akhbar
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar | Summer/Fall 2008
Hats Off
The Class of 2008
graduates in Doha
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akhbar
A publication of
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
A member of Qatar Foundation
P.O. Box 24866
Doha, Qatar
www.qatar.cmu.edu
Dean
Charles E. Thorpe
Marketing & Public Relations Department
D. Murry Evans
director of marketing & public relations
Business Administration
Computer Science
Information Systems
Noha Al Afifi
media relations manager
Cristina Mules
departmental coordinator
Kara Nesimiuk
events coordinator
Andrea L. Zrimsek
writer/editor
Editorial Board
Nikki Krysak
librarian
Aaron Lyvers
planning analyst
Anqi Qian, Ph.D.
director of strategic initiatives
John Robertson
assistant dean for academic affairs
Dave Stanfield
director of student activities
Copy Editors
Ruth Gaus
Abby Ross
Teresa Thomas
Bette A. Zrimsek
Mission
Akhbar is the official publication of
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. The mission
of the magazine is to tell the interesting
and innovative stories that highlight the university
and its role in the Gulf Region and the world.
Articles and photographs contained in this
publication are subject to copyright protection.
No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means without prior
written permission of the university.
Editorial inquires or reprints
the Class of 2013
Application deadline
March 1, 2009
for information or to apply
+974 454 8500
www.qatar.cmu.edu
Contact the Marketing &
Public Relations Department
at +974 454 8492
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table of contents
akhbar
In this issue
Features
3
Hats Off
Carnegie Mellon Qatar graduates its first class
7
Turkey
Students take a cultural excursion
10 A Home of Our Own
Carnegie Mellon moves into its permanent home in Qatar
14 Technology Consulting in the Community
Using technology to help charities in Doha
page 7
16 Playing the Market
Students develop a simulation of the Doha Stock Market
18 Striving for Peace
Campus hosts a weeklong PeaceMaker event
20 CLIP
Teaching computer literacy to workers in Education City
Departments
2
22
24
page 22
26
28
29
30
31
42
44
page 42
July 2008 Akhbar.indd 3
dean’s column
Change is everywhere in Qatar
alumni corner
Tepper graduate turns entrepreneur
faces of carnegie mellon
Raj Reddy, Ph.D., Mozah Bint Nasser University Professor
research spotlight
Hala the robot receptionist
focus on business administration
Management Game
focus on computer science
Team captures second place in the IEEEXtreme competition
focus on information systems
Students collaborate in a global course
campus news
Read about all of the activities on campus
pittsburgh connection
Al Gore gives keynote address at graduation in Pittsburgh
around Education City
Northwestern University opens its doors in Doha
7/29/08 10:43:35 AM
dean’s column
A WORD FROM THE DEAN...
M
ohandas Gandhi once said, “be
the change that you want to see
in the world.” As I look around
Education City today, I feel that
Carnegie Mellon, Qatar Foundation and all of the other universities that have
made homes in Doha are living his words. Every
day, our universities are changing, Qatar is changing, the Gulf Region is changing and the world as a
whole is changing.
The most obvious changes are physical
construction. In Education City alone, Al Shaqab
is quickly rising from the sand into an elite equestrian center; Qatar Science and Technology Park is
almost complete; the Convention Center is showing
its impressive outlines; site preparation is under way
for the hospital and the Georgetown building; and
the foundation is being laid for a multiversity student center. With each passing year more and more
educational facilities will be built.
And of course our own home is still under
construction, but finished to the point where we are
able to move in. After four years and two temporary homes, Carnegie Mellon Qatar is finally able to
unpack and settle in to its own building. The beauty
and elegance of this building create the perfect
atmosphere for our students, staff and faculty to
continue learning and growing. This will help us
continue to be a vital component in the rapidly changing face of Qatar.
But there are many more changes than just new
buildings. Northwestern University has joined Education City as our next partner institution. Adding a
sixth world-class university to Doha increases the level
of education for our students and adds another new
layer to the opportunities and careers that abound in
Qatar. The Foundation is also building a world-class
symphony orchestra, and moving ahead with graduate
programs and research.
And, of course, the biggest change Carnegie
Mellon has seen this year is the graduation of our first
class. When the Class of 2008 entered Carnegie Mellon, we didn’t know quite what to expect from them,
and they didn’t know quite what to expect from us.
But we joined together with hope and hard work, and
the results, four years later, have been spectacular. Now that they go into the world of graduate education and careers, they again face the unknown: but
they go forth with the confidence that they have the
skills, background and abilities to change the world.
We look forward to the excitement of welcoming our fifth class of students. They have the advantage
of being able to see the whole cycle, from incoming
students, to upper class mentors, to our recent alumni
making their way in the world.
I commend Qatar Foundation and Her Highness
Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned for identifying
the change they wanted to see in their homeland, and
taking on the monumental task of making it happen.
But most of all, I’m thrilled that Carnegie Mellon University is part of that change.
My best wishes to you all,
Charles E. Thorpe, Dean
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The Class of 2008
Carnegie Mellon Qatar graduates its first class
M
ay 5, 2008 was an historic day for Carnegie Mellon
University. Thirty-five students – 23 in Business Administration and 12 in Computer Science – graduated
from the university’s first international, undergraduate
campus in Doha, Qatar.
More than 800 family members, friends, faculty, staff
and members of the Doha community attended the celebration. Also in attendance was the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, whose
daughter, Lulwa, was among the Tepper graduates.
continued on page 4
Summer/Fall 2008
akhbar 3
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continued from page 3
“It has been a great delight to
work side by side with you, and to
watch you learn,” said Charles E.
Thorpe, Dean of Carnegie Mellon
Qatar, to the Class of 2008. “It’s been
wonderful to watch your hopes and
dreams come true as you finish your
studies and graduate. And now it’s
time to turn our thoughts toward the
future and wait with great anticipation to see how you will apply the
education you received at Carnegie
Mellon.”
The graduation ceremony is the
most special occasion for Carnegie
Mellon because it engages the entire
community in the history, life and
future of the university. It’s an event
that commemorates the university’s
heritage, celebrates its achievements
and heralds the promise of a bright
future.
In the Scottish tradition of Car-
negie Mellon, a bagpiper clad in full
regalia led the formal procession of
graduating students, Carnegie Mellon faculty, deans, university provost,
keynote speaker and university president into the posh ceremony tent.
Students donned traditional
black graduation gowns and mortarboards bearing a tassel and 2008
pendant. Many wore their graduation gowns over their traditional
dress. Faculty members also wore
traditional graduation robes and
caps.
The ceremony began with a
declaration by faculty marshal G.
Richard Tucker, who led the procession carrying a traditional Qatari
sword. The sword was used in place
of the customary mace as a way to
meld together university traditions
with Arabic culture.
The Qatari National Anthem
and the United States National
Anthem were both played, and a
poem about farewells, families and
the future was read in Arabic. Jared
Cohon, Carnegie Mellon University
President, then addressed the graduates and the guests.
“This is a day to honor and
recognize the accomplishments of the
outstanding members of the Class of
2008 – young men and women who,
with their own vision, enrolled when
our program was more dream than
reality,” Cohon said to the packed
tent.
Ray Lane, managing partner at
Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers,
and member of the Board of Trustees, gave the keynote address. He
championed the Qatar “pioneers” for
venturing into uncharted territory
and emerging successfully.
Computer Science senior Nora
Al Subai was selected as the student
speaker and gave a moving speech
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that encapsulated the initial four
years of Carnegie Mellon Qatar. “Carnegie Mellon will always
be a home we can return to. The
family ties we have formed will always unite us no matter how far we
travel. Our struggles as a group, and
as individuals, have helped define us
and shape us into the people we are
today,” she said.
“We walk away from Carnegie
Mellon with many skills and leave
behind a legacy of memories: being a
family; spending exciting times as the
first students at Carnegie Mellon Qatar; sharing the loss of a loved one;
and now, setting out into the world
united by a common past and a
shared vision of a successful future.”
One of the most touching moments of the ceremony was when His
Highness The Emir led a standing
ovation for graduating computer science student Anirban Lahiri. “It’s been wonderful to
watch your hopes and
dreams come true as
you finish your studies and graduate. And
now it’s time to turn
our thoughts toward
the future and wait
with great anticipation
to see how you will
apply the education
you received at Carnegie Mellon.”
- Charles E. Thorpe
Dean
Carnegie Mellon Qatar
The Indian national has muscular atrophy, which has confined him
to a wheelchair in a country where
wheelchair accessibility is far from
the norm.
Dean Thorpe along with President Cohon and Randy Bryant, dean
of the School of Computer Science,
stepped down from the stage to present Lahiri with his diploma.
Graduation is a tradition born
of Carnegie Mellon’s earliest days
more than a century ago. It is deeply
rooted in the past, yet a step toward
the future. Carnegie Mellon has held
more than 100 graduation ceremonies since its founding in 1900.
Any doubts that this event was
not a true Carnegie Mellon graduation were put to rest just moments
into the ceremony when the first rain
to fall in Doha in more than three
months tapped against the roof of
the tent.
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About the Class of 2008
Tepper School of Business senior Anum Bashir is all
smiles as she receives her diploma from Charles E. Thorpe, Dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.
The Class of 2008 was often described as the
“pioneers.” These were the first students to enter Carnegie Mellon Qatar in August 2004 when the Business
Administration and Computer Science programs were
just getting off the ground.
Unlike most graduating classes in Pittsburgh, the
class in Qatar had more females than males. Twentyseven young women and eight men graduated. Of the 12 Computer Science majors, nine were
women and three were men. In the Tepper School of
Business, 18 women graduated and five men.
The Class of 2008 had 15 Qatari nationals, seven
in Business Administration and eight in Computer Science. Non-Qataris numbered 20, with 16 in Business
Administration and four in Computer Science.
Eleven nationalities were represented in the class.
They include: Canada, Egypt, United States, Jordan,
New Zealand, Qatar, Syria, Belize, Lebanon, United
Kingdom and India.
Members of the
Carnegie Mellon Qatar
Class of 2008
Business
Administration
Carnegie Mellon President Jared Cohon presents senior
Jinanne Tabra with the Andrew Carnegie Scholar sash.
Senior Celebration
The celebration for the Class of 2008 kicked off
on Sunday, May 4, with a Senior Celebration, which
was a night of awards, accolades and remembrances.
Students, along with their parents, faculty and esteemed
guests from Pittsburgh, attended the event.
John Robertson, Assistant Dean for Academic
Affairs, presented awards such as College Honors,
University Honors, Dean’s List and Andrew Carnegie
Scholars. Business Administration seniors Jinanne Tabra
and Yasmine AbdelRahman gave a multimedia presentation on the four-year journey of the Class of 2008.
