ANNUAL
REPORT
Faculty of Engineering & Architecture
2005
2006
Contents
Foreword
5
Office of the Dean
7
Architecture & Design
31
Electrical & Computer Engineering
49
Mechanical Engineering
69
Civil & Environmental Engineering
85
Engineering Management Program
105
Foreword
The mission of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture is “to offer educational programs
of the highest standard, promote research and the creative scholarly activities of its faculty
and students, and provide services to the community at large, with special consideration
given to the needs and circumstances of Lebanon and the region.” In particular, the fea
mission of providing services to the community was clearly evident during the war in the
summer of 2006 and its aftermath. Many fea faculty and staff volunteered their time and
expertise to help people in need and take part in the reconstruction efforts and they continue
to do so. The fea faculty and staff made all efforts to keep the fea services functioning
during the war and completed the summer term as soon as a ceasefire went into effect.
Their efforts helped aub start the fall 2006 semester on schedule.
The following are facts, figures, news and activities that took place in the fea during
the 2005-2006 academic year are in line with its mission.
In October 2005, 401 new undergraduates were admitted to fea, and another 38 in
February 2006. The total number of students enrolled in the undergraduate programs in
the fall was 1,451 and 1,428 in the spring. There were 252 students enrolled in the graduate
programs in the fall and 242 in the spring. Degrees were awarded to 292 undergraduates
and 70 graduates.
Three new faculty members joined the fea: Dr. Bacel Maddah, Assistant Professor
in Engineering Management; Dr. Ghanem Oweis, Assistant Professor in Mechanical
Engineering; and Dr. Issam Lakkis an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering.
Three faculty members left us: Dr. Christos Anastasiou, Assistant Professor in Civil and
Environmental Engineering, decided to join a newly established research center in Cyprus;
Dr. Wael Noureddine, Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, decided
to return to Silicon Valley, California, to join a start-up company; and Dr. Farqad Alkhal,
Assistant Professor in Engineering Management, left to dedicate time to her thriving
investment company in Kuwait.
During the year the engineering departments worked hard to update their abet
documentation. However, the abet governing board put the visit to aub on hold because
of the us Department of State travel warning to Lebanon.
The fea kept moving ahead with its plans to start PhD programs in engineering.
Dr. Mohsen Issa, University of Illinois at Chicago and Dr. Kumares Sinha, Purdure University,
visited aub in June 2006, with the approval of the New York State Education Department
(nysed), to evaluate the PhD proposal in Civil and Environmental Engineering. In the
previous year, Dr. Ken Jenkins, Pennsylvania State University, and Dr. Munther Dahleh,
mit, visited aub to evaluate the PhD proposal in Electrical and Computer Engineering,
and Dr. Ghanem Oweis and Dr. Cristina Amon, Carnegie-Mellon University, visited AUB
to evaluate the PhD proposal in Mechanical Engineering. The applications for the doctoral
programs are now in the hands of nysed.
More than fifty fea faculty members were invited to participate in academic, research and
professional activities in the us, Canada, Europe and the region. Three went on long-term
faculty development visits awarded by urb during the summer of 2006. Dr. Ayman Kayssi
attended the aub Board of Trustees (bot) meeting in New York in November 2005 to present
the recommendations of the Campus-Wide Strategic Committee on Information Technology;
and Dr. Fouad Mrad attended the June 2006 bot meeting as a Senate representative.
Research grants received by fea faculty members during the academic year 2005-2006
include the following: The Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research approved
7 research proposals ($33,000) and the urb awarded 26 research grants ($156,000) to
fea faculty members. Eight external research projects ($1,614,000) are still in progress.
Eleven new external research grants (total of $662,000) were received from the National
Instruments, Ericsson-Lebanon, ritc/idrc, gnesd/unep, unops, Rathman Family
Foundation, International Ports Management Beirut, Cooperative Housing Foundation,
European Community, University of Alicante, and ashrae. The fea share of the university
usaid/asha grant for 2005-2006 was $189,000.
The faculty members who received the Hewlett Foundation Research Leave were: Sylvia
Shorto, Zeina Maasri, Walid Nasrallah, Kinda Khalaf, Ali Chehab, Mazen Saghir. Faculty
members who went on approved paid research leaves were Profs. Howayda Al-Harithy
foreword Ω 6
(one year) and Michael Stanton (one term), and Louay Jalloul was on an unpaid leave (one
year). Faculty members who went on approved one-term Maternity Leave with pay were Profs.
Mona Fawaz and Dima Charif.
Dr. Nesreen Ghaddar was selected for the Endowed Qatar Chair in energy, and Dr. George
Ayoub was given an aub Distinguished Service Faculty Award. Dr. Fadl Moukalled was elected
a Fellow in cams and Dr. Hassan Diab had his “Secondment” to Dhofar University in Oman
approved for a second year.
The Fifth fea Student Conference was held in May 2006. Six alumni were awarded the
fea distinguished Alumnus Award. You can read about the conference and the distinguished
alumni in this report. Dr. Hani Mahmassani, University of Maryland, one of the awardees,
spent two weeks in May on an urb sponsored visit and met with students and faculty and
delivered seminars in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Trustee Dean
James Wei visited fea on May 4 to meet with the Dean and chairpersons of departments.
The Department of Architecture and Design celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first
graduates of its Graphic Design Program in June with an exhibition of designs by alumni,
lectures and a dinner. Reunion for fea classes of 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981,
1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001 that included a presentation, tours of the facilities and labs and a
reception was held as part of the aub Alumni Reunion at the end of June, beginning of July.
Students received the following awards in 2005-2006: i) Fawzi W. Azar Architecture Award
($10,000): Stephanie Akkaoui (70%) and Candice Naim (30%); ii) the 2005 Charli S. Korban
Award: Antoine El Daher (ee 2005), Bernard Ghanem (ee 2005), Ghinwa Adra (ee 2005)
and Salim El-Rouwayheb (cce 2005); iii) the 2006 Charli S. Korban Award: Rami Abdallah
(ee 2006), Elias Yaacoub (cce 2006); iv) Abdul Hadi Debs Endowment Award for Academic
Excellence at the graduate level: Rawad Saleh (me); v) Sakkal Renewable Energy Graduate
Thesis Award: Mohammad Ayoub (me); vi) Distinguished Graduate Award: Rayyan Jaber
(cce), Adel Yamout (ee), Lara Captan (gd), Rola El Khoury (Arch); vii) Dean’s Award for
Creative Achievement: cce project of (Mansour Rachid and Hady Zeineddine), ee project of
(Toufic Saccal, Hussein Makki, and Ahmad Chbaklo), me project of (Paul Hajj Boutros, Bashir
Jawhar, Roy Assaf, Jalal Haddad, Roy Baaklini, and Marwan Cortas), gd project of (Mariam
Agha), arch project of (Roula Idriss); vii) Penrose Award: Rani Daher (cce).
The following donations, gifts, and pledges were received: i) A pledge of $3,000,000 from
the Zakhem family to name the Zakhem fea deanship; ii) $2,000,000 from Taha and Najib
Mikati to name the Engineering and Science Library; iii) $500,000 from Mr. Jassim Al-Qatami
towards the renovation of the Engineering Lecture Hall in the Bechtel Building; iv) $250,000
from Khatib & Alami towards naming the Cafeteria in the renovated Bechtel Building; v)
$100,000 from Ramiz S. Rizk family to renovate the Engineering Board Room, which is
now named the Ramiz S. Rizk Conference Room; vi) $50,000 from Mr. Rafic Mansour for
the Yusuf Mansour Scholarship for undergraduate students (annual); vii) $25,000 from
Petrofac International Ltd; Sharjah, uae for research support in me and another $25,000
from Petrofac founder alumnus Maroun Semaan to support tuition fees of undergraduate
engineering students; viii) $50,000 from alumnus George Kadifa to support research projects
in ece; ix) $10,000 from Mr. Nabil Azar for the Fawzi W. Azar Architecture Award (annual);
x) $3,000 from the Korban family for the Charli Korban awards for best graduating students
in ece (annual); and xi) $3,000 from Professor Emeritus Fateh Sakkal for the best graduate
thesis on renewable energy (annual).
Over the past three years aub has received $5,000,000 from aub alumnus Dr. Ray
Irani and Occidental Petroleum towards the construction of the Irani/Oxy Engineering
Building. Dar Al-Handassah (Shair and Partners) made three gifts: $2,500,000 to establish
an Endowed Chair in Engineering, $2,500,000 endowment to support the PhD programs
in engineering, and $1,500,000 towards the renovation of the Architecture Building. CCC
donated $2,000,000 towards the construction of the ccc Scientific Research Building.
An official ceremony was held on February 21, 2006, for the re-naming of the Engineering
Board Room as the “Ramiz S. Rizk Conference Room” in recognition of a donation from the
Rizk family to fea. A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the new ccc Scientific
Research Building was held in October 2005; the building is scheduled to be completed in
November 2006. The engineering laboratories that are now housed in Wings b and c will be
moved to the ccc Scientific Research Building starting in December 2006. Wings B and C will
then be demolished to make way for the construction of the Irani/Oxy Engineering Building.
Following an international competition, the design of the building was awarded to the Beirutbased Nabil Gholam Architecture & Planning firm.
Ibrahim N. Hajj; Dean
one|Introduction
8
two|Personnel
8
8
8
Officers Of The Faculty
Staff
three|Fea Committees
Standing Committees
Administrative Committee
Academic & Curriculum Committee
Advisory Committee
Admissions Committee
Research Committee
Graduate Studies Committee
Library Committee
Student Affairs Committee
Ad hoc Committees
ABET Committee
FEA Student Conference Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Ad hoc Math Committee
FEA Space Committee
FEA IT Committee (formerly Web Site Committee)
four|Support Units
Student Academic Counseling Services
Record’s Office
Career Center
IAESTE, Lebanon
Information Technology Unit
FEA computer labs
FEA Library
Engineering Shops
Supplies, Reproduction & Buildings
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9
9
9
9
9
9
10
11
11
13
13
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15
15
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30
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office of the dean Ω Personnel Ω 8
office of the dean Ω FEA Committees Ω 9
one|Introduction
The fea Dean’s Office provides the services necessary for the promotion of the missions of
the fea and aub; namely, to maintain educational programs of the highest quality, encourage
and support research and creative scholarly activities, and provide services to the community
at large. This is done through the joint efforts of various committees and support units, as
well as the functions of the Dean’s Office itself. These committees and support units are
listed in the next sections, composition, responsibilities, and in some cases brief summaries
of their activities and accomplishments during the 2005-2006 academic year are included.
In addition, the Dean’s Office maintains the financial and academic records of the Faculty,
administers grants and contracts, decides on budgetary matters in coordination with the
academic units, and forms the link between the fea and the other Faculties and Schools
of aub as well as with the upper administration. The Dean’s Office initiates and maintains
contacts with alumni, friends, and companies through personal visits, the Career Center
services, laboratory services, the Job Fair, class reunions, the fea Student Conference,
and through its support of conferences, workshops, seminars, and invited speakers.
three|FEA Committees
Standing Committees
Administrative
Committee
composition
Dean I. Hajj (chair), Associate Dean F. Moukalled, Professors: A. Kayssi, N, Ghaddar,
L. Musfy, M. Mabsout, A. Abdul-Malak.
function
As explained in the By-Laws of the fea.
Academic &
Curriculum
Committee
composition
Dean I.Hajj (chair), Associate Dean F. Moukalled, Chairs: A. Kayssi, M. Mabsout,
N. Ghaddar, L. Musfy, Professors: A. Shihadeh, Ali Chehab, H. Assaf, M. Harb, Registrar,
Faculty Representative on Senate Academic Development, fea Student Representative:
Omar Monajjed.
function
As explained in the By-Laws of the fea.
two|Personnel
Officers of
the Faculty
Staff
Advisory
Committee
Ibrahim Hajj; Dean, Fadl Moukalled; Associate Dean,
Ghada Kamar Najim; Executive Officer of the Faculty,
Alia Kazma Serhal; Student Services Officer of the Faculty
dean’s office
Souad Shaaban; Dean’s Secretary, Maya Kouzy; Clerk Typist, Edgard Touma; Messenger
As explained in the By-Laws of the fea.
Admissions
Committee
Samir Bassil; Supervisor, Elie Touma; Technician
Ziad Shaaban; it Manager, Olga Safa Majzoub; Web and Software Manager, Maher Itani;
System Analyst, Toufic Karout; Research Assistant, Saro Koulakisian; Senior Master, Elie Azzi;
Research Assistant
records office
Nawal Abou Mosleh; Records Office Secretary
fea library
Khaled Noubani; Acting Librarian, Rabi’ Bu-Shahli; Library Assistant, Ziyad Yamut; Library
Assistant, Elie Haddad; Library Assistant, Salim Shehab; Library Assistant
iaeste
Fadl Moukalled; National Secretary of iaeste, Lebanon
student career center
Nadia Moufarrij; fea Career Counselor
Dean I. Hajj (chair), Associate Dean F. Moukalled, Professor B. Hamad,
Assistant Professors: M. Saghir, R. Hamade, D. Drennan, Director of Admissions: S. Kanaan,
Faculty Representative on the UAC: M. Darwish, FEA Student Representative: Salim Hamad.
As explained in the By-Laws of the fea.
Kamal Mikati; Supervisor, Aziz Natour; Senior Master, Raafat Hajj; Senior Master
it unit
composition
function
computer laboratories
Joseph Nassif; Supervisor , George Jurdi; Senior Shop Master, Joseph Zoulikian; Material &
Manufacturing Shop Master, Ramzi Safi; Senior Technician, Joseph Khoury; Senior Technician
Dean I. Hajj (chair), Professors: M. Harajli, A. El Hajj, A. Kayssi, I. Kaysi, M. Darwish,
N. Ghaddar.
function
supplies, reproduction and buildings
engineering shops
composition
Research
Committee
composition
Professors: S. Abdallah, H. Assaf, S. Karaki (chair), T. Mezher, and S. Shorto.
introduction
The major activities of the Research Committee (fea-rc) during the year 2005-06 were four
fold; [1] review of the Proposal Review Policy at fea, [2] continued update of the fea-rc
Website, [3] conduct the review process, and [4] review two applications for paid-leave.
The fea-rc received 31 proposals for research grants this year (30 in 2004-05), of which 2
proposals were group proposals (8 in 2004-05). One proposal was later withdrawn by the
pi because external funding was secured for it. Each proposal was evaluated by two external
reviewers. The total number of proposals received from the various departments is shown in
the table below.
department/program
number of proposals
recommended budget
Architecture and gd
3
$18,275
Civil and Environmental
6
$37,113
Electrical and Computer
11
$73,000
Engineering Management
3
$15,750
Mechanical
7
$42,420
Total
30
$189,558
Average per Proposal
$6,319
office of the dean Ω FEA Committees Ω 10
office of the dean Ω FEA Committees Ω 11
The fea-rc is not involved in reviewing proposals for outside funding; the fea-rc is
only informed about these applications and the chairperson of the committee signs the
application forms.
graduate program in Information and Communication Technology.
The fea gsc studied and recommended approval of the ece Department proposal
for combining their two master programs into one master’s program in Electrical and
Communication Engineering with both a thesis and a non-thesis option. The new program
will offer eight research tracks.
review of policies and procedures
The fea-rc went over the current fea Policies and Procedures regarding the review process
recommendations
The fea gsc was involved at various stages with the University Graduate Admissions
of proposals. The review process and score sheet were essentially kept the same as those of
2004/ 05 but the calculation of composite scores, for the purpose of ranking, was slightly
modified in the review process.
Ad hoc Committee in charge of reviewing the graduate admission process. Among the
recommendations of the Ad hoc committee, was changing the admissions schedule from a
rolling to a fixed deadline process with all graduate programs within aub following the same
deadlines except for the Faculty of Medicine, and publishing a graduate catalogue that clearly
includes the requirements of the various programs
fea-rc website
The website http://web.fea.aub.edu.lb/fea/research/rc.asp was updated regularly.
The deadline for submitting urb proposals was March 15, 2006, as specified by the urb.
Before sending the proposals out for review, they were screened to ensure that they met
criteria set by urb and fea. Then, each proposal was sent to two reviewers for assessment
with the committee acting as a quality controller throughout the review process. The
evaluation of each reviewer was appraised to ensure its consistency with the proposal.
Finally the proposals were ranked according to a composite score of 20, which took into
consideration, the reviewer’s scores and recommendations. An additional 2 points were
given to assistant or associate professors and an additional 1 point to group projects.
Historically, the total fea urb research funding has been about $160,000 per year, slightly
increasing over the years. Last year’s recommended budget was $169,000 in addition to seed
money. This year the requested budget was $265,725 but was reduced to $189,558 by the
Library Committee
G. Arbid, H. Basha (Chair), A. Chehab (ex-officio), F. Karameh, and K. Noubani.
The fea Library Committee reports the following:
[1] The remaining balance of the library budget per department as of May 2006 is as follows:
fea-rc.
leave requests
There were two paid-leave applications in 2005-06; one was from the Department of
Architecture and Design (Prof. L. Musfy) and the second was from the Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering (Prof. H. Basha). The two applications were sent to external
reviewers and were approved by the rc following positive comments.
Graduate Studies
Committee
N. Dandan (Admissions), M. Fawaz (ArD), K. Kabalan (ece), A. Kazma (Office of the Dean,
Secretary), B. Maddah (emgt), H. Nakad (Registrar), S. Sadek (cee), M. Darwish (me, Chair)
The main activities of the fea gsc this year were the following:
graduate applications
This year there were 217 applicants to the various programs of the fea, of these 165 were
accepted equivalent to a 37% rejection rate. This compares with 220 applicants and a 35%
rejection rate for the 2004-05 academic year.
petitions
The fea gsc reviewed a number of graduate petitions, mainly for extending
the thesis deadlines.
A large number of thesis proposals were reviewed. While the quality of the graduate thesis is
the responsibility of the thesis committee, the main concern of the fea gsc in reviewing the
thesis proposals is to ensure that a preliminary literature review has been performed, and
that the research activities are scheduled so as to be completed within a reasonable time.
The fea gsc recommended that the Engineering Management program projects be
approved at the program level without being referred to the fea gsc.
new and modified graduate programs
The fea gsc studied and recommended approval of the me Department proposal to reduce
the course requirements in the Master program to 21 credits for courses while increasing the
thesis credit equivalence to 9 credits.
The fea gsc studied and recommended approval of the ece Department proposal for a
department
annual budget
remaining
Architecture & Design
$12,000
$2,862
Civil & Environmental Engineering
$20,000
$5,831
Electrical & Computer Engineering
$22,000
$8,504
Mechanical Engineering
$22,000
$10,300
Engineering Management
$1,000
$922
[2] An overview of the tools and resources of the aub libraries was presented by the
Information Services Librarian to the committee. The statistics on usage show that the
library tools are not fully used by fea students. The committee proposed that there be an
introduction of aub library resources to the senior fea students in the Final Year Project
course at the beginning of the fall semester. There will be one tailor-made presentation per
department and graduate students will be asked to attend
[3] The fea library is undertaking a weeding process in which outdated books are removed
from the library because of space limitations. The list of books that have not been checked
out for the past five years, sorted by discipline and subject, were distributed to the fea
departments for help in this endeavor.
[4] A 1-month free trial access to the isi Web of Knowledge was arranged through the Serials
Librarian. The free access included the Web of Science® service (Science Citation Index).
The product has a prohibitive subscription cost, especially since aub library already has a
subscription to the scopus database that does a similar type of search.
composition
thesis proposals
composition
Student Affairs
Committee
composition
Mohammad Mansour (chair), Bacel Maddah, Isssam Lakkis, Daniel Drennan, Dean of
Students Affairs, represented by Talal Nizzmeddine; Fuad Mrad, Faculty Representative on the
ucsa; Hani Tohme, src Representative.
report on activities
The sac reviewed the following cases:
[1] One student who was reported for an in-class disruption gave the name of another student
when asked to identify himself. An oral reprimand was recommended.
[2] A case involving the src representative on the committee. He was reported by the
lab supervisor for breaking the glass window in one of the main doors of the lab. After
determining the act was inadvertent with no bad intentions involved, the committee
recommended that the student pay for the broken window and do community service.
office of the dean Ω FEA Committees Ω 12
office of the dean Ω FEA Committees Ω 13
[3] A case involving one student in a lab who was asked by the professor to leave the room at
the start of a class lecture. The student was not enrolled in that class. The student refused to
identify himself and refused to leave the room. The committee viewed the case as a case of
non-academic misconduct, and recommended referring it to the Dean of Student Affairs for
consideration.
[4] Four students were reported to the committee for violation of a contract they had signed
for a GA appointment by working full-time outside of aub. The committee view was that
the cases involved management/legal issues between the university and the students and
therefore were outside its jurisdiction.
[5] Five students were involved in cheating during a computer final exam. The students copied
programming codes during the exam. The committee recommended all students receive a
Dean’s Warning, and one of the students receive an additional written reprimand for lying to
the committee.
[6] One student was reported for asking another student a question about a problem during
a final exam. The student did not receive an answer from the other student. The committee
recommended the student receive a written reprimand for violating university regulations
during the exam.
[7] Three students were reported for repeatedly trying to ask the proctor questions about
a question during a final exam. One of the students also smiled at another student. The
committee decided to dismiss the three cases.
[8] One student was reported for his cell phone ringing during an exam. The committee
recommended that the student receive a written reprimand for violating university regulations
during the exam.
[9] A student was caught with miniaturized cheat sheets during a final exam. The committee
recommended the student receive a double Dean’s Warning and a zero on the final exam.
[10] Three students were reported for cheating on a final exam. The committee dismissed one
case, and recommended the other two students receive a Double Dean’s Warning and a zero
on the final exam.
[11] A case involving a student caught in one of the fea computer labs hacking into a number
of computers and deleting and corrupting files. The student had previously been asked not
to enter the architecture building nor use any of the computer labs in fea because of his past
disruptive behavior. The committee decided to forward the case to the University Student
Affairs committee for study.
