NOVEMBER 05
EDUCATE LOCALLY
TEACH GLOBALLY
read in this issue Carnegie Mellon hosts all-Education
City faculty symposium
Robotics at Carnegie Mellon Qatar
New building pictorial
NOVEMBER 05
contents
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4
6
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Faculty presentation for Education City held by
Carnegie Mellon Qatar
Robotics at Carnegie Mellon Qatar
US Arab encounters course
Expanded library: Check it out.. at the Library!
The International Communication Center in
Qatar (ICC)
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4
10
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In the Game: Our students
New building pictorial
Activities within campus
2005 Honda Award
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar announces
faculty appointments
A WORD
FROM THE
DEAN....
Greetings to all of you and welcome
to Akhbar Carnegie Mellon’s first issue.
For those of you who don’t know, akhbar
means news in Arabic. The title reflects that
we’re tying together the two cultures here.
Carnegie Mellon’s heritage of hard work,
excellence and innovation, along with that of
Education City’s tradition of knowledge and
learning and a history that extends back to the
great library at Alexandria, blend here in one
unique culture.
Our programming is in full swing. Academics
are in high gear—we have some exceptional
faculty in Doha teaching our students
accounting, programming, economics, writing,
current events, robots, English, and statistics,
and exceptional students learning all these
subjects. Activities for students are flourishing—
you’ll read about several new clubs already
developed this year. The Q Crew is planning a
wide range of activities for staff and faculty. In
short, there are more extracurricular activities
than any one person can do. Not a bad problem
to have.
Perhaps the most exciting thing happening
this semester is the collaboration you’re starting
to see among the universities here at Education
City. This semester we’re offering students the
opportunity to cross-register for a few courses
across the Education City campus; if all goes
well, that program will continue and expand.
Recently we hosted faculty and student affairs
staff from all the universities at an Academic
Symposium, to explore ways we could work
together on future offerings. We were delighted
when Her Highness Sheikha Mozzah Bint Nasser
Al-Missned, directly upon returning from the
U.S., not only attended the conference but
spoke to the plenary session and attended one
of the working groups. Our vision for the future
ranges from library services to research facilities
to Starbucks. Stay with us as we continue to
enhance this most extraordinary project, unique
in the history of education.
My best wishes to you all for a successful Fall semester.
Charles E. Thorpe Dean
followed at a close second by Dean Thorpe’s
recommendation to open a coffee shop.
This dialog provided the framework for the break
out sessions which followed. The breakouts
explored topics of particular relevance to the
multiversity—Opportunities to build and foster
intellectual community in Education City (led
by Pablo Rodriguez del Pozo, Weill Cornell,
Ruth Beals, Virginia Commonwealth and Mike
Kemp, Texas A&M); Designing programs
focused on local community issues to promote
social responsibility and good citizenship
among our students (led by Bernardine Dias,
Carnegie Mellon, Dennis Busch, Texas A&M,
Amy Sandridge, Weill Cornell); Assessment: A
tool to assure student learning and institutional
effectiveness (led by Gloria Hill, Carnegie Mellon,
Terry Murphy, Weill Cornell, Michael Pungente,
Weill Cornell); and Effective ways of engaging
local industry and other organizations who
will employ our students (led by Peter Martin,
Virginia Commonwealth, Mary McLaughlin,
Virginia Commonwealth, Jim Holste, Texas A&M,
Khadra Dualeh, Carnegie Mellon).
CARNEGIE MELLON HOSTS
ALL-EDUCATION CITY
FACULTY SYMPOSIUM
With Her Highness’ vision for
collaboration and the innovation
that brings, and Carnegie Mellon’s
heritage of building bridges across
the traditional barriers of knowledge,
it was only a matter of time before
the vast potential here at Education
City was tapped.
Speaking on these themes, H.H. Sheikha Mozah
Bint Nasser Al-Missned addressed a gathering
of all Education City faculty at the Four Seasons
hotel in September.
Sheikha Mozah recalled the Emir’s speech
in 1995 in which he called for a focus on
education and health in Qatar. She said Qatar
Foundation was established “with great support
from His Highness...to create a strong, viable,
2 akhbar NOVEMBER 2005
challenging, academic and social environment.”
Carnegie Mellon took the lead in hosting faculty
from Virginia Commonwealth, Weill Cornell
Medical College, Texas A&M and Georgetown to
come together and exchange ideas to develop
ways for courses and programming to take
better advantage of the ever-widening scope of
academic offerings on campus.
