opportunities.
2018
Alumni Implementer: Dima Matta
Fulbright Grant Year: 2011
Field of Study: Creative Writing
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Rutgers University
Project Name: Love Letters to Meem
Project Location: Lebanon
Project Description: Since returning to Lebanon with her MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University, Dima Matta has helped young people express themselves creatively, both through her teaching at the University of Balamand and through "Cliffhangers", a monthly storytelling night held in Beirut. Matta’s latest project is entitled "Love Letters to Meem". “Meem” refers to the LGBTQ community in Lebanon. The project entails a creative writing workshop in which participants write love letters to themselves. Artists working in different mediums adapted these letters into original works of art, in collaboration with the writers. The project culminated in a public exhibition featuring visual arts pieces, music, film, dance, and theater performances. Matta sees the project as a crucial way for members of a community to foster a positive self-image and express themselves freely.
Alumni Implementer: Mazen Naim
Fulbright Grant Year: 2018
Field of Study: Public and Nonprofit Management
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Project Name: Universal Leader
Project Location: Gaza
Project Description: Mazen Naim understands the importance of leadership skills. Growing up in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, Naim wanted to help create a better community for his hometown after returning from a Fulbright at the University of Pittsburgh. One strategy that Naim implemented with the support of the Alumni Community Action Grant is the “Universal Leader”, a project to produce a series of leadership training videos for young Palestinians. Recognizing that leadership is not emphasized enough in the education system in Gaza, Naim decided to provide both direct training sessions to local youth and filming ten videos that focused on different leadership concepts. Naim is thankful for the project, as he sees it as a way to give back to his community.
Alumni Implementer: Nour El-Bashiti
Fulbright Grant Year: 2018
Field of Study: Speech-Language Pathologist
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Florida
Project Name: Speech-Language Pathologists Training for Cleft Palate Cases
Project Location: Morocco
Project Description: Concerned by the lack of well-trained speech-language pathologists in the Middle East and North Africa, Dr. Nour El-Bashiti decided to take matters into her own hands. After earning her doctorate in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida through the Fulbright Scholarship, Dr. El-Bashiti elected to give back to the nascent speech pathology field by creating a semi-automated training workshop to spread her knowledge of cleft lip and cleft palate to a select group of speech therapists. Using funds from the Alumni Community Action Grant, Dr. El-Bashiti continued her training series through auditory and clinical applications. After serving the speech pathology community in the region, Dr. El-Bashiti is proud to have contributed to the improvement of hundreds of cases involving children with cleft lip and cleft palate and helped teach valuable information to the next group of speech pathologists in the region.
Alumni Implementer: Mohialdeen Alotumi
Fulbright Grant Year: 2004
Field of Study: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Murray State University
Project Name: Computer-Assisted Language Learning Project
Project Location: Department of English, Faculty of Education, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen
Project Description: Dr. Mohialdeen Alotumi seeks to enrich other educators in the benefits of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Through Dr. Alotumi’s two years with the Fulbright Program at Murray State, he realized that the world is such a culturally rich and diverse village connected by technology. This experience has shaped his interest in the latest trends in the English language teaching field, including in CALL. Dr. Alotumi implemented the Computer-Assisted Language Learning Project in various universities in Yemen to augment student teachers’ experiences with CALL. After garnering widespread support for his project from faculty, Dr. Alotumi educated students on the latest techniques in using CALL for English language teaching. Perhaps most impressively, Dr. Alotumi has ensured the project’s sustainability through a variety of virtual forums on Facebook and Youtube to provide aid, updated resources, and the latest news in CALL. Dr. Alotumi was proud of all he was able to accomplish and declares that the Computer-Assisted Language Learning Project was undoubtedly a success.
Alumni Implementer: Bouzekri Touri
Fulbright Grant Year: 2015
Field of Study: Psychology/Communication Sciences and Disorders
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: The University of Texas at Austin
Project Name: Communication Disorders Diagnosis of Public School Pupils
Project Location: Morocco
Project Description: As a PhD grantee in psychology and communication disorders at the University of Texas at Austin, Bouzekri Touri gained extensive experience with research analyzing communication disorders in children. He saw an opportunity to increase awareness and treatment of these disorders in his home country of Morocco, where many students drop out of school before completing their secondary education, in part because of undiagnosed communication disorders. Touri organized a series of lectures and trainings in order to help public school teachers in the Regional Training Center of Teachers in Casablanca (CRMEF) recognize and treat communication disorders in school children with the help of school therapists and administrators. The early diagnosis and rehabilitation of students increase their chances of performing well in school and decreases the drop-out rate. Touri hopes to coordinate further with Morocco’s Ministry of Education in order to create a large-scale educational therapy initiative in the country designed to combat dropout rates and enhance student success in school.