[12] A student involved in cheating during an exam. The student stated that he had personal
problems. The committee recommended the student receive a Dean’s Warning, a zero on the
exam, and seek supervised counseling at aub.
[13] A student involved in cheating during an exam. The committee recommended the
student receive a Dean’s Warning and a zero on the exam.
[14] A student involved in complaining in an impolite and improper manner about his exam
grade to one of the professors who taught a course he took. The exam had questions that
several professors participated in preparing and grading. The committee recommended
that the student receive a written reprimand for his behavior toward the professor.
[15] Two students were involved in signing attendance on behalf of two other students.
The committee recommended all students receive a written reprimand.
[16] Two students involved in conducting a prank on another student and filming him
during his presence in the lab. The committee recommended the two students receive a
written reprimand for their misbehavior. The committee also recommended warning the
two students not to use the film in any way that might offend the other student.
other activities and recommendations
[1] The fea sac committee coordinated with the Students’ Integrity Ad hoc committee in
Details of all these cases can be found in the minutes.
review of the penrose award nominations
Mr. Mohamed Hasna (cce)
Mr. Rani Daher (cce)
Mr. Ali Khalil (cce)
Mr. Suhail Khoury (cce)
Mr. Alfred El-Murr (me)
The committee reviewed the five nominations it received for the Penrose award, and
recommended the first three students (Mr. Mohamed Hasna, Mr. Rani Daher, and Mr. Ali
Khalil) as qualified nominees for the award.
the Institutional Planning and Process Improvement Department to review the process of
handling breaches of the student code of conduct as published in the Policies and Procedures
on theaub web site. The objective was to come up with a common interpretation of the
related Policies and Procedures, and a unified way to report incidents of breach of the code
(academic and non-academic).
The committee proposed the following (details are found in the minutes):
Ω The process flow for reporting academic and non-academic misconducts was revised,
clearly indicating how a case should be handled and how it should proceed.
Ω The Student Code of Conduct was modified. The major modifications involve adding a
recommended range of actions to academic and non- academic misconduct violations,
and a Dean’s Warning will be removed at the end of the student’s academic career with
aub provided the student’s records show a maximum of one code of conduct violation.
Ω A form that a faculty member will use to report a violation of the code of conduct.
[2] The sac committee reviewed the Academic Integrity Handbook for Students upon
request of the Dean, after it had been presented for discussion at a full Faculty meeting.
The committee determined that there is a considerable amount of redundancy between
information stated in the handbook and the information that already exists in the Student
Code of Conduct document. The committee recommended that the best way to promote
academic integrity in the Faculty is to put the existing information into a different format. In
2006-07 the src committee will work with the Graphic Design Department to create power
point presentations for students, post the information on the fea Website and prepare
brochure/fliers for students to increase their awareness about integrity and proper conduct
at fea. The committee further recommends to the Dean that the Faculty call students to
attend the power point presentations.
[3] The committee also issued general recommendations to improve the administration
of computer-based examinations. The recommendations are repeated below:
Ω More proctors should be present during these exams.
Ω During programming exams in computer labs, network connectivity should be disabled.
Ad hoc Committees
ABET Committee
composition
F. Moukalled (chair); chairs of the engineering departments: N. Ghaddar, A. Kayssi, M.
Mabsout; professors: H. Basha, A. Smaili; and accreditation officer B. McGreevy.
meetings
Six full meetings of the abet committee were held during the academic year and smaller
meetings were held to improve and update the individual program self studies which were
written during 2004- 2005.
The Associate Dean and the Accreditation Officer held working sessions to improve and
update Appendix II. A section on the Dean’s Unit was created to clarify structure and more
clearly define where decisions are being made.
work accomplished
The committee began its work in early October by recommitting to the process of working
toward abet Accreditation. There was a desire to increase contact with abet and involve the
Provost’s Office in this contact with the goal of encouraging reviewers to come to Lebanon
or consider other options for the review process. It was agreed that the self-study reports
compiled last year would be the basis of the reports submitted to the abet Committee but
that they would need to be updated and improved. A schedule of internal dates for each
section of the report to be completed was agreed upon. Each department created a schedule
to assure that the specific activities needed to assure feedback from constituents, record
keeping, course files and the analysis of data would be completed in a timely and routine
fashion. Because the structure for feedback loops had been developed last year for all
programs only the schedule of actions needed to be assured.
During the fall semester the focus of work was on improving the courses offered especially
during the first year and in math.
office of the dean Ω FEA Committees Ω 14
office of the dean Ω FEA Committees Ω 15
The Employer and Alumni Surveys were discussed and rewritten surveys will be
administered this year. In January the application request for evaluation was once again
submitted.
[1] Best Paper Awards were given to the following students:
Ω Fadi Shayya (Architecture & Design) for “Enacting Public Space History and Social
Practices of Beirut’s Horch al-Sanawbar”
Ω Nicolas Bekhazi, Mohammad Itani, Elias Nehme and Marc Rached (Civil &
Environmental Engineering) for “Elevated Freeway between Beirut and Dbayeh”
Ω Mazen Abou Najm, Rani Daher, Mohammad El Saadi (Computer & Communications
Engineering) for “A Low Complexity Turbo Code Decoder”
Ω Salma Abu Izzeddin, Kamal Berbari, Hiba Obeid (Electrical Engineering) for
“Electromagnetic Fields from Power Line”
Ω Bashar Akar, Raja Hamady, Abdellatif Ladki, Wissam Saad (Mechanical Engineering) for
“Designing, Building and Testing a Schlieren System”
[2] Best Paper submitted by a Graduate Student was awarded to: Ihab Sraj (Mechanical
Engineering) for “A Fully Coupled Finite Volume Method for Incompressible Fluid Flow”
[3] Best poster award went to: Reef Al-Mokadem, Adham Bou Ghannam, Dima Fares, Rabih
Ghoussayni (Electrical Engineering) for “cad Optimization of pm Machines”
[4] Special Recognition went to: Gutav Cordahi (Civil and Environmental Engineering) for
“Ethics and fea.”
abet decision
On April 12, 2006 the Faculty was informed by the abet Association that its application for
accreditation had been put on hold until the us Department of State Travel Warning for
Lebanon has been lifted.
FEA Student
Conference
Committee
composition
Dean Ibrahim Hajj, Professors: M. Asem Abdul Malak, Farid Chaaban, Marwan Darwish, Bilal
Hamad, Assistant Professors: Louay Bazzi, May Farhat, Issam Lakkis, Walid Sadek,
IT Manager: Ziad Shaaban, Web & Software Manager: Olga Safa Majzoub,
Student: Lara Captan
distinguished alumni presentations and awards
Six distinguished alumni were selected to give plenary talks and receive awards. They were:
Dr. Habib Najm; a Distinguished Member of the Combustion Research Facility
Sandia National Lab was awarded the fea Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of
his outstanding scholarly contributions to research in combustion, stochastic methods
for uncertainty quantification in scientific computing, and modeling of electrochemical
microfluid systems and biotechnology devices. He earned his be in Mechanical Engineering
at aub in 1983 and his ms and PhD at mit 1986-1989.
Dr. Fawwaz T. Ulaby the R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor at the University of
Michigan, member of the National Academy of Engineering, and Editor in Chief, ieee
Proceedings received the fea Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his outstanding
achievements and contributions to education and to basic research in electromagnetics,
microwaves, remote sensing technology, and their applications. Fawwaz T. Ulaby earned his
bs in Physics at aub in 1964 and his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 1968.
Mr. Abdallah S. Zakhem; Co-founder and President of the Zakhem International Construction
Ltd., was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his outstanding career
in engineering and his contributions to the world of construction. Abdallah S. Zakhem earned
his be in Civil Engineering at aub in 1962.
Dr. Ali Khayrallah; Director of Research at Ericsson, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni
Award in recognition of his outstanding research, inventions, and contributions to the
development of cellular and wireless communication systems. Dr. Ali Khayrallah earned his
be in Electrical Engineering at aub in1984 and his ms, PhD from the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, usa in 1986 and1989.
Dr. Suad Amiry; the Director of Riwaq: Centre for Architectural Conservation in Ramallah,
was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of her pioneering efforts in the
study and protection of the architectural heritage of Palestine, and as a tribute to her courage,
and passionate commitment to all humanitarian causes that seek to improve the daily lives
of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Dr. Suad Amiry earned her ba in Architecture at
aub in 1984; her ms in Urban Planning at the University of Michigan; and her PhD at the
University of Edinburgh in Scotland, u.k.
Dr. Hani Mahmassani; the Charles Irish Sr. Chair in Transportation Engineering at the
University of Maryland, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his
excellence in research in the fields of transportation systems, transportation planning, and
intelligent transportation systems, and his outstanding contributions to education. Hani
Mahmassani attended aub from 1973-1975; he received his ms in Transportation Engineering
from Purdue University in 1978; and his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1982.
student presentations and awards
In addition to plenary talks, students presented technical papers at the conference. The
papers were reviewed by a faculty committee and selected from paper submissions by
students based on their class projects. Poster sessions were also included. Copies of papers
and the list of projects have been published in the conference proceedings. Awards were
given to best papers and best poster.
Strategic Planning
Committee
composition
Dean I. Hajj; Professors: F. Moukalled, N. Ghaddar, A. Kayssi, M. Mabsout, H. Artail,
M.A. Abdul Malak, I. Kaysi, and W. Sadek/L. Musfy, Mr. A. Nahas as an invited guest, and
accreditation officer/ sec. B. McGreevy.
meetings
Six meetings of the spc committee were held during July and August. Thirteen meetings were
held between October and March. Two meetings were held on April 25 and May 2 during
which the Dean presented a draft of the Strategic Planning Report to the entire Faculty.
work accomplished
The committee completed the steps of the process outlined in “The Guide for Developing
Academic and Administrative Strategic Plans” by the Office of Institutional Planning and
Process Improvement at the American University of Beirut.
The members that worked during the summer focused on the accomplishments over the
past three years and on the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
to the Faculty (swot analysis). There was a great deal of discussion and long lists were
developed.
In the fall further refinement of the swot analysis took place. The mission and vision
statements for the Faculty were discussed and slight changes were made.
All graduate and undergraduate programs clearly defined and submitted their missions
and objectives.
In the spring the committee focused its energy on the clear statement and description of
initiatives. Once again a long list was developed although only ten initiative templates were
included in the final report.
Exit Surveys were revised to act as clear key point indicators (kpi) for the strategy map
developed by the committee.
It was decided that two annual reviews of strategic performance will be conducted to
ensure a clear assessment of progress and the continued faculty and staff input to the
strategic planning process that is balanced across the Faculty.
A Strategic Planning Report of the Faculty of Engineering & Architecture was completed
and submitted to the spsc.
Ad hoc Math
Committee
composition
Dean I. Hajj (chair), F. Moukalled, N. Ghaddar, A. Kayssi, and M. Mabsout.
Math Department: Abu-Khuzam, A. Lyzzaik, N. Nassif.
report on activities
The committee held several meetings during which the following issues were discussed:
math requirements in engineering, the possibility of canceling the asst category of courses,
and moving the asst math related courses to the department of mathematics. The final
office of the dean Ω Support Units Ω 16
office of the dean Ω Support Units Ω 17
recommendations made by the committee, which were subsequently approved by the
Administrative Committee, are as follows:
[2] Continued acting as secretary for the following committees: fea Admissions Committee,
Academic & Curriculum Committee, Graduate Studies Committee.
[3] Collaborated with the it Unit at fea to establish new software for the evaluation of student
statistics and academic standing.
[4] Organized and implemented the orientation program for new fea students.
[5] Represented the fea at aub Fair (coordinated a display of Final Year Projects of fea
students for the high school students).
[6] Assisted in the collection of the data and statistics for abet Appendix II.
[7] Helped coordinate the fea graduation ceremony.
[1] Cancel the asst category of courses starting fall 2006-07.
[2] Move all asst math related courses to the Department of Mathematics.
[3] Math requirements in the various engineering programs, which were approved by the
various engineering departments, have become as follows:
Ω cee
Current students: asst 310 was replaced by stat 230, asst 313 was replaced by math
251, and asst 312 was replaced by math 212 or math 218 or math 281 or any other math
course as approved by the cee department.
New requirements: math 201, 202, 251, stat 230 and one math elective (212, 218, 281, or
any other math course as approved by the cee department).
Ω ece
Current students: asst 311 was replaced by stat 230, asst 312 was replaced by math 218,
and asst 313 was replaced by math 212.
New requirements: math 201, 202, 211, 218, and stat 230, and one restricted elective out
of: math 210, 224, 227, and 251.
Ω me
Current students: asst 311 was replaced by stat 230,asst 312 was replaced by math 218,
ASST 313 was replaced by math 212 and asst 520 by enmg 504
New requirements: math 201, 202, 212, 218, 251, and stat 230.
[4] For information:
Ω The asst 520 course was moved to Engineering Management and given the number
enmg 504.
Ω The music course asst 420 offered by Prof. Azoury, which is already cross-registered
with the FAS, was moved the Music Department. The course will continue to be offered by
Prof. Azoury.
FEA Space
Committee
recommendation for the year 2006-2007
Attend training sessions and workshops related to student services excellence and academic
performance outside aub and in the us.
Record’s Office
Nawal Abu-Mosleh: secretary
accomplishments during 2005-06
[1] A new more efficient form is being developed for Confidential Proctoring Reports.
[2] Continued updating of all files at the end of every semester
[3] Continued updating of files with petition results after every Academic Committee meeting.
(Between the fall of 2004 and the spring of 2006, 1,047 academic petitions were included in
the electronic file of petitions. The file can now be searched by id, name, or petition number.
The work that remains is to connect this data base with the individual student file; this work
requires the technical assistance of the it Unit. Mr. Chaaban has begun to work on this and
once he finalizes the work access will be available from all fea departments.)
[4] Continued updating of course schedule;
[5] Continued responsibility for preparing all final examination seating assignments;
[6] The major accomplishment of 2005-06 was a careful analysis of all processes in the
Record’s Office in order to make recommendations for full automation.
composition
Dean Ibrahim Hajj, Professors: Fadl Moukalled, George Ayoub, Ayman Kayssi, Leila Musfy,
Nesreen Ghaddar, Mounir Mabsout, M Asem Abdul Malak, Assistant Professor Alan
Shihadeh, V/P Samer Maamari, Director: Marcelino Romanos, fpdu members: Mr. Alain Eid,
Mr. Anis Abdallah.
recommendations for 2006-07
In order to fully automate the Record’s Office and maintain a responsible archival system the
following steps are recommended for 2006-07.
functions
[1] Give priority to technical assistance from the it Unit in order
Ω to recommend the purchase of appropriate equipment to improve the scanning ability in
the office;
Ω to develop a process to include Dean’s Honor, Dean’s Warning, Evaluation Forms, and
access to copies and number of Academic Petitions in the individual student electronic
files;
Ω to further improve the room reservation process by making it possible for the faculty to
activate a reservation in an available time slot by simply entering their password on line.
(This process would bypass the person in charge of the reservation schedule except if
there is a cancellation.)
[2] Purchase suitable archiving cabinets for the office and allocate space for them in the
renovation plans.
[3] Finalize and implement a new Confidential Proctoring Report form.
[4] Continue training of secretary, by funding an advanced course in Access.
The committee manages the physical space of the fea quadrant. It is working closely with the
designers of the new Irani/Oxi Engineering Lab Building to identify the functionality of zones
within the building, their distribution, and the space requirements. The committee is also
involved in advising renovation of existing fea buildings.
FEA IT Committee
composition
(formerly Web Site
Committee)
Dean Ibrahim Hajj (chair), Professors: Marwan Darwish, Toufic Mezher, Salah Sadek
Associate Professors: Hassan Artail, Daniel Drennan, and Mr. Ziad Shaaban, Ms. Olga Safa
Majzoub, Mr. Maher Itani, Mr. Kamal Mikati
functions
The committee oversees the quality and recommends upgrade and changes to the
fea Website.
Career Center
four|Support Units
Student Academic
Counseling Services
Alia Kazma, Student Services Officer
accomplishments during 2005-06
[1] Transition of services from the previous student officer Ms. Hala Abu Araj to
Ms. Alia Kazma;
staff
staff
Mrs. Nadia Moufarrej, FEA Career Counselor; Maher Itani, System Analyst; and two students
who each work forty hours a month.
During the academic year 2004-2005 the fea Career Center catered to the needs of
approximately one hundred and forty five companies (145) and one thousand two hundred
and ninety (1,290) registered students and alumni. For the year 2005-2006, and as a result
of the enhancements to the fea Online Career Center, and the networking efforts, there is
a total of two hundred eighty six (286) registered companies using the website to post job
office of the dean Ω Support Units Ω 18
office of the dean Ω Support Units Ω 19
vacancies, and a total of two hundred and seventeen (217) companies using the web site to
offer internship positions. A total of one thousand seven hundred fifty one (1,751) registered
fea students and alumni use the site. They are divided as: 288 Summer Interns, 299 Bachelor
of Engineering 2006 graduates, 142 Master of Engineering 2006 graduates, 105 pursuing
master’s degrees, 603 alumni who are graduates of 2005 or earlier.
Ω Europe (5 students): Technical University of Munich (tum -Germany), hec (France)
Ω Lebanon (4 students): American University of Beirut (aub)
Pursued Major: Communication Systems, Communication Engineering, Pattern Analysis
& Machine Intelligence (pami), Networking, Wireless Communication Systems,
Telecommunication & Signal Processing, Management of New Technologies, Telecom
Networks, Science of Management, Civil Systems, Finance, Microelectronics, Digital Signal
Processing, vlsi for Wireless Communication.
[2] 64% (47 students) plan to work after receiving their BE degree; 51% (twenty four
students) have already signed contracts and started work; 32 out of 47 students (68%) have
received multiple job offers; 15 students have not received any job offer; and 17% (eight
students) are in the process of evaluating their options.
fea career website use
YEAR
AVERAGE
TOTAL
TOTAL
TOTAL
AVERAGE
TOTAL NUMBER
NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF
NUMBER
NUMBER OF
OF POSTED JOBS
VISITORS
REGISTERED
REGISTERED
OF JOB
NEW USERS
PER DAY
USERS
COMPANIES
APPLICATIONS
REGISTERING
PER DAY
2004
Feature
was not
available
860
128
Feature
was not
available
0-1
18
2005
> 50
1290
145
895
60
61
2006
>90
1770
286
4080
147
367
the job market
During 2005-2006 the fea Career Center communicated with two hundred eighty six
companies (286) for recruitment of recent graduates and alumni this represents an increase
of 120 companies from 2004-2005.
[1] One hundred thirty five (135) of the two hundred eighty six companies are new contacts for
the fea Career Center.
[2] A total of two hundred eighty six (286) companies offered online employment
opportunities during 2005-2006, and a total of fourteen companies (14) recruited graduates
using the traditional method of recruitment: presentations and interviews at the Faculty.
[3] Salaries offered to 2006 graduates in Lebanon have increased in the last two years. They
range between $1,000 and $2,000 per month.
2006 exit survey
A survey was conducted of the graduating class of 2006 to determine their future plans.
Plans after graduation by major:
MAJOR
GRADUATE STUDIES
EMPLOYMENT
BOTH GRADUATE STUDIES
AND EMPLOYMENT
cce
21%
64%
15%
ee
30%
52%
18%
me
18%
64%
18%
cee
39%
44%
17%
arch
0%
100%
0%
gd
0%
67%
33%
Computer and Communications Engineers (CCE)
[1] A total of 73 students responded: 36% (26 students) are planning to pursue graduate
studies. Three students have not decided yet. They have received multiple acceptances and
are in the process of evaluating their options.
Ω USA, Canada & Australia (14 students): University of Texas at Austin, University of
Illinois at Urbana Champaign, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, McGill
Imperial University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Michigan Ann Arbor, Texas a & m
University, University of California Los Angeles (ucla), University of Utah, University of
California at Berkeley, University of Sydney (Australia).
Electrical Engineers (EE)
[1] A total of 44 students responded: 48% (21 students) are planning to pursue graduate
studies; 7 students plan to do their master’s degree at aub; 4 students out of the 7 plan to
work in Lebanon while studying at aub; 8 out of the 21 students plan to work and study at the
same time.
Ω USA & Canada (6 students): Arizona State University, California Institute of Technology
CALTECH, University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, University of Southern California,
Georgia Institute of Technology
Ω Europe (6 students): Supelec (France), University of Dundae (Scotland), tu Delft
(Netherlands), Katholieke University Leuven, tum (Germany), rwth Aachen, University of
Munich
Ω Lebanon (7 students): American University of Beirut (aub)
Pursued Majors: Engineering Management, Communication Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering, Science in Electrical Engineering, Communication Electronics, Information
Technology, Communication Management, Communication & Signal Processing, Biomedical
Imaging, Power Electronics, Operations Research.
[2] 52% (23 students) plan to work after graduation; 15 out of the 23 students (65%) of the ee
2006 graduates who are planning to work have received multiple job offers; 8 have accepted
a job offer and have committed to an employer; 7 are still evaluating their options; 8 did not
receive any job offer.
Mechanical Engineers (ME)
[1] A total of 50 students responded: 45% (18 students) are planning to pursue graduate
studies; four of them plan to continue at aub for their master’s degree while working at the
same time.
Ω USA & Canada (3 students): Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Southern
California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ω Europe (7 students): University of Dundee (Scotland), tuh (Germany), hec (France),
Chelners (Sweden), Aachen (Germany), Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), Cass
Business School (uk)
Ω Lebanon (5 students): American University of Beirut (aub), Lebanese American
University (lau)
Pursued Majors: Business, Management, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Management,
Aerospace Engineering, Finance
[2] 64% (32) are seeking employment; 30 out of 32 students have received multiple job offers
mainly from companies abroad; most of them (20 out of the 30 students, 70 %) have already
committed to an employer.
Civil and Environmental Engineers (CEE)
A total of 18 students responded: 56% (10 students) are planning to pursue graduate studies;
67% (12 students including four of those who plan to pursue graduate studies) have received
job offers, 7 have committed to an employer and have started work either in Lebanon or
abroad.