The program began with each institution
describing its heritage. For instance, Texas
A&M was founded as a land grant university.
Georgetown delivers an education steeped
in Jesuit tradition. And Carnegie Mellon
emphasizes hands-on experience with practical
application. The challenge, as set by the
symposium, was to understand the different
missions of each university on the campus and
to find the common ground.
“We’re doing something unique in the history
of education, but we want to keep pushing the
envelope,” commented Dr. Charles E Thorpe,
dean, Carnegie Mellon Qatar, as part of the
panel. “That’s essentially business as usual at
Carnegie Mellon.”
Dr. Indira Nair, vice provost at Carnegie Mellon,
gave the keynote address, giving an overview
of Carnegie Mellon and opening the floor for
a discussion of this concept that is Education
City—the multiversity. She demonstrated how
Education City shifts the concept of a university
away from that of a single body of ‘universal’
knowledge to the concept of multiversity, an
institution that allows multiple approaches to
flourish and produce the best education for its
students that only such synergy can bring.
Each institution shared how participation in
Education City had enhanced and expanded the
mission and characteristics of their university both
in Qatar and at their home campuses. Following
the presentations, a lively discussion ensued,
where faculty had the opportunity to comment on
their agenda items for the future of Education City.
Top on the list was the need for a shared library,
Moving forward on these agenda items is in
keeping with Her Highness’ vision and very
much in step with that of our founder Andrew
Carnegie’s original plan for Pittsburgh’s Carnegie
Mellon campus. Our shared aim at Education
City is to provide Qatar with graduates who
are innovators and doers and who will make a
real difference to the world around them. By
engaging first our microcosm within Doha,
together we can search for ways to promote
social responsibility and good citizenship among
our students, work with local industry and other
organizations to support the students through
internships, explore research opportunities and
permanent employment.
Our stated mission includes the idea that our
academic objectives can and must come to
life in the real world. We help develop the
emotional, physical, artistic, cultural and
intellectual side of students, in order that they
will go on in life with a passion for inquiry and a
commitment to excellence. Carnegie’s founding
words were, “My heart in the work.” There is no
place better than Doha to continue this thought.
NOVEMBER 2005
akhbar 3
ROBOTICS
AT CARNEGIE
MELLON
Could you design and construct a working robot
from scratch in just one day? Could you ask
the right questions to enable you to develop an
innovative solution?
These are just some of the challenges scientists
Bernardine Dias and Brett Browning are setting
for their students in this semester’s autonomous
robotics computing course. In addition to teaching
their students the theory and practical application
of robot technology, Dias and Browning will provide
students with an understanding and appreciation
of the research skills needed to enable creative and
innovative problem solving.
students, they just lit up with pride at watching their
own creations begin to move.”
This is a very hands-on course, where students
link academic lessons with physical application.
Together with the hands-on component, Dias and
Browning are teaching research methodologies,
analysis techniques and frameworks for presenting
results. Isabelle Eula, Librarian, is working closely
with Dias and Browning to guide students on the
choice and application of various search engines.
Students will be assigned practical research
projects and will present their findings to the
class. Teaching these fundamental research skills
The robotics industry is evolving steadily and
the ability to conduct research is as vital a skill
as scientific theory. Robotic science has a
major, if somewhat misunderstood, impact on
industry. First viewed largely as a way to save
on labor costs, in terms of handling 3-D tasks
– in this case Dangerous, Dirty and Dull—robotic
capabilities have evolved significantly. Companies
have made significant gains in employing robotic
enhancements across a wide array of industries
from vision-guided assembly systems to 3D
modeling for underwater construction projects.
Such research also has enormous potential in the
Research into robotic capability and application is
ongoing and Carnegie Mellon is one of the world’s
major players in the field. Currently working on a
project exploring the possibility of using robots to
find life on Mars, Dr. David Wettergreen, associate
research professor at the Robotic Institute and
leader of the Atacama project in association with
NASA, visited Qatar to explore the application of
robots in a desert environment. Dr. Wettergreen
sees Qatar as an excellent potential site for
development and testing of robotic mobility
in sand. Qatar, in addition to perfect desert
conditions, he says, offers the added advantage
of an accessible and technical infrastructure.
The course builds on last spring’s introduction
to robotics taught by David Duke and Justin
Carlson, two Ph.D. students studying under Dean
Charles E. “Chuck” Thorpe. Geared towards these
students with intermediate programming skills,
this new course is designed to consolidate their
understanding of basic concepts and challenges
in the design, construction and programming of
robots.