Alumni Implementer: Ala’ Khalifeh
Fulbright Grant Year: 2005
Field of Study: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of California, Irvine
Project Name: Early Entrepreneurship Exploration
Project Location: Jordan
Project Description: After completing his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, Ala’ Khalifeh saw a unique opportunity to increase entrepreneurship in the tech and engineering fields in his home country of Jordan. As a professor of computer engineering at the German Jordanian University, Khalifeh is organizing a series of entrepreneurship workshops and competitions for university students. The workshops give students the ability to develop business plans and learn from top industry professionals in their fields. Having participated in several entrepreneurship competitions, Khalifeh is connecting his students with both local and regional competitions in Jordan. These competitions give his students a chance to test their ideas and gain exposure to the wider business world. Khalifeh plans to keep mentoring his students after the workshops finish in order to help them develop their projects into fully-formed businesses.
Alumni Implementer: Hiba Hamdan
Fulbright Grant Year: 2012
Field of Study: Molecular & Cell Biology
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Project Name: DREAMS: A Precollege Boot Camp
Project Location: Lebanon
Project Description: Based on her own experience as a research associate and stemming from her students’ testimonies at the University Preparatory Program at the American University of Beirut, Hiba aims to give students the same transformative opportunity to acquire life-long skills to not only excel in school but also provide them with coaching and career advice. As a trainer and consultant, Ms. Hamdan has co-designed and delivered training sessions on teaching strategies, classroom management, student-centered and interdisciplinary teaching (including STEM). On the heels of her 2016 ACAG project that brought scientific inquiry to middle-school students, Ms. Hamdan is applying these same hands-on learning approaches for 10th-grade students. Hiba is coordinating with a team of experts to help transform the lives of students from public and private high schools in Lebanon as they prepare to embark on their future path to life-long learning in science and other disciplines.
Alumni Implementer: Fatma Aljarrah
Fulbright Grant Year: 2014
Field of Study: TESOL- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Wisconsin, River Falls
Project Name: Restoration and Empowerment of Pre-service English Language Teachers (REPELT)
Project Location: Gaza
Project Description: As a TESOL instructor herself, Fatma Ajarrah wanted to develop a training to build the capacity of TESOL instructors in Gaza and equip them with more practical and theoretical tools to be prepared in the classroom. REPELT was an intensive training program for empowering pre-service English language teachers to develop their competencies to match the requirements of the local teaching environment in the Gaza Strip. The project aimed at bridging the gap between what prospective teachers have learned and the reality of the work conditions in the schools of the Gaza Strip, specifically those operated by UNRWA. The REPELT program pulled the knowledge that EL teachers have gained in university and applied it to a practicum that reflects the live classroom. This pre-career professional development project helped to enhance the participants in all aspects of the teaching experience.
Alumni Implementer: Anas Bahnassi
Fulbright Grant Year: 1998
Field of Study: Pharmaceutical Sciences
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Project name: “Pharmacovigilance: A Step in the Right Direction to Improve Patient’s Safety”
Project Location: Lebanon
Project Description: As an industry leader in the pharmaceutical industry who also serves as a continuing education provider, Dr. Anas Bahnassi developed, coordinated and helped moderate a series of workshops centered on pharmacovigilance and its role in assuring patient safety, for Lebanese and Syrian healthcare practitioners. Through a series of modules, pharmacists were able to develop their awareness and understanding of the monitoring and reporting of adverse drug reactions in the provision of safe and effective drug therapy. After the training, these professionals are now committed to working together to ensure continuous and proper reporting of adverse drug reactions and have committed this program’s success.
2017
Alumni Implementer: Yosra Abid
Fulbright Grant Year: 2010
Field of Study: Law
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution
Project Name: “Bringing Mediation to Law School”
Project Location: Tunisia
Project Description: Yosra Abid is the President of the Tunisian Association for ADR and an advocate for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) techniques. One such technique is mediation, but according to Yosra, this concept is not frequently taught in Tunisian law schools. Yosra’s Alumni Community Action Grant project, “Bringing Mediation to Law School,” plans to remedy this by providing mediation workshops at four law schools in Tunisia. These sessions will familiarize more than 80 students and 40 faculty members with the benefits of mediation and will encourage them to utilize it in their own law practices. Yosra hopes that these workshops will empower law students to be advocates for mediation techniques in their own careers.
