Check Archive

June 2008

• Waterloo Cedar Falls of June 1 published the obituary of agricultural engineer John Ernest Snavely. He taught agricultural engineering at the American University of Beirut from 1954 to 1957. He returned to the United States in 1959 and has since been involved in the agricultural field.
• The New York Times of June 1 published the obituary of Louise Firouz, an American expatriate in Iran credited with saving the pony-sized Caspian horse from extinction. In her junior year at the American University of Beirut, she met her future husband Narcy during a trip to Iran, where they eventually settled. Louise soon developed an interest in the breed of small horses in the north near the Caspian Sea.
• Yahoo! News USA of June 1 reported on what the possible consequences of Syrian-Israeli peace may have in the Middle East, and what that may mean to Syriaâ??s staunch anti-Israel allies, Hizbullah and Hamas. Rami G. Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said, â??Syria-Israel peace will axiomatically mean that a Lebanon-Israel peace will â?¦ follow very quickly, and that would have huge implications for Hizbullahâ??s rationale as an armed resistance movement.â?
• Albawaba.com of June 2 reported on the American University of Beirutâ??s announcement of the five recipients of its 2008 honorary doctoral degrees. They are Hanan M. Ashrawi, official spokesperson for the Palestinian Delegation during the Middle East Peace Processes from 1991 to 1993, avant garde artist Mona Hatoum, Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International (AI) since August 2001, Georges Tohme, president of the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research, and Orhan Pamuk, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature.
• Daily Princetonian of June 3 reported on Princeton Universityâ??s 261st commencement ceremony in which outgoing American University of Beirut President John Waterbury was presented with an honorary degree. Waterbury, a Princeton graduate of the class of 61â?? received a Doctor of Laws Degree.
• UCLA International Institute of June 3 published an article by Ann Zwicker Kerr, a member of the American University of Beirutâ??s Board of Trustees and widow of its slain president Malcolm Kerr, who was assassinated on the campus during Lebanonâ??s civil war. She wrote the article a few days after the violence broke out in Beirut in May. She said, â??I am inspired each time I go to Lebanon by the ability of so many to live their lives well in spite of the turbulence around them.â?
• Trading Markets of June 3 reported on outgoing American University of Beirut preside, John Waterbury, being named the first Distinguished Senior Public Policy Fellow at the universityâ??s Issam Fares Institute (IFI). Waterbury said, â??I look forward to contributing as I can to IFI's exciting research on climate change and the environment, food systems, youth issues, and the impact of research and think tanks on public policy-making.â?
• NJ.com of June 3 reported on Princeton Universityâ??s five honorary degrees recipients that included Quincy Jones, a composer and musician, George Kateb, a political theorist,  Mary-Claire King, a molecular geneticist,  Haruki Murakami, a writer, and John Waterbury, the outgoing president of the American University of Beirut.
• RedOrbit of June 3 published a report by Dr. Karma al-Hassan of the American University if Beirut entitled, â??Identifying Indicators of Student Development in College.â? It concluded, â??Gains in student development appear to be a consequence of a variety of student experiences, not those that are part of the formal instructional program only.â?
• The Hill of June 4 reported on a television series that aired in the United States, called, â??On the Road in Americaâ? about four Middle Easterners on a road trip in the United States. The show helped expose the prejudice Arabs are subject to in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City. The cast included Mohamed Abou-Ghazal, a 27-year-old Jordanian who has lived most of his life in Lebanon and studied medicine at the American University of Beirut.
• 24-7pressrelease.com of June 5 and Newswire and Redtram of June 3 reported on that in March 2008, the American University of Beirut reaching an agreement with White Mountain Technologies to obtain conflict-free exam timetables with Universi-Tools Exam Scheduler. Professor Moueen Salameh of AUBâ??s Registrar said, â??We've automated the process at AUB so that it literally takes us minutes to finalize 100% conflict-free exam schedules as soon as Add/Drop period closes.â?