Presenting the students with just a box of robot
parts, Dias and Browning worked alongside the
class as they undertook their first assignment – to
build a robot. Students who had never before
even lifted a screwdriver let alone robotic anatomy
showed vivid imagination in creating their own
original robot. By the end of the day, each student
had successfully completed the task
In the classes that have followed, students
have gone on to attach the brains—laptop
computers—to the robot, and to program the
robot for movement. Each session will continue
to add complexity to the robots, drawing on
the application of the principals of calculus and
computer science.
“So far it’s been a real treat to watch,” said
Browning. “Not only did the robots become
animated, but you could see it in the faces of the
4 akhbar NOVEMBER 2005
HMMWVs, a Pontiac minivan, a Honda Accord,
two buses belonging to the Houston Metropolitan
Transit Authority and three Oldsmobiles. The
Oldsmobiles and buses took part in the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s 1997 National
Automated Highway Systems Consortium
Demonstration in San Diego, which showcased
the technical feasibility of automated vehicles. The
buses and cars drove themselves in the HOV lane
of Interstate 5 at speeds between 60 and 100 mph.
These automated vehicles demonstrated improved
road safety, decreased traffic congestion, and
decreased environmental impact.
Like the field itself, the class is about more than
building robots. It’s about system engineering in
the real world, applying computer science to real
engineering problems. Robotics draws on many
disciplines (electrical engineering, mechanical
engineering, computer science, human-machine
interaction, artificial intelligence); it’s a classic
Carnegie Mellon kind of problem to teach and to
study.
enables undergraduates to understand scientific
and engineering issues and concepts and the
application of their computing knowledge to
provide a scientific solution.
“Robotics doesn’t just mean creating things that
look like a R2D2,” said Thorpe. “Intelligent process
control, computer-assisted surgery, advanced
sensor processing, and factory scheduling—all of
these are robotics theory at work, and probably
more directly relevant to Qatar than things that look
robotic.”
energy sector, in particular in inspecting natural gas
pipelines or areas where the environment or work
involved could be hazardous.
One key area, autonomous navigation, has been
the thrust of Dean Thorpe’s robotics research, as
a graduate student, faculty member, and head of
Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute. One of his
early projects was Navlab I, a blue Chevrolet van
that drove itself at a maximum speed of 1.5 mph
in 1985. Its progeny has included automated
The application of robotic technology is of great
relevance to Qatar. Carnegie Mellon is currently
engaged in finding ways to work with Qatar in
developing an intelligent diabetes monitoring
system. With the extraordinary business
developments rapidly outpacing human capacity,
it’s clear that developing intelligent systems offers
a tremendous advantage. Carnegie Mellon will
continue to work closely with Qatari businesses to
identify opportunities for research and development
right here in Qatar.
NOVEMBER 2005
akhbar 5
EDUCATE LOCALLY,
TEACH GLOBALLY
‘Today’s topic is the nature of the relationship between
the United States and the Arab countries of the Middle East.
Discuss!’
There are not many of us who would have the benefit of looking at this issue
through the two cultures at once. Unless you are a student taking the U.S.Arab Encounter course at Carnegie Mellon. This innovative class is held
simultaneously via video conference on the Pittsburgh and Qatar campuses,
and also involves students at other American and Arab universities. Twice
a week in class and via webcam chats at regular intervals, students explore
U.S.-Arab relations.
”Last spring we went to the Pittsburgh campus
and met lots of people—students, teachers,
even the President, Dr. Cohon,” said AbdelRahman. “We opened lots of connections, but
it’s hard to keep that up with the pressure of
school. This seemed like a great way to put
some continuity into the multicultural exchange
between the two campuses.”
The course has two goals--to enable the
students to express their feelings on issues of
personal relevance, and to inform those views
by examining recent scholarship by some of the
best authors working today in the field of U.S.–
Arab relations.
When the university’s Vice Provost for
Education, Indira Nair, learned about web-based
forums, she immediately saw the immense
potential for students. She recognized the
benefit of developing a course that would bring
American and Arab students together in open
dialogue about issues that matter.
The course comprises two key elements. The
core program consists of the traditional inclass format, but with more than a few twists.
Co-instructors at each site, Dr. Ben Reilly, and
Dr. Laurie Eisenberg, teach classes in realtime, though there is very little lecturing in the
traditional sense. Pre-class preparation exposes
the students to scholarship by some of the best
thinkers in the field of U.S.-Arab relations today.