Hala Abbas
Yasmine AbdelRahman
Adib Nabil Abu-Saba
Noora Al-Ansari
Noor AlAthirah
Mohamed Al-Mahmeed
Rooda Al Neama
Maha Al-Shirrawi
Amna Al-Thani
Lulwah Al-Thani
Anum Bashir
Lina El Menshawy
Syed Mustafa Hasnain
Ibrahim Hassan
Samiha Kamel
Imran Karim
Salma Kayali
Reem Khaled
Mona Maher
Rasha Mkachar
Maha Al-Obaidan
Wesam Said
Jinanne Tabra
Computer
Science
Maha Abdeen
Ameer AbdulSalam
Eiman Ali Al-Emadi
Fatima Al-Mansoori
Noora Al-Saad
Nora Al Subai
Noura El-Moughny
Aysha Fakhroo
Maryam Khalil
Anirban Lahiri
Amer Obeidah
Noof Al-haj Salem
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features
TURKEY
Students take a cultural excursion
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features
Fourteen students from Carnegie Mellon University
in Qatar spent their spring break on a first-of-its-kind
cultural excursion trip to Turkey.
“Most of our students are only exposed to Gulf
and western cultures. So we decided it would be beneficial for them to see cultures they may not see otherwise,” says Dave Stanfield, director of student activities. “We picked Turkey because it’s a Muslim country
but the government is secular, which is highly unique.”
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features
At far left, students
enjoy taking hikes
around Cappadocia,
Turkey. This was the
first foray into hiking
for many students,
and it ended up being
one of their favorite
things. Left, Carnegie
Mellon Qatar student
Mohamad Abu Zeinab
takes in the expansive
view.
Turkey was also chosen because
students would be forced out of their
comfort zones in a country where neither English nor Arabic is the primary
language. Stanfield chaperoned the
trip, along with Student Development
Coordinators Caryl Tuma and Greg
Smith.
While the main focus of the trek
was cultural, the eight-day experience
ended up being much broader for
the group. The students visited two
regions of Turkey. The first was Cappadocia, a city in the central part of
the country that is known for unique
geological features and ancient historical sites.
A hot air balloon ride allowed
everyone to see the country from
an angle typically reserved only for
creatures of flight. Students even went
on hikes and climbed through underground cities. The hiking ended up being the favorite activity, Stanfield says.
The group also visited churches,
stayed in a cave hotel and hit the capital city of Ankara, where they stopped
by the Mausoleum of Ataturk, who
was the Republic of Turkey’s first
president.
“I was personally fascinated
with the vast history of Turkey that
we came across during the trip. It was
not just the museums and monuments
that exhibited ancient history but I
feel that even the ordinary houses and
buildings in Cappadocia and Istanbul
portrayed the rich culture of Turkey
and had some sort of ancient history attached to them,” says Nasreen
Zahan, sophomore Computer Science
major.
The second part of the journey
began with a short flight to Istanbul,
where everyone stayed at the Blue
House Hotel beside the famed Blue
Mosque. Then a visit to Koç University was on the agenda. Koç is a private
university funded by a large foundation that enrolls mostly students from
privileged homes.
“The visit to the Koç University
was one of the most significant parts
of the trip. It gave me insight into the
lives of students in Turkey and how
they were similar and different from
us in Doha,” Zahan says.
The trip rounded out with a scenic cruise down the Bosporus, a strait
that separates the European and Asian
sides of Turkey. Of course, a trip to
Turkey would not be complete without a final trip to the Grand Bazaar
where students loaded up on gifts for
family and friends. Q
“Something I value
very much about these
trips is how far they
stray from the norm,
whether it is the nature
of activities, the people
you are with, the places
you see or even the food
you eat. The cool thing
about discovering one’s
self is that there is more
than one way to do it.
- Mohamad Abu Zeinab
Business Administration junior
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A place of our own
Carnegie Mellon moves into its building
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features
After more than four
years and two temporary
locations, Carnegie Mellon
finally moves into its
permanent home in Qatar.
However, just because the university is taking occupancy of the expansive 460,000-square foot teaching and
learning facility does not mean construction will be 100
percent complete.
“Initially it will be part challenge and part adventure for the Carnegie Mellon Qatar community,” says
Kevin Lamb, Assistant Dean for Planning.
“Due to the rapid growth in Education City and the
tremendous pressure for space, Qatar Foundation asked
that we take partial occupancy before the fall semester.
We agreed under the condition that the building will be
safe and that disruption from noise and continuing construction not interfere with classes and the operation of
the campus. So, the building will still be under construction and there will be some dust and noise. But we will
have everything we need.”
Construction on the building, which is being built
by Qatar Foundation for Carnegie Mellon, began in August of 2006. Crews have been working nearly nonstop
for two years to meet the aggressive July deadline. Most
days there are some 2,000 workers on the site.
Plus the crew has faced various problems such as
concrete shortages and weather issues. “They have been
making an extraordinary effort to meet the deadline,”
says Lamb. “It’s represents Qatar Foundation’s vision of
getting the all of the branch campuses into world-class
facilities.”
Staff and faculty are moving into the building in
plenty of time to prepare for the fall semester. The needed
classrooms, offices and lavatories are all ready, however
some functions, such as the prayer rooms and the student
club space, will not be ready until later in the semester.
Lamb says it will take several more months for
all work to be completed. Classes will begin in the new
building on Sunday, Aug. 17.
When complete, the Carnegie Mellon building will
have three floors. For the next few years Carnegie Mellon will occupy the ground and first floors. Starting in
fall 2009, Northwestern University will make temporary
quarters on the second floor.
By the end of the fall 2008 semester, Carnegie
Mellon will have some 130 offices and workstations, a
library, six lecture halls, five classrooms, three seminar
rooms, two computer classrooms, an interdisciplinary lab
and a robotics lab.
The building, which was designed by Mexican architects Legoretta+Legoretta, will revolve around a threestory atrium and walkway that sits on one of the main
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green spines in Education City. This design was
purposeful in that people walking around campus
would have to walk through Carnegie Mellon.
This interaction will foster a greater sense
of community and collaboration between everyone in Education City. With a Subway sandwich
shop, Coffee Cottage and juice bar in the spacious
atrium, it’s sure to be the hub of campus.
“This is tremendous facility,” says Lamb. “It’s
beautiful and inspiring, and it has been custom
designed to offer all of the support needed to help
our students succeed.”
Having a permanent home in Education City
will also help increase Carnegie Mellon’s profile
and give students, staff, faculty and alumni a place
to call home.
The formal dedication of the building is
slated for February or March 2009. Q
Construction on the Carnegie Mellon building will be underway for many months (top photo). Above, Andrew Carnegie’s
famous words are being etched in stone in the three-story
atrium that will serve as the heart of the building.
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features
Technology
Consulting in
the Community
Course allows students to use
technology to help Doha charities
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features
T
echnology is often thought
of as something reserved
only for those with money
and privilege. A new class
at Carnegie Mellon Qatar is showing students that high tech solutions
can help even the most underserved
communities.
Technology Consulting in the
Community is a special universitycommunity learning partnership that
pairs up tech-savvy students with
non-profit organizations, schools and
government agencies that are in need
of technological solutions but lack
the funding to pay for them.
“We are able to provide a valuable service to these organizations,”
says Joe Mertz, who teaches the
course along with Bernardine Dias.
“Carnegie Mellon students possess
the knowledge that allows them to
identify problems and find ways in
which technology can be used to alleviate them.”
The goals of the course are
to expand the capacity of the community partner to use technology;
create an opportunity for students to
learn a variety of new skills; provide
the community partners with valuable assistance that addresses gaps
in technical knowledge; and present
the community partner with a final
consulting report at the end of the
semester.
“What’s great about this course
is that students get to expand their
education and the community gets to
reap the benefits,” says Mertz.
Mertz and Dias contacted
many charity organizations in Doha
in the fall of 2007 in hopes of finding
a handful that were interested in the
course and willing to put in the time
needed to work with a student consultant. “It’s a big commitment for an
organization to become a community
partner and not everyone can spare
the staff,” Mertz says.
Qatar Charity, Reach Out
to Asia, Qatar National History
Group, American School of Doha, Sri
Lankan School and Al Noor Institute
At the beginning of the Spring 2008 term, students were matched with
charities in Qatar to identify ways in which technology could benefit them.
The students spent the semester working with the organization’s officials to
implement the solutions
all jumped at the chance to be part of
the course.
At the beginning of the Spring
2008 term, Dias and Mertz matched
each charity with students who could
provide them with the solutions they
needed. For the duration of the 12week course, students would go on
site for three hours per week to work
with organization leaders. This way
students can be part of the process of
identifying underlying problems that
technology can help them solve and
begin planning for sustainable solutions.
“Working on site helps students
develop their technical consulting
and management skills, while organizations get to improve their technology use, management and planning
by working closely with Carnegie
Mellon students who understand the
latest technology,” Mertz says.
Senior computer science major
Anirban Lahiri was partnered with
Qatar National History Group,
an all-volunteer organization that
brings together people interested in
the natural history of Qatar and the
Gulf. “QNHG had limited funds,
kept all records on paper and didn’t
have a Web site,” Lahiri says.
Throughout the semester Lahiri
worked to develop a Web site to give
the group more presence, created an
online database and provided them
with tools they could use to improve
information management. “It was
a challenge, but it was also very
rewarding to be able to use what I’ve
learned at Carnegie Mellon to help
them,” he says.
Technology Consulting in the
Community was created in 1998 at
Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh as a way
for students to apply the skills they
learn in the classroom to real world
problems. This was the first time
the course was taught in Doha. “We
brought a program that is already
well established to a community
where we felt there was a need,”
Mertz says of offering the class in
Qatar.
Since its inception a decade
ago, Technology Consulting in the
Community students have worked
with more than 200 organizations
through 300 partnerships. Mertz and
Dias plan to teach the course each
spring in Doha.
To learn more about Technology Consulting in the Community,
visit www.qatar.cmu.edu/tcinc. Q
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features
Playing
the Market
Business Administration and Computer
Science students work together to
create virtual stock market competition
F
ortunes were made – and lost – at
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
this spring. Virtual fortunes, that is.
Twenty-two teams, made up of 67 students, faculty and staff, traded stocks,
made money, lost money and tried to
figure out how the stock market works in a first-ofits-kind Virtual Doha Stock Market.
“We wanted to give Carnegie Mellon students
what they deserve – something new, interesting and
fun,” says junior Business Administration major
Siddharth Arora, who came up with the idea with
classmate Saad Al-Matwi. “There are a lot of games
that simulate the U.S. Stock Market, but we wanted
to make it more relevant to our classmates and
that’s why we created the first virtual simulation of
the Doha Stock Market.”
Arora and Al-Matwi took their idea for a local
stock market competition to Business Administration professor J. Patrick McGinnis. He encouraged
them to collaborate with Computer Science students
to bring their idea to fruition. “When we put Business Administration and Computer Science on the
ground together in Qatar, this was this kind of realworld collaborations that we hoped would form,”
says McGinnis.
“This original idea grew out of need and interest. It’s an excellent opportunity for students from
two different disciplines to collaborate in a way that
approximates a situation they could encounter in
their professional lives. This is what the Carnegie
Mellon education is all about.”
When Arora and Al-Matwi pitched their idea
to Mark Stehlik, assistant dean for undergraduate
education in the School of Computer Science, he
immediately decided it would be the perfect final
project for his Web Applications class. Arora and
Al-Matwi gave a presentation to the class on what
the scope of the project was. The six teams then
designed a project they felt would best satisfy the
needs of Arora and Al-Matwi.