Ω USA & Canada (5 students): Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell North
Western University, Stanford University
Ω Europe (2 students): Institute of Finance and Management Geneva (Switzerland), CSE
(London)
office of the dean Ω Support Units Ω 20
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 21
Ω Lebanon (1 student): American University of Beirut (AUB)
Pursued Major: Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Business Administration
profile of summer interns 2006
A total of two hundred and eighty eight students registered with the fea Career Center. 78% (224)
secured internship positions through the fea Career Center. They were divided as follows:
IAESTE, Lebanon
IAESTE GENERAL CONFERENCE
2005
The 58th Annual Conference of iaeste was held in the coastal town of Marsascala, Malta
from January 21-27, 2006. The Opening Ceremony was attended by the Conference Honorary
President, the Hon. Censu Galea, Minister for Competitiveness and Communication in Malta.
Two hundred and sixty nine delegates from seventy six countries attended the week long
conference which incorporated the exchange of 7,412 placements from over fifty members
and co-operating institutions. aub was represented by Dr. F. Moukalled the National
Secretary of iaeste Lebanon.
major
total # of interns internship through
fea career center
internship on
own
cce
96
81
15
ee
48
40
8
cee
42
22
20
We have received 13 offers from different Lebanese companies (including aub) willing to
accept iaeste students (from abroad) for training. These offers are distributed as shown on
Table 1 below.
me
85
66
19
Table 1: Offers received from local companies to accept iaeste students from abroad.
gd
3
3
0
arch (all years)
14
12
2
The fea Career Center received a total of 485 internship offers from companies and
universities, and 16 offers through the International Association for the Exchange of students
for Technical Experience (iaeste). The number of internship offers received was higher than
the number of students requesting placement, as a result some of these offers had to be
graciously declined. The offers received were divided as such:
MAJOR
NUMBER OF STUDENTS
NUMBER OF OFFERS RECEIVED
cce
96
113
ee
48
105
cee
42
78
me
85
149
gd
3
12
arch
14
28
conclusions
[1] Close cooperation exists between the fea Career Center and companies for internship
and recruitment purposes.
[2] Cooperation between fea Career Center and companies has helped to identify future
leaders through the Young Arab Leaders Program (yal).
[3] Developments on the fea Career Website have enhanced the number of users of the
website.
[4] The increase of online offerings now includes an interactive discussion forum to
respond to students, alumni and companies, and a webpage that allows students to
schedule appointments, check their status and receive updated information. 5.) There has
been an increase in the level of involvement of alumni in career networking and internship
development.
recommendations for 2006-2007
[1] Increase guidance and counseling by addressing issues relative to career concerns and
goal setting by offering workshops and seminars that prepare students for the workplace
and assist them in developing skills employers want.
[2] Create effective and efficient support systems for the staff, resources, services, space,
and equipment.
[3] Enhance the fea Online Career Center to: involve all aspects of electronic recruiting
and electronic statistical analysis; increase company participation on local, regional and
international levels; increase student and fea graduate registration; improve methods of
communication between the Center and the fea students, graduates and industry whereby
the fea Online Career Center becomes a highly interactive site.
exchange of students through iaste
receiving company
sending country nominations
department
Dar Al-Handassa
(Shair)
Germany
Klaus Schneeberger
Civil Eng.
aub / Dr. Moukalled
Jordan
Ali Kami Faidi
Mechanical Eng.
btutp
Germany
Christian Nitschke
Environmental Eng.
aub / Dr. Ghaddar
Norway
Ole-Jorgen
Myrtroen
Energy & Process
Eng.
aub / Dr. Saghir
Iran
Hamed Farhadi
Communication
Systems
ace
Greece
Nikiforos Atsikpasis Civil Eng.
team
Spain
Miguel MartíGarcès
Civil Eng.
aub / fpdu
Tunis
Ghassen Farhat
Electrical Eng.
ace
Yugoslavia
Marko Ristanovic
Civil Eng.
Dar Al-Handassa
(Taleb)
uk
Olivia Riddle
Civil Eng.
aub / Dr. Chehab
Yugoslavia
Novica Dakovic
Electrical Eng.
aub / fpdu
uk
Thomas Wright
Mechanical Eng.
team International
Brazil
None
Engineering Design
& Supervision
All offers were exchanged. Students have been nominated for twelve out of the thirteen offers
but as of June 6, 2006 five have confirmed and seven are still pending final confirmation.
fea nominations
In exchange for the 13 offers, fea received 19 offers from abroad. A summary of these offers is
given below.
name
major country
corporation/university status
Paul Hajj Boutros
me
Austria
Institute of Metallurgy
Confirmed
Hisham Nasser
Arch
Brazil
at Arquitetos Associados
Confirmed
Mohamad Tarhini
ee
Germany
tu Chemnitz
Confirmed
Nakle Mansour
cee
Norway
Norwegian National Railway Pending Visa
Administration
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 22
name
major country
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 23
corporation/university status
Mansour Rachid
cce
Spain
Harvard Optimetry
Confirmed
Acile Sleiman
cce
Tunis
Hexabyte
Confirmed
Mireille Zarife
arch
Tunis
Cabinet d’architecture
Karray
Declined
Magali Assaf
me
uk
University of Wales
Confirmed
Roy Assaf
me
Yugoslavia
University of Nis
Pending Visa
Joelle Mitri
cce
Yugoslavia
University of Beograd
Pending Visa
Ahmad Abou Zahr
cce
Jordan
gsm Operator
Not
confirmed yet
Maya Abi Abd
ce
Germany
University Karlsruhe
Confirmed
ee
Brazil
unicamp
Cancelled
(time)
ee
Colombia
Universidad de la Salle
No
nomination
Bassam Abu
Rabiah
ce
Croatia
Gravia d.o.o.
Visa problem
Elias Nehmeh
ce
Denmark
Ramboll
Rejected
me
Egypt
Egyptian Iron & Steel
Offer
cancelled
ce
Turkey
iller Bankasi
No answer
me
Iran
Esfahan Steel Company
No
nomination
Jean Paul Akiki
recommendations for 2006-2007
[1] Explore regional contacts to share iaeste positions received that are not appropriate,
primarily due to length, for fea students (without monetary cost to aub),
[2] Determine cost of iaeste to fea, consider a separate budget,
[3] Explore the possibility of fea participation at iaeste International Night at the annual
conference,
[4] Include students in the management of exchanges with iaeste, set up a student iaeste
Office at aub and consider sending students to the annual conference.
Information
Technology Unit
staff
Ziad Shaaban; it Manager; Maher Itani was appointed System Analyst; Toufic Karout was
appointed as a full time Research Assistant and is doing the job of System Administrator;
Saro Koulakisian supervises the audio-visual equipment and the access control servers for
the fea labs, and is now doing the it hardware part which handles the repair of all computer
parts; Elie Azzi was appointed as a part-time Research Assistant and is doing the job of
Security Analyst; Olga Safa Majzoub, Web and Software Manager.
introduction
This is the second year of operation for the it Unit in the fea. Given the experiences of last
year there were some changes made in the unit’s personnel and management requirements.
Among the many accomplishments of the year is the fact that this is the first year that there
were no incidents of security or data loss.
changes in management requirements
The procedures in all areas (network, system development, web development, lab
supervision, help desk etc.) were carefully observed during the process of project and task
management. As the result of this, new requirements were put into place to assure efficiency,
quality control, and careful documentation.
Systems and web development
The number of the projects has increased as well as the experience of the staff. The following
are now procedural requirements for every system or web development:
[1] File preparation: A file is to be prepared by the it manager that holds all the information
related to a required project.
[2] Requirement of the project: The developer must have a full understanding of the job to be
automated; this is facilitated by scheduling meetings between the developer and the end user.
[3] Step-by-step documentation: The minutes of all the meetings between the developer and
the user must be recorded and presented to the it manager for discussion.
[4] Internal meetings: Meetings should be scheduled between the developer and the it
manager to discuss the status of the project: during the analysis stage one meeting per week
and during the development stage two meetings per week.
[5] Database design (if required): After knowing all the required data and the format to be
used, a design of the database is prepared by the developer and shared with the it manager
and the user.
[6] User interface: The developer and the user agree on the interface to be used taking into
consideration the “user-friendly” requirement at this stage.
[7] User manual: After the database and the user interface are agreed upon, a user manual for
the system is to be prepared by the developer.
System administration
The criteria for checking on the it Unit servers were changed due to the changes in the
technology and the current security threats. Each server is now checked depending on its
role and the data that it is holding. The checks are always done by more that one person;
the Security Analyst checks all the vulnerabilities on the server and the code written by the
developer. The System Administrator checks the server updates and virus protection as well
as the capacity and hardware status. The System Administrator also checks the backup of the
server. The System Analyst always checks the backup of the development and web server to
insure that all applications and databases are backed up.
As a result of the procedure described above no incident of security and data loss was
recorded during this year.
Internal meetings
Weekly unit meetings are held to share ideas, perceptions and increase teamwork.
it unit accomplishments in 2005-2006
Upgrades on existing systems and tasks
[1] fea Career: Several features were added to the fea career website to enhance performance
and better serve its purpose. Some of these features are the search criteria and the
permissions set up.
[2] fea it Admin web page: This page is split into two parts one to handle all computer
equipment and the other to handle all other lab equipment such as the electrical lab
equipment.
[3] Call Center: The call center is now part of the it Admin web page so that a full history
of calls received for a specific equipment and information on the owner will be stored and
accessible in one place.
[4] Network upgrade: There was a continuation of the upgrade done last year on the switches,
now every switch in the fea is linked to a Giga connection.
[5] Wireless Network: pda’s can now connect to the wireless network to check the mail as a
first step. Mac users can now connect to the wireless lan using a vpn client (vpn tracker
costs $160); research is in progress to find a free client.
[6] Access control: All fea labs are now equipped with a card reader that enables the student
to access the lab during non-working hours using his/her id. The student has to complete a
form and get the approval of the lab supervisor.
[7] Backup strategy: The backup criteria have been changed; now each server is backed up
daily, weekly, and monthly.
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 24
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 25
On going projects
[1] FEA Student Information System: This system will be used by the student officer to prepare
data and statistics some features of this system are currently being used by the student
officer. This system is being developed using the new management requirements.
[2] fea Faculty Information System: After waiting for the completion of the system done for
the administration by oira, the work on the system by the it Unit has resumed. The work
on this system is at the stage of collecting data and meeting with the user.
[3] fea Alumni webpage: After several internal meetings it was agreed to change the current
alumni web page so that the database of the Career Center can make use of the alumni
database. The creation of this system will follow the new management requirements.
[4] File server for dean’s office: The it Unit is preparing a file server to be used by the dean’s
office because the existing storage is limited.
[5] Engineering Management Compute lab: The it Unit is finalizing the installation of the
new computer lab in the rcl.
[6] Creation of an Information Research Lab: This lab will be created through donations
and will include high performance machines with Oracle and gis capability to be used
for research.
Miscellaneous
[1] srb move: Assist in the study of moving the computer labs to the new building
[2] Student Conference: Assist in the 5th Student Conference
[3] fyp’s: Assist the students during the Final Year Projects
[4] Help desk: faculty and student help desk
[5] Lab supervision: Supervise the graduate labs
[6] Plasma System: System to display data on the plasma located in the fea lobby.
Ω Applying and checking Microsoft & Antivirus security patches in all pcs
Ω Installing new hp color laser printer in Graphic Design Lab
Ω Attending it Computer Committee meeting in Dean’s Office, setting computer lab
improvement plans within approved budget
Ω Attending Academic Computing Center dept. meeting for arranging online webct exams in
Computer labs
November - 2005
Ω Administrating and running online exam in labs for 220 students of econ 211
Ω Updating and fixing virus scan problems in all labs
Ω Fixing damaged wiring network sockets in lab 3
Ω Clean profiles and defrag all hard disks in lab 3 & lab 5
Ω General maintenance for all emac stations in lab 7, including keyboards & mice
Ω Upgrading and installing new storage hard disk to cctv Server
Ω Installing Magnet software in lab 6
Ω Preparing annual lab budget for replacing old computers in lab 3 and lab 5
Ω Training lab staff on fire safety provided by Human Resources Dept. in College Hall
Ω Main Servers Backup and applying all Microsoft security and dell updates
Ω Preparing lab layouts, configurations, dimensions for srb requested by fpdu
sr (Scientific Research Building) where labs will be moved before September 15, 2006
December 2005
Ω Updating new vhdl software license for server & all pcs in labs
Ω Clean profiles and defrag all hard disks in lab 3 & lab 5
Ω Install sql debug software option in lab 1 & lab 2
Ω Meeting with src committee for applying new improvement issues covering students,
network resources, and printing facilities
Ω Running matlab tutorial sessions by ieee in computer labs
Ω Running approved lrcc Lebanese Red Cross Center Computer Literacy session in all labs
on assigned Saturdays
Ω Preparing order for 20 pcs with latest specifications needed for new engineering software
Ω Training lab staff on Occupational Health Safety provided by dept.
Ω Running aub library tutorial sessions for graduate students in computer labs
Ω Main Servers Backup and applying all Microsoft security and dell updates
January 2006
Ω Preparing and submitting printing cost case study to the Dean, for fea student quota
Ω Administrating and running online exam in labs for 220 students of econ 211
Ω Running online final exam Pspice software in lab 1, lab 2, & lab 3 (Dr. Kabalan)
Ω Running cive 370 online final exam in lab 1, lab 2 on Saturday
Ω Installing sap2000 software in lab 1 (Dr. Mounir Mabsout)
Ω Preparing and providing all documents and pictures for designing internet lab web page
under fea site including Graphic Design Labs
Ω Running soan 201 online final exam in lab 1, lab 2 & lab 3. Dr. Sari Hanafi
Ω Main Servers Backup and applying all Microsoft security and dell updates
February 2006
Ω Running ES-Certify internet online programs on many pcs as requested by oira dept. to
check validity of internet speed connections needed for online tofel test
Ω Improving student shared network drive accessibility, by changing server network
connection from local fea to all aub public networks in corporation with cns dept.
Ω Installing labview 7.1 & ProE (mech dept.) software in lab 6
Ω Installing sap2000 in lab 3 (Dr. Mounir Mabsout)
Ω Preventive maintenance to all pcs and servers in labs
Ω Preparing with fpdu & cns depts. network equipment list needed for new labs in srb
Ω Ordering new 1 Giga network switch for new srb computer labs
Ω Training lab staff on ergonomic safety offered by Human Resources Dept. in College Hall
Ω Main Servers Backup and applying all Microsoft security and dell updates
Ω Improving lab entrance furniture, student stationary utilities and student night
attendance desk
March 2006
Ω Installing new matlab license server in labs, and changing all setting of installed pcs
Ω Running approved lrcc Lebanese Red Cross Center Computer Literacy session in all labs
recommendations
Ω Appoint a Systems Administrator rather than having a Research Assistant do the job.
In the past three years 3 different people have been in this role.
Ω Hire a Security Analyst.
Ω Allocate a specific amount of money for a supply budget for the it Unit.
Ω Create a regular time for heads of support units, chairs, the associate dean and the dean
to meet informally with the goal of increasing communication and teamwork.
Ω All it Units need regular training to stay abreast of changes in the field. It is therefore
suggested that:
Ziad Shaaban: receive the it management training “Leading Minds” ($1,700)
Maher Itani: be trained in System Development
Toufic Karout: take System Administration Courses
Saro Koulakisian: receive hardware training
Olga Safa Majzoub: receive training in web development
FEA computer labs
lab staff
Kamal Mikati; Supervisor, Aziz Natour; Senior Master, Raafat Hajj; Senior Master
major work achieved in fea computer labs (october 2005 - june 2006)
October 2005
Ω Preparing all lab schedules, arranging asst 200 (Mech. dept.) lab sessions
Ω Installing hec. 3.1 Civil software in lab 1, lab 2 & lab 3
Ω Installing acad 2004 software in lab 1, lab 2 & lab 3
Ω Checking network proxy & dns server settings in all labs
Ω Installing gis software in lab 1, Photoshop Software in lab 3
Ω Checking Land Desktop & Civil Design software in lab 1 & lab 2
Ω Updating vhdl software license server & all pcs
Ω Repairing laser printer in lab 1
Ω New software image applied to all pcs in lab 1 & lab 2
Ω Installing Chemkin 4.0 software in lab 2
Ω Installing Microsoft sql server software in lab 1 & lab 2
Ω Installing requested software for Graphic Design Labs lab 4 & lab 7
Ω Erasing student profiles on all pcs in labs
Ω Main Servers Backup and applying all Microsoft security and dell updates
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 26
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 27
on assigned Saturdays
Ω Changing and arranging network and electrical wiring in server room, and installing new
server for ProE software with kvm switch
Ω Preparing needed network point’s layout and study with fpdu and cns dept. for new srb
building
Ω Updating, arranging all Lab pcs and student accounts in concerned labs Organization Unit
ou in aub win2k Active Directory
Ω Preparing summer lab schedule according to department requests received
Ω Order new network switch for new srb building as per specifications recommended by
cns dept.
Ω Running approved lrcc Lebanese Red Cross Center Computer Literacy session in all labs
on assigned Saturdays
Ω New numbering labels to all pcs in labs
Ω Fixing damaged wiring network sockets in lab 5
Ω Backup cctv server and updating lab access card reader’s accounts
Ω Preparing cost report, student work–study costs for spring semester
April 2006
Ω Installing 20 new pcs in lab 5 and installing all needed software
Ω Attending quarterly dell Roadmap update in cns dept.
Ω Testing new software image received from cns in lab 1
Ω Running mech 433 Lab view exam in lab 1 & lab 2
Ω Attending Microsoft security presentation in elh assigned by cns dept.
Ω Training lab staff on electric safety offered by ehs & rm dept. in College Hall
Ω Administrating and running online exam in labs for 220 students of econ 211
May 2006
Ω Installing dell Bios hardware update for all pcs in lab 5 and lab 6
Ω Installing Varicut option in ProE software in lab 6 (Dr. Ramsey Hamadeh)
Ω Repair Laser printer in lab 5
Ω Running student registration sessions for summer term
Ω Attending fpdu,cns and fea srb meetings
Ω Contributing in Network survey in fea with cns for srb network design
Ω Arranging and preparing schedule and all technical procedures for moving labs to srb
building in summer with fea coordinator Prof. Alan Shehadeh.
Ω Repairing Virus Alert Server in server room
Ω Assisting fea students in online summer registration
Ω Administrating and assisting in running all fea lab final exams
Ω Assisting students in Final Year Project reports
Ω Preparing student work study and staff monthly attendance sheets
June 2006
Ω Administrating and running online exam in all labs for 220 students of econ 211
Ω Administrating and running online exam in labs for soan 210 (Prof. Sari Hanafi)
Ω Contributing with cns dept. in attending Microsoft Security presentation to system
administrators
Ω Preparing labs for summer semester, installing needed software
Ω Preventive maintenance done to all computers and printers
Ω Preparing new requests for needed printers, supplies, and workshop spare parts
proposals
pcs currently installed in labs:
LAB 1: 22 pcs
LAB 2: 20 pcs
LAB 3: 27pcs
LAB 4: 17 Apple
LAB 5: 22 pcs
LAB 6: 29 pcs
LAB 7: 17 Apple
Servers: 6
Staff: 4 pcs
We have 1,734 fea students using computer labs
(1,438 undergraduate, 243 graduate students during night sessions)
Staff
Keep lab staff it knowledge up to date by periodically attending advanced software and
hardware training courses.
Labs
Ω Replace old computers in Lab 3
Ω Update computers (only main units) every 3 years
Ω Apply 24 /24 hours lab access
Ω Improve cctv monitoring lab security and fire protection systems
Ω Install lcd projector in each lab
Ω Improve student printing facilities
Ω Prepare workspace area for student laptops
Ω Install aub wireless network
Ω Increase number of door access card readers to include all labs.
FEA Library
staff
Khaled Noubani, Assistant to the Librarian (acting Librarian*); Rabi’ Bu-Shahli, Library
Assistant; Ziyad Yamut, Library Assistant; Elie Haddad, Library Assistant; and Salim Shehab,
Library Assistant.
*Due to the training of the staff by Mrs. Maleeha Maalouly prior to her retirement there were
no significant problems this year. In 2006-07, during K. Noubani’s absence, a librarian from
Jafet will be assigned to the fea Library.
training
[1] Khaled Noubani attended the RefWorks Database presentation on November 8, 2005
at Jafet Library. He then trained all the staff individually on the use of RefWorks.
[2] Khaled Noubani, Ziyad Yamut, and Salim Shehab attended the scopus database
presentation at Issam Fares Hall on April 27, 2006.
acquisitions
The library currently houses the following materials:
type
titles
volumes
books
22,396
25,105
Serials
346
11,340
et
446
457
Epj
179
179
e:videos
198
395
cd-roms+Disks
819
916
e:cd-rom
61
79
e:dvd
8
9
e:disk
9
32
Slides
19
1,235
Kits
2
2
(accompanying books)
[1] The weeding process continued this year; the fea Library staff discarded 350 titles in
479 volumes and transferred 6 titles to Jafet Library and one title in 77 volumes to the Soil
Mechanics Lab.
[2] The following databases were added to our electronic collection: astm International
Standards, Grove Art Online, and Blackwell Synergy.
[3] The fea Library and the Information Services Department offered two Refworks workshops
for fea graduate students on the 10th and 11th of November 2005.
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 28
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 29
[4] A new windows xp image was installed on all student computers at the fea Library to
improve their performance.
Engineering Shops
staff
patron attendance
Joseph Nassif; Supervisor, George Jurdi; Senior Shop Master, Joseph Zoulikian; Material &
Manufacturing Shop Master, Ramzi Safi; Senior Technician. (Machine Shop),
Joseph Khoury; Senior Technician. (Wood Shop)
The following table shows the patron attendance for the academic years 2004-05 and
2005-06:
training
Shop personnel attended most of the training given by the Safety Dept.
academic year
number of patrons
2004-2005
232,223
2005-2006
222,433
work accomplished, assistance given, activities
Note: the number for 2004-05 has been changed from the one reported last year because the
library is now calculating all figures from June 1- May 31 rather than from Oct. 1- Sept.30.