In class, thanks to videoconferencing screens
on both continents, students on both campuses
interact and openly discuss and share opinions.
The topics for discussion consider both
historical themes and contemporary questions
permeating US-Arab relations. Among the latter
are the impact on US-Arab relations of 9/11,
cultural misperceptions held by Arabs and
Americans, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and
peace process, oil politics, the situation in Iraq,
and the question of democracy and political
change in the Arab Middle East.
The interaction between students is bringing
a greater insight and understanding into
differing worlds. According to Reilly, the inclass discussions have evoked a mixed bag
of emotions, encouraging constructive soul
searching on both sides of the water.
The second element of the course is
participating in a weekly on-line discussion
forum with students elsewhere in the US and
the Arab world. These two hour “Connect”
sessions will be facilitated by faculty from Soliya,
an on-line non-profit organization dedicated
to improving U.S.-Arab relations [Please see
http://www.soliya.net/]. The Soliya curriculum
will focus on the media and U.S.-Arab relations.
Dedicated computers in the campus have been
equipped with webcams and microphones.
Students from universities across the U.S.,
Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan will
be participating in this innovative program.
The interaction between
students is bringing a greater
insight and understanding into
differing worlds.
“When we sit with the students around Soliya,
it gives us more time to really talk,” said AbdelRahman. “I told my group how my family has
a tradition of preparing turkey on the first night
of Ramadan—not all Arabs have this tradition,
by the way—and that got us talking about
Thanksgiving traditions, and how Ramadan is all
about being grateful for what you have.”
With participating universities located across
the globe, there were one or two obstacles to
overcome. But there was no letting logistics get
in the way of education. Together, Professors
Reilly and Eisenberg have addressed issues
such as time differences, and accommodating
students on both sides of the continent
observing Ramadan.
Said Nair, “It is my hope that such experiences
will build shared understanding, and shared
visions for peace among young peoples of
conflicted nations; that they, as future leaders,
will build bridges that offer possibilities for
dialogs and compassionate compromises
rather than violence and blind dogma to settle
differences.”
NOVEMBER 2005
akhbar 7
With the primary goal of developing life-long
learners, the newly extended and relocated CMUQ
library opened its doors in September 2005. The
facility, under the keen direction of librarian Isabelle
Eula, is dedicated to providing a comprehensive
reference service, library instruction and interlibrary
loan support to meet the diverse information,
curriculum and research needs of its students
and faculty. In a relaxed and helpful environment,
students can take advantage of over 7,000 hard
[ this number will only be reached within the next
two years – For the time being, the collection is
about 1500 volumes and is growing steadily ] copy
volumes and access to extensive licensed digital
resources such as encyclopedias, newspapers
articles, magazines current events and scholarly
journals.
THE INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION CENTER
IN QATAR
CHECK IT OUT... AT THE LIBRARY!
The library actively supports CMUQ’s mission to
prepare students to become “life-long learners’”
and a key to the success of this mission is the
instruction and support of students in efficient
and effective use of the vast library resources.
According to Isabelle “learning how to learn’ is
a basic but vital tool for each and every student.
New students can benefit from the ‘Introduction
to Library Resources program’ run by Isabelle
which details the extensive resources available,
instruction on accessing this information, guidelines
for library usage and advice on how to maximize
the facilitates available.
The library works closely with the faculty to meet
the needs of the varying student programs,
to assist with their research assignments
and to develop the students’ skills as selfinitiated learners. In its specifically developed
[experimental] Information Literacy Initiative
students are instructed on how to access
information, to interpret and evaluate the quality
of the data and to use information in an ethical
manner. The library staff are continuously on hand
to act as facilitators and to develop a friendly but
professional relationship with the students and
faculty.
A personal goal of Isabelle Eula is to keep her
students ‘excited about finding the right resources
for their academic work’, to provide them with
information literacy and research skills that will
assist them in becoming lifelong learners.
The library is located in rooms A158/160 on the first
floor. For further information or assistance, contact
Isabelle Eula in Room C131 or Administrative
Assistant, Ezzohra Moufid based in the library.
The Qatar branch of the Intercultural
Communication Center (ICC-Q) launched this fall,
expanding on last year’s Writing Center. Its aim is
to help students develop the communication skills
needed to succeed in their academic program.
“After our first year we found a number of ways
we could connect with students,” said Bob Kail,
senior associate dean of student and academic
affairs.