The design created by the “deadrat 5” team,
comprised of sophomores Kaleem Rahman and
Khalid Al-Sooj, was chosen and implemented at the
end of the eight-week course, the. Then the game
began. It was based on the actual Doha Stock Market, which consists of 42 local companies. Teams
were given initial capital of QR 150,000 ($41,095)
to buy or sell stocks in real time. “We felt that was
a reasonable amount of money for a team to start
with,” says Arora.
Though the real Doha Securities Market is
only open from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., stocks in the
virtual game could be traded 24 hours a day on the
Web site. Exactly like on the real Doha Securities
Market, each trade was subject to a QR 30 ($8.21)
commission. “We did that to make it as real as possible and so that people would take it seriously,”
Al-Matwi says.
Interest in the game was so overwhelming
that it was extended from two weeks to more than
one month. As an incentive, the team who had the
most money and used the best strategy was awarded
prizes.
In addition to their usual course work,
students who took part in the game were sending
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features
Business Administration juniors Saad Al-Matwi (left) and Siddharth Arora (second
from left) conceived of the idea for the Virtual Doha Stock Market. They partnered with
Computer Science sophomore Kaleem Rahman (second from right) and sophomore
Information Systems student Khalid Al-Sooj (right) to create a Web site where teams
could trade virtual stocks. More than 20 teams signed up to participate in the monthlong stock trading competition that was based on the Doha Stock Market.
their teammates text messages about their holdings,
and they were also truly studying the Doha Stock
Market and how it works, which was the real goal
of the project.
“Everyone who played the game gained a
whole new realization of the value of money and
what it takes to earn and maintain a lucrative stock
portfolio,” Arora says. “People were studying the
Doha Securities Web site and began taking a more
active interest in the local economy.”
Team Mystery took home the first place
trophy with a net worth of QR 176268 ($48,292).
“We learned a lot from this competition. It gave us
a feeling of what Carnegie Mellon Qatar really is
and we really felt that we are doing business,” says
Mystery team member Eman Tag, sophomore. “We
also learned a lot about the Doha Stock Market and
more specifically about each company's shares. Basically now we know, it is not just a random guess.
You should study the market and then start investing.”
The Doha Stock Market game had a scoreboard so that all teams could keep track of their
earnings and see how they stacked up against the
other teams. To make it more interesting, the scoreboard was turned off one week before the close of
the competition to create suspense.
Arora and Al-Matwi, who are both members
of cmBA, the Carnegie Mellon Business Association club, kept data on the competition and hope to
make it an annual event. They are even considering
offering the program to other universities in Qatar
and using it as a tool to teach local high school
students about stock trading.
“The Tepper School of Business at Carnegie
Mellon University is where business and technology intersect, and this is the perfect example of that.
Students took the initiative to create a new idea that
would not only be fun but would also provide them
with an opportunity to expand their education in a
way that has local impact,” according to McGinnis.
“They had the idea, sought out the people
with the right skills to do the job, gave them good
guidance and made good decisions. The students
were excited because it’s been so well received.
And I hope this is the first of many collaborations
between Computer Science and Business Administration students.” Q
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features
Striving for Peace
Carnegie Mellon Qatar hosts
weeklong PeaceMaker event
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features
A
s the granddaughter of
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas,
senior business administration student Hala
Abbas has intimate knowledge of the
inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet she faced many
challenges while playing PeaceMaker,
an educational video game inspired
by real events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that challenges players to
succeed as a leader on both sides.
“This game is really hard. People are blowing up things and I can’t
control them. If I’m nice to people,
they react negatively,” Abbas says the
Carnegie Mellon senior. “PeaceMaker shows you that there are a million
factors to take into consideration
and that every move you make has
consequences.”
Abbas was one of many people
in Doha who took part in a five-day
PeaceMaker event this spring. Anyone over the age of 18 was invited
to campus to play. Students, staff,
faculty and members of the Doha
community, all turned out to see if
they could achieve peace.
PeaceMaker tests skills, assumptions and prior knowledge,
and challenges the player to bring
peace to the region before his or her
term in office is up. Not only did the
PeaceMaker event provide an opportunity for people to try to reach
peace and understanding in the long
conflict, the special version of this
game also captured how each person
played.
“We are able to track every
single action people make during
the game,” says Cleotilde Gonzalez,
associate research professor in the
Dynamic Decision Making Lab at
Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. “That
allows us to see the sequence of actions taken to achieve peace.”
In order to do this, gamers
entered general demographic information such as gender, age, race, religion, political affiliation and nationality before they began playing. Once
the study was over, researchers in the
Dynamic Decision Making Lab took
PeaceMaker is an educational video game that challenges players to find
peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Players must play as both sides
and deal with the consequences of their actions.
this information and began analyzing
it to see how roles and environmental events impact dynamic decision
making in international relations.
One interesting factor about
PeaceMaker is that all participants
had to play the game from both
sides: once as the Palestinian President and once as the Israeli Prime
Minister. Each side requires different
techniques and strategy in order to
achieve peace. Gonzalez says this is
done because players are usually in
one of three camps: pro Israel, pro
Palestine or neutral. By playing both
sides, many young people who play
the game walk away from it with a
different view of the conflict.
Abbas, who has played the
game before, walked away from this
experience with a new perspective
after achieving peace as the Israeli
Prime Minister, but failing in the
position held by her grandfather.
“I have a whole new respect for
what my grandfather does,” she says.
“This game really shows how hard
some of us are suffering. It teaches
you that solving the conflict is not
that easy. I know it’s not easy, but
not everyone else does.”
Gonzalez says video games
are excellent tools for the study of
dynamic decision making. Data collection with PeaceMaker can help
researchers understand behavioral
and cultural issues that influence
the perception of the “self” and the
“other.”
She conducted research with
the game on Pittsburgh’s campus
and found that the players were very
similar demographically. She brought
it to Doha to capture a more diverse
population. While many players were
American and European expatriates,
several were Arabs and many were
Palestinians who have a vested interested in the conflict.
Past data shows that the closer
people are to the situation, the more
passionate they are about reaching peace. Once emotional content
is removed, players win better and
more consistently than those who get
involved emotionally. Gonzalez also
says that personality, political affiliation and religion make a difference in
how people plan the game.
Carnegie Mellon University
graduates Eric Brown and Asi Burek
conceived of and designed PeaceMaker with the idea that everyone
can make a difference. “We wanted
to create a game on social issues,”
Brown says. “Video games get a lot
of bad publicity so we created one
that would be emotionally engaging
and give people a chance to see what
transpires from the decisions they
make.”
To learn more about PeaceMaker, visit www.peacemakergame.
com. Q
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features
CLIP
Students volunteer to teach computer
literacy to the workers in Education City
W
ith such technology as Skype,
e-mailing and
instant messaging, it’s easier than ever to stay
in touch with friends and family.
But what about people who
don’t have access to computers
or don’t know how to use them?
Recognizing that this is the
case for many of the immigrant
laborers in Doha, students in the
Neomotion community service
club at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar decided to do
something about it.
“When we started Neomotion in the fall of 2007, one of
the goals was to find ways in
which we could help the workers,” says Ramsey Ramadan,
junior Business Administration
major. “We thought about raising money to buy them Hala
cards to call home. Then we
realized that by teaching them
computer literacy they can keep
in touch with their families
though various means.”
Neomotion began working in the fall with Silvia Pessoa,
professor of English and Modern
Languages, and Dave Stanfield,
director of student activities,
on designing the courses. More
than 25 Carnegie Mellon Qatar
students signed up to be part of
the program.
“The students are really
excited about this. We try to
teach them the value of giving
back and service in the community. They want to interact with
the workers inside Education
City who are giving them a lot,
and they want to give something
back,” Stanfield says.
CLIP, or Computer Literacy Information Program,
began in the Spring 2008 term
with classes for some 50 cafeteria workers, security guards
and custodians. Classes were
held evenings and weekends,
with separate classes for women.
Attendance was strong and the
laborers were all eager to learn.
“When we started
Neomotion in the
fall of 2007, one of
the goals was to find
ways in which we
could help the
workers.”
- Ramsey Ramadan
Junior
Students in the classes had
varying levels of proficiency:
some with moderate computer
skills and some with no technical skills at all. Carnegie Mellon
student volunteers worked with
each student to develop a broad
set of computer literacy skills
that would be most beneficial to
them.
Hazem Al Satari, a Jordanian national, works as a
security guard. While he uses
a computer to file reports at
work, he had little knowledge
of the Internet and ways in
which he could use the machine
to communicate. “My supervisor encouraged me to come so I
could learn about Word, Excel
and more about the Internet and
how to e-mail,” Al Satari says.
Al Satari is also taking English classes offered by
Georgetown University School
of Foreign Service at Qatar.
Georgetown was the first university to reach out to the workers,
which is what helped spark the
interest at Carnegie Mellon.
“Once we saw they were
doing it, we started thinking
about what we can bring to the
table. Computer literacy was an
obvious option,” Stanfield says.
Ramadan says all of the
Carnegie Mellon students who
took part in CLIP were excited
about the program because it
gave them a chance to use what
they’ve learned at school to give
something back to the community.
“These people are brought
here to help this economy flourish yet they often suffer severely
because they are not given the
opportunities they deserve. Our
ultimate aim is to reach out to
Qatar as a whole.”
Neomotion hopes to continue offering the CLIP program
in the fall and even aims to set
up a computer cluster specifically for laborers either in Education City or at their residential
communities. Q
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alumni focus
Tepper graduate turns entrepreneur
G
rowing up in Scotland, Carnegie Mellon
senior Jinanne Tabra
struggled to learn
the Arabic language.
Like most Arab children in non-Arab
countries she had limited access to
Arabic books, games, toys and other
learning materials.
The daughter of an Iraqi father
and Scottish mother, Tabra went to
an English-speaking school during
the week and spoke Arabic in her
home. On weekend her parents sent
her to an Arabic school that was run
by their small Arabic community.
“I complained every weekend.
It wasn’t fun at all,” Tabra says. “The
books we had were given to us from
an Arabic country’s government’s
curriculum so they weren’t that interesting. They didn’t make learning the
language fun.”
After moving to Qatar and
being immersed in an Arab environment, Tabra’s Arabic fluency
increased. However, it never left her
mind that there were millions of Arabs around the world who were still
struggling to learn the language.
Tabra had what she called a
light bulb moment when her mother,
Dawn, a library technician at The
Learning Center, told her that parents in Doha were always complaining that there were not enough quality Arabic books here. “I thought,
if there aren’t enough books here in
Qatar, then there are definitely not
enough in the U.S. and other countries,” she says.
And so ARABOH.com was
born. Founded to promote the education of the Arabic language, particularly among Arabs living outside the
Arab world, ARABOH.com is an
online community for educational
books with an Arabic theme that
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alumni focus
“This is a movement.
This is about teaching
our children to embrace their Arab pride.
This is about giving
the gift of the Arabic
language to your family, to your friends and
to the world.”
-Jinanne Tabra
Business Administration senior
At left, Araboh and his camel Jameela are the mascots of ARABOH.com.
Together they are trying to encourage young Arabs to read in their mother
tongue. Above, Jinanne Tabra selects books to sell on the Web site.
will allow future Arab generations to
grow up reading, writing and thinking in their mother tongue. “I saw the
need and decided to do something to
fill it,” Tabra says. “I knew exactly
what I wanted to do.”