The patrons include faculty, staff, students, alumni, membership card holders and visitors. The
number of patrons may be significantly lower this year because people know that there will be no
place for them to work so they do not enter.
services at the library
The following table shows the library service statistics for the academic years 2004-05 and
2005-06:
academic year
circulation
transactions
(issue of books,
renewal returns
and non-loan
returns)
reserve materials
transactions
(books and files)
help transactions
(reference,
instructional,
and directional)
2004-2005
40,658
32,870
12,103
2005-2006
34,897
37,162
12,548
Note: there is a significant difference in the number reported for 2004-05 last year (61,916) for
Reserve Materials Transactions both because of the change in dates for calculation, mentioned
above, and an error in calculation last year.
recommendations for 2006-2007
[1] Continued training of fea Library staff. K.Noubani will take a leave from the library
for one year to study for a master’s degree in library science at the University of
Indiana. As was recommended last year, but did not occur because the courses were
not offered by Human Resources: Rabi’ Bu-Shahli take the advanced level in English,
Ziyad Yamut take the business English course, Elie Haddad and Salim Shehab take the
Service Excellence-Frontline workshop and Developing Secretarial and Administrative
Skills sessions.
[2] Continue to select books, journals and databases that support the fea curriculum and
that meets the needs of the library patrons.
[3] The library will continue to offer sessions and workshops at the beginning of the
academic year introducing aub library resources to fea students.
[4] Replace the colored photocopier with a new one.
[5] Replace the 2 guest computers with newer and faster ones.
[6] Consider completing the new library facility earlier for the following reasons:
Ω The seating space and the number of computers during rush hours do not meet the
needs of the patrons
Ω There is no room for collection growth
Ω The building structure cannot hold more weight as it was not designed to be a library
Ω Excessive noise caused by students between classes and before and after exams
and quizzes.
Courses that used the shops
Ω asst 200: Introduction to Engineering, about 300 students, divided into 6 sections, used
the shops for 2 consecutive weeks for 6 hrs per section.
Machines and equipment used: benches, lathes, drill presses, grinder, files, calipers and
combinations.
Ω mech 421: Manufacturing Processes I, 60 students were divided into 5 sections. Each
section used the shops for 13 sessions of 1 1/2 hrs each.
Machines and equipment used: grinder, lathes, milling machine, shaper, drill presses,
benches, calipers and the roughness tester.
Ω mech 321: Mechanical Engineering Tools, about 80 students in 6 sections used the shops
for 1 week, 3 hrs per section to perform casting and machining and for 21 days, 10 hrs /day to
work on projects.
Machines and equipment used: lathes, milling machines, grinders, drill presses, saws, benches
and vices, welding, all machines of the Sheet Metal Shop, Wood Shop, cnc, and furnaces.
Projects done in the shops
A large number of projects for all fea departments were performed this year. 317 Service
Requisition forms were received and performed between June 2005 and June 2006 resulting
in 885 labor hours (this does not include the shop courses and the maintenance of
machines).
Control Lab: 30 students worked 8 hrs / day the last 2 weeks of the spring semester. They
used the Wood Shop and the Sheet Metal Shop, lathes, milling machines, drill presses, and
welding equipment.
Architecture and Design courses:
Students used the wood, sheet metal and welding shops; saws and benches for times ranging
from 3 weeks to 4 weeks during the last 2 semesters. (Numbers according to job orders)
1st year: 28 students
2nd year: 37 students
3rd year: 27 students
3rd & 4th year Arch. (Vertical Studio): 20 students
4th year Graphic Design: 35 students fyp
5th year Arch.: 18 students
Civil Engineering dept:
Many faculty and student projects and research projects received assistance from the shops
such as: manufacturing wood molds for concrete, plexiglas tanks etc., repairing machines for
labs and performing projects.
Mechanical Engineering dept:
Manufactured devices, setups and fittings for the Aerosol Lab and the Mechatronics
Lab Prepared about 120 specimens for mech 421 (Tensile test, impact test, hardness,
macrostructure, fatigue, bending etc.).
Final Year Projects
Many Final Year Projects were executed in the shops this year using various machines
ranging from manually operated to computer controlled.
office of the dean Ω FEA Support Units Ω 30
Other work completed
Mounted election rooms, allocated lockers, engraved labels, manufactured tables for various
labs, and repaired furniture throughout the fea.
recommendations for maintaining modern shops in 2006-2007
Ω Add new lathes, welding machines and an edm machine (this will require some external
Supplies,
Reproduction &
Buildings
staff training)
Ω Train staff in-house on cnc
In preparation for moving the shops to a smaller space consider developing a “Policy for Use
of Shop Facilities.”
one|Introduction
32
staff
two|Personnel
33
33
34
34
Samir Bassil; Supervisor, Elie Touma; Technician
accomplishments
[1] Renovations completed of facades of Bechtel and the Terrace,
[2] Completed renovation of main electrical panel in the fea Bldg.,
[3] Renovated the sound system in the Engineering Lecture Hall,
[4] Continued to provide and schedule use of all audio-visual equipment for fea
and Business Faculty,
[5] Continued to fill stationary requisitions and maintain an adequate stock of supplies
and machine accessories for fea Dean’s Office and departments,
[6] Continued to photocopy materials such as: quizzes, examinations, lab protocols,
course handouts, scientific and research papers, slides, reports and publications for fea,
[7] Continued to monitor maintenance and construction work performed by the Physical
Plant for the fea,
[8] Continued to attend to the needs and security of the offices and classrooms by checking
lights, clocks, electric circuits, outlets and all main doors of the fea buildings.
recommendation for 2006-2007
[1] Replace all fan coil units in each classroom and office,
[2] Hire a technician assigned to work primarily in the architecture building,
[3] Purchase a new off set printing machine (the current one is 6 years old)
[4] Purchase 10 new lap top computers (there are currently 2 lap tops available for students
and faculty through this office and there is an average of 25 requests a day for their use).
Faculty
Faculty Search
Staff
three|Faculty Research & Activities
Conferences, Workshops & lectures
Abstracts & Proceedings
Consultancy Reports
Paper Presentations
Articles
Exhibitions
Honors & Awards
Publications & Design Work
Other Academic Activity
four|Academics
Curricular Changes
Admission Qualifications
New Courses
Final Year Projects
five|Departmental Activities
Lectures & Presentations
Forums, Exhibitions & Workshops
Event
six|Students
Enrollment
Student Activities
Awards
34
34
36
36
36
36
37
37
37
38
39
39
41
41
43
44
44
47
48
48
48
48
48
architecture & design Ω Introduction Ω 32
architecture & design Ω Personnel Ω 33
one|Introduction
The Department of Architecture and Design was active and productive during the 2005-2006
academic year. In the fall of 2005 five faculty members were on a one semester paid leave
and one faculty member was on a one year paid leave. Thanks to the hard work and diligence
of those present, the Department was able to conduct its activities and events. During
academic year 2005-2006, the department had 48 faculty members: 11 full-time (out of which
one was on leave), 2 visiting, and 35 part-time. The Department of Architecture and Design
also housed 278 students: 133 in Architecture, 132 in Graphic Design, and 13 in the graduate
programs of Urban Planning and Urban Design.
The Department advertised for positions in architecture and graphic design. The full-time
faculty members formed the search committee and, upon completion of its reviews and
discussions, recommended the hire of three new full-time faculty members in architecture;
one visiting professor in architecture and two in graphic design.
Eight new electives were offered during the year in the areas of history, theory and
presentation: Beirut Modern offered by Georges Arbid; Writing the Manifesto offered
by Karim Nader; Signs and Conflicts offered by Zeina Maasri; Spatiality of Urban Social
Exclusion offered by Nadia Alayli; Advanced Arabic Typography offered by Samir Sayegh;
Architectural Progamming offered by Ayman Zahreddine; Digital Media for the Web offered
by Lena Merhej; and Development Aid in the mena: Impacts on Cities and Spatial Planning
offered by Mona Harb.
The Department of Architecture and Design organized and hosted 14 lectures by
researchers, professionals, and scholars in various fields including architecture, urban history
and graphic design. The guest lecturers were: Michael Irving Jenson from IoME, Tarek Atoui,
Eduardo Souto de Moura, Aloys Lolo, Ali Cherri, Mira Kaddoura, Natasha Iskander, Philippe
Somnolet, Nader Tehrani, Alex Anmahian, Bill Hill, Nat Muller, Olivier Philippe, Obeida
Sidani, and Jean-Louis Cohen.
The Aga Khan Foundation held a 2-day forum and a workshop organized for students in
Graphic Design conducted by Bill Hill.
The annual City Debates seminar organized by the mupp/mud graduate program was
entitled “Spaces for the Rich” and was held during the month of May 2006. The four sessions
were on the themes of “Global Forces, Local Claims.”
This year, Dr. Suad Amiry (Arch ’77) received the “Distinguished Alumna” award during the
fea 5th Annual Student Conference. Students participated in the 5th fea Student Conference,
and also attended workshops and conferences in Germany.
The Graphic Design program celebrated its 10th year of graduates and 14 years of
existence. A three-day event was held between June 19 and 21 and many graduates met for
discussions, lectures and social events. An exhibit was held and a gala dinner was organized
for the closing night.
Students in the Department were active participants and winners in a number of
competitions, workshops, and conferences.
Leila Musfy; Chairperson
two|Personnel
Faculty
full-time faculty
Howayda Al-Harithy; Chairperson (on a one-year paid leave), Associate Professor
(Architecture), PhD in Art and Architectural History, Harvard University, usa.
George Arbid; Assistant Professor (Architecture),D.Des. in Architecture, Harvard University, usa.
Dima Charif; Assistant Professor (Graphic Design), ma in Typo/Graphic Studies, lcp, uk.
Daniel Drennan; Assistant Professor (Graphic Design) mps in Interactive
Telecommunications, New York University, usa.
Mona Fawaz; Assistant Professor (Urban Planning), PhD in City Planning, mit, usa.
Mona Harb; Assistant Professor (Urban Planning), PhD in Political Science, Institut d’Etudes
Politiques, Aix-en-Provence, France.
Zeina Maasri; Assistant Professor (Graphic Design), mfa in Design, Jan van Eyck Akademie,
The Netherlands.
Leila Musfy; Acting Chairperson, Professor (Graphic Design), mfa in Design, Cranbrook
Academy of Art, usa.
Walid Sadek; Assistant Professor (Graphic Design), mfa in Sculpture, the Claremont
Graduate School of Art, usa.
Sylvia Shorto; Assistant Professor (Architecture and Design), PhD in History of Art and
Archaeology, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, usa.
Michael Stanton; Associate Professor (Architecture), MArch. Princeton University, usa.
visiting full-time faculty
Stephen Campbell; Visiting Assistant Professor (Architecture), MArch. in Urban Design,
Harvard University, usa.
May Farhat; Visiting Assistant Professor (Architecture and Design), PhD in Art and
Architectural History, Harvard University, usa.
part-time faculty
Abdul Halim Jabr; Lecturer (Architecture), MArch., mit, usa.
Abir Khoury; Instructor (Architecture), Bachelor in Architecture, lau, Lebanon.
Ahmad Gharbieh; Instructor (Graphic Design), ma in Photography & Urban Cultures,
Goldsmiths College, University of London, u.k.
Ayman Zahreddine; Instructor (Architecture), maud in Architecture and Urban Design,
Harvard University, usa.
Bassam Kahwagi; Instructor (Architecture).
Bernard Mallat; Lecturer (Architecture), MArch., University of Maryland, usa.
Dalia Fawaz; Instructor (Graphic Design), ma in Communication Art and Design, Royal
College of Art, uk.
Gregoire Serof; Senior Lecturer (Architecture), Bachelor in Architecture, alba, Lebanon.
Habib Debs; Lecturer (Architecture), dess in Urban Planning, Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées,
France.
Hana Alameddine; Lecturer (Architecture), ms in Architectural Studies, mit, usa.
Hani Asfour; Lecturer (Architecture), MArch., Harvard University, usa.
Hassan Al-Assad; Instructor (Architecture), MArch. Harvard Graduate School of Design, usa.
Jana Trabulsi; Instructor (Graphic Design), Masters in Multimedia, Ecole Nationale
Supérieure de Création Industrielle, France.
Jinane Bacho; Lecturer (Graphic Design), mfa in Printmaking and Painting, Pratt
Institute, usa.
Joumana Al-Jabri; Instructor (Architecture), Executive mba, Euro mba with a consortium of
European Universities.
Joy Kanaan; Instructor (Architecture), BArch, University of Southern California, usa.
Karim Nader; Instructor (Architecture), MArch., Rice University, usa.
Lena Merhej; Instructor (Graphic Design), mfa in Design & Technology, Parsons School of
Design, ny, usa.
Maha Nasrallah; Instructor (Architecture), BArch, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
Marc Nader; Lecturer (Architecture and Design), Diploma, Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de
Paris, France.
Faculty Search
Staff
architecture & design Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 34
architecture & design Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 35
Marguerite Spoerri; Lecturer (Architecture and Design), PhD University of Neuchatel,
Switzerland.
Mayda Freije; Lecturer (Graphic Design), ms in Communication Design, Pratt Institute, usa.
Mazen Kerbaj; Instructor (Graphic Design), Bachelor in Graphic Arts and Advertising, alba,
Lebanon.
Michele Wardeh; Lecturer (Architecture), Master in Sociology, Saint Joseph University,
Lebanon.
Mohamad Hafeda; Instructor (Architecture), ma Design for the Environment, Chelsea College
of Art and Design, University of the Arts London, uk.
Moustapha Majzoub; Lecturer (Architecture), BArch, aub.
Nadia Alayli; Instructor (Urban Planning), Master of Science in Housing, University College
of London, uk.
Naji Assi; Instructor (Architecture), mup in Middle East and Maghreb Cities, Paris Belleville,
France.
Rafi Boyadjian; Instructor (Graphic Design), bgd, aub.
Rana Haddad; Lecturer (Architecture), aa Diploma riba, Architecture Association London, uk.
Rania Ghosn; Instructor (Architecture), ms in Modernity, Space and Place, Department of
Geography, ucl, uk.
Raya Khalaf; Lecturer (Graphic Design), mfa, Jan van Eyck Akademie, The Netherlands.
Samir Sayegh; Lecturer (Graphic Design).
Sany Jamal, Instructor (Architecture), BArch., American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
Sara-Jane Arida; Lecturer (Graphic Design), bfa in Communication Design, Parsons School
of Design, usa.
Walid Haddad; Senior Lecturer (Civil Engineering), ms Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of
Technology, usa.
Mona Harb, Invited discussant:
Acted as a principal discussant at the aperau (Association pour la promotion de
l’Enseignement et de la Recherche en Aménagement et Urbanisme) International Conference
Conquérir la ville. Réappropriation urbaine : acteurs, mécanismes et enjeux, organized by
alba (Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts) and ifpo (Institut Français du Proche Orient),
June 1-2, 2006.
Acted as a principal discussant at the conference “The Comprehensive Master Plan for
the Lebanese Terrirories: Principles and Choices” organized by the Consultative Center for
Studies and Documentation, Beirut, 29-30 June, 2006.
Acted as a principal discussant at the conference on “Cities and Globalization: Challenges
for Citizenship,” organized by Heinrich Boell Foundation and Institut Français du Proche
Orient, hosted by the American University of Beirut, Beirut, December 9-11, 2005.
Acted as a discussant at the workshop “Cooperation across Ideological Divides in the
Middle East,” organized by Janine Clark and Jillian Schwedler, Rockefeller Foundation’s
Study and Conference Center, Bellagio, Italy, April 8-13, 2005.
The Department of Architecture and Design advertised for positions in architecture and
graphic design and received thirty-six applications in architecture and 12 in graphic design.
The ten full-time faculty members present, formed the search committee, chaired by Leila
Musfy. Upon completion of its reviews and discussions, the committee short-listed four
candidates in architecture and three in graphic design. The committee invited some for
interviews and lectures: Hani Asfour, Yasmine Abbas, and Robert Saliba in architecture;
Lina Ghaibeh, Mayda Freije and David Thorne in graphic design. The search committee
recommended the hiring of four new full-time faculty members in architecture and two in
graphic design.
Sirene Salam; Department Secretary
three|Faculty Research & Activities
Conferences,
workshops &
lectures
Howayda Al-Harithy; “Negotiating the Built Heritage,” Center for Contemporary Arab Studies,
Georgetown University, Washington dc, April 25, 2006.
“Decorative Traditions in Islamic Architecture: Origins and Shifts,” Muslim Women in the
Arts Organization, Maryland, usa, April 10, 2006.
“Invisible Boundaries, Visible Presence: Persian Cultural Influence on Medieval Cairo,”
2006 caa (College Art Association) Conference, held in Boston, February 23-25, 2006.
“The Politics of the Reconstruction Project in Downtown Beirut,” hosted by Professor
Michael Hudson, Georgetown University, Feb. 23, 2006.
Daniel Drennan; Represented the Graphic Design Program at icograda (International
Council of Graphic Design Associations), Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2005.
Sylvia Shorto; “Stages of Mimicry: The Agra House of the Maharaj Rana of Dholpur.”
Paper presented at the Society of Architectural Historians 59th Annual Meeting, Savannah,
ga, April 2006.
Walid Sadek; Panelist at “War of Images - Modernity and its Discontinuities,” a conference
organized by the Federal Cultural Foundation and House of World Cultures, Berlin,
May 5-7, 2006.
Panelist at Coffee Break, a conference organized by Manifesta International Organization
in Nicosia, Cyprus, January 26, 2006.
Panelist at Zawaya Encounters, Madina Theatre, Beirut, November 15, 2005.
Stanton, Michael; Invited symposium participant in “Exposing New Orleans” a conference on
problems and potential post-Katrina, March 2006, Princeton University in collaboration with
Columbia University. Presentation of work on typology and reconstruction in New Orleans
and participation in formulation of concrete proposals.
Lecture “A Template for incremental Reconstruction: New Orleans and the politics of
everyday work in extraordinary circumstances.”
Juried paper selected for presentation, the Second International Conference of The Arab
Society for Computer Aided Architectural Design, Computing in Architectural Design: Re
Thinking the Discourse, April, 2006, Sharjah, uae.
Lecture “Redemptive Technologies II: the sequel (a decade later)” refereed.
Juried paper selected for presentation at America in the Middle East / The Middle East
in America, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for American Studies and Research (casar)
Conference, Dec. 2005, Beirut.
Lecture “The Bad and the Ugly: Globalism, Americanization and Lebanese Urban
Sprawl,” refereed.
Three juried papers selected for presentation, The uia World Congress, XXII, July 2005,
Istanbul:“Real e(State): on the Continuing Reinvention of Downtown Beirut,” “Authenti-city,”
“Colonial Anomalies: Cuban Cities and the presume Order of Spanish Urban Development,”
refereed.
“Engaging the City” Lectures, the National Arts Club, Oct. 2005, New York.
Lecture “Beirut Vague: post-third-world urban sprawl and the American suburb” as part
of series including: Manual De Landa, Vito Acconci, Nelson Brissac Peixoto, Kyong Park
and Nils Norman, Eyal Weizman, Bill Mensing and Alessandra Ponte, Anthony Vidler,
Sebastian Marot.
Mona Fawaz; World Congress of Sociology. Durban, South Africa.
Deboulet, A. and Fawaz, M. “Urban restructuring, highways and conflicts in Beirut’s
irregular settlements.”
Habitat II +10, Beirut, Lebanon
Fawaz, M. An Evaluation of Arab State Policies vis-à-vis Tenure Security and their
Commitment in the Habitat II Summit
“The Production of Space in Beirut in the 1950s,” aub, Beirut, Lebanon.
Organized a closed one-day workshop that grouped twenty urban researchers from
Lebanon and abroad during which I presented the main findings of the current research I am
conducting on the production of low-income neighborhoods in the eastern suburbs of Beirut
during the 1950s-60s.
Abstracts &
Proceedings
architecture & design Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 36
architecture & design Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 37
Zeina Maasri; Discussant on the panel: “Dwelling and Retail for the Affluent,” in the City
Debates conference edition of 2006, “Spaces of the Rich: Consumer/Citizen Practices in
Affluent Beirut.” Organized by the Urban Planning and Design Program at the American
University of Beirut, May 2006.
California: Fall 2005: 7-17.
“Female Patronage of Mamluk Architecture in Cairo,” in Beyond the Exotic: Women’s
Histories in Islamic Societies, ed. Amira Sonbol, Syracuse University Press: 2005: 321-35.
Stanton, Michael “The Bad and the Ugly: Globalism, Americanization and Lebanese urban
sprawl”in the proceedings of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Center for
American Studies and Research (casar) Conference America in the Middle East /The Middle
East in America, December 2005, Beirut.
“Computing in Architectural Design: Re-Thinking the Discourse,” in the proceedings of
the Second International Conference of The Arab Society for Computer Aided Architectural Design,
April 2006, Sharjah, uae.
“Redemptive Technologies II: the sequel (a decade later)” abstract and paper. refereed
“Real (e)State: on the continuing reinvention of downtown Beirut,” “Authenti-city,”
“Colonial Anomalies: Cuban cities and the presumed order of Spanish urban development.”
In the proceedings of the uia Word Congress XXII, July 2005, Istanbul, abstracts and three
papers, refereed.
Consultancy reports
Mona Harb; “La Dahiye de Beyrouth: parcours d’une stigmatisation urbaine, consolidation
d’un territoire politique” (Dahiye of Beirut: Process of an Urban Stigmatisation, Consolidation
of a Political Territory), in Depaule J.-Ch. (dir.), Les mots de la stigmatisation urbaine, Paris:
unesco-msh, 2006, 199-224.
Harb M. & Leenders R., “Know Thou Enemy: Hizballah and the Politics of Perception,”
Third World Quarterly, Special Issue, Vol.25 (5) 2005, 173-97.
Harb M., “Pious Entertainment: Al-Saha Traditional Village,” isim Review ‘Popular Piety’,
17, 2006, p.10-11.