The ICC has been part of Carnegie Mellon
for nearly 20 years, providing support to
international students. ICC-Q reflects the
mission, vision and practices of the language
and cultural support services offered on the
Pittsburgh campus to international students,
with a focus on the needs of the Qatar campus.
ICC-Q offers individual writing appointments,
tutoring, self-paced work and workshops for
students. Many of these are led by language
development specialists Christina England and
Marjorie Carlson, who, along with Dr. Amal AlMalki, visiting assistant professor of English,
comprise the ICC-Q staff.
“By including all the offerings
of the ICC, we’re able to
address a wider variety of
student needs in addition to
reading, writing, speaking
and listening. This covers
the broader areas of
academic fluency and crosscultural understanding.”
Visit ICC-Q at A159, or online at
http://qatar.cmu.edu/icc, or email directly at
icc-q@qatar.cmu.edu.
NOVEMBER 2005
akhbar 9
THE NEW BUILDING
Legorreta + Legorreta
designs a whole new world
for Carnegie Mellon Qatar
IN THE GAME:
OUR STUDENTS
Carnegie Mellon’s 05/06 academic year is in full swing in
Doha, with 48 new business and science students joining the
campus, bringing total enrollment to 88 students.
This is the second year Carnegie Mellon
has operated in the Gulf, offering the school’s
top-ranking business and computer science
programs.
“The numbers tell the story—we’ve doubled the
size of our student body,” said Bryan Zerbe,
director of admissions. “And the application pool
keeps getting stronger.”
Female students continue to be in the majority,
taking full advantage of the opportunity to join
a fully accredited U.S. university without leaving
Qatar. This year, 17 females enrolled in the
business program and 13 in computer science,
making total female enrollment in business 34,
and 26 in computer science.
Easing these new students into campus life and
helping them make the transition into university
is very important. Such was the challenge faced
by Student Affairs director, Kristin Gilmore (MS,
10 akhbar NOVEMBER 2005
HZ, 04). Even if, as an alum Gilmore, knows how
a Carnegie Mellon orientation should look like,
she was thrilled to get student input this year.
“Their involvement this year was key,” Gilmore
said. “Who better to tell us what they need than
the students themselves?”
Class of 2008 students volunteered their time,
energy and insight into building a week’s worth
of activities for this year’s program, dubbed
‘Get in the Game 2005.’ In all, 13 students
volunteered, lead by Noor, Nora and Yasmine.
Extending from this experience, some of our
sophomores have formed a Student Mentor
System, offering ongoing guidance and a
friendly contact for freshmen. They will share
their experiences from their own first year and
work with staff and faculty to make this coming
academic year an enjoyable learning experience
for all freshmen.
Before Carnegie Mellon even arrived in
Education City, planning was underway for the
building that will be Carnegie Mellon’s home in
Education City. This has been a collaboration
across several continents and has included
world-renowned architects, Ricardo and
Victor Legorreta, along with hundreds of other
planners, designers, engineers and, of course,
dozens of faculty, staff and students from
Carnegie Mellon. Quite literally, thousands of
hours of time have been invested in this complex
planning process. The result is a stunning
design that will inspire teaching and learning
for generations to come. As the design nears
completion, the project will soon go out to
bid and construction is expected to start next
summer.
NOVEMBER 2005
akhbar 11
THE NEW BUILDING
With more than 42,000 square meters,
the building is larger than any single building
on the Pittsburgh campus. The design includes
state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and
learning, but goes much further in creating
spaces that will foster community and
collaboration among students, faculty and staff.
“The East-West walkway passes right through
the new building, reflecting Carnegie Mellon’s
desire to bring the Education City community into
the daily life of the University. The open design
is intended to encourage planned meetings and
chance encounters among students, faculty and
staff – not only from Carnegie Mellon, but from
across Education City.”
The Honda Foundation has awarded the 2005
Honda Prize to Dr. Raj Reddy, the Mozah Bint
Nasser University Professor of Computer
Science and Robotics. Among the 26 laureates
of the Honda Prize, Dr. Reddy is the first
Robotics scientist to receive the prize.
Earlier this year Reddy was honored as the first
recipient of Carnegie Mellon University Qatar’s
12 akhbar NOVEMBER 2005
Ricardo Legorreta is one of Mexico’s most
prolific and well-known architects. Legendary
projects include the Camino Real Hotel in
Mexico City, the Pershing Square redevelopment
in downtown Los Angeles, the Visual Arts
Center in Santa Fe, NM, the Tech Museum of
Innovation in San Jose, CA, the Zandra Rhodes
Museum in London, and the Metropolitan
Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua. Ricardo
and his son and partner, Victor, have extensive
experience developing projects to meet the
needs of colleges and universities, including
such previous projects as new dormitories for
Stanford University and University of Chicago,
and current designs in the works for a new
campus for the American University in Cairo.