But it was not that easy. Tabra
contacted many publishing houses
across the world and began hand
picking more than 700 titles to carry.
Book are categorized by age range,
and can help anyone from a preschooler to a senior citizen learn the
language. Some books are solely in
Arabic, while others are in English
and Arabic, French and Arabic, or all
three. Books can be shipped anywhere in the world.
“We have everything from baby
books to novels,” she says. “We even
have Shakespeare in Arabic.” Because
most of the publishing houses didn’t
have summaries of the books, Tabra
had to read each book and write
summaries in both English and Arabic.
To make her Web site lively and
informative, she also began scanning
book jackets and excerpts from the
stories to post to the site.
She decided to set up in Sharjah, U.A.E., because there is a free
zone there where she can import and
export her products without paying
a duty. Qatar is setting up a similar
zone but it’s not yet up and running.
She is also donating a portion of her
profits to charities that aid children
in the Arab world.
Tabra launched ARABOH,
which is slang for Arabs, in December of 2007 while still in her senior
year at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. She
worked with Communications Professor Patrick McGinnis on developing her logo, vision and mission.
And she worked with George White,
Professor of Entrepreneurship, on the
proper way to go about her venture.
“We’re so proud of our newlyminted Tepper grad with her first
foray into e-commerce,” McGinnis
says. “We know that her Carnegie
Mellon education will serve her well
as she turns this important service
into a successful business.”
Tabra is currently in the process
of developing a marketing strategy
that will reach Arab communities
around the globe. She plans on
contacting organizations, schools and
other groups that she can leverage
to reach her audience. The young
entrepreneur credits her years as a
Business Administration student at
Carnegie Mellon Qatar with providing her the skills necessary to bring
her idea to fruition.
“The resources available here
at Carnegie Mellon were crucial
in getting ARABOH.com up and
running,” she says. “I wouldn’t have
been able to do any of this four years
ago. My education at Carnegie Mellon has equipped me to start my own
business and fill a need I know is out
there.”
Tabra sums up her first business
venture as a movement to keep Arabic heritage alive all over the world.
“ARABOH.com is about teaching
our children to embrace their Arab
pride. It’s about giving the gift of the
Arabic language to your family, to
your friends and to the world.”
To view the list of available
books, log onto www.ARABOH.
com. Q
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24 akhbar Summer/Fall 2008
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faces of carnegie mellon
Raj Reddy, Ph.D.
Mozah Bint Nasser University Professor
A
s the only Mozah Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science
and Robotics in the world, Raj Reddy,
Ph.D., is in a unique position. He is the
main faculty liaison for Carnegie Mellon Qatar, is
actively involved in research, recruits faculty and
teaches a mobile robotics course in Pittsburgh.
“I have a lot of freedom and flexibility in my
position,” he says. “This gives me the opportunity
to think outside the box for ways to attract people
to Qatar.”
Reddy has such a relaxed demeanor and
approachable spirit that few people would suspect
that he is the genius behind many of Carnegie
Mellon’s major efforts including its presence in
Education City.
It all began in 2000, when former U.S. President Bill Clinton approved Reddy as a co-chair
of an IT advisory committee. This committee was
working with Qatar Foundation for Education,
Science and Community Development and Reddy
began meeting with Dr. Muhammad Fathi Saoud,
Qatar Foundation Advisor of Higher Education,
and Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al
Missned, wife of the Emir of Qatar and chairperson of QF.
It was through this meeting that Reddy
began talking with Her Highness about what Carnegie Mellon could offer to Qatar and its people. He continued these discussions with Carnegie Mellon President Jared Cohon and Provost
Mark Kamlet, and before long the agreement was
signed for Carnegie Mellon to offer Business Administration and Computer Science undergraduate
degrees.
“It was the right thing to do,” Reddy says.
“By joining Education City, Carnegie Mellon is
building a bridge with the Middle East and the
world at large. We have programs that can add so
much value to this region.”
Reddy is no stranger to introducing new and
innovative ideas to the university. He has been a
faculty member at Carnegie Mellon since 1969.
He was the founding director of the ground breaking Robotics Institute from 1979 to 1991 and the
Dean of School of Computer Science from 1991
to 1999. His list of accomplishments, awards and
accolades is nearly endless.
Though his schedule is packed with teaching,
working on numerous research interests, brainstorming for Carnegie Mellon and sharing his
ideas with the world, Reddy still manages to get to
Doha a few times a year. On his visit this spring,
Reddy said it still surprises him how much the
campus keeps growing and growing.
“I never thought it would get this big. We
have so many students, faculty members and staff.
There is so much energy,” he says. “Coming to
Qatar is something we should all be proud of. In
four years we’ve been able to accomplish a lot
with very few hiccups. And we strive to continually improve.”
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W
Hala
Robot receptionist will greet
people at the new Carnegie
Mellon building in Education City
hen people enter the new
Carnegie Mellon building
in Education City this fall,
they will be overwhelmed
with the beauty of the new structure
as well as the sense of community and
camaraderie among students, staff and
faculty. But it will be a new addition
to the building during the semester
that people will be talking about. After
all, it’s not everyday that you can be
greeted with a ‘hello’ or ‘marhaba’
from a prototype robot receptionist
named Hala.
“The first thing you’ll see when
you walk up to main reception will be
the roboceptionist. Carnegie Mellon
will be the only place in Qatar to have
anything like this,” says Brett Browning, Senior Systems Scientist at Carnegie Mellon. “She will be able to answer
questions in English and Arabic, and
we hope she’ll be entertaining, too.”
The goal is to develop Hala,
which means welcome in all Arabic
dialects, to interact with visitors in
a culturally appropriate way. Using
cameras and recognition software, she
will be able to tell if an approaching
guest is wearing traditional Gulf dress
or western garb. This will determine
whether she initiates a conversation in
English or Arabic.
Of course Hala won’t be 100 percent accurate all the time, and she may
mistake a long coat for a traditional
Qatari thobe. He also says the hijab, a
headscarf worn by Muslim women, has
been presenting problems.
As he also notes, these challenges
will be a major part of the research to
improve her performance over time.
They are also what makes this project
so interesting and culturally relevant.
Hala is being developed by
Browning, Computer Science professor
Majd Sakr, Ph.D., and undergraduate
students Hatem Alismail and Keghani
Kouzoujian. This is part of a larger
project funded by a Qatar National
Research Foundation NPRP grant and
Carnegie Mellon Qatar. The project is
in collaboration with Reid Simmons,
professor of research at the Robotics
Institute and developer of the original
roboceptionist project.
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research spotlight
Browning, who is a roboticist,
saw the interest Alismail and Kouzoujian had in robotics and encouraged them to develop a research
project to explore their passion. They
chose a robot that would interact
with humans in a bilingual environment because of the many concepts it
included.
“I wanted to learn more about
robots and get more involved in research,” Kouzoujian says. “The roboceptionist allows us to put things
into action in a way that will have a
lasting impact on campus. And it’s
pretty cool, too.”
Kouzoujian and Alismail are
building on existing technology that
led to the birth of Marion “Tank”
LaFleur, the roboceptionist at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon in
Pittsburgh. Tank was an interdisciplinary project between members of
the Robotics Institute and the Drama
Department at Carnegie Mellon
University. The goal was to produce
a robot helpmate that was useful,
exhibited social competence and was
compelling to interact with.
In addition to helping people,
Tank has a personality that slowly
reveals itself though his conversations. Hala will have many of the
same characteristics of her predecessor, but have a much different
personality.
She will speak formal Arabic
and American English with no local
dialect. She will have a background
and personality that is drawn from
many parts of the Middle East.
Talk to Hala and you’ll learn
all about her travels, and perhaps
something about Qatar and the
Middle East in the process. The first
Qatar roboceptionist was chosen to
be a female robot because most students in Education City are female.
Both Alismail and Kouzoujian
traveled to Pittsburgh in the summer
to work alongside the creators of
Tank. Alismail will stay in Pittsburgh
for the fall term so he can gain even
more experience in the creation and
development of robots and artificial
intelligence.
While Hala will be not be mobile at
Junior Computer Science major Hatem Alismail is one of the students
working on building a bilingual robot receptionist. This is the first project
of its kind in Qatar.
first, Browning envisions that down
the road she could be upgraded to
have wheels or another means of mobility that would allow her to move
freely around the building.
“That way not only could she
tell people where they needed to go,
she could actually show them.”
The Hala research project was
such an innovative idea that the team
captured a $750,000 Qatar National
Research Fund grant and a $10,000
grant from the Undergraduate
Research Experience Program. They
expect to be continuously trying to
upgrade and improve her for many
years.
Browning hopes the Hala project and the monetary support from
the Qatar Foundation research funds
will entice other students to join the
culture of research that is being cultivated in Doha.
“I would love it if this was just
the start of introducing robots to the
Gulf,” he says. “Down the road we
could have robots greeting people
at the airport, assisting people at
hospitals and guiding people around
town. Qatar is a society that is transforming itself in an unprecedented
way. It’s a great place for robots and
artificial technology to have a huge
impact.”
Hala should be on the job in
the Carnegie Mellon building in Education City sometime during the Fall
2008 term. Q
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focus on
M
anagment game
BA students put their education to work
“It’s Carnegie Mellon’s way of
saying ‘take everything we’ve taught
you in four years and use it in the
next three months,’” says senior Jinanne Tabra of Management Game.
Management Game is a
computer-based business strategy
simulation used to prepare Carnegie
Mellon Business Administration
students for success in today’s international business environment. All
Tepper seniors are required to take
the course in their last semester, and
students in Doha were introduced to
it this spring.
“One of the biggest challenges
faced by students in any discipline
is learning how to translate the
concepts covered in the classroom
to real-world situations,” says Dave
Lamont, associate teaching professor
of business strategy.
“Management Game’s purpose
is to mimic the real-world experience
of negotiation, as well as team and financial management across regional,
national, cultural and social borders.
It bridges the segmented knowledge
of all courses to make students better
at solving cross-functional, dynamic
and unstructured problems,” he says.
The Game began at Carnegie
Mellon Pittsburgh in 1958 as an
executive training tool sponsored by
Proctor & Gamble. It was thought to
be a way to teach managers how to
sell powdered soap. That model was
used until 1986 when it was updated
to meet the criteria required of global
managers.
To play the game today, teams
are divided into worlds. Each world
is made up of five teams. This year
there were five teams in Doha, 12
teams at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and eight teams at other universities in Mexico. Teams in Doha
did not compete against each other.
To begin, students vote for
presidential nominees, who then
draft team members according to
their perceived strengths. Players are
elected to senior management positions within the company and asked
to determine an operating strategy.
Each player is expected to
take ownership of some aspect of
the business — such as research and
development or marketing — and to
coordinate his or her activities with
the other team members. The team’s
structure is meant to teach students
how to negotiate roles and responsibilities, organize communication and
integrate talent.
The teams ran companies that
manufactured and sold two brands
of wristwatches: a high end one and
a low end one. The commodity is
basically a blank slate in terms of
marketing and manufacturing — because no one has worked for a watch
manufacturer, there are no biases
being brought to the table.
“We learned a lot as a team,”
says Tabra. “No one was holding our
hands so we got to see what it would
be like in the business world.”
The class is an excellent example of the use of technology in educa-
tion. Using the Internet, students
are able to collaborate and make
decisions in a global environment
without being physically together.