Exhibitions
Stanton, Michael; (Stadt) Bauwelt, 24/06, June 23, 2006, Berlin, “Forgetting Architecture”
translation of “The City as the Work of Architecture.”
An Nahar, Beirut, February 17, 2006 “Missed Opportunities...and Missed Values.”
Architect’s Newspaper, New York, issue 14, 2006 “Under the Volcano: Beirut and the Urban
Dance Macabre.”
Harb, M., “City Development Strategy for Sour & City Development Strategy for Jounieh,”
two consultancy reports prepared for the World Bank Cities Development Strategy (cds)
Project in Lebanon, Ministry of Interior, Beirut, subcontracted by Kamal Hamdan Consultants
(Consultation and Research Institute, cri); May 2006.
Walid Sadek; “Love is Blind” in the exhibition Out of Beirut curated by Suzanne Cotter at the
Museum of Modern Art Oxford, 13 May-16 July, 2006.
“File: Public Time,” a collection of texts written in collaboration with Bilal Khbeiz and Fadi
Abdullah presented at HomeWorks III, a forum for cultural practices organized by Ashkal
Alwan, the Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts, at Madina Theatre, Beirut, November 2005.
Fawaz, M. “Good Planning Practices in West Asian Countries: a Critical Overview,” in
The Challenges of Decentralization and Local Governance in the Arab World. Beirut: lcps.
un-escwa: “Developing and Assessment of the Performance of Arab States in Tenure
Security and Good Governance Issues” in relation to the un-Habitat II+10 (a summit in
Vancouver in June 2006).
Paper
Presentations
Mona Harb; “From Politics to Culture: Hizbullah’s Conservative Art and Tourism in
Lebanon.” Paper presented with Lara Deeb at the panel “Islamization of Arts, Entertainment
and Leisure Activities: Sensibilities in Motiom,” organized by Karin Van Nieuwkerk, wocmes
2 (World Congress for Middle-Eastern Studies), Amman, June 11-18, 2006.
“Understanding Cities from a Planner’s Perspective.” Paper presented at the panel Cities
and Globalization: Challenges for Citizenship, organized by the Heinrich Boell Foundation,
wocmes 2 (World Congress for Middle-Eastern Studies), Amman, June 11-18, 2006.
“Hizballah: An Alternative Policy Network in Post-War Lebanon,” individual paper accepted
and presented at the annual Middle-East Studies Association (mesa) meeting, Washington
dc, 19-22 November 2005.
“Islamizing Entertainment and Tourism Activities in Lebanon.” Paper presented at
the conference “(In)Visible Histories: The Politics of Placing the Past.” Organized by the
International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (isim), Amsterdam,
2-3 September 2005.
Zeina Maasri; “Adventures and Challenges in Arab Publication Design,” at Kitabat: Arabic
Calligraphy and Typography Conference, hosted by the American University of Dubai, uae
(upon invitation). Abstract published (proceedings forthcoming) April 2006.
Walid Sadek; Presented excerpts from “File: Public Time” with Bilal Khbeiz and Fadi Abdallah
at the symposium Public Time held at the Museum of Modern Art Oxford, May 26, 2006.
Articles
Howayda Al-Harithy; “Islamic Architecture: Form, Function and Meaning by Robert
Hillenbrand,” (Book Review), Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol.74, no.1, Oxford
University Press: spring 2006: 232-35.
“[Reframing] World Heritage,” Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review: Journal of the
International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments, vol.17, no.1 uc Berkeley,
Walid Sadek; “In Health but Mostly in Sickness: The Autobiography of Moustafa Farroukh,”
in Out of Beirut, published by The Museum of Modern Art Oxford, 2006.
“A Room with a Conversation in the Middle,” in Notes for an Art School, published and
commissioned by Manifesta International Foundation and Manifesta 6 in Cyprus, 2006.
Leila Musfy; “Istanbul as felt by…,” by invitation, Mimar Sinan University, Turkey, May 2006.
Stanton, Michael; The Order or Engineers and Architects, Beirut. “Architecture and Desire:
Beirut/Venice Encounter” the work of 3rd and 4th-year students from aub with symposium
and awards, June/July 2005 curated with Bernard Mallat.
Honors & Awards
Howayda Al-Harithy; Visiting Scholar, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown
University, Washington dc.
Visiting Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, uc Berkeley (deferred do to accepting
the position at Georgetown University).
Keynote Speaker, Muslim Women in the Arts, Montgomery County, Maryland, usa.
Mona Harb; Visiting Fellow, Aga Khan Program, Harvard University; launched the cooperation
between the Harvard Graduate School of Design (gsd) and the aub mup/mud programs;
met with faculty and students; attended lectures.
Michael Stanton; Invited Juror: The Portman Prize Competition, Dec. 2005, Georgia Institute
of Technology, Atlanta. Other jurors: Kim Tanzer, University of Florida; Lisa Iwamoto, uc
Berkeley; Frank Andre, Lord Aeck Sargent; Walt Miller, John Portman & Associates.
Publications &
Design Work
design projects
Zeina Maasri; Zawaya: A periodical on emerging cultural production in the Arab world
Diffaf Éditions, Beirut, (Zawaya is funded by the Ford Foundation). Publication design (with
Mind the Gap)
Ω Art direction of issue number 12-13 October 2005.
Ω Member of the editorial board since 2002.
Ω Design of program leaflet, flyers, and invitations for the public event: Zawaya Encounters,
November 2005, Beirut.
Sylvia Shorto; “Building for the Business of Bermuda,” Traditional Buildings and Settlements
Review, vol xvii, #ii, Spring 2006.
architecture & design Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 38
architecture & design Ω Academics Ω 39
“A Tomb of One’s Own: Governor’s House, Lahore,” in Peter Scriver and Vikram Prakash,
eds., Constructing Colonial India. London: Routledge Architext Series, 2006.
Sylvia Shorto; fea Research Committee; ArD Slide Library, Administrator; ArD Search
Committee; ArD Lecture Series Committee.
Leila Musfy; Memories of the South, book that documents villages of the South, published by
South for Construction, 2005
On going design work: Book on “Women’s Memories,” Summer 2006.
Mona Harb; fea Academic Committee, fea Strategic Planning Committee, ArD Lecture
Series Committee, ArD Building Committee, ArD Search Committee, ArD-sbs Coordinating
Committee.
mup-mud Coordination: completed the restructuring of the graduate programs in Urban
Planning and Urban Design at the bot level (April 2006), in cooperation with Mona Fawaz.
Organized 3 field trips as part of the graduate core course “Planning and Design
Workshop,” fall 2005.
Assisted the Architecture studio led by Habib Debs and Rana Haddad on the theme of
public spaces, in cooperation with Solidere, spring 2006.
Organized four guest lectures as part of the graduate elective “Development Aid in the
mena Region,” (Dr. Susan Razzaz, World Bank; Walid Bakhos, Un. of Montreal; Sibylle Bikar,
EU; Prof. Sari Hanafi, aub), spring 2006.
Organized one working seminar as part of graduate core course “Thesis Preparation,”
with Prof. Najib Hourani (nyu) and Prof. Maha Abdelrahman (auc), spring 2006.
Organized a public conference as part of graduate core course City Debates: “Spaces
for the Rich, Citizen/Consumer Practices in Affluent Beirut,” May 11-13, 2006.
projects published or cited
Leila Musfy; Work published in: World Wide Identity, October 2005, Communication Arts, July
2005, Istanbul Exhibit “Istanbul as felt by…,” exhibit catalog, May 2006.
Zeina Maasri; (2006) Awarded “Un des Plus beaux Livres Suisses 2005.” (Most beautiful
Swiss Books 2005) for the book design (with Mathieu Christe, Switzerland) of: Térritoire
Méditerranée, ProHelvetia Fondation Suisse pour la Culture, (Switzerland 2004). The award is
offered annually by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. Out of 404 books submitted in 2005,
only 32 were selected by the jury for the annual award. The awarded books were exhibited in
the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (21May-11June 2006) and published in the Annual Award
Catalogue “Die Schönsten Schweizer Bücher, 2005.”
Greetings from Beirut (eds. Maasri and Lutz Shift, Berlin 2003) was reviewed in Becherer, R.
“Talking in the City.” Design Issues v. 22 no. 3 (Summer 2006) p. 74-7.
Zawaya: A periodical on emerging cultural production in the Arab world and the book
Mapping Sitting on Portraiture and Photography (eds. Maasri et al, Beirut 2002 and 2005)
were cited in François Cheval’s (Head conservator of the Musée Nicéphore Niépce, France)
preface to the book Syrie, Liban, Palestine: Le grand Tour, Isthme Editions Musée Nicéphore
Niépce (Paris 2005) p. 12.
Other Academic
Activity
Walid Sadek; ArD Search Committee, Academic Search Committee for the Department of
Fine Arts and Art History.
research
Leila Musfy; fea Administrative Committee, fea Strategic Planning, fea Space Committee
Planning, ArD Search, ArD Lecture Series, ArD Design Pool (Chair), gd 10th Anniversary,
ArD Space Planning, MainGate Advisory Committee.
Zeina Maasri; Iconography of Political Parties in Lebanon’s Civil War (ongoing research
project).
(Fall 05-06) William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Grant for a one semester paid
research leave awarded by aub for the project “Iconography of Political Parties in Lebanon’s
Civil War.”
Mona Fawaz; April 2006 Seminaire d’Initiation a la Recherche, one week research meeting
co-organized with the Institut Français du Proche Orient, included our graduate students who
presented their research work and received feedback from a number of university professors
and researchers (several coming from major research centers in France).
Mona Harb; Participated to the ifpo/aub/lu research seminar “Space & Politics,”
April 2006.
Article Review, International Journal of Middle East Studies (ijmes), July 2006.
PhD Thesis Review, sephis program, July 2005.
Michael Stanton; Invited design juror (2005-2006): Columbia University; Georgia Institute of
Technology; University of Colorado, Denver.
Sabbatical leave - one semester (fall 2005) paid research leave to work on continuing book
project on The American City.
Visiting Scholar at Columbia University’s Avery Library in New York.
research grants
Sylvia Shorto; Hewlett Grant for Junior Faculty, awarded for fall semester 2005.
urb Research Grant, 2005/6. Research project: Digesting Lebanon.
University Service
Zeina Maasri; ArD Search; ArD Slide Library; Technical advisor for fpdu on the design of the
aub indoor signage system; Consultant for rep (regional and external program, aub) on the
development of the Graphic Design programs in: University College of Bahrain and Dhofar
University Salalah, Oman (2004-2005).
Mona Fawaz; fea Graduate Studies (2004-2006); ArD City Debates (Since 2004); Urban
Planning and Design Restructuring (Since 2004); ArD Search Committee.
Daniel Drennan; fea Student Affairs; IT and Student Conference; ArD Search Committee;
Lecture Series; Lobby Committee; and Space and Planning.
four|Academics
Curricular
Changes
MUPP/MUD changes
general information
The Department of Architecture and Design offers two graduate degrees: Master of Urban
Planning and Policy (mupp ) and Master of Urban Design (mud).
The mupp and mud programs offer a first graduate degree to students interested in
acquiring the critical skills necessary to analyze urban contexts and to formulate urban
interventions in the form of projects and/or policies. The two graduate programs emphasize
research skills as primary tools for teaching and learning. The graduate programs also seek to
create a multidisciplinary debate among various approaches to understanding and practicing
urban planning and urban design by enrolling students with different social science and
design-based undergraduate degrees, as well as by hosting lectures and organizing yearly
seminars that reflect on the different professions of and practices in the built environment,
in addition to encouraging linkages with other schools of social science and design in
and outside the University. This research-based and multidisciplinary approach to urban
planning and urban design make the mupp and mud programs unique in Lebanon and the
region where most other planning programs are structured as applied professional degrees.
program structure
The two graduate programs extend over two years of full-time enrollment. The mupp
track requires students to take a total of 30 credits, nine of them in a sub-discipline of
specialization where planning and policy-making skills are applied. The mud track requires
architecture & design Ω Academics Ω 40
architecture & design Ω Academics Ω 41
students to take a total of 33 credits, 12 of them in applied design studios. The two tracks
share a common core of 21 credits consisting of three core courses (Research Methods;
Planning Theory and Policy; and Urbanism), one planning/design workshop and a final
Thesis. The thesis necessarily involves empirical research and generates innovative ways of
thinking and understanding the future context of practice. In addition, all students enrolled in
the mupp /mud programs are required to take the zero-credit seminar entitled City Debates
at least twice during their university enrollment. One of the core courses, Urbanism, could be
waived, depending on the student background and upon the consent of the academic advisor.
Total 6
Spring Semester
urpl 681
urpl 660
Urban Design Track
Ω First Year
Fall Semester
urpl 630
urpl 631
Common core MUPP /MUD
urpl 660
urpl 630
urpl 631
City Debates Seminar
Research Methods
Introduction to Planning
Theory and Policy
urpl 632
Urbanism
urpl 661/urds 601 Planning and Design Workshop
urpl 680
Thesis Preparation
urds 603/urpl 681 Urban Planning/
Urban Design Thesis
Credit Hours
0
3
Urban Planning Thesis
Seminar
6
0
Total 6
Research Methods
Intro to Planning Theory and Policy
1 Approved Elective
3
3
3
Total 9
Planning and Design Workshop
Urbanism
Seminar
6
3
0
Total 9
Design Studio
1 Approved Elective
6
3
Total 9
Thesis Preparation
Seminar
Urban Design Thesis
0
0
6
Total 6
Spring Semester
urds 601
urpl 632
urpl 660
3
3
6
0
Ω Second Year
Fall Semester
urds 602
6
Total 21 credit hours
MUPP courses
mupp students are required to take three courses from one area of concentration (9 credits),
in a field of applied social sciences or engineering (such as sociology, economics, public
administration, civil or environmental engineering) leading towards concentration areas such
as urban policy, community development, transportation, labor, housing, or environmental
sustainability. Other options may be agreed upon with the mupp/mud academic advisor.
MUD courses
mud students are required to take, one design studio and two approved electives (12 credits).
urds 602
Design Studio
Two approved electives
Spring Semester
urpl 680
urpl 660
urds 603
Admission
Qualifications
6
6
Total 12
program agenda
The typical course load for the Urban Planning and Policy and Urban Design tracks is
normally distributed over two years as shown below. Course distribution is subject to
the approval of the academic advisor.
Urban Planning and Policy Track
Ω First Year
Fall Semester
urpl 630
Research Methods
urpl 631
Intro to Planning Theory and Policy
1 Concentration Area Elective
Credit Hours
3
3
3
Total 9
Spring Semester
urpl 632
Urbanism
urpl 661/urds 601 Planning & Design Workshop
urpl 660
Seminar
Ω Second Year
Fall Semester
urpl 680
New Courses
Applicants who meet all aub and fea regulations governing admission to graduate study
(including acceptable eee or toefl scores) and who hold the equivalent of an undergraduate
degree in architecture, landscape architecture, environmental design, urban or regional
planning, engineering, economics, public administration, or sociology or other social science
degrees may be admitted to the Master of Urban Planning and Policy program as regular
graduate students.
Applicants who meet all aub and fea requirements governing admission to graduate
study (including acceptable eee or toefl scores) and who hold the equivalent of a
professional Bachelor of Architecture degree may be admitted to the Master of Urban Design
program as graduate students.
For admission purposes, the cumulative undergraduate average of all students, regardless
of undergraduate major, will be computed over all courses taken during the last two years of
undergraduate study. If the credit total for all courses taken during the last two years is fewer
than 60 credits, courses from previous semesters will be considered until this number is at
least 60.
new core course in graphic design
grds 231: Introduction to Visual Theory (3 credits)
The course is an introduction to the various debates concerning visual representation
aiming towards an investigation of the visual as a social practice and as part of an
aesthetic discourse.
3
6
0
Total 9
new elective courses
grds 020: Signs of Conflict and Resistance (3 credits)
The course addresses the deployment of political rhetoric in graphic design historically and
in contemporary practice. It examines those particular moments of political conflict - war,
Thesis Preparation
2 Concentration Area Electives
0
6
architecture & design Ω Academics Ω 42
architecture & design Ω Academics Ω 43
resistance and revolt, where visual artifacts in different print formats become important
vehicles through which ideological constructions are materialized and diffused. The course
takes as a case study the graphic production of Lebanese political parties and movements
during the civil war (1975-1990) while covering other significant cases that can enrich and
inform our main investigation.
Focusing on case-studies from the Middle East and North Africa (mena), it aims to shed
light on how cities and the planning process are being affected by development aid programs.
The seminar is divided in two parts. The first part introduces students to the development
aid literature, highlighting main debates and controversies, using both political science and
urban studies literatures. The second part examines, through case-studies, selected aid
programs that have been established by different donors in the mena over
the past decades and that directly affected cities, regions and/or the planning process.
The course relies heavily on class discussions; active participation is required.
arch 020: Beirut Modern (3 credits)
The course investigates modern architecture in Lebanon, mainly in the 1950s and 1960s,
shedding light on a vibrant period that produced a distinctive local version of modernism.
The course covers aspects such as architectural education, the organization of the profession,
patronage, competitions, collaborations, and the various meanings given to modernity and
tradition.
arch 030: Writing the Manifesto (3 credits)
We need to write the manifesto. It will clarify and articulate our design philosophy, explicate
the active role of design in the social field and connect the practice with the philosophical
question of being a creator. For inspiration we will be looking at a variety of manifestoes
produced in the fields of literature, music, cinema, poetry, theater… In a workshop format, we
will individually write our own manifesto, refine it, critique it and present it to a live audience.
urpl 627: Spatiality of Urban Social Exclusion (3 credits)
Social exclusion is a contested term. It appears to have originated in France in the late 70’s
to denote those excluded from the welfare state safety net (‘les eclus’). Today the term
“social exclusion” is associated with the change in the nature of the condition of deprivation,
particularly in the urban context, from material insufficiency, i.e. poverty, to the inability to
exercise social, economic and political rights as citizens.
The first part of the course examines the meaning of the term, the extent and nature of
problems that it encompasses and the controversies about its measurement. The second part
of the course investigates the “spatiality of social exclusion” (Madanipour, 1998). It seeks
to provide an understanding of both, the translation of social exclusion into space and the
manner in which space can promote social exclusion. The third part of the course focuses on
how urban regeneration and housing initiatives impact social exclusion and the implications
of social and spatial exclusion on citizenship.
grds 053: Advanced Arabic Typography (3 credits)
In addition to a new and summarized historical overview, the study of Arabic calligraphy
involves dealing with the problems facing this traditional art in its efforts at modernization,
innovation and adaptation to new technologies. This consists of two approaches to the
subject, one that looks at the Arabic script as an art by itself: calligraphy, and the other that
ponders on its reformist and mediatic function or its applications in modern life.
arch 061: Architectural Programming (3 credits)
The course will deal with Architectural Programming in the context of pre-design, in both the
conceptual and the practical aspect of the topic. Pre-design, the program and architectural
programming will become the sequence in which we will introduce the following: pre-design
information collection and understanding, concept of program, programmatic issues and
analysis, scales of programmatic applications and different ways of thinking needed in the
early design process.
grds 040: Digital Media for the Web (3 credits)
This course introduces students to web design and publishing, through interface design and
data organization and visualization. Students will learn Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver
to create community based websites that explore new ways of publishing, exhibiting, and
sharing information on the Internet. Students will be working both on animation and
interactive programming to create complete web projects.
urpl 660: Development Aid in the MENA: Impacts on Cities and Spatial Planning (3 credits)
This graduate seminar course seeks to combine both the frameworks of political science and
urban studies to investigate the impacts of development aid on cities and spatial planning.
Final Year Projects
architecture
Abu Rislan, Lina; “Intervening in Aley: Meshed Cultural Spaces of the Souk”
Al Hakim, Fadi; “Claiming Public Spaces for Children”
Al Tayeb, Abir; “Mosque Architecture and Religious Culture in Old Saida”
Badih, Tarek; “Down the Rabbit Hole, Design for Un-reality”
Chaccour El Hajj, Hassan; “Little Russia, Super Night Club Workers”
Dada, Adib; “IPC: Manufacturing an Alternative”
El Khoury, Roula; “Lines of Discrimination, Featuring the Manifesto”
Farah, Edgard; “Architecture and Social Identity (Martyr’s Square)”
Gebran, Dalia; “Potential Boundaries, Designing the Façade”
Hage Boutros, Maria; “Gemayze: Fabricating a Reality”
Hayek, Makram; “‘Event Islands’ off the Lebanese Coast”
Makki, Ayman; “An Asylum, Designing for the Mentally Ill”
Mehio, Yasmine; “Scratching the Surface: Space, Identity and Architecture”
Najm, Fadi; “Line of Demarcation and Public/Administrative Realm”
Nassar, Vanessa; “Requiem, Destruction by Design”
Nasser, Hisham; “Chess - Rules of the Game”
Nouhra, Rami; “Virtual Realities”
Rizkallah, Miryam; “Rehabilitation Prison”
Sarout, Hamzah; “Shopping, Architecture and the City”
graphic design
Abou Chakra, Rima; “Hadrat al Zaim”
Abou Samra, Joanna; “Kif Bousal Bi Zoukak Al Blat?”
Agha, Mariam; “Another Word, Another Performance”
Agha Kalsoum, Maha; “3ammi, Ayna Al Sad Elda2e3?”
Atoui, Lorine; “The Inner Workings of a Noise-Maker:
Experiments and Studies in Noise Instruments”
Ayoub, Omar; “Ordo Reducere [for the New World]”
Ayyashi, Yasmeen; “Formless: the Progression of a Hybrid Identity”
Bouchedid, Mandy; “The Margin Activated”
Captan, Lara; “Takseem wa Takween: Abhath wa Tajareb fi l’Khatt al-Arabi”
Choueiter, Mary; “Tawouss Wou Deek Woufe3len”
Daher, Lana; “Bluff: Where Do Babies Come From?”