Alumni Implementer: Frida Kiriakos
Fulbright Grant Year: 2013
Field of Study: Computer Science
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: California State University
Project Name: Information Technology Career Prep Program
Project Location: Jordan
Project Description: As a recent graduate of California State University’s program in computer science, Frida Kiriakos is eager to help other young students become successful in the field. To encourage more high school and undergraduate students in Jordan to pursue exciting computer science careers, she is leading the Alumni Community Action Grant Project, “Information Technology Career Prep Program.” The project will consist of a series of workshops taught by information technology professionals that will explain the career opportunities available to computer science students after graduation. Kiriakos hopes to one day expand the project into a long-term mentorship program for high-achieving students.
Alumni Implementer: Ahmed Saleh
Fulbright Grant Year: 2011
Field of Study: Entrepreneurship
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: University of Chicago
Project Name: Geek Factory Programming Bootcamp
Project Location: Egypt
Project Description: Ahmed Tawfic Saleh is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Geekfactory, a programming academy. According to Saleh, Egypt’s computer programming job market is experiencing a skills-gap. Although many Egyptian universities graduate computer science professionals every year, tech companies still face difficulties in finding "job-ready" engineers. To transform information technology professionals into seasoned software engineers, Saleh is launching the Alumni Community Action Grant Project, “Geekfactory Programming Bootcamp.” Through ten-week courses, this initiative will position participants for exciting programming careers by focusing on three key pillars: technical skills, soft skills, and career preparation techniques.
Alumni Implementer: Adel Takruri
Fulbright Grant Year: 2006
Field of Study: Public Health
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Project Name: Cancer Prevention & Palliative Care for Healthcare Professionals
Project Location: The West Bank
Project Description: An expert in public health, Dr. Adel Takruri has noticed that little attention is paid to two important aspects of healthcare: disease prevention and palliative care (services for patients with chronic disease and their families). To bring awareness to these important topics, Dr. Takruri is implementing the Alumni Community Action Grant project, “Cancer Prevention & Palliative Care for Healthcare Professionals.” Through lectures and engaging group activities, this initiative will introduce healthcare professionals to innovative methods of preventing chronic disease and providing palliative care. In addition, the project will engage the surrounding community by inviting patients to share past experiences that they have had with medical professionals. Dr. Takruri’s primary goal is to bring awareness to the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of people with terminal illnesses and their families.
Alumni Implementer: Salah Al Agha
Fulbright Grant Year: 1993
Field of Study: Industrial Engineering
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Purdue University
Project Name: Raising Awareness of Home Composting
Project Location: Gaza
Project Description: Salah Al Agha is a professor of industrial engineering at Islamic University in Gaza. In an effort to increase the amount of organic waste that is recycled by Gazan households, his Alumni Community Action Grant project, “Raising Awareness of Home Composting,” will teach primary school students home composting techniques. The project will be implemented through workshops, printed materials, and videos, through which students will learn the importance of composting both as a waste reduction technique, and a fertilizer source. Students will take a hands-on approach to learning by participating in demonstrations on how to sort compostable material and begin the composting process.
Alumni Implementer: Ziyad Ben Taleb
Fulbright Grant Year: 2010
Field of Study: Public Health
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Florida International University
Project Name: Be Smart Don't Start: Hookah Smoking Prevention Workshop
Project Location: Libya
Project Description: Ziyad Ben Taleb is a public health specialist with an extensive training in medicine. Being an expert in the field of smoking prevention and cessation, Dr. Ben Taleb recognizes the alarming increase in rates of hookah (water pipe) smoking among youth in Libya. In response, Dr. Ben Taleb is implementing the Alumni Community Action Grant project titled, “Be Smart Don't Start: Hookah Smoking Prevention Workshop”. In collaboration with his colleagues in Libya, Dr. Ben Taleb will lead school-based hookah prevention workshops that will utilize music performances by local artists to convey anti-smoking messages to youth. This open-discussion method is designed to raise questions that will lead to an increased awareness about the negative health effects of hookah smoking, and will thus help dissuade Libyan youth from starting.