Seventy-five percent of the
classes were conducted by video
conference. In the future teams may
be made up of students from the
campuses in Qatar and Pittsburgh. It
is likely in the future that there will
be teams of students who participate
in the class but never meet physically.
Teams are responsible for running the entire company and, like in
most companies, they have a board
of directors to whom they must answer. The boards in Qatar consisted
of local business professionals. Each
team had three board meetings that
acted as oral exams.
Lamont says this format elevates the performance of the students
because they realize that high-level
executives are volunteering time
to help them learn. Tabra says that
while the board’s feedback was tough
at times, it was the most invaluable
part of the course.
Another aspect of having the
boards made up of local business
professionals, Lamont says, is that
it gives them an opportunity to see
what Carnegie Mellon students are
capable of.
Though Management Game
was tiring and the faces of the seniors
began looking haggard after a few
weeks, Tabra said the experience was
an invaluable way to cap off her four
year undergraduate degree.
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focus on
Carnegie Mellon University
in Qatar captures second place
in the IEEEXtreme competition
A
team of students from
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar captured
second place in the
IEEEXtreme worldwide computer
programming competition. Computer Science senior Hatem Alismail,
Computer Science junior Rishav
Bhowmick and robotics Ph.D. candidate Justin Carlson comprised the
winning team.
IEEEXtreme is a global programming competition that tests
the players’ problem-solving abilities to the limit by taking them on a
daylong journey of finding the best
solutions to various challenges while
competing against teams from all
over the world.
This year 130 teams from
33 countries including Portugal,
Canada, Iran, Italy, France and Japan
competed. The U.S.-based Institute
for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) professional organization holds the event each year.
The teams all started the competition at the same time, which was
3 a.m. in Qatar, and worked steadily
for 24 hours. Complex contest
problems were released periodically
throughout the competition and
teams had to correctly solve as many
as they could in the 24-hour period. Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s team
secured second place by solving 12
of the 16 problems. The team from
University of North Texas was the
only team across the globe to beat
Carnegie Mellon Qatar.
“The competition was really
fun. It was challenging to try to think
of solutions to the various problems,” says Alismail.
“Taking part in this type of
competition changes the way you
think of problems. Sometimes a
problem can seem very complex
but when you take time to work it
through you realize that the best
solution is often the most simple.”
The entire IEEEXtreme competition was done online and teams
had no idea how any of the other
teams were doing, which Alismail
says added to the excitement of the
challenge. “We really never thought
we’d win, especially since we are the
first students from the Gulf Region
to take part in the competition.”
Teams from all
over the world
took part in
a 24-hour
computer
programming
competition
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focus on
Students in Qatar and
Pittsburgh collaborate
in a
global course
C
arnegie Mellon students in both
Pittsburgh and Doha had the
unique experience of working
together on a project that would
teach them global collaboration, cultural understanding and technical
project management.
Global Project
Management,
an Information
Systems elective, was open
to all Carnegie Mellon
students
in Doha
as well as
students at
other Education City
universities.
Students
at Carnegie Mellon in
Pittsburgh were
also able to sign
up for the class.
“The purpose
of the class is to get
students to experience
project management within
the context of globalization,” says
Selma Limam Mansar, who taught the
course in Doha. “Project management has its
own issues and they are amplified if teams and
clients are remote.”
Using various technologies such as videoconferencing, Skype, chat rooms and project
collaboration, students on both sides of the world
were able to work together despite the physical
separation. Nine students in Doha took the course
along with 30 students in Pittsburgh.
In this course, students learned the basics of
project management and the challenges of working globally, while working on two projects. First
was designing a floor plan for the new Information Systems program in Qatar. This included designing rooms, placement of offices and allotting
the budget. The second project was for a private
nursery in Doha. Students researched technology
that could be used for the preschool and designed
an ideal learning environment.
Beyond the course learning objectives, this
experience worked on further developing bonds
between Pittsburgh and Doha students. “I think
this was an invaluable experience as it allowed
me to work with students from the Pittsburgh
campus, whose culture was different from mine,”
says sophomore Kaleem Rahman.
The Global Project Management course
grew out of a need to increase global awareness
among undergraduates, says Limam Mansar.
“Our students are increasingly likely to find
themselves working on global development teams
during internships or upon graduation,” she says
“So it’s important that they learn these types of
skills.”
This is the first time that such an experience
was offered to students in Doha. The course required major coordination between Limam Mansar in Qatar and Randy Weinberg, who taught the
class in Pittsburgh.
However, Limam Mansar says it was all
worth it. “If our students understand the basics
of global project management, teamwork, crosscultural communication and collaboration, they
will have a competitive advantage over students
who do not. This course is helping prepare them
to take on the global marketplace.”
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news
Inaugural Bill Brown Ride
Bicycle ride to Al Khor was held in memory of longtime professor and avid cyclist
S
eventy-six cyclists and nearly
20 volunteers turned out bright
and early at the Doha Golf
Club Saturday, March 1, to take part
in the inaugural Bill Brown Ride. The
bicycle ride was held in celebration
of Bill Brown, a beloved biology professor at Carnegie Mellon University
and avid cyclist who passed away in
the summer of 2007.
Starting at 8 a.m., cyclists of all
ages and riding abilities headed north
from Doha, Qatar’s capital city,
toward the small town of Al Khor.
Cyclists had the option of riding a
16-mile loop to Lusail, a 28.5-mile
loop to Simaisma or a 42-mile loop
to Al Khor. One-third of the cyclists
completed the full Al Khor loop,
which is the course Bill rode almost
every weekend while in Doha for the
Spring 2007 term.
“It was great to see so many
cyclists come out and ride the course
that Bill enjoyed,” says Majd Sakr,
Computer Science professor and
cyclist. “We had riders of all ages,
and had a mix of serious athletes and
recreational bikers. Everyone could
join the event, which was something
Bill would have wanted.”
A strong wind from the north
made the outbound journey somewhat challenging for the cyclists,
but everyone was able to catch their
breath on the cruise back. Several
Qatar Traffic Police – in Land Cruisers and on motorcycles – kept a tight
patrol on the cyclists and the streets. After the ride concluded, riders,
volunteers and several members of
the Carnegie Mellon Qatar community enjoyed a relaxing BBQ lunch at
the golf course.
Not only was the Bill Brown
Ride a way to honor our friend, it
was also an opportunity to raise
money for the Bill Brown Scholarship
Fund. “This was a great combination of fun, friendship and good exercise for a good cause,” says Chuck
Thorpe, dean of Carnegie Mellon
Qatar.
“Bill’s favorite bicycle ride was
the MS 150, which is a ride to raise
money for charity. The fact that we
can remember him and at the same
time raise money for scholarships
is exactly the kind of thing he spent
his own life doing. The ride was the
type of event Bill would have loved,”
Thorpe noted
The ride raised more than QR
14000, or $3,978.03, for the Bill
Brown Scholarship Fun. The ride will
be an annual event in Doha.
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CS4Qatar
C
omputers are part of every
aspect of our lives, whether we
realize it or not. To bring a better
understanding of computers and
the field of computer science to high
school students in Doha, Carnegie
Mellon University in Qatar offered
two sessions of its highly-successful
CS4Qatar program this spring.
The workshops are designed
to teach high school students about
computer science and how essential
it is to everything we do. More than
400 high school students from Doha
applied for the 120 seats in the first
session, and the second session saw
100 students interested in the 40
openings.
“CS4Qatar is about introducing students to computer science
concepts such as problem solving;
creating animation using a programming language; and the world of
networks such as the Internet,” says
Majd Sakr, Computer Science professor at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. “These basic skills plant the seeds
for these students to understand
the world of Computer Science and
become creative thinkers no matter
what field they end up choosing.”
The first CS4Qatar consisted
of three sessions: Computer Science
Puzzles, Programming With Alice and
Robotics. The second session interchanged Networks for Robotics.
“Technology is a critical ele-
ment of our lives,” says Sakr. “Innovation comes from interest and
need. If we start interesting students
in technology at an early age, the
chance of them becoming innovators
is greater. And the more innovative
they are, the better Qatar will be.”
The CS4Qatar program was
held twice for high school teachers in 2007. Sessions for students
were added this year and Sakr says
the faculty is thrilled at the interest
expressed by high school students.
Mohammed Hamdouna, a
senior at Omar Bin Al-Khattab Scientific Secondary School, was one of
the students who came to CS4Qatar
to learn more about computer science. “A few people from Carnegie
Mellon came to my school to talk
about computer science. I became
interested in it and wanted to learn
more about what computer science
is,” says Hamdouna.
“These days you have to know
computers to be successful. Everything depends on them. So I came
this weekend to see if I’m on the
right track and if this is what I want
to study.”
Japanese Anime
W
orld-renowned director and
animator Makoto Shinkai paid
a visit to Carnegie Mellon University
in Qatar to screen three of his Anime
films and talk with students about
how he uses computers to create his
work.
On Friday, Feb. 1, Shinkai
screened three of his films: “Voices of
a Distant Star,” “The Place Promised
in our Early Days” and “5 Centimeters Per Second.” A large audience
turned out to view the movies and
ask Shinkai questions.
He followed his screening the
next day with an exclusive Education
City workshop in which he discussed
his work and the techniques he uses
to make animated movies. He also
demonstrated to a group of Education City students how software is
used to create animation.
Following Shinkai’s lecture and
demonstration, Producer Kazuki
Sunami talked about the process of
making animation.
Born in Nagano, Japan,
Makoto Shinkai has won numerous awards for his work in Anime,
including the grand prize at the 2000
computer graphic animation contest.
His unique talents have earned him
fans around the world.
Young Entrepreneurs
A
jacket with ice packs in it that
keep you cool during hot summers in Doha; a Global Positioning
System that tells you where traffic is
and how to avoid it; a kitchen appliance that freezes food items in a
matter of minutes.
While these might sound like
the latest and greatest items to hit the
store shelves, they are actually the
ideas from the minds of fourth graders at American School of Doha.
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Fourth graders at American School of Doha learn about entrepreneurship
through a program with Carnegie Mellon Qatar.
These new products are just
some of the ideas that came about as
part of ASD’s Entrepreneur Month.
During Entrepreneur Month, the
capstone of the school’s one-year
program on economics, students
learn the ins and outs of creating and
sustaining an entire economy.
During the school year, the
132 students studied everything
about economics. Each of the six
fourth-grade classes created its own
constitution, formed a government,
designed currency, received paychecks for their jobs and created a
whole economy based on the wants
and needs of the people.
During the capstone month
on entrepreneurship, the students
took their newly created economies
to another level by forming companies. In doing this, they learned the
different roles people play within an
organization. Once the companies
were formed, each one then had to
develop a product.
“They surveyed moms, neighbors and friends to find out what
type of products they wanted and
what would make their lives easier,”
says Anita Reilly, fourth grade
teacher at ASD. To really make the
students understand the meaning of
entrepreneurship, ASD teamed up
with Carnegie Mellon University in
Qatar.
George White, a successful entrepreneur and professor at Carnegie
Mellon Qatar, introduced the idea
of entrepreneurship to the 23 teams
in February. White introduced the
students to the idea of thinking outside the box. He encouraged them to
think of something new - something
that people needed - and then create
it.