• YourErie.com of June 6 published the Chautauqua Institution Morning Lecture Series. One lecture will be presented by Dennis Ross and Frank Wisner. Ross, a prominent diplomat, was American President Bill Clintonâ??s special Middle East coordinator. Wisner, Vice Chairman of External Affairs at American International Group (AIG), has a number of nonprofit board affiliations that include the American University of Beirut.
• Armenian Weekly of June 6 published the obituary of Barkev Y. Bakamjian, a teacher and accomplished scientist. Born in Lebanon in 1923, he earned his bachelorâ??s in physics 1944 and civil engineering in 1946 at the American University of Beirut. The same year, he traveled to the United States where he earned a masterâ??s degree in physics from Columbia University in 1947 and a doctorate in physics from in 1953.
• Salt Lake Tribune of June 8 reported on the 2008 program for the Summer Choral Institute in Utah in the United States. The program will include classes by Paul Meers, who teaches at the American University of Beirut, offering classes in Arabic vocal music literature and techniques.
• NewsRx of June 10 published the findings of a research team at the American University of Beirut on Apoptosis.
• Nutra Ingredients of June 11 reported on a study by Harvard University that found that increasing vitamin D levels may reduce the risk of heart attacks. The article pointed out to a report by a research team at the American University of Beirut Medical Center that recently found that vitamin D recommendations for children should be raised to boost bone health and produce long-term health benefits.
• Calibre Macro World of June 11 published the findings of a research team from the American University of Beirut Medical Center on the human t-lymphotropic virus.
• Calibre Macro World of June 11 published the findings of a research team at the American University of Beirut on anesthesiology. It said, â??Partial obstruction of endotracheal tubes due to accumulation of secretions and mucus plugs can increase the tube resistance and subsequently impose increased resistive load on the patient.â?
• Calibre Macro World of June 11 published the findings of a report by a research team at the American University of Beirut Faculty of Health Science entitled, â??Occult hepatitis B virus infection in HIV-infected Lebanese patients with isolated antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen.â?
• National Post and Chiropractic Economics of June 12 and Reuters Health and Macro World Investor of June 11 reported on a study at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, led by Dr. Ghada el-Hajj Fuleihan that found that increasing the intake of vitamin D in adolescents should be increased to 2000 International Units (IU) to achieve more desirable levels of the vitamin in the blood.
• PCON SuperSite of June 13 published the findings of a report entitled, â??Contrast Sensitivity and Higher Order Aberrations in Eyes Implanted with AcrySof IQ SN60WF and AcrySof SN60AT Intraocular Lenses.â? The study was conducted by the Ophthalmology Departments at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the American University of Beirut.
• Ya Libnan of June 13 reported that the United States Charge dâ??Affaires in Lebanon, Michele Sison, welcomed over forty university students in a reception at the US Embassy. The students are alumni from the 2007-08 academic year and departing participants in three embassy-sponsored exchange programs for 2008-09. The students come from nine Lebanese universities including the American University of Beirut.
• Santa Cruz Sentinel of June 14 presented a brief role of Shiite Islam in the 21st century, highlighting the role of the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah, portraying it as a terrorist group. The article listed a number of attacks that took place in the world in the 20th century that it alleged Hizbullah was behind, including the kidnapping of David S. Dodge, the president of the American University of Beirut in 1982.
• Ya Libnan and Free Republic of June 15, AINA of June 14, and The Scotsman of June 13 reported on the rise of Sunni extremism in Lebanon in light of the takeover staged by the Shiite militant group Hizbullah in Beirut in early May. It featured an interview with a Sunni fighter in the Bab al-Tabbaneh area in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli who voiced a willingness to participate in war against Shiites. Timur Goksel, a professor at the American University of Beirut said, â??Extremists are at the peak of their possible popularity and recruitment â?¦ they could cause a security upheaval.â?