Daoud, Joseph; “Language; the Flaw and Virtue”
El Kheyami, Gida; “Eye to I”
El Mohamad, Nadia; “Welcome to Abqaiq, the Friendly City”
Farran, Hiba; “A Few Printing Mistakes”
Habbouche, Carol; “Subject: (none)”
Haffar, Nuhad; “Beyroot, Beirut, Beyrouth”
Hourani, Naila; “What Do I Remember When I am Gone”
Ibrahim, Ramzi; “Kharriss, Khrass, Takharrass: Hikayat Tassallout - Moughamarat Jaysh”
Kahwaji, Richard; “Show me Love: A Journey of Disillusionments”
Kahwaji, Elie; “Envision on Unsustainabilty”
Katrib, Leila; “The Space of a Moment”
Khayat, Lana; “Madinat al-Ahsass”
Kiblawi, Diana; “Uncorked”
Kobayter, Nadine; “In the Event of Finding the Dictionary”
Naamani, Layla; “the book of inspiration”
Nasri, Souha; “My Cocoon”
architecture & design Ω Departmental Activities Ω 44
architecture & design Ω Departmental Activities Ω 45
Ogden-Smith, Anna; “Erotika-Featuring: Christina [Modern Mythologies]”
Shaaban, Sara; “On Display”
Sikias, Aline; “La Notion de L’Artiste Fou; Monologue et Reflexions”
Sunna’, Ziad; “In Memory of….”
Tabraoui, Dima; “Still Life”
Yakan, Mariam; “Dialogues on a Natural High; A Process in the Moving Circa”
Mira Kaddoura; “Straight Talk,” January 4, 2006.
Miriam “Mira” Kaddoura was born in Alexandria and raised between Toronto and Beirut.
She studied design at aub where she earned a Bachelor in Graphic Design in 2000. She
trained in Amsterdam and New York City then went for her ms in Art Direction at vcu
Adcenter. After graduation, she was hired by Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Oregon. Major
projects she has worked on are: Oregon Tourism, Belvedere, Powerade and Coke. She is
currently working on the Nike campaign for football 2006. Her work has won international
and national awards. She was featured in Communication Arts, Win Awards and One show.
She was recently voted as “The Best Creative You Don’t Know” in Adweek Magazine. She will
also be featured in a book called “Branding and Advertising Today” to be released early 2007.
masters in urban design
Summer 2005
Azzam, Youssef; “Housing Migrant Workers in the City: An Investigation of Urban Design
Regulations in an Informal Settlement of Beirut”
Qumri, Nasri; “Reclaiming the Public Domain: The Case of Ramlat al-Bayda Public Beach”
Spring 2006
Saroufim, Chadi; “Secteur 27, Rue 52, Conflicting Land Use in Monot Street”
Shibli, Rabieh; “Revitalizing al-Mina st. in the Old Town of Sour”
five|Departmental Activities
Lectures &
Presentations
Michael Irving Jensen; “Introducing Images of the Middle East 2006,” October 3, 2005
Michael I. Jensen is head of Middle East Projects at the Danish Center for Culture and
Development (dccd), which was planning a major culture festival called “Images of the
Middle East” taking place in summer 2006 in Copenhagen and other major Danish cities.
Jensen presented the project: “Images of the Middle East” which focuses on contemporary
culture and the current changes which are taking place in the Middle East.
Tarek Atoui; “Presenting New Technologies in “Digital Arts” and Multimedia: Real Time
Interaction,” October 12, 2005.
The lecture introduced a new technique of working and performing digital arts, which is real
time interaction. It is a technique that focuses on using computers in live situations to play
music, to generate image or make a performance.
Eduardo Souto de Moura; “Recent Projects,” October 24, 2005.
Eduardo Souto de Moura studied architecture at the School of Fine Arts in Oporto, Portugal,
where he later became a professor. He has also been a visiting professor at Harvard, Geneva,
Paris-Belleville, eth Zurich, Lausanne, and Dublin. He has completed numerous residences,
schools, infrastructural work, and other projects in Portugal and Europe, including the
Portuguese Pavilion for the 2000 Expo in Hanover, with Alvaro Siza. He has won numerous
awards. The Souto de Moura sports stadium completed in 2004 is carved out of a granite
hillside in Braga, Portugal, using the excavated material for aggregate in the building’s
concrete structure.
Aloys Lolo; “how far can i go? Considerations About Diversions of Public Commissions in
Some Political, Cultural or Prophylactic Posters of Aloys Lolo.” November 21, 2005.
Aloys Lolo was born in Bern, Switzerland. He has been a professional illustrator since 1978.
Aloys has collaborated with several French and Swiss publishers, and has held exhibitions of
his work in Switzerland and the United States. He has worked on many posters and projects
for cultural and political awareness. In the area of fiction, his most known characters are
“Qickett’ & Flupkette” which were published in sixteen newspapers and magazines. Among
his publications: La peau des Rêves, Ed. Magic Strip, Bruxelles 1985; Juliette et Roméo,
Pro Juventute, 1993; Toxicodépendance: Problèmes somatiques courants, Ed. Médecine &
Hygiène, 2004.
Ali Cherri; “The Image and its Shadows,” November 30, 2005.
Screening of the video: “Un Cercle autour du Soleil.”
Ali Cherri showed his most recent work and focused on the power and tools he as a designer
has in creating images, and he discussed his responsibility as an author. He graduated from
the Department of Architecture and Design in June 2000.
Natasha Iskander; “Emigration, Interpretative Engagement, and Infrastructure Reform
in Rural Morocco, 1985-2005,” January 16, 2006.
Natasha Iskander will be an Assistant Professor at the Wagner School beginning in fall
2006. She has a PhD in Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is
currently a post-doctoral fellow at nyu’s International Centre for Advanced Studies as part
of the Authority of Knowledge project. Her research interests include labor migration and its
relationship to economic development, labor mobilization and its relationship to work force
development, and processes of institutional innovation and organizational learning. Recent
work includes a study comparing the processes by which the governments of Mexico and
Morocco elaborated policies to build a link between labor emigration and local economic
development.
Nader Tehrani of Office d’A; “Spatializing the Surface,” February 15, 2006.
Office d’A is a Boston-based architecture and design firm led since 1991 by principal partners
Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani. The firm’s work ranges in scale from furniture to
urban design and infrastructure, with a focus on architecture.
Office d’A’s simultaneous rigor and sensitivity have allowed the firm to develop a portfolio
of projects around the world - from Boston to Caracas to Beijing - which uniquely marry local
craft and tradition to global and contemporary techniques.
Nader Tehrani is a principal of Office d’A. He is currently serving as the Thomas W. Ventulett
III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology
and is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of
Design, where he has taught since 1998. At the gsd, Tehrani co-taught and coordinated the
Immaterial/Ultra-material seminar and exhibition. Tehrani has served on numerous juries
and lectured widely throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Tehrani has previously taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, University of Miami,
and Northeastern University. He received the bfa and BArch from the Rhode Island School of
Design and the maud from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He also attended a Postgraduate program in History and Theory at the Architectural Association in London.
Philippe Somnolet; screening of “Frères Lumière” short films, February 22, 2006.
Philippe Somnolet is an anthropologist, chargé d’enseignement au Centre de Recherches
et d’Etudes Anthropologiques (crea) de la Faculté de Sociologie et d’Anthropologie de
l’Université Lumière Lyon II. His research concentrates on several geographical locations
mainly Brazil and Cuba.
Bill Hill; “Information Needs Design,” March 6, 2006.
Bill Hill is president and founding partner of MetaDesign. MetaDesign creates identities,
interfaces and environmental graphics for clients from cultural institutions to global
corporations. “We create value through the development of proven communication tools
and experiences, and we succeed because we have deep industry knowledge and experience,
a global perspective, and a user-centered approach.” MetaDesign helps clients communicate
with their audiences by solving information design problems in three key areas: identity
design, interaction design and environmental design. Clients include: Apple Macintosh,
Audi, Denver Art Museum, Palm, Xerox and Nike.
architecture & design Ω Departmental Activities Ω 46
architecture & design Ω Departmental Activities Ω 47
Nat Muller; “Who is Looking at You, Kid? Navigating the Scopic Regimes of the Information
Society,” March 8, 2006.
Nat Muller is an independent curator, critic, writer, and foodie based in Rotterdam. She has
recently been appointed new media curator of De Balie - centre for culture and politics - in
Amsterdam. Nat is primarily interested in viewing social and political processes through
a cultural/artistic lens. She has published articles in off- and online media, and has given
presentations on the subject of media technology and art (inter)-nationally. Her main
interests include: human computer interaction; food and social communication; technology
and intimacy, strategies for trans-disciplinary collaborations, the intersections of aesthetics,
technology and politics; (new) media and art in Middle East. Her projects in 2004 included
The Trans-European Picnic - The Art and Media of Accession in collaboration with Kuda
(Novi Sad, Serbia) and V2 - (Rotterdam, nl), co-curating the electronic art biennial deaf-04:
Affective Turbulence: The Art of Open Systems; the curatorial research project “Xeno_Tech”
which researches situated practices of media (art) in the Middle East. Projects in 2005
include the exhibition infra-ctures involving sound artists and architects, and Xeno_Sonic:
a series of experimental sound performances from the Middle East. Nat has taught media
theory and electronic art at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and at the
Lebanese American University in Beirut.
d’architecture, 2002 (ed., with Joseph Abram and Guy Lambert); Casablanca, Colonial Myths
and Architectural Ventures, New York, The Monacelli Press, 2002 (with Monique Eleb);
Américanisme et modernité, l’idéal américain dans l’architecture, Paris, Flammarion/École
des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, 1993 (ed., with Hubert Damisch); Le Corbusier and
the Mystique of the ussr, Theories and Projects for Moscow, 1928-1936, Princeton, Princeton
University Press, 1992.
Olivier Philippe; “Eaux, Strates et Horizons,” March 15, 2006.
Olivier Philippe, Landscape Architect and Artist, is one of the three founders of Agence ter
Paysagistes - Urbanistes, based in Paris, Karlsruhe and Guyane. He teaches at the Ecole
Nationale Supérieure du Paysage in Versailles. The firm works on a wide range of projects
and has been awarded several times in international competitions. Agence ter approaches
the transformation of space by taking into account the context of the intervention in all its
complexity. The intrinsic qualities of a particular place and its potential, and the surrounding
economic, social and political concerns are interpreted within a total concept, whatever the
scale of the intervention. This conceptual approach makes it possible to federate and direct
the future of the site. Water, layers (stratums) and horizons are recurrent themes in the work
of Agence ter which underlie the manipulation of space and are interpreted in varying forms
and orientations within the differing realizations.
Obeida Sidani; “D’cadence: Extreme makeover a television reality,” April 12, 2006.
Having launched six television channels in the last four years, Obeida Sidani (aub Graphic
Design graduate 1997) has played a major role in today’s Middle Eastern broadcast scene.
He currently oversees the on-air/off air branding of four television channels: Dubai Television,
One tv, Sama tv, and Dubai Sports Channel. He is the branding consultant of Dubai Media
Incorporated (dmi). Part of his responsibility includes the re-launching of all four channels,
transforming them into leading brands in the area. In the process, Obeida won several
Promax-bda awards. Prior to dmi, Obeida was the creative director of the first Arab youth
channel, Zen tv, as well as the acting creative director of Future Television Network, Beirut.
In his lecture: “D’cadence: Extreme makeover a television reality,” Obeida discusses content
that cannot stand on its own anymore. In this survival struggle, “general free to air television”
is losing its viewers to more niche and cable channels - younger and sexier channels. There is
a lot of competition consequently change and dynamism. Extreme makeover is the last resort
to lift off the legacy of decadence.
Jean-Louis Cohen; “Casablanca: Colonialism, Multiculturalism and Modernity,” May 19, 2006.
Jean-Louis Cohen, who is currently Sheldon H. Solow Professor of the History of Architecture
at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, holds degrees in both architecture and
history. His research activities focus on 20th-century architecture and urban planning in both
European and colonial contexts. He has extensively interpreted the work of Le Corbusier. In
1997 Cohen was asked by the French Ministry of Culture to create the Cité de l’architecture,
a museum and exhibition center in the Palais de Chaillot dedicated to the planning of Paris.
From 1998 to 2003 he also directed the Institut Français d’Architecture, and from 1999 to
the present, the Musée des Monuments Français, the two major components of the Cité,
which is due to open in 2006. Cohen’s major publications include Alger, paysage urbain et
architectures 1800-2000, Paris, Éditions de l’Imprimeur, 2003 (ed., with Nabila Oulebsir
and Youcef Kanoun); Encyclopédie Perret, Paris, Éditions du Patrimoine, Institut français
Forums,
Exhibitions &
Workshops
forums
AGA KHAN 2005
Organized in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the event was part of a
traveling forum involving Alexandria, Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, Sharjah and Toronto.
November 11, 2005.
A dvd film on the last cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture was shown.
A panel/debate took place followed by a reception. It closed with a lecture by Farshid
Moussavi who is Principal, Foreign Office Architects, London. Farshid Moussavi is an
architect of Iranian origin. She worked with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa
and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam prior to establishing Foreign
Office Architects in London in 1992. Professor Moussavi is currently the head of Institute
of Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and has been teaching there since
2002. The built projects of Foreign Office Architects (foa) include a new ferry terminal
with landscaped public areas and cruise liner facilities in Yokohama, Japan; a new park with
outdoor auditoriums in Barcelona; and a police headquarters in La Villajoyosa, Spain. foa’s
work is widely exhibited and published in numerous monographs and catalogues, Farshid
served as the chairperson on the 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Master Jury.
exhibitions
Miriam Kaddoura: Selection of her print work and TV reels.
fpdu fea district competition
A Public Exhibition for the winning design and competing schemes in the limited
international design competition for the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture District and
Irani Oxy Engineering Complex was held in the Department of Architecture & Design from
May 18 till June 1, 2006.
gd 10th anniversary
Selection of print works, books, tv graphics, and animations etc. from alumni of the past ten
years who are working in the profession.
workshop
Bill Hill: a two day workshop in corporate identity open to 3rd and 4th year Graphic
Design students.
conferences
Cities and Globalization: Challenges for Citizenship
Organized by the Graduate Program in Urban Planning & Design, the Heinrich Boell
Foundation & the Institut Français du Proche-Orient), December 9-11, 2005.
city debates 2006
Spaces for the Rich. Citizen/Consumer Practices in Affluent Beirut, May 11-May 13, 2006.
[1] High-End Development in Context
Mona Harb; welcome address
Fawwaz Traboulsi; “The Oligarchy and the City: a Historical Background”
Najib Hourani; “The Malling of the Middle East?”
Discussant: Mona Fawaz
[2] Dwellings and Retail for the Affluent
Nina Alaily-Mattar; “Towards an Urban ‘Aï-zone’? Detachment and Concentration in
Networked Nodes of Affluence”
Doris Summer & Karim Eid-Sabbagh: “The Production and Imaging of ‘Dream Homes’ for
the Affluent in and around Beirut”
architecture & design Ω Students Ω 48
Maha Abdelrahman; “Islamic Consumerism for the Rich in Cairo”
Discussant: Zeina Maasri
[3] Public Spaces, Consumerism & Citizenship
Mona Abaza; “Consumer Culture and the Urban Reshaping of Cairo”
Angus Gavin (Solidere); “Beirut: Emerging Places”
Discussant: Khaled Saghieh
Samir Khalaf; “On the Pathologies of Consumerism in Postwar Beirut”
Hashim Sarkis; “Intense Edges, Open Spaces”
Discussant: Heiko Wimmen
Roundtable: Researching High-End Development with: M. AbdelRahman, N. Alaily-Mattar,
N. Hourani, moderator: M. Harb
Event
gd 10th anniversary
10 years of graphic design graduates. Events were held between June 19 and June 21, 2006.
An exhibition opened on June 19, 2006 in the Department of Architecture and Design.
The exhibition entailed our graduates’ professional design projects ranging from print to
multi-media. Lectures were presented by graduates on June 20 and June 21. The following
lectures were presented by graduates on June 20 and June 21:
Zena Khalil; “In my world of pink, I am queen of my Casbah”
Lynne Osman; “Arabic Calligraphy [alter]nating between the global and the local”
Diala Ashkar; “Speep and the web designer”
Tarek Atrissi; “the designer as entrepreneur”
Marie-Joe Raidy; Lena Merhej and Youmna Saba; “The other”
Nathalie Fallaha; “Visualizing cultural identity; Beirut typographic expressions”
Marie-Joe Raidy; “the printing press”
On June 21, 2006 a gala dinner was held at the Sporting Club in Manara. Graduates from all
years, Dean Hajj and his wife, faculty and staff were present.
six|Students
Enrollment
architecture
1st year: 25
2nd year: 36
3rd year: 35
4th year: 19
5th year: 18
graphic design
1st year: 41
2nd year: 31
3rd year: 26
4th year: 34
one|Introduction
50
two|Personnel
51
51
52
53
53
Full-Time Faculty
Part Time Faculty
Staff
External Advisory Board
three|Faculty Research & Activities
Teaching
Grants
Publications
Service
four|Academics
Courses Offered
Final Year Projects
Graduate Theses
Master of Engineering Theses in progress
five|Departmental Activities
Budgets
Meetings
Seminars
Awards
53
53
53
55
58
61
61
63
66
66
67
67
67
67
68
mupp/mud: 13
Student Activities
field trips
Sylvia Shorto; Field trip for second and third year students who had successfully completed
arch 224 to New York City, June 15-30, 2006.
Awards
fawzi w. azar architectural award
5 students were nominated (Architecture class of 2007):
El Akl, Hala; Akkaoui, Stephanie; Joueidi, Riwa; Naim, Candice; Maatouk, Rayan.
On Thursday June 22, 2006 Mr. Azar announced the winners:
Akkaoui, Stephanie (70% of the award)
Naim, Candice (30% of the award).
six|Students
Enrollment & Statistics
Student Employment
68
68
68
electrical & computer engineering Ω Introduction Ω 50
electrical & computer engineering Ω Personnel Ω 51
one|Introduction
During the period from July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006, the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering witnessed exciting developments in terms of strategic planning;
the development of a new undergraduate program in electrical and computer engineering
(ece); and new graduate programs, which include a non-thesis program and a program in
information and communications technology (ict), and the finalization of preparations for
launching the PhD program.
The strategic plan of the Department for the next five years was developed with
initiatives evolving around six themes: students, faculty, undergraduate programs, graduate
programs, department administration, and publicity. The student initiatives recommend
involving students in projects, research, and community work; attracting top students at
the undergraduate and graduate levels, and enhancing their educational experience in the
department; and improving regional diversity in the student body, especially at the graduate
level. Faculty initiatives support fostering links with industry and funding agencies, forming
research groups in the department, offering continuing education courses, reducing the
teaching load, creating endowed chair positions, and appointing an external relations officer.
For undergraduate programs, the initiatives call for replacing the be in electrical engineering
with a be in electrical and computer engineering; launching new undergraduate programs in
software engineering and biomedical engineering; adapting to changing market needs; and
obtaining abet accreditation. The initiatives for graduate programs include improving the
existing programs and introducing an me in electrical and computer engineering, offering
a non-thesis option, launching the ict program and the PhD program, and developing a
graduate program in software engineering. At the level of department administration, the
initiatives consist of continuously upgrading equipment and labs, hiring two staff members
for laboratories and software support, improving collaboration with the Department of
Computer Science at aub, and positioning the department to be a research and development
center in the region. Publicity initiatives propose creating a task force for publicity, upgrading
the website of the department (a new ece website was launched in June 2006), creating print
and multimedia material to publicize the department, visiting high schools and universities
to recruit undergraduate and graduate students, and fostering links with alumni of the
department.
During the period covered by this annual report, and as a result of the strategic planning
effort, the department introduced a new undergraduate degree, Bachelor of Engineering
in Electrical and Computer Engineering that replaces the existing Bachelor of Engineering
degree in Electrical Engineering. The undergraduate curricula in the two programs in the
department (ece and cce - Computer and Communications Engineering) were studied
during the departmental retreat in November 2005. The programs underwent a major
revision that streamlined them and aligned them together. As a result, ece is a general
program and cce is a specialized program for students who intend to take electives in
computer hardware, software, communications, and networks.
The master of engineering degrees in ee and cce were merged into one new degree, the
Master of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Under this new degree, three
graduate programs will be offered as of September 2006: A research-oriented thesis program,
a course-oriented non-thesis program, and a special program focused on information and
communications technology (ict). The ict program is a special program in the sense that
students following the ict curriculum will have to complete all the requirements of a thesis
program, in addition to taking courses in business and management, and completing an
industrial or research internship. The development of the ict program is funded by the
European Commission under Tempus grant jep 31074-2003 with the Munich University of
Technology (tum) in Germany, the University of Southampton in the uk, and Siemens ag
being partners in this project. As part of the agreement with tum, an intensive course on
optical communications was offered in the department during April 2006. The experience
was very positive and encourages the offering of such courses in the future. External links,
similar to those with the ict partners, are being extended to enst in France, Delft University
in the Netherlands, and the daad German agency.
The PhD program in electrical and computer engineering underwent further study by
various university committees. The PhD program was approved by the aub Board of Trustees
in June 2006. A visiting team of scholars recommended to the New York State Department
of Education the registration of the PhD degrees from aub. The program is slated to start
enrolling students in September 2007.
Development of the laboratories continues to be a priority in the department, using funds
from Tempus, asha, and the university. New laboratories for radio frequency and wireless
communications, mobile and distributed computing, and biomedical engineering, are
being equipped, and upgrades to the communications laboratory and the power electronics
laboratory were installed.
The department continued to advertise faculty positions in various areas, for which more
than sixty applications were received. Dr. Imad Elhajj will join the department in September
2006 as a new assistant professor. Dr. Elhajj graduated from the department with a be in cce
in 1997. He then went on to receive an ms and a PhD in electrical engineering from Michigan
State University. After receiving his PhD, he joined Oakland University as an assistant
professor of computer science and engineering.
Finally, congratulations go to Dr. Hassan Artail who was promoted in June 2006 to the
rank of Associate Professor, and to Dr. Adnan Al-Alaoui who was elected chairman of the
newly-established ieee Lebanon Section, and a warm welcome is extended to Ms Samiha
Tannir who joined the department as secretary in the fall of 2005.