Part of his introduction was the
showing of a video of a young man
who began thinking like an entrepreneur at the age of 10 after going to
New York City and meeting Donald
Trump. He started his own business
making and selling greeting cards
and was a millionaire by the time he
was 20. “He made the whole idea
real to the kids. He’s a college professor and he came and talked to the
kids like they were college students.
After he left, they realized being an
entrepreneur is something they could
really do,” says Reilly.
White says this age, around 9
or 10, is really the leading edge of
how early you can expect kids to
have an idea with an ongoing effect.
“Kids can get inspired at this age and
they are mature enough to be able to
follow all of the steps they need to in
order to be successful,” he says.
Students came up with ideas for
all sorts of products including a cup
that never tips, unbreakable sunglasses, a plant watering system and
a beeper that will help you find your
television remote control. Once the
students created their products they
had to design a logo, make advertisements, devise a marketing plan and
figure out the costs. And since each
classroom has its own currency, they
even had to come up with money
exchange rates.
In April, ASD held a fair where
all of the students showcased their
ideas. In addition to teachers and
parents, White attended the fair to
see how their ideas grew and give
them feedback. “I was impressed
with their energy level and creativity,” he says. Votes were collected at
the fair and winners were announced
a few weeks later.
Based on the idea, the presentation and meeting the guidelines of
the entrepreneurial spirit, the team
who invented the GPS watch took
home first place. Members of the top
teams were treated to a pizza party
and each student received a QR 100
gift certificate to Virgin Megastore.
Additionally, a few students were
honored for their sportsmanship and
spirit.
This is the second year ASD
had held the Entrepreneur Month,
and Reilly says it’s very popular.
“Students in the third grade talk
about what they will do when they
get to become entrepreneurs,” she
says.
And even if they don’t go on
to create their own product or start
their own businesses, Reilly says the
skills they learn help them tackle
projects in a new way. “Money takes
on a whole new meaning for them
after this project. They learn how
wants and needs are what fuel the
economy. And they learn how they
can be a part of it.”
Programming Competition
F
ifty-four students from 11 local
high schools participated in the
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
High School Programming Competition this spring. The competition was
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designed to allow high school students to compete against their peers
in a computer science-based contest.
The competition challenged
18 teams of three students to work
together to solve six computer
problems in less than four hours.
Students used their knowledge of
computer programming languages
such as JAVA, C and C++ to solve
their problems. A panel of Carnegie
Mellon faculty worked as judges to
determine if the programming code
executed the correct solution.
“Competitions like this are not
just about computer programming
skills,” says Lynn Carter, a computer
science professor at Carnegie Mellon
Qatar.
“They are about time management, strategy, team work, planning,
communication, deadlines and using
resources. These are all skills that
you need to be successful in life.
Competitions such as these are the
best way for students to develop
their skills because they can compare
and contrast themselves against their
peers. This helps them know where
they excel and where they need to
improve.”
M.E.S Indian School took home
first place, solving all six problems
well within the allotted time. The
American School of Doha captured
second place by solving two problems in the shortest amount of time.
This is the second year Carnegie Mellon Qatar held the High
School Programming Competition.
It’s just one of the many outreach
programs between the university and
local high schools.
Not That Simple
I
n the Fall of 2007, the Office of
Personal Development at Carnegie
Mellon University in Qatar set out
to develop a program for its students
that would meld together community
service and reflective thinking. What
grew out of this idea was a program
called “It’s Not That Simple.”
Designed specifically for a
small group of students, “It’s Not
That Simple” is both interactive and
The “It’s Not That Simple” program gave students an opportunity to work
with and learn from children with disabilities.
reflective. The overarching goal is for
students to think about their lives
and why they do what they do.
“The program required that we
find an organization that was a good
fit for our program,” says Jarrod
Mock, student development coordinator at Carnegie Mellon Qatar.
“We intentionally sought an
organization that would put our
students among people who live a
drastically different life than their
own. At the suggestion of ROTA, we
connected with HopeQatar, a center
for educating children with special
needs. The children they serve range
in age from 5 to 21. They have 15
students, the majority of whom have
autism,” Mock says.
Once the program was set
up, interested students were asked
to complete applications to identify their interests. A panel of staff
reviewed six applications and the top
four students were chosen. They were
Mohammed Abu Zeinab, Fatima Al
Rumaihi, Khaled Ziyaeen and Hind
Al Khulaifi.
“When I was in high school I
had other opportunities to deal with
children with similar challenges and
I enjoyed it,” says Hind Al Khulaifi,
a freshman Business Administration
major at Carnegie Mellon Qatar who
took part in the program.
“When I entered college I
thought this program was a great
chance to revisit what I did in high
school. I love kids and to be able to
deal with kids that have challenges
gives you a special feeling. It’s kind
of unexplainable.”
The program began in February
with a team meeting briefing the students on the program for the semester. Then weekly visits to HopeQatar
began. The visits, which lasted about
one hour, gave students opportunities to interact with the children in a
variety of different ways. They taught
them basic computer skills, made paper kites, created artwork and even
went on a scavenger hunt at Family
Food Center.
“The center was an entirely different world,’ says Al Khulaifi. “The
kids were mostly Indian so there
were cultural differences. And since
the place is small it doesn’t have a
lot of funding. But the kids were so
happy to see us. You could tell it was
the best part of their day.”
After each visit, the four students would engage in the reflective
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portion of the program. This entailed
a group discussion that included
questions such as: “For the HopeQatar students, what is their purpose
in life? What about you, what’s your
purpose? Is it really that simple?”
The students were given a journal
at the beginning of the program and
were encouraged to write down their
thoughts during the visits and team
reflection times. “The Carnegie Mellon education is so rigorous that students usually don’t take time to sit for an hour
and think about their lives and reflect
on their future,” says Mock. “This
program not only gave students an
opportunity to work with people
who are much different from them,
it also opened up the door to self
reflection and the realization that not
everyone has the opportunities that
you do.”
Al Khulaifi says the discussions were very beneficial. Although
she worked with special needs kids
in high school, she never had the
opportunity to engage with her
peers and talk about the experience.
“Sitting around with other students
reinforced what I believed in. We
talked about a lot of things and realized that a lot of questions remain
unanswered,” she says.
The program concluded in
April with the Celebration Night
where the team of students gave
presentations on their experience.
They, along with HopeQatar, were
recognized for their participation and
commitment to the program.
Robot Cars
J
ust a few years ago, autonomous vehicles – cars that drive
themselves – seemed like something
only found in science fiction movies.
However, researchers at top universities such as Carnegie Mellon have
been steadily working on developing this technology in ways that will
have real-world applications.
One leader in this field, Chris
Urmson, visited Doha this spring to
talk about his work with autonomous vehicles and explore ways in
which this technology can be further
developed in Qatar.
“Carnegie Mellon has the
knowledge and experience to create
the technology and Qatar has the
interest in cars and car racing,” says
Urmson, researcher at the Robotics
Institute at Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh. “By working together, we can
create technology that can make cars
safer and can save lives everywhere.”
Part of the reason for Urmson’s
visit to Qatar was to work with
Computer
Science faculty members
at Carnegie
Mellon Qatar
on a plan to
bring robot car
racing to Doha.
Such races drive
computer scientists to create new
technology such as
anti-lock braking
systems, object
sensors and new
safety features that
are slowly adapted
by large auto manufacturers.
“Robot car racing is a shining
example of technology,” says Brett
Browning, senior systems scientist
at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. “A lot of
technology we see in new cars today
came from car racing. It’s an excellent testing ground for developers
because they can spend the time and
money on creating and fine tuning
new technology.”
Doha, along with many cities in
the Gulf Region, is full of car enthusiasts and is home to the $58 million
state-of-the-art Losail International
Circuit racetrack. By having robot
car races in Doha, Browning says
that Qatar could be a leader in the
paradigm shift that is taking place in
the auto industry.
“Car makers are shifting their
focus from accident survival to accident prevention,” he says. “We’ve
created seat belts, air bags and
antilock brakes to make cars as safe
as possible, now we need to shift to
finding more ways to keep cars from
having accidents. Qatar is in a prime
position to lead this movement.”
While in Doha, Urmson gave a
talk at Carnegie Mellon Qatar about
his work on the Tartan Racing team
at Carnegie Mellon University. As the
director of technology for the team,
Urmson coordinated a project in
which a robotic car was able to successfully navigate its way through an
urban environment.
The
Chris Urmson, researcher at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon
University, visited Doha to talk about
his work on autonomous vehicles
and explore ways in which robot
car racing can be brought to Qatar.
Above, the Boss is one of the robot
vehicle projects in which Urmson
has been involved.
vehicle, named “Boss,” was able to
safely handle four-way intersections,
parking lots, multiple-lane traffic and
merging.
Urmson was also a guest
speaker in Qatar Science and Technology Park’s TECHtalks lecture
series. He gave a dynamic presentation on his research into self-driving
cars and how that technology might
be applied on Qatar’s roads.
Urmson, Browning and other
Computer Science faculty members
at Carnegie Mellon Qatar are currently in discussions with several
local organizations on ways to get
the project started.
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Bill Gates
C
ICTD
2009
arnegie Mellon University in
Qatar has won the bid to host
the third ICTD (International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development) conference in April of 2009.
ICTD is the premiere conference for the subject area of innovating technology accessible and
relevant to developing communities.
It is a multidisciplinary forum for
academic researchers designing information and communication technologies for developing economies.
“This conference is one of
the most important directions for
computing. By hosting the ICTD
here in Doha we can get the Middle
East and Qatar more involved,” says
Bernardine Dias, research scientist at
Carnegie Mellon.
“Qatar is a leader in the knowledge economy and it wants to use
technology in a way that can help
the entire region.
This conference is
a great opportunity for Carnegie
Mellon and Qatar
because it identifies ways in which
technology can
make a difference
in underserved
communities and how we can contribute,” Dias notes.
The conference presents stateof-the-art research by technical and
social scientists, with original, peerreviewed papers and a poster session,
as well as keynote addresses by leading scholars in the field. Microsoft
founder Bill Gates, who is transitioning from company chairman into a
full-time philanthropic role, asked to
be part of the conference and will be
the keynote speaker.
“This conference is exactly
what the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation is all about,” says Dias.
“Using technology to help the global
community. Of the six billion people
in the world, four billion of them are
at the base of the economic pyramid.
A lot of these populations are repre-
sented here in Qatar, and these are
the people who can benefit greatly
from such work.”
Scholars presenting at this
conference are part of a fast growing new field of research from the
application of information and
communication technologies (ICT) to
addressing the challenges of developing economies.
There has been an explosion of
public, private and non-profit ICTD
projects in the past decade. However,
systematic and scientifically sound
research is just beginning to emerge.
UC Berkeley in California and Microsoft Research in India hosted the
first two conferences.
Both events attracted more than
200 scholars from around the world.
Dias expects that having the conference in the Middle East, as well as
having Bill Gates as a speaker, will
draw an even larger crowd in 2009.
Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al
Missned, wife of the Emir and chairperson of Qatar Foundation, will
inaugurate the two-day conference
April 17. Gates will give the keynote
address April 18.
All sessions of the conference
are expected to be held at Education
City in Carnegie Mellon’s new building. Learn more about the conference
at www.ictd2009.org.