• The Armenian Weekly of June 16 reported on an APP student panel discussion about Armenian activism. The panel included Zohrab Sarkissian, a business graduate from the American University of Beirut and McGill. During the discussion, he stressed the importance of preserving Armenian identity and ways to prevent assimilation.
• Antiwar.com of June 18 and Macro World Investor and IPS of June 17 reported on the growing sectarian and political tension in Lebanon as clashes erupted between opposition and government supporters in the Bekaa towns of Saadnayel and Taalbaya. â??In Lebanon's society every community has dormant attitudes towards one segment or another. These feelings are stirred in the event of a conflict and exacerbated by the political discourse,â? said Dr. Nabil Dajani, sociologist at the American University of Beirut. The tension has persisted even though the Lebanese parties reached an agreement in May to end Lebanonâ??s political crisis that started in 2006.
• Campus Watch of June 19 reported on a trend among Saudi Arabian businessmen in funding Islamic institutes in American universities. Among these donations over the years was that of Prince al-Waleed Bin Talal who presented $5.2 million for the Center of American Studies and Research at the American University of Beirut.
• Macro World Investor of June 19 reported on bias adopted in Lebanese television stations as fears of assassination, political affiliations, and bribes by politicians force journalists to distort the truth. Sociologist Nabil Dajani from the American University of Beirut said, â??The population's main concerns, such as corruption or electricity cuts, among many others, are rarely tackled by the media. In addition, the written press increasingly addresses politicians and not the actual Lebanese people.â?
• The Guardian Unlimited of June 23 published a review of a book by Tarif Khalidi, a professor of Islamic studies at the American University of Beirut, entitled, â??The Qurâ??an: A New Translation.â? The review said, â??He [Khalidi] manages to capture the allusiveness of the text, as well as something of its tone and texture.â?
• HCN Online of June 24 and GuidryNews.com of June 21 reported on Dr. Rabih O. Darouiche, one of the inventors of the antibacterial envelope for surgical implants. A staff physician at the Medical Care and Spinal Cord Injury Care Lines at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC), Darouiche graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1984, and completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is board certified in internal medicine, infectious disease, and spinal cord injury medicine.
• ThomasNet of June 25 reported on the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineersâ?? (ASHRAE) recognition of 86 of its members for their contribution to the society. Among those recognized was Dr. Samir R. Traboulsi, the general manager of Thermotrade Sal-Heating and Air Conditioning, and senior lecturer at the American University of Beirut.
• AINA of June 29 reported on Amnesty International stressing the need for the establishment of an independent judicial system in Lebanon. Irene Khan, the Secretary General of the international organization, who was in Beirut, on June 28 to receive an honorary doctorate from the American University of Beirut said that Lebanese judges should be empowered to enforce the international agreements Lebanon has signed in order to achieve an efficient judiciary.
• The Huffington Post of June 29 published an article by Magda Abu-Fadil, the director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, about AUBâ??s student publication, Outlook. She reported on some of the hardships the students had to face in publishing the paper given the tumultuous security and political situation in Lebanon. Milia Ayache, editor in chief of Outlook hoped that her successor would be able to maintain the publicationâ??s political neutrality. She said, â??The people working at Outlook are just a bunch of passionate students eager to better the university and affect change.â?
• AME Info of June 30 and Ya Libnan of June 26 reported on a team from the American University of Beirut building the first solar-powered vehicle in the Arab world. The team, consisting of four fourth-year engineering students and their professor, Dr. Daniel Asmar, took nearly nine months to build the car, which they called Apolloâ??s Chariot.
• Inside Higher Ed of June 30 published a short story by Richard Dean, a professor of philosophy at the American University of Beirut, about the hardships of finding a good academic job. The fictional story, entitled â??Two-Year in Hellâ? was written prior to him assuming jobs at Rutgers University and later AUB. â??By no means is it [the story] comparing either place to Hell,â? he said.