Ayman Kayssi; Chairman.
two|Personnel
Full-Time Faculty
professors
Al-Alaoui, M. Adnan; PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology; Areas of interest: Analog & digital
signal processing with applications to filters, communications, controls, and biomedical
engineering; pattern recognition and neural networks with applications to character, speech
and image recognition.
Chaaban, Farid; PhD, University of Liverpool; Areas of interest: Design and analysis of electric
machines and drives; energy systems and their impact on the environment; air pollution from
power plants.
Chedid, Riad; PhD, University of London; Areas of interest: Design and analysis of electric
machines and drives; energy systems and their impact on the environment; air pollution from
power plants.
Diab, Hassan; PhD, University of Bath; Areas of interest: Performance evaluation of parallel
processing systems; application of fuzzy methodology to performance evaluation in parallel
processing systems; performance evaluation of reconfigurable computer architectures;
simulation for engineering education.
El-Hajj, Ali; Docteur Ingénieur; University of Rennes I; Areas of interest: Antenna theory;
electromagnetic field computations; software development; telecommunication applications.
Hajj, Ibrahim; PhD, University of California, Berkeley; Areas of interest: Design and
verification of vlsi circuits and systems; design for reliability and optimization; design
automation; mixed-mode simulation; fault simulation and testing.
Kabalan, Karim; PhD, Syracuse University; Areas of interest: Antenna theory; electromagnetic
field computations; software development; telecommunication applications.
Karaki, Sami; PhD, University of Manchester; Areas of interest: Renewable energy systems
modeling; generation expansion planning and production costing; application of neural
networks, fuzzy systems, and genetic algorithms in energy systems.
Kayssi, Ayman; PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Areas of interest: Internet
technologies; wireless applications; computer networks and data communications; vlsi
design, modeling and simulation; digital system testing.
Mrad, Fuad; PhD, Purdue University; Areas of interest: Control; robotics; industrial
automation; instrumentation.
Saade, Jean; PhD, Syracuse University; Areas of interest: Communication systems; fuzzy
sets and logic; design of intelligent systems using fuzzy logic and other tools; optimization
techniques for intelligent and decision-making systems.
electrical & computer engineering Ω Personnel Ω 52
Sabah, Nassir; PhD, State University of New York, Buffalo; Areas of interest: Electrophysiology
of nerve and muscle; modeling of the electrical behavior of nerve and muscle cells; modeling
of the behavior of the human neuromuscular system.
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 53
Staff
Mrs. Rabab Abi Shakra and Mrs. Samiha Tannir Issawi
ece labs
associate professors
Ali-Ahmad, Walid; PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Areas of interest: Millimeterwave 4g radio systems, multi-mode multi-band reconfigurable radio front-ends, digital radio
transceivers for 3g systems, rf mems, applied em applications
M. Khaled Joujou, Salam Abyad and Fuad Shihab.
External Advisory
Board
assistant professors
Abou Faycal, Ibrahim; PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Areas of interest:
Information theory; digital communication; optical communication; stochastic systems.
Artail, Hassan; PhD, Wayne State University; Areas of interest: Distributed computing and
clusters; high-availability, real-time software over networked systems; embedded systems and
smart sensors; communication protocol design; software project management and rollout.
Bazzi, Louay; PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Areas of interest: Theory of error
correcting codes; design and analysis of algorithms; cryptography; number theory.
Chehab, Ali; PhD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Areas of interest: vlsi design and
design for testability (dft); dynamic power supply current (iddt) testing; development of
automatic test pattern generation (atpg).
Dawy, Zaher; PhD. University of Munich, Areas of interest: Wireless communications
(gsm/edge, umts); Hybrid Cellular-Ad Hoc Networks Multiple User Information Theory;
multimedia transmission over IP networks; bioinformatics and statistical genetics.
Karameh, Fadi; PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Areas of interest: System
identification and control; biological systems: neural system modeling, gene expression
arrays.
Mansour, Mohamad; PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Areas of interest:
Digital ic design; vlsi for communications, signal processing and general purpose
computing systems; coding theory, code design on graphs, decoding algorithms and
architectures; algorithm and architecture optimizations for vlsi using abstract algebra.
Saghir, Mazen; PhD, University of Toronto; Areas of interest: Computer architecture;
optimizing compilers; configurable computing; embedded systems design.
Part Time Faculty
The External Advisory Board (eab) plays an important role in advising, promoting, and
supporting the ece department. The eab met on June 14, 2006. Included on the agenda of
that meeting was: State of the ece Department; Strategic Plan; New Programs in ece and
Other Business.
external advisory board members
Mr. Ghassan Boulbol; Liban Cables; Mr. Jalal Fawwaz; act; Mr. Zuheir Haddad; ccc;
Mr. George Kadifa; ibm; Mr. Kamal Kalot; Tamer Freres; Dr. John Makhoul, bbn; Mr. Youssef
Matar; Dar Al-Handassah (Chairman of the eab); Mr. Abude Omari, Pillar Invest; Mr. Abdel
Raouf Rifai; Mr. Hussein Rifai; mdc; Dr. Gabriel Rebeiz; University of California, San Diego.
three|Faculty Research & Activities
Teaching
senior lecturer
Chahine, Hazem; Diploma, Loughborough College of Technology
lecturers
Abou Chahine, Soubhi; PhD, enst
Chebaro, Toufic; d.e., enst Paris
Damaj, Issam; PhD, London South Bank University
Hamandi, Lama; PhD, Ohio State University
Mehdi, Mahmoud; ms, Marquette University
Moghrabi, Issam; PhD, Essex University
Mohtar, Taan; ms, University of Prague
Othman, Ziad; PhD, University of Florida
Tannir, Mawan; PhD, Imperial College, London
visiting lecturer
Huijer, Ernst; PhD, University of Florida
instructors
Barake, Taha; msc, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Droubi, Ghassan; me, American University of Beirut
Gurunian, Mihran; me, American University of Beirut
Hasbini, Haitham; ms, Boston University
Kanafani, Zaher; be, American University of Beirut
Moukalled, Ali; ms, Western Michigan University
Slim, Bassel; me, American University of Beirut
department secretaries:
Grants
Abou-Faycal, Ibrahim; Fall: eece 442 [40], eece 641 [11], Spring: eece 442 [56],
eece 660C [10]
Al-Alaoui, Mohamad Adnan; Fall: eece 311[49], eece 691C [24] , Spring: eece 440 [26],
eece 694C [19].
Ali Ahmad, Walid; Fall: eece 480 [26], eece 613 [21] , Spring: eece 480 [16], eece 643[31],
Coordinator for eece 797 seminars.
Artail, Hassan; Summer: eece 330 [31]; Fall: eece 330 [55], eece 678 [39]; Spring: eece 430
[40], eece 630 [14].
Bazzi, Louay; Fall: eece 230 [36]; Spring: eece 230 [40], eece 431 [7], eece 642 [7].
Chaaban, Farid; Summer: eece 470 [25]; Fall: eece 570 [30], eece 370 [40]; Spring: eece 470
[38], eece 692 [27].
Chedid, Riad; Summer: eece 210 [12]; Fall: eece 480 [40], eece 684E [30]; Spring: eece 210
[50], eece 480 [40].
Chehab, Ali; Summer: eece 320 [42]; Fall: eece 230 [44], eece 320 [56]; Spring: On Leave.
Dawy, Zaher; Fall: eece 640 two sections [38+42]; Spring: eece 450 two sections [53+63],
eece 604 [18].
Diab, Hassan; Summer: On Leave; Fall: On Leave; Spring: On Leave.
El-Hajj, Ali; Summer: eece 230 [21]; Fall: eece 230 [38], eece 330 [49]; Spring: eece 230 [46],
eece 330 [27].
Kabalan, Karim; Summer: eece 440 [26]; Fall: eece 210 [32], eece 670C [7]; Spring: eece
210M [57], eece 674 [9].
Karaki, Sami; Fall: eece 310 [50], eece 471 [37]; Spring: eece 473 [25] eece 641E [10].
Karameh, Fadi; Fall: eece 210 [23], eece 635S [8]; Spring: eece 440 [42], eece 603S [28].
Kayssi, Ayman; Fall: eece 311 [49]; Spring: eece 311 [23]; Chairman of Department.
Mansour, Mohammad; Fall: eece 320 two sections [32+38]; Spring: eece 321 two sections
[53+45], eece 622 [5]
Mrad, Fuad; Fall: eece 460 [83], eece 630 [14]; Spring: eece 460 [41], eece 637S [16].
Saade, Jean; Summer: eece 442 [35]; Fall: eece 661C [8], eece 664C [12]; Spring: eece 440
two sections [33+35]; Coordinator of the Final Year Project.
Sabah, Nassir; Fall: eece 310 [44], eece 601S [8]; Spring: eece 210 [50], eece 602 [8];
Coordinator for eece 401 seminar.
Saghir, Mazen; Fall: eece 421 [50], eece 625 [30]; Spring: On Leave.
M. A. Al-Alaoui; urb: Electronic Diagnostic System for Heart Disease us $2,000.00.
lncsr: Developing a Low-cost Machine Vision System to Automatically Detect Defects
and Fractures in Plastics and Metals, LL5, 250,000.
tempus: Establishing a graduate program in Information Technology (it). 494,000
Euros/8 ece faculty members/ 3 years.
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 54
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 55
Kadifah Fund: Adult Literacy Using Information Technology us $25,000.
W. Ali-Ahmad; urb seed grant, $6,000, 1/1/05-09/30/05.
urb grant, $6,500, 10/1/05-09/30/06.
(June 11/06-June 13/06) To attend and present at the 2006 ieee rfic Symposium. Grant
includes airline ticket, $490 registration fee, and a per diem of 4 days (4 x $225=$900).
Walid Y. Ali-Ahmad, Mazen A. R. Saghir, and Mohammad M. Mansour, “A Universal
Wireless Modem,” $6500.00.
hipeac 2005 Conference Registration Fees, 200.00.
H. Artail; George Kadifa Fund, $12,000, December 2005-2006, Knowledgebase Development
for Mobile Environments.
Mediterranean Virtual University (mvu) project, 200,000 (member of a group to develop
and deliver online courses).
October 2005-2006, $6500, A Dynamic and Adaptive Database Caching Strategy in Mobile
Ad hoc Networks.
Grant to attend the 3rd International Symposium on Telecommunications (ist 2005),
Shiraz, Iran.
lncsr, $4,667, June 2005-2006: Trustworthy Distributed Computing (group project with
Drs. A. Kayssi, and A. Chehab).
lncsr, $5,333., December 2005-2006: A Cooperative Computing Framework for Handheld
Devices (group project with Dr. H. Safa).
F. Chaaban; Integrated Water, Energy, and Environment Knowledge System Using gis
Technology, urb Grant, Beirut, September 2005.
aub Energy Audit, erg group, requested and funded by aub President, $89,000. starting
March 2006.
R. Chedid; Optimal Engineering Design for Dependable Water and Power Generation in
Remote Areas Using Remote Areas Using Renewable Energies and Intelligent Automation.
Submitted jointly with the University of Manheim, Germany and evaluated by the eu.
The proposal has been approved by the eu and it is expected to start in Sept. 2006.
Value: 1.6 million.
Development of a Simulation Environment for Performance Analysis of a Fuel-cell Based
Hybrid Renewable Energy System, urb grant, US $4,500., aub 2005-2006.
A. Chehab; George Kadifa Research Fund. An Enterprise Policy-Based Security Architecture
for Protecting Relational Database Network Objects [$ 6,500] (with Prof. Ayman Kayssi).
National Council for Scientific Research, Lebanon. Trustworthy Distributed Computing
[LL 7,000,000] (with Prof. Ayman Kayssi and Prof. Hassan Artail).
sun and act. Grant for Wireless Security Research [$10,000] (with Prof. Ayman Kayssi).
Transient Current Testing of Dynamic cmos Circuits in the Presence of Leakage and
Process Variations [$11,000] (with Prof. Ayman Kayssi).
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Grant. Paid research leave for the 2005-2006
spring semester
Mediterranean Virtual University (mvu). eu project to develop online courses [200,000
Euro] with Profs. Artail, El-Hajj, Kabalan and Kayssi.
Z. Dawy; Project title: Coding Theory Models for Gene Expression in Prokaryotic Organisms
Funded by: urb / Amount: 6,500. $ / Duration: October 2005-September 2006.
Hewlett Foundation junior faculty research leave grant for spring 2007.
Approved activity: Attend the ieee International Conference on Communications (icc’06)
in Istanbul, Turkey / Duration: June 11-June 16, 2006.
Ali El Hajj; Wideband Smart Antennas with Independently Controllable Beamwidth and
Sidelobe Level, American University of Beirut Research Board. Amount of $5,000., October
2005-September 2006.
Low-Sidelobe Adjustable-Beamwidth Planar Arrays, American University of Beirut Research
Board. Amount of $5,500., October 2004-September 2005.
“Mediterranean Virtual University,” eumedis, Amount of about 4,000,000., 300,000
for aub.
Ali El-Hajj, Ayman Kayssi, M. A. Al-Alaoui, H. Artail, K. Kabalan, M. Saghir, A. Chehab, and
Zaher Dawy, “Collaborative IT Program for Education and Research,” tempus, Amount of
494,000, 2004-2007
Imad Mougharbel, Ali El-Hajj, et al. “ Implémentation d’un réseau de Laboratoires pour
l’expérimentation en temps réel à travers l’Internet ” (Design of Remote lab experiments),
cedre, Amount of 20,000. October 2003-October 2005.
K. Kabalan; Mutual Coupling of Planar Arrays Using the Orthogonal Method, aub/urb, Oct.
1, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006.
S. Karaki; Energy Access II Project, The Global Network of Energy for Sustainable
Development, $25,000; contributing to the activity in collaboration with other erg group
members.
Renewable Energy Technologies II, The Global Network of Energy for Sustainable
Development, $25,000; contributing to the activity in collaboration with other erg group
members.
Unit Commitment Problem Using Lagrangian Relaxation and Evolutionary Programming,
in collaboration with Dr. K. Hindi from the em Group, $6,000 (estimated), October 1, 2004
to September 30, 2005.
A Semi Analytic Method for Electromagnetic Field Calculations, in collaboration with
Dr. Ernst Huijer, $4,500., October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2006.
F. Karameh; urb Grant, Experimental testing of the Neurophysiological Basis of Oscillatory
Cortical Dynamics-Towards a Brain Computer Interface.
Visiting Scientist, Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, mit, July 2005 fea
Dean funding.
Attended the ieee embs Conference in Shanghai, China, Sept 2005.
M. Mansour; Mr. George Kadifa, $6,500 fund for a project on “A Universal Wireless Data
Modem,” (joint work with other faculty members).
National Instruments, $32,000 grant in the form of research equipment and design
toolkits.
urb, $6,500, Oct. 2005-Sep. 2006.
lncsr, 6,250,000 LL (extended to 2006).
$3,000, Nov. 2005, to travel to Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers
(Asilomar’05), Pacific Grove, ca, usa.
Applied for the Hewlett Foundation Fellowship Award for a paid research leave during Fall
2006 (approved for fall 2006).
F. Mrad; “Maximum Solar Power Tracker,” March 2005 to December 2006. Supported by
nsf - usa in collaboration with University of Central Florida. Jointly with Sami Karaki,
Amount: $10,500.
Publications
books, book chapters, and journal papers
M. A. Al-Alaoui
“Al-Alaoui Operator and the -Approximation for Descretization of Analog Systems,” Facta
Universitatis. Ser.: Elec. And Energ, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 143-46, April 2006.
“An Enhanced First-Order Sigma-Delta Modulator with a Controllable Signal-Noise Ratio,”
IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Fundamental Theory and Applications, vol. 53, no. 3,
pp. 634-43, March 2006.
H. Artail and E. Kahale
“MAWS: A Platform-Independent Framework for Mobile Agents using Web Services,” Journal
of Parallel and Distributed Computing, vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 428-43, March 2006.
H. Artail and M. Raydan
“Device-Aware Desktop Web Page Transformation for Rendering on Handhelds,” Personal and
Ubiquitous Computing, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 368-80, December 2005.
R. Hamade, H. Artail, and M. Jaber
“Learning Theory as Applied to Mechanical cad Training of Novices,” International Journal
of Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 305-22, 2005.
M. Eid, H. Artail, A. Kayssi and A. Chehab
“Trends in Mobile Agent Applications,” Journal of Research and Practice in Information
Technology, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 331-59, 2005.
F. B. Chaaban, S. Karaki, R. Chedid, T. Mezher, A. Hamzeh, A. Yahya, and A. Harb
“Electric Energy Access in Developing Nations: Case Studies from Jordan, Lebanon
and Syria,” World Resources Review, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 410-28, 2005.
A. Chehab, S. Patel, and R. Makki
“Scaling of iddt Test Methods for Random Logic Circuits,” Journal of Electronic Testing Theory
and Applications (JETTA), vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 11-22, February 2006.
Z. Dawy, S. Davidovic, and A. Seeger
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 56
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 57
“The Coverage-Capacity Tradeoff in Multiservice wcdma Cellular Systems with Serial
Interference Cancellation,” IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 5, no. 4,
April 2006.
Z. Dawy, B. Goebel, J. Hagenauer, C. Andreoli, T. Meitinger, and J. C. Mueller
“Gene Mapping and Marker Clustering using Shannon’s Mutual Information,” IEEE
Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, vol. 3, no. 1, January-March 2006.
G. Derbas, A. Kayssi, A. Chehab, H. Artail, and A. Tajeddine
“A Trust Model for Distributed Systems Based on Reputation,” International Journal of Web
and Grid Services (IJWGS), vol. 1, no. 3/4, pp. 416-447, 2005.
M. M. Mansour and N. R. Shanbhag
“A Novel Design Methodology for High-Performance Programmable Decoder Cores for aaldpc Codes,” Journal of VLSI Signal Processing, pp. 371-82, July 2005.
M. M. Mansour and N. R. Shanbhag
“A 640-Mb/s Programmable ldpc Decoder Chip,” IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 41,
no. 3, pp.684-98, March 2006.
F. Mrad
“Meeting Arab Socio-Economic Development Needs Through Information and
Communications Technologies,” Journal of Transnational Management, vol. 11, no. 3, 2006.
J. J. Saade and A. Fakih
“Comparison of Neuro-Fuzzy Systems with a Defuzzification-Based Algorithms for Learning
Fuzzy Rules,” Research on Computing Science, Advances in Artificial Intelligence Theory, vol. 16,
pp. 163-72, 2005.
Z. Dawy and S. Arayssi
“Advanced Fixed Relaying in Multihop Based Cellular Networks,” in Proc. IEEE International
Conference on Communications (ICC’06), Istanbul, Turkey, June 2006.
E. Yaacoub, R. El Kaissi, and Z. Dawy
“Chebyshev Antenna Arrays for wcdma Downlink Capacity Enhancement,” in Proc. 16th IEEE
International Symposium on Personal, Indoor, and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC’05),
Berlin, Germany, September 2005.
Z. Itani, H. Diab, and H. Artail
“Efficient Pull Based Replication and Synchronization for Mobile Databases,” in Proc. IEEE
International Conference on Pervasive Services (ICPS), Santorini, Greece, July 2005.
E. Yaacoub, K. Y. Kabalan, A. El-Hajj, and A. Chehab
“Cylindrical Antenna Arrays for wcdma Downlink Capacity Enhancement,” in Proc. IEEE
International Conference on Communications, Istanbul, Turkey, June 2006.
M. Serhan, S. Karaki, and L. Chaar
“An Adaptive Perturb and Observe Maximum Power Point Tracking System for Photovoltaic
Arrays,” in Proc. ASME International Solar Energy Conference, Orlando, Florida, August 2005.
E. Huijer and S. Karaki
“Magnetic Field Calculation Using Line Segment Pole Functions in the mmp Method,” in
Proc. IEEE Power Engineering Society Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, June 2006.
F. Karameh and S. Massaquoi
“A Model for Nonlinear Motor Cortical Integration and Its Relation to Movement Speed
Profile Control,” in Proc. International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and
Biology Society (EMBS), Shanghai, China, September 2005.
Y. Shaer, A. Kayssi, and A. Chehab
“serax: Secure Range Extensions in ieee 802.11i,” in Proc. Second International Conference on
Innovations in Information technology (IIT’05), Dubai, uae, September 2005.
R. Wehbi, A. Kayssi, A. Chehab, and Z. Dawy
“serven: Secure Routing and Protection of Security Mechanisms in Inter-Vehicle
Communication (ivc) Networks,” in Proc. Second International Conference on Innovations in
Information Technology (IIT’05), Dubai, uae, September 2005.
R. El Kaissi, A. Kayssi, A. Chehab, and Z. Dawy
“dawwsen: A Defense Mechanism against Wormhole Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks,”
in Proc. Second International Conference on Innovations in Information Technology (IIT’05),
Dubai, uae, September 2005.
W. Itani, A. Kayssi, and A. Chehab
“Short Paper: patriot: a Policy-Based, Multi-level Security Protocol for Safekeeping Audit
Logs on Wireless Devices,” in Proc. First International Conference on Security and Privacy
for Emerging Areas in Communication Networks, (SecureComm 2005), pp. 240-42, Athens,
Greece, September 2005.
A. Tajeddine, A. Kayssi, A. Chehab, and H. Artail
“A Comprehensive Reputation-Based Trust Model for Distributed Systems,” in Proc. IEEE
Workshop on the Value of Security through Collaboration (SECOVAL 2005), pp. 416-47, Athens,
Greece, September 2005.
W. Itani, A. Kayssi, and A. Chehab
“sparta: a Secure, Policy-Driven Architecture for Content Distribution and Storage in
Centralized Wireless Networks,” in Proc. First International Workshop on Security, Privacy and
Trust in Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (SecPerU’05), pp. 1-12, Santorini Island, Greece,
July 2005.