Campus Exchange
W
hat people in the United States
see on TV and read in the
newspapers is not the Middle East
we live in. Nor is what we see on
television here in Doha an accurate
reflection of life in America, says
Melissa Deschamps, director of
international education at Carnegie
Mellon Qatar.
And that’s exactly why Des-
champs is encouraging all students
to consider the Campus Exchange
program. This program provides
students with the opportunity to
spend a semester, academic year or
summer at another campus. Students
will be challenged personally, socially
and academically while developing
a deeper understanding and new
perspective on other cultures and
practices. Students will increase their
self-awareness and learn to be more
independent and responsible.
For the past four years, students from Doha benefited from the
rich experiences gained in short-term
summer study or a full academic
term or year at Carnegie Mellon’s
main campus in Pittsburgh, however
students from Pittsburgh did not
have the same opportunity. Starting
this fall, that will all change. Students
from Pittsburgh will be able to spend
a semester or full academic year at
Carnegie Mellon’s first international,
undergraduate campus in Doha.
“This is a great opportunity
for students to study in a country
very different from anywhere they
may have been,” Deschamps says.
“The cultural learning is one advantage, but getting the same Carnegie
Mellon education within a different
environmental context is a unique
benefit other study abroad options
can’t offer.”
Additionally, Deschamps adds,
the campus exchange has provided
an excellent opportunity for students
from Qatar to experience life as a
Carnegie Mellon student among the
larger university community.
Business Administration junior
Dana Hadan is one of 25 students
from Qatar who have participated in
a campus exchange. Hadan spent the
Spring 2008 term studying in Pittsburgh and living in a campus dormitory. Part of the reason she wanted to
study abroad was because she knew
it would be different and at times
difficult; both of which would greatly
contribute to her personal growth.
“It was a totally unusual environment. The Pittsburgh campus is
so big that it felt like a true American
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Students in Doha can spend a semester or summer studying at Carnegie
Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (pictured above). Additionally, students
in Pittsburgh can now come to Qatar to study for a term.
university,” she says. “The courses
were the same but the classes were
bigger, which did make it harder
to get time with professors than in
Doha.” These new challenges forced
Hadan to change her study habits,
which turned out to make her more
motivated and ambitious about her
education.
Not only did spending a semester in Pittsburgh give Hadan a chance
to learn about another culture, it
gave her a chance to educate people
about her own culture. “Everywhere
I went people wanted to know more
about Qatar. Students in Pittsburgh
asked me all the time how they could
go to Doha, and I was interviewed by
all sorts of media.”
Megan Larcom, Business
Administration sophomore, was a
Pittsburgh student looking for an
internship opportunity when she
found out there was an opening for a
summer position at Carnegie Mellon
Qatar. She headed for Doha where
she worked in the student affairs
department planning a community
service trip to Jordan. She enjoyed
her time in Doha so much that she
decided to spend the fall term of her
sophomore year there.
In the absence of the campus
exchange program from Pittsburgh,
Larcom applied for and received a
post as a course assistant, a position that can be hard to come by for
sophomores in Pittsburgh. “TAing
was an awesome new experience
for me. The freshman were quite an
interesting bunch, and I had a lot of
fun working with them,” she says.
While she enjoyed being a course
assistant, Larcom would encourage
students to come here only to study.
She adds that the TA/full course load
combination is not ideal.
“My experience in Doha was
amazing. The benefits of an exchange
are endless—new friends, new cultures, new outlooks. I hope to see
many other Pittsburgh students take
the opportunity to study in Doha,
just as I hope to see many of my
fellow students [in Doha] study in
Pittsburgh,” Larcom says.
With nearly a dozen students
from Doha studying in Pittsburgh
during the Fall 2008 semester, students on the home campus can learn
more about the benefits of the campus exchange. Deschamps hopes that
Doha students can generate interest
in the program and encourage students to come to the Qatar campus.
“Having Pittsburgh students here is
just as valuable as our students going
there,” says Deschamps.
Students from Pittsburgh who
are interested in coming to Doha
should contact the Office of International Education at either campus.
Participants in the Campus Exchange
program are able to take courses
to continue their program of study,
while at the same time choose elective courses that may not be offered
at their home campus.
The Doha campus offers three
majors, Business Administration,
Computer Science and Information
Systems. In addition to other general
education courses at Carnegie Mellon, students who come to Doha are
also able to cross register at the other
five Education City universities: Weill
Cornell, Virginia Commonwealth,
Texas A&M, Georgetown and
Northwestern universities.
Applications for the Spring
2009 Campus Exchange are due
by Oct. 15. Learn more by visiting
www.qatar.cmu.edu/oie.
Football...er...Soccer
A
dozen students from Carnegie
Mellon University in Qatar
braved a 14-hour international flight
to experience a small dose of life in
Pittsburgh and play some football…
er... soccer… during spring break. A
series of soccer games was organized
with some of the best intramural
teams in Pittsburgh in an effort to
promote fellowship between students
on both campuses.
The opening game was between
the Qatari team and the outdoor IM
Intermediate soccer champions, Blazing Schnacks. The Qatari
team got off to an
early 2–0 lead, but
then the Blazing
Schnacks fought
back to eventually tie the game
at its final score
of 2–2.
The first
match set an excellent benchmark
for the rest of the
games. Moving indoors
dramatically changed the pace
and intensity of the games, overturning the cautious atmosphere of the
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campus news
first game, which was playful yet
hesitant.
“The games were a good opportunity to get to know the Pittsburgh students,” says Hatem Salem,
sophomore business administration
student. “The casual nature of the
event allowed the students to bond
over a love for the game.”
Once the students from Qatar
moved indoors to face off against
Real Mellon and Bend it Like Nacio,
they seemed much more willing to
play their own style.
In addition, there were also no
weather issues to deal with. They
ended the indoor series with a 3–1
lead over the Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh teams. Their only loss came
against the talented Real Mellon.
The series ended outdoors where it
began in a rainy Gesling Stadium.
A total of four indoor and two
outdoor games were played over the
course of the week. True to the complete Pittsburgh experience, the temperature was around 40˚F for one
game and it rained during another.
In addition to the games, the
students spent time visiting museums, shows, restaurants and movies. As this was the first trip to the
United States for many of the students, the trip provided them with a
well-rounded Pittsburgh experience.
“We offer three of the strongest majors that are most beneficial
to Qatar’s economic development:
Business Administration, Computer
Science and Information Systems.
Our graduates are qualified to play
a major role in Qatar’s economic
prosperity and thus it’s pivotal that
we establish the bases and opportunities through which they can
thrive,” Al-Malki says.
Professional Day
N
Amal Al-Malki was named to the
Qatar National Competitiveness
Council.
Faculty news
A
mal Mohammed Al-Malki,
has been named to the Qatar
National Competitiveness Council.
Organized by Qatar Businessmen Association, QNCC will measure Qatar’s competitiveness regionally and
internationally through reviews and
data.
The independent organization
will push for reform and transparency in the national economy and
seek to communicate and cooperate
with partners in the society to create
awareness on the topic.
ALUMNI NEWS
CAREER NEWS
Jinanne Tabra (TPR 08) and Wesam Said (TPR 08) have accepted
positions at Carnegie Mellon Qatar... Noor Al Athirah (TPR 08)
is working for Q-Tel... Eman El Emadi (SCS 08) is working for
Qatar Olympics Committee... Lina El Menshawy (TPR 08) is
working for Ernst & Young... Noora Al Saad (SCS 08) is working
for Qatar Petroleum. Anirban Lahiri (SCS 08) has accepted a position with Reach out to Asia (ROTA)... Nora Al Subai (SCS 08) and
Fatima Al Mansoori (SCS 08) are working for Qatar Petroleum...
Yasmine AbdelRahman (TPR 08) is working for HSPC.
attention all
Carnegie Mellon aluMni in the gulf region
Akhbar is interested in publishing class notes. Please send career
highlights, promotions, marriages, births and other newsworthy
items to alumni@qatar.cmu.edu.
ow that Carnegie Mellon Qatar
has graduated its first class, the
companies that have been providing
its students with internships now
have the opportunity to reap the
benefits of Carnegie Mellon’s worldclass education and experiences.
Representatives from 41 of the
top companies in Qatar did just that
by attending the second Professional
Day to talk with students about
potential career opportunities.
“The relationships we build
with these organizations completes
the circle of education for these
young men and women,” says J.
Patrick McGinnis, business administration professor.
“We are preparing the premier
business administration, computer
science and information systems
graduates in Qatar. Our Professional
Day provides an opportunity for
Qatar’s leading companies to attract
leading graduates to build the future
of their organizations.”
At Professional Day, company
representatives set up booths and
provided information to students
about the type of opportunities they
have available, both as internships
and careers. Students provided their
CVs and talked about their skills
and desired career paths.
“We came here to look for the
best suited candidates,” says Waleed
Al Bayyari, relationship manager for
Commercial Bank. “These students
have the skills we need. We came
last year, were impressed with what
we saw and took on interns. We
came back this year to meet more
top students who are looking for
jobs.”
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campus news
Meeting of the Minds
S
ixty-three students showcased a
broad scope of research projects
at the second Meeting of the Minds
student research and project symposium.
Meeting of the Minds is part of
Carnegie Mellon University’s Undergraduate Research Initiative, which is
a program that supports and encourages undergraduates to participate in
innovative research. Some projects
grow out of coursework, while others typify Carnegie Mellon’s emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration
to solve real-world problems.
“Carnegie Mellon is based on
research - research on important
issues of society, research on how
well we teach, research on student
outcomes, research on how well we
do research,” says Charles E. Thorpe,
dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar. “We
encourage our undergraduates to
get an early start on research in their
classes, through independent studies
and on projects funded by the Qatar
National Research Fund.”
In addition to potentially creating new technological breakthroughs,
undergraduate research encourages
students to extend themselves beyond structured course material and
become independent thinkers and
learners. The annual research symposium gives students an opportunity to present their work to a wide
audience of faculty, fellow students,
family members and industry representatives.
At Meeting of the Minds,
undergraduate students, graduate
students and Ph.D. candidates use
posters, videos and other visual aids
to present their work in a manner that can be easily understood
by those who are not in that field.
Through this experience, the students
learn how to bridge the gap between
conducting research and presenting it
to a general audience.
“An important part of research
training is presenting the results to
the world so others can understand
and build upon what our students
do. Meeting of the Minds is a chance
for students to
showcase their
work to their
peers, faculty and
the wider community,” says
Thorpe.
Meeting of
the Minds also
helps members
of the Qatar
community
understand the
importance
of conducting
research, and see
the numerous
ways that research can benefit
society. Meeting
of the Minds has
been held at the
end of the spring
term at Carnegie
Mellon in Pittsburgh for several
years, and is an
annual tradition
in Doha as well.
EECP Wraps Up
T
he first group of future entrepreneurs to join the Executive
Entrepreneurship Certificate Program, offered in partnership between
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
and Qatar Science & Technology
Park, has completed the nine-month
course.
The team celebrated the success
of the program with a congratulatory
dinner at the Four Seasons, where
they were awarded certificates. Also
attending the dinner was Arthur A.
Boni, director of the Donald H. Jones
Center for Entrepreneurship; and
Charles E. Thorpe, dean of Carnegie
Mellon Qatar.