But you won’t have to look that far to see their
work – the Legorreta firm designed the Texas
A&M Qatar School of Engineering building that
is under construction right next door here in
Education City.
Watch out for an action packed term of extra curriculum
activities. There are numerous student clubs and
organizations to join, regular presentations, Q&As and
debates on topical issues, for the energetic join the rugby
or basketball club and remember to put the discussion
on Ramadan - ‘Ready, Set...Ramadan!’ followed by a
Community Iftar in October in your diary.
CAMPUS
NEWS
2005 HONDA AWARD
about the architects
Kristin Michele Gilmore emails a weekly update of Student
Activities or access the information online at www.qatar.
cmu.edu/news. And finally, look for a student-developed
yearbook at the end of this year. With all this to enjoy, never
mind the study, Carnegie Mellon students are never bored!
Mozah Bint Nasser Chair of Computer Science
and Robotics. A gift from Qatar Foundation,
the chair was awarded during the inaugural
celebration at the university’s campus in Qatar.
OACAC & BRYAN ZERBE
Recently elected as an Executive Board Member of the
Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling
(OACAC), Bryan Zerbe, Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s Director of
Admissions began his three-year term in July 2005. He will work
with the OACAC in its mission to facilitate global interaction
among counselors and institutions to ease students’ transition
from secondary into higher education.
NOVEMBER 2005
akhbar 13
2005/06
FACULTY
With nine faculty members and four teaching
assistants joining Carnegie Mellon University
in Qatar, students are in for an exhilarating
academic year. These experienced professors
and teaching assistants bring a wealth of
knowledge and skills from international
assignments in industry and academia. Their
input will broaden the education experience and
research contribution in Qatar.
THE UNIVERSITY
WELCOMES
Amel Al Malki, Ph.D., visiting assistant
professor; Brett Browning, Ph.D., systems
scientist; Stephen Calabrese, Ph.D., visiting
assistant professor of economics; Jon Caulkins,
Ph.D., professor of operations research and
public policy; Hasan Demirkoparan, Ph.D.,
assistant professor; Frank Demmler, Ph.D.,
adjunct business professor; M. Bernardine Dias,
Ph.D., research scientist; Darlene Everhart,
lecturer; Ananda Gunawardena, Ph.D., associate
teaching professor of computer science.
Joining the university as teaching assistants
are Haijing Hao, Frank Lin, Jason Morgan, Carla
Salman-Martinez and Christina Shin.
They join the returning faculty comprising
Justin Carlson, teaching assistant; Jacobo
Carrasquel, associate professor and
undergraduate advisor (CS); David Duke,
teaching assistant; Isabelle Eula, librarian; Salam
Mir, Ph.D., associate professor; Marion Oliver,
Ph.D., associate teaching professor; Benjamin
Reilly, Ph.D., assistant professor; and John
Robertson, director of undergraduate programs
and undergraduate advisor (BA).
cyndi mills
Cynthia Mills, CISSP, was named
the new CIO. In addition to
shipping numerous network and
intrusion prevention products,
she managed the National
Science Foundation’s Network
Service Center, helped create
the first electronic check technologies for the U.S.
banking industry, and led numerous research efforts.
Mills also was a senior member of the team that spun
out BBN Planet, one of the first commercial Internet
Service Providers.
david albanese
David Albanese has been
brought on board as our Director
of Human Resources. In more
than 15 years in the field he
has written numerous articles
and held a variety of leadership
positions in higher education
and in professional organizations.
gehan samarah
Gehan Samarah was appointed
at Assistant Director of
Admission. Samarah earned a
bachelors degree in journalism
and mass communication
and a master’s in Business
Administration from the
American University in Cairo (AUC). Prior to coming
to Doha, she worked in the Offices of Admission and
Enrollment Services at AUC for more than six years.
khadra dualeh
Khadra Dualeh joined us
this summer as Director of
Professional Development and
International Education. She
brings more than 15 years
experience in international
education and programming.
Most recently she served as director of sponsored
programs for The University of Arizona. Prior to
that, She has held programming positions with the
Embassy of the State of Qatar, New York University
and with the Bishop Desmond Tutu Scholarship Fund.