2016
Alumni Implementer: Atheer Al-Attar
Fulbright Grant Year: 2012
Field of Study: Petroleum Engineering
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Louisiana State University
Project Name: Kids and Codes
Project Location: Iraq
Project Description: Although Atheer works primarily as a geoscientist, he also has a passion for coding, computer programming, and working with youth. His 2016 ACAG Project, Kids and Codes, is a continuation of a successful 2015 ACAG project that taught 110 children the fundamentals of computer science and robotics. During the 2016 ACAG grant period, Atheer and his team will expand the program to serve more children by developing new learning kits, model robots and tailored lesson plans.
Alumni Implementer: Hosam Alrqiq
Fulbright Grant Year: 2008
Field of Study: Dental Public Health
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Boston University
Project Name: Oral Health Assessment Workshop
Project Location: Libya
Project Description: After completing his Fulbright grant, Hosam noticed that dental health screenings for school-children in Libya were outdated, so he launched the ACAG project, Oral Health Assessment Workshop. This workshop will provide an intensive, two-day training for healthcare screeners on effective methods to monitor children’s oral health, and then to share that data with community leaders and policy makers throughout the country. In addition, families of children who receive dental care will also be provided with educational materials on good dental hygiene practices.
Alumni Implementer: Abeer Al-Yazji
Fulbright Grant Year: 2014
Field of Study: Business
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Fairleigh Dickenson University
Project Name: EntroCamp
Project Location: Gaza
Project Description: Abeer currently works at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as a programme coordinator where she focuses on promoting leadership, advocacy and economic empowerment for students in the Gaza Strip. Her 2016 ACAG project, EntroCamp "Entrepreneurship Boot Camp," will impart some of the entrepreneurship and business development skills that she honed as a Fulbrighter, with students living in Gaza. EntroCamp is a five-day event that will introduce 50 youth to the fundamentals of developing small enterprises, business planning and conducting market research.
Alumni Implementer: Ezzaldeen Edwan
Fulbright Grant Year: 2003
Field of Study: Electrical Engineering
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Oklahoma State University
Project Location: Gaza
Project Name: Smartphone Tech in Classrooms
Project Description: For Ezzaldeen, one of the most memorable aspects of studying in the United States was the innovative use of technology in the classroom, a teaching model that he plans to replicate in Gaza. Through his 2016 ACAG project, Enhancing Teaching through Smartphone Technology, Ezzaldeen will develop a smartphone app to transform regular classroom whiteboards into “smart boards.” The app will allow instructors to write with a smartphone and simultaneously display their notes on a whiteboard.
Alumni Implementer: Hiba Hamdan
Fulbright Grant Year: 2014
Field of Study: Molecular & Cell Biology
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Project Name: The Little Scientist
Project Location: Lebanon
Project Description: Hiba first became enamored with science while conducting a middle school science experiment. Now her dream is to give other young students the same transformative opportunity to develop their scientific potentials. Her ACAG project, The Little Scientist, will encourage scientific inquiry in students ages 11-14 by facilitating advanced science projects in middle school classrooms.
Alumni Implementer: Dounia Kchiere
Fulbright Grant Year: 2014
Field of Study: Integrated Marketing
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: New York University
Project Location: Lebanon
Project Name: Rawiyate
Project Description: As a Fulbright student, Dounia learned the transformative power of digital storytelling, a skill she now wants to share with others. Dounia’s 2016 ACAG project, Rawiyate (female storytellers in Arabic), will teach refugees who are currently residing in Lebanon how to tell their own stories to others. Dounia will lead storytelling workshops to empower women to communicate with confidence in various environments by leveraging multiple storytelling channels including social media, blogs, and ultimately their own voices.
Alumni Implementer: Khaled Saleh
Fulbright Grant Year: 2011
Field of Study: Music Performance
Fulbright Grant Host Institution: Indiana University
Project Name: Melodies for Serenity
Project Location: Egypt
Project Description: Khaled is a master musician, violinist, and founder of the Awtar Quartet, a well-known chamber ensemble in Cairo. Through his 2016 ACAG project, Melodies for Serenity, Khaled and his fellow musicians will provide therapeutic concerts for residents of six rural hospitals in Egypt. Khaled plans to introduce patients, many of whom have never before heard live chamber music, to an eclectic mix of Classical, Arabic, Latin and American tunes.
Return to ACAG Grants Home Page
This is 