The Executive Entrepreneurship Certificate Program aims to
transform Qatar’s deep investment in
research and education into business
success stories. The nine-month, parttime program helps aspiring managers and executives build technologybased business, either within their
existing companies or by starting a
new enterprise.
“Our university has deep
experience in the theory and practice
of creating new enterprises, particularly in the technology sphere,” says
Mohammed Dobashi, director of
the EECP. “When our dean, Chuck
Thorpe, was a student at Carnegie
Mellon, the man who went on to
start Lycos was in the class below
him. It’s this kind of real-world, ‘been
there’ experience that we’re looking
forward to sharing with Qatar, and
to start building the industry leaders
of tomorrow right here.”
The Executive Entrepreneurship Certificate Program is run by
Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of
Business and its Donald H. Jones
Center for Entrepreneurship. The
center, recognized as one of the best
in the world, has taught thousands of
people to create new businesses. Its
students include the founder of iGate
Corporation, a global IT company
with nearly $400 million market
Summer/Fall 2008 akhbar 39
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campus news
capitalization. This is the first time
the program is available to executives
in the Middle East.
The program benefits companies seeking to create new revenue
streams and entrepreneurs aiming
to start their own business. Teaching skills and methods for creating
technology-based ventures through
practical, real-world projects, the
course provides students with the
knowledge to turn their business
ideas into reality.
“This course has provided me
with important knowledge that I
would not have gained through experience alone,” says Mohamed Takriti,
iHorizons CEO and graduate of the
EECP. “The teaching staff is a great
match for the course because, in addition to their academic background,
they have extensive hands-on experience in establishing and growing
successful high-tech companies”
Learn more about the program,
now called the Corporate Innovation
and Entrepreneur Program, at www.
qatar.cmu.edu/exed.
BOTBALL
O
mar Bin Al-Khattab Scientific
School is the reigning champion
of BOTBALL after edging out eight
other schools in the action-packed
Middle Eastern regional competition.
“We worked really hard before
the tournament. We didn’t expect
to win, we had some tough regional
competitors this year,” says Abdullah
Abunada, student at Omar Bin AlKhattab. “Thankfully we managed to
fix the robots so they could operate
under varied circumstances.”
BOTBALL is a U.S.-based
organization that introduces robotics to high school students. Teams
are equipped with a Lego© Mindstorm robot, along with instructions
on how to design and program it
to move autonomously through a
course to complete a specific task.
The team of five students along
with their teacher headed to America
to attend the Global Conference on
Education Robotics. The purpose
of the conference is to give students
Mohammed Dobashi, Director of the Executive Entrepreneur Certificate
Program, presents a certificate to Dr. Pascal Derde, senior veterinarian at Al
Shaqab. The inaugural session of the program wrapped up in May.
a real academic and professional
experience that will encourage them
to continue studying science and
technology.
The winning team from last
year’s competition won a trip to tour
the Robotics Institute at the home
campus of Carnegie Mellon in the
United States. The trip gave students
an insight into the field of robotics
and how it impacts many aspects of
our daily lives. The goal of the grand
prize trip this year was to increase
student awareness in robotics and
meet other young men and women in
the United States who are interested
in the dynamic field.
“By going to the US, the
winning team will bring back an
experience that will lift the level of
competition for next year,” says Brett
Browning, senior systems scientist
at Carnegie Mellon University. “Our
hope in the next few years is that
teams from this region will be serious
competitors in robotics world championships. And from there they will
go on to pursue careers in a technical
field.”
Carnegie Mellon Qatar brought
BOTBALL to Doha in 2005. Four
teams took part in the inaugural
event. In 2006 the competition
increased to six teams in Doha, and
in 2007 it expanded three fold to include 12 teams in Doha, three teams
in Kuwait and three teams in the
U.A.E. This year, more teams from
around the Gulf Region joined the
competition along with three teams
from Egypt.
“Carnegie Mellon is really excited that the competition has grown
so much, and each year the capabilities of the teams are increasing,” says
Browning. “BOTBALL engages
students in science, technology and engineering.
This experience
turns these
students
into
creative
problem
solvers and
this, in turn,
helps prepare
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campus news
Students from Omar Bin Al-Khattab Scientific School won the BOTBALL
robotics competition edging out the top teams from Kuwait, U.A.E. and
Egypt. Teams members spent several days in the United States in July to
see if their robot could beat ones created by students in America.
them to make vital contributions to
society.”
The increased interest in the
BOTBALL competitions is paralleling the recent surge in the field of robotics. Browning says there has been
a significant increase in the number
of consumer robots including the
Roomba vacuum cleaner, the Sony
AIBO robot dog and the Robosapien
humanoid companion. In addition to
the entertainment aspect of robotics,
more and more people are developing an interest in the practical uses
of robotics and the broader field of
computer science.
“Introducing kids to robotics and computer science through
BOTBALL is Carnegie Mellon’s contribution in the Gulf Region,” says
Browning. “Seeing the excitement of
the students and the energy of the
competitions is what keeps us excited
about educational robotics.”
For more information, visit
www.qatar.cmu.edu/botball.
to his work and his students.
“It’s important for me to learn
new technology so that I can teach it
to my students,” he says. This thirst
for learning is what brought Lebanan
and 15 other professors from Iraq to
Carnegie Mellon Qatar for one week
of professional development.
Through a program initiated by
Qatar Foundation, Carnegie Mellon
Qatar was contacted about offering
a weeklong seminar for the visiting
professors. Khaled Harras, a computer science professor in Doha, was
tapped to lead the seminar due to
his expertise in computer networks,
computer networking and information technology.
“The workshop is designed
to expose these professionals to the
most up to date and new information in the field of computing,” says
Harras. “If we can keep them up to
date, they can be more effective at
their universities. This, in turn, helps
improve the education of their students.”
Many of the experienced
professors have not had any professional development or training in
more than 10 years. Many had never
used such ubiquitous tools as Google
or accessed research materials online
free of charge.
“One of the advantages of
being in Qatar is that we have the
power of putting resources and cutting edge instruction together in a
way that can have a tremendous impact on peoples’ lives,” Harras says.
“By getting these teachers out of Iraq
we are able to expose them to new
technologies that they don’t have at
their disposal yet.” Q
Iraqi Professors
A
s a professor at Al Nahrain
University in Baghdad, Ahmed
Lebanan faces many challenges.
There are frequent power outages,
limited Internet access and weak
infrastructure, not to mention the
constant threats of violence. Yet
this does not quell his dedication
Sixteen professors from Baghdad, Iraq spent a week at Carnegie Mellon
Qatar where they learned about the latest advances in computer technology. Khaled Harras (back row center) taught the five-day workshop.
Summer/Fall 2008 akhbar 41
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pittsburgh connection
Al Gore
encourages
grads to be the
next generation
of heroes
F
ormer United States Vice
President and 2007 Nobel
Peace Prize winner Al
Gore gave the keynote address at the 2008 graduation celebration at Carnegie Mellon’s
home campus in the United States.
Gore, a longtime environmental
activist, encouraged the graduates of
Carnegie Mellon to take their place
in history as the generation who will
embrace planet earth and use their
skills to change the world.
Gore encouraged the Class of
2008 to be among the third generation of American heroes in fighting
the battle against global climate
change.
He championed Carnegie Mellon for its environment initiatives
such as green roofs, solar array systems and LEED certified buildings,
and referenced other new technology
innovations that have become important such as recycling.
“We have had two special generations of our history that appreciated the promise of the future so
much that they overcame all fear to
create a new era,” Gore said, referring to the nation’s founders who
gained independence in 1776 and
“the greatest generation,” who won
the struggle against global fascism in
the 1940s.
“You, I hope and expect, will
be called upon to be part of the third
hero generation in American history. Because this moment of your
graduation, sees the United States of
America poised to reclaim its rightful
place as the leader of the world as
our world confronts this unprecedented challenge,” Gore said in his
passionate, yet lighthearted, speech.
“We face a planetary emergency. The concentrations of global
warming pollution have been rising
at an unprecedented pace, and have
now given the planet a fever. We
have now reached the stage where
we can replace every electron, and
every BTU from the fossil fuel
sources without ever missing a beat.
“But, we need one ingredient
that you represent. We need political
will. We need your dedication. And
we need your hearts.”
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July 2008 Akhbar.indd 45
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around education city
Northwestern
University joins
Education City
A
sixth American university will begin
offering undergraduate programs in
Education City this fall. Evanston,
Illinois-based Northwestern University will
join Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Cornell,
Texas A&M and Virginia Commonwealth
universities in the 2,500-acre flagship project
of Qatar Foundation. NU-Qatar will be enrolling students in two programs: journalism and
communications.
“Communication in its various forms is a
very important part of the glue that holds a society together,” says John D. Margolis, dean of
Northwestern University in Qatar. “Through
our programs we hope to prepare students to
go out into the world of journalism and communications and make a difference.”
The bachelor’s degree in journalism,
through the Medill School at Northwestern, is
a top-ranked program offering undergraduate
study in newspaper and broadcast media. In
this program students learn by doing.
Medill’s curriculum has two related parts:
training in the art and craft of journalism
and education in the liberal arts necessary to
prepare students to be informed journalists.
Students at Medill take roughly two-thirds of
their classes in the liberal arts. This ensures
that graduates have a deep understanding of a
field other than journalism.
The bachelor’s degree from Northwestern’s School of Communication is a
top-ranking program that offers training in
telecommunications, radio/television/film and
interactive media. Courses cover all communication media and technologies from radio, film
and television to contemporary digital media
including the Internet, Web design and video
games.
Margolis, a native of Pittsburgh, has been
at Northwestern for 40 years. He says the
university was very impressed at the initiative represented by Education City and Qatar
Foundation’s commitment to invest in human
capital.
“We were very pleased to be invited to
participate in Education City,” he says. “We’re
also thrilled to be joining our distinguished
partner institutions in this increasingly collaborative enterprise.”
Northwestern has approximately 7,500
undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students on
its home campus in the U.S. In Qatar, the university plans to enroll 20-25 students in each
major of the inaugural class. This is approximately the same size as most other intakes at
Education City universities.
As with all other universities in Education City, students at Northwestern will be
able to cross-register with the five other universities. This means NU-Qatar students will
have a access to the highly diverse education
found exclusively in Doha.
To learn more about Northwestern University in Qatar and its programs, visit www.
qatar.northwestern.edu.
44 akhbar Summer/Fall 2008
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Undergraduate degrees in
Business Administration
Computer Science
Information Systems
At Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, our mission is to provide a liberal
professional education with breadth as well as depth; preparing students to
be lifelong learners. Our students learn problem solving, leadership and
teamwork skills as well as the value of commitment to quality, ethical behavior
and society.
Our renowned educational vision is why Carnegie Mellon Qatar Business
Administration, Computer Science and Information Systems students are
poised for success in a global marketplace.
ForFor
additional
information contact:
more information
+974
454
8400
+974
454
8500
www.qatar.cmu.edu
www.qatar.cmu.edu
July 2008 Akhbar.indd 47
7/29/08 10:45:03 AM
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
A Member of Qatar Foundation
P.O. Box 24866
Doha, Qatar
www.qatar.cmu.edu
July 2008 Akhbar.indd 48
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