M. M. Mansour
“vlsi Design for High-Speed Sparse Parity-Check Matrix Decoders,” in Proc. 39th Asilomar
Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers (Asilomar’05), Pacific Grove, California,
October 2005.
A. Smaili, F. Mrad, and H. Maamoun
“Adaptive Fuzzy Logic Control of a Flexible Four-Bar Mechanism with a Smart Coupler Link,”
in Proc. ASME International Design Engineering Conference, Long Beach, California, September
2005.
Z. Alassaad and M. Saghir
“cerpid: A Reconfigurable Platform Interface Driver for Windows ce.net,” in Proc. Third ITI
International Conf.
conference papers
M. A. Al-Alaoui and J. Naoum-Sawaya, M. Slim, S. Khawam
“Dynamic System Design for American Sign Language Recognition,” in Proc. Second
International Symposium on Communications, Control, and Signal Processing, ISCCSP 2006,
Marakesh, Moroco, March 2006.
W. Ali-Ahmad
“Radio Transceiver Architectures and Design Issues for Wideband Cellular Systems,” in Proc.
2005 IEEE International Workshop on Radio-Frequency Integration, Singapore, December 2005.
I. Riachi, M. Mouawad, N. Abou-Naccoul, G. Khazen, and H. Artail
“MAX-Sense: A Mobile Agent Approach to Active and Adaptive Distributed Monitoring,”
in Proc. IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Intelligent Agent Technology, Compiegne,
France, September 2005.
A. Idris, H. Artail, and H. Safa
“Compacting SQL Queries for Caching Database Data in manets,” in Proc. 3rd International
Symposium on Telecommunications (IST2005), Shiraz, Iran, September 2005.
R. Antoun and H. Artail
“Managing mobile Ad hoc networks using lime,” in Proc. 3rd International Symposium on
Telecommunications (IST2005), Shiraz, Iran, September 2005.
H. Artail, H. Safa, and S. Pierre
“Database Caching in manets Based on Separation of Queries and Responses,” in Proc. IEEE
International Conference on Wireless and Mobile Computing, Networking and Communications
(WiMob’2005), Montreal, Canada, August 2005.
J. Naoum-Sawaya, B. Ghaddar, S. Khawam, H. Safa, H. Artail, and Z. Dawy
“Adaptive Approach for QoS Support in IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN,” in Proc. IEEE International
Conference on Wireless and Mobile Computing, Networking and Communications (WiMob’2005),
Montreal, Canada, August 2005.
F. B. Chaaban
“Unleaded and Sulfur-Free Transport Sector in Lebanon,” in Proc. UNEP/ACFA Policy
Development Meeting on Clean Fuels and Vehicles in the Middle East and North Africa, Cairo,
Egypt, May 2006.
B. Kaissi and A. Chehab
“mvu: Exploring a New Higher Education Frontier in Lebanon,” in Proc. International
Conference on Global Integration of Graduate Programmes, Irkutsk, Russia, October 2005.
A. Dalghan, A. Chehab, and A. Kayssi
“WiSec: vpn over wlan 802.11 - Design and Implementation of a Secure Virtual Wireless
Environment,” in Proc. Second International Conference on Innovations in Information
Technology (IIT’05), Dubai, uae, September 2005.
Service
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 58
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 59
I. Abou Faycal; Student advising (38 students).
A. Al Alaoui; Student advising (36 Students)
Member of the citper group. The citper group in ece and their eu partners held their
second general workshop at aub during March 2005 over three days to discuss the project
progress during the first six months and to plan the next working steps.
University Senate
ieee Chair-Lebanon Section
Member ict Lebanon
Member of the Scientific Committee, setit, 2005
Member of the Scientific Committee, Haigazian University 3rd International Conference.
W. Ali Ahmad; Advisor to 36 undergraduate and graduate students
ece Graduate Committee member
eece 797 Graduate Seminar Coordinator
ece Department Meeting, Secretary 2005-2006
Represented aub and presented a talk at the techleb06 Conference, which was held on
May 20-21, 2006, at mit
Member of the 2006 ieee rfic Technical Program Committee
Consultant for maxim Integrated Products, Sunnyvale, ca & al Bahith Company,
Amman, Jordan.
H. Artail; Student advising (34 ece students of all ranks)
Candidate Selection Committee/Group it Minor Committee (advising students)
it Committee (previously fea Website Committee)
Strategic Planning Committee (spc fea)
aub Oversight Website Committee
Was invited to and attended the Microsoft Research Academic Days Conference in Doha,
Qatar, on December 13-14.
L. Bazzi; fea Student Conference Committee
Reviewer for ieee International Symposium on Information Theory, 2006.
F. Chaaban; Student advising (32 students)
Member of the euac Committee, since September 2004
ece Strategic Planning Committee
Ad hoc Committee for preparing the “Introduction to ece course”
Member of the fea Student Conference Committee, since Sept. 04
Member of the aub Inter-Faculty Financial Aid Committee, since April 2005
Chairman of the aub Recycling Project Committee, since Sept. 2000
Founder member, and Vice President, of the “Lebanese Appropriate Technologies
Association,” Beirut.
The Scientific Committee of the “Association of Friends of Abdul-Al”
Member in the Order of Engineers, Beirut.
Member of the Environment Committee, Order of Engineers, since 1996
Dhofar University/rep Project. Visited from April 29 to May 7, 2006, to review and
evaluate the ece courses and laboratories operation over the academic year.
Member of the expert team investigating the effects of electromagnetic fields from highvoltage power lines in specified regions in the country. Investigation results reported to the
Parliamentary Energy Committee, and to the Order of Engineers.
R. Chedid; Student advising (37 undergraduate and graduate students)
ece Graduate Committee
ece fyp Committee
University Publications Committee
Member of the Board of Directors of the Lebanese Electric Utility, edl
“Energy, Air Pollution and Climate Change in the Arab World.” Article in the Environment
and Development Magazine. Dec. 2005
August 2005. Energy Advisor to undp Lebanon
Renewable Energy. A 2-hour seminar given at Balamand University at their request.
May 2006.
Member of the committee responsible for supervising the process of awarding the
operation and maintenance of the combined cycle power plants in Lebanon. This committee
was appointed by the Lebanese Cabinet of Ministers, 2005.
Member of the International Technical Committee of the World Renewable Energy
Congress (wrec), 2001-present. This committee is responsible for planning and organization
of wrec activities such as meetings and publications.
Member of the Energy Research Group, fea aub, 2000-present
Member of the panel of reviewers for ieee-Energy Conversion. 2004-present.
Member of the panel of reviewers for Energy - the International Journal. 2001-present
Consultant to Dhofar University (two visits), Salalah, Sultanate Oman on curricula
development for the College of Engineering.
A. Chehab; Student advising (37 students)
Member, Ad hoc committee on ece Strategic Planning
Secretary, Ad hoc committee on ece Undergraduate and abet Committee
Member, Academic and Curriculum Committee
Member, fea Library Committee
Supervisor, Multimedia Lab
Gave 2 lectures about Electricity for the asst 200 course
Member, University Library Committee.
Z. Dawy; Advisor for undergraduate and graduate students (30 students)
Member of the ece tempus citper Committee (Steering committee member and
financial coordinator, since Sept. 2004)
Member of the Ad Hoc ece Graduate Committee (since Sept. 2004)
Member of the Ad Hoc ece Recruitment Committee (since Jan. 2005)
Member of the Ad Hoc ece Publicity Committee (since Feb. 2006)
Member of the Ad Hoc ece Strategic Planning Committee (July 2005-Sept. 2005)
Member of the Ad Hoc ece Committee for eece 442L-Communications Lab
(since June 2005)
Invited talk in Biomedical Engineering Seminar Course
fea Faculty meeting secretary (September 2004-August 2005)
Vice Chair of the ieee Communication Society Chapter in Lebanon
Consultant in Dar Al Handasah (July-September 2005)
A. El Hajj; Strategic Planning Committee, Software Committee (chair), Recruitment
Committee
Advisory Committee, Academic Committee
aub-usj Cooperation Committee, Academic Committee, Teaching Excellence Committee
Program Committee Member: The 2006 International Conference on Computer
Engineering & Systems (icces’06), November 5-7, 2006, Cairo, Egypt
International Program Committee Member: iasted International Conference on Education
and Technology (icet 2006), Calgary, Canada, July 17-19, 2006
International Program Committee Member: iasted International Conference on Webbased Education (wbe 2006), Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, January 23-25, 2006.
Editorial Board Member, Spreadsheets in Education, January 2004-current date.
International Program Committee Member: iasted International Conference on Education
and Technology (icet 2005), Calgary, Canada, July 4-6, 2005.
K. Kabalan; Advisor, Engineering Society students April 2000-present.
Advisor, aub Music Club, May 2000-present.
Member, Task Team 11 on Educational offering, March 2002-present.
Member, University Graduate Studies Committee, October 2004-present
Member, Faculty Graduate Studies Committee, October 2004-present.
Member, Department abet Committee, September 2001-present.
Member, Graduate Studies Committee, September 2004-present.
Chairman, Communications Committee, September 2004-present.
Member, Final Year Project Committee, September 2004-present
S. Karaki; fea Research Committee, (chair)
University Research Board, 2003-2006
Energy Efficiency Planning at aub, Principal Investigator, aub, $89,000.
F. Karameh; Advisor for 36 ee/cce students
ece Library Committee.
Biomedical Engineering Seminar
Marshall in 2006 commencement
Organizing Committee, Conference on Computational Models in Medical and Health
Sciences” aub conference planned for Feb 2007
electrical & computer engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 60
electrical & computer engineering Ω Academics Ω 61
International Program Committee member, International Conference of the ieee
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Shanghai, China (Sept 2005).
A. Kayssi; Chairman, ece Department; ece Undergraduate/abet Committee; ece Graduate
Committee: ece Ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee; ece Ad hoc Recruiting Committee;
fea Academic and Curriculum Committee; fea Advisory Committee; fea Ad hoc Strategic
Planning Committee; fea Ad hoc Space Committee; fea Ad hoc Math Committee; aub
Strategic Planning Steering Committee.
M. Mansour; Graduate adviser (member of the ece Graduate Committee)
Advisor for 38 undergraduate students
Member of the egc committee
Chairman of the fea sac committee
Member of the Students’ Integrity Committee (part of ippi)
Member of the ieee Signal Processing Technical Committee on the Design and
Implementation of Signal Processing Systems, usa (Feb. 2006). (Committee runs two
international conferences, the Signal Processing Workshop and the ieee Conference on
Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing.)
Member of the Technical Program Committee, ieee 2005 Global Telecommunications
Conference, Nov. 28-Dec. 2, St. Louis, Missouri, usa.
Member of the Technical Program Committee, ieee Signal Processing Workshop, Nov.
2005, Athens, Greece.
Member of the Technical Program Committee, ieee 2005 Vehicular Technology
Conference, Sep. 26-29 2005, Dallas, Texas, usa.
Treasurer of the ieee Lebanon Chapter, 2006.
F. Mrad; Student advising (38 students)
Freedom Club/fea src/Engineering Society
ece Publicity Committee
Chairman of control and instrumentation ece lab committee
Student Affairs Committee
Strategic Committee (one semester)
University Senate
University Committee on Student Affairs (chair)
Facilitator, Teacher-Oriented Methods I (Handling Large Classes), Faculty Seminar on Learning and Teaching Excellence, March 23, 2006
Visited the Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya (upc) (Barcelona, Spain) to discuss
student and faculty exchange agreements related to the tempus/citper project, November
16, 2005.
Visited the University of Southampton (uk) to participate in the tempus/citper group
meeting, December 4-8, 2005.
Presented a talk entitled “msr-Sponsored Research at the American University of Beirut:
Experiences and Lessons Learned,” Microsoft Research Academic Days, Doha, Qatar,
December 13-14, 2005.
Chair, ieee Lebanon Computer Society
Consulting, Fidus Systems Lebanon (sal); spring 2005-2006.
usfc
src Elections Committee
Senate representative to the bot (05-06)
ncsr reviewer
indevco foundation (ngo) advisor for community educational programs
Member of National Committee at Prime Minister Office for reviewing applications/
interviewing leadership positions for public electricity sector, spring 2006
idal National ict Industry-sector study, reviewer spring 2006
Member of the International Program Committee for the ieee Intelligent Transportation
Systems Conference, September 17-20, 2006 Toronto, Canada
Member of the International Program Committee for the 14th ieee Mediterranean
Conference on Control and Automation (med-06), Italy, June 2006
aub summer workshop with escwa and indevco foundation for business plan
development, Aug-Sep 2005
Member of the Board of Directors for the new “Beirut Technology and Health Incubator”
funded by the eu, spring 2006
Consultant for “Start Your Business” business plan training for start-up projects, indevco
foundation/escwa/aub; summer 2005.
J. Saade; Student advising (40 students)
ece fyp Committee (chair)
ece Departmental Committee that examined the previous learning outcomes of the eece
440 - Signals and Systems course. New learning outcomes were proposed and implemented
this year (spring term).
M. Saghir; Student advising (35 students)
Member, ece tempus/citper Group. Worked on establishing the new ms in ict in the
ece department
Member, fea Admissions Committee
Facilitator, Workshop on Teaching Large Classes, January 20, 2006
four|Academics
Courses Offered
summer 2005
Course number
eece 210
eece 230
eece 320
eece 330
eece 440
eece 442
eece 470
eece 500
eece 503
Course Name
Electric Circuits
Computers and Programming
Digital Systems Design
Data Structures and Algorithms
Signals and Systems
Communication Systems
Electric Machinery
Approved Experience
Special topics (Real-Time dsp Lab)
Graduate courses
eece 799
Thesis
fall 2005-06
Undergraduate courses
eece 210
Electric Circuits
eece 230
Computers and Programming
eece 310
Electronics I
eece 320
Digital Systems Design
eece 330
Data Structures and Algorithms
eece 421
Computer Architecture
eece 311
Electronics II
eece 370
Electromechanical Systems
eece 442
Communications Systems
eece 480
Electromagnetics
eece 460
Control Systems
eece 471
Fundamentals of Power Systems Analysis
eece 503
Sp. Topics: Audio Engineering
eece 570
Electric Drives
eece 571
Industrial Electrification
eece 501
Final Year Project
Graduate Courses
eece 601S
eece 613
eece 625
eece 630S
eece 635S
eece 640
Biomedical Engineering I
RF and Microwave Circuits for Communications
Embedded Systems Design
System Analysis and Design
System Identification
Wireless Communications
electrical & computer engineering Ω Academics Ω 62
electrical & computer engineering Ω Academics Ω 63
eece 641
eece 653
eece 661C
eece 664C
eece 668
eece 670C
eece 678
eece 684E
eece 691C
eece 798A
eece 799
Information Theory
Database Systems
Advanced Digital and Data Communications
Fuzzy Sets, Logic and Applications
Advanced Antenna Design
Queuing Theory
Web Server Design and Programming
Renewable Energy Systems
Digital Signal Processing
Sp Topics: Advanced Internetworking Technologies
Thesis
eece 641E
eece 642
eece 643
eece 660C
eece 667
eece 673C
eece 674
eece 692
eece 694C
eece 797
eece 798A
eece 799
itec 240
itec 241
Computers and Communication Systems
Software Systems
ITEC Courses
itec 240
itec 242
Computers and Communication Systems
Management Information Systems
Laboratory Courses
eece 310L
eece 311L
eece 442L
eece 460L
eece 470L
eece 473L
eece 577L
Electric Circuits Lab
Electronics Lab
Communications lab
Control Systems Lab
Electric Machines Lab
Power Electronics and Drives Lab
Internetworking Lab
Lab courses
eece 311L
eece 420L
eece 442L
eece 460L
eece 470L
eece 473L
eece 577L
Electronics Lab
Digital Systems Lab
Communications Lab
Control Systems Lab
Machines Lab
Power Electronics and Drives Lab
Internet Lab
Power System Planning
Introduction to Coding Theory
RF & Microwave communications systems
Stochastic Processes, Detection, and Estimation
Antenna Design
Neural Networks
Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields
Environmental Aspects of Energy Systems
Digital Image Processing
Seminar
Optical Communication Systems
Thesis
ITEC courses
spring 2005-06
Undergraduate courses
eece 210
Electric Circuits
eece 210 c/m
Electric Circuits and Electronics
eece 230
Computers and Programming
eece 311
Electronics II
eece 321
Microprocessor Systems
eece 330
Data Structures and Algorithms
eece 401
Biomedical Eng’g Seminar
eece 412
Digital Integrated Circuits
eece 430
Software Engineering
eece 431
Design & Analysis of Algorithms
eece 433
Database Systems
eece 440
Signals and Systems
eece 442
Communication Systems
eece 443
Electrodynamics
eece 450
Computer Networks
eece 460
Control Systems
eece 470
Electric Machinery
eece 473
Power Electronics
eece 480
Engineering Electromagnetics
eece 502
Final Year Project
eece 503
Special Topics: Audio Engineering
eece 573
Power System Protection & Switchgear
Graduate courses
eece 602S
eece 603S
eece 604
eece 612
eece 622
eece 624
eece 630
eece 637S
Biomedical Engineering II
Biomedical Signal & Image Processing
Comm Eng’g for Genetics & Bioinformatics
Digital Integrated Circuits
VLSI Signal Processing and Communications Systems
Digital System Testing
Distributed & Object Database Systems
Robotics
Final Year Projects
The ece fourth-year students worked in groups on various Final Year Projects. Following is
a list of the project titles, supervisors, and students who worked on them.
FPGA Implementation of a USB Core
Students: Georges Ghanem, Liza Tutunjian, Arine Hadidian
Supervisors: Profs. Mazen Saghir and Ali Chehab
Reconfigurable Baseband Blocks For Wireless Multi-Standard Receivers
Students: Abdul Hadi Al-Sayed, Hasan Khalifeh, Houssam Hayek.
Supervisors: Profs. Mazen Saghir and Walid Ali-Ahmad
Multiprocessor Platform Generator for FPGAs
Students: Sany Kabbani, Tarek Darwish, Acile Sleiman.
Supervisors: Mazen Saghir and Walid Ali-Ahmad
Face Recognition on FPGA
Students: Ramzi Madi, Bassem Sawan, Robin Lahoud.
Supervisor: Mazen Saghir
WLAN Racing
Students: Mohamed Bechara, Rami El Mawas
Supervisor: Mazen Saghir and Ahmad Smaili.
Optical Instrument for Measuring Frequency of Vibration
Students: Mohamed Bechara, Rami El Mawas Rima Al-Bekai
Supervisor: Nassir Sabah
Cardiovascular Response Following Exercise
Students: Yusr Sabra, Mohamed Ali Eid, Mirna Abou Mjahed
Supervisor: Nassir Sabah
Intelligent Adaptation of Soft Handoff Thresholds in Mobile Comm for Performance
Improvement
Students: Rizk Saade, Amin Nawfal, Ramzi Al-Haddad
Supervisor: Jean Saade
Design of a Car-Following Controller for a Safe and Smooth Drive on Highways
Students: Ahmad Abou-zaher, Ziad Kassab, Murad Al Haj.
Supervisor: Jean Saade.
Handwriting Recognition Glove
Students: Ali Dika, Walid Abla, Georges Frangieh.
Supervisor: Jean Saade
electrical & computer engineering Ω Academics Ω 64
electrical & computer engineering Ω Academics Ω 65
Experimental Mine Detection using Accoustic / Siesmic Approach
Student: Ali Khalil, Tarek Rabbani, Hamza Hotait, Mohamad Mrad.
Supervisors: Fouad Mrad, Ahmad Smaili.
Hybrid Wheel Chair
Students: Ramzi Stephan, Elias Achkar, Jackie Fares, Hsein Hajo
Supervisors: Fouad Mrad, Ahmad Smaili.
Computer Based SRC Election at AUB
Students: Nadim Gharios, Jad Moujalli, Mirian Itani
Supervisors: Fouad Mrad, Hassan Artail
Improving Network Performance Using Control Feedback
Students: Rami Maalouf, Ziad Habchi, Souheil Khoury, Zahi Bridi
Supervisor: Fouad Mrad
Implementation of Basic Blocks of MIMO Communications Systems for Performance
Analysis & Comparison
Students: Emad Azzam, Amal Alameh, Anis Tabboush
Supervisor: Mohammad Mansour
Cryptoglasses
Students: Ibrahim Itani, Samer Hajj Ali, Bassam Assaf
Supervisor: Ayman Kayssi
Exploration of New Techniques in Brain-Computer Interface
Students: Salam Akoum, Mariam Itani, Rayan Jaber
Supervisor: Fadi Karameh
Pupil/EEG-Based Drowsiness Detector
Students: Mayssaa Issa, Nabih Najdi, Tarek Shamseddine
Supervisor: Fadi Karameh
Modeling and Design of Silicon Neurons
Students: Joelle Mitri, Ali Tabet, Mansour Rachid
Supervisors: Fadi Karameh, Mohammad Mansour
Solar Powered Grid Connected Inverter with Maximum Power Point Tracking
Students: Ahmad Chabaklo, Hussein Makki, Mohammad Toufic Zeino-Saccal
Supervisor: Sami Karaki
Flywheel Energy Storage System
Students: Ali Bazzi, Mohamad Tarhini, Ahmad Maarouf
Supervisor: Sami Karaki
Data Transmission over Power Lines and Applications
Students: Jad Allam, Camille Eid, Joseph Raad
Supervisors: Sami Karaki, Jean Saade
A Medical System for Diagnosis Support
Students: Sarah Ouwayda, Maya BouDiab
Supervisor: Karim Kabalan
A Fully Optimized Parking Area
Students: Marwan Zaabalawi, Jad Abi Nassif, Samer Acar
Supervisor: Karim Kabalan
Multi-Agents for Image Understanding
Students: Alaa Sukarieh, Mohamad Darwish, Abbas Darwish
Supervisors: Karim Kabalan, Waleed Smari
Automated Online Translator
Students: Hicham Yamout, Karim Kanso
Supervisor: Ali El Hajj
DFNZ 06
Students: Jean Moukarzel, Antoine Akiki, Joseph Chaoul
Supervisor: Ali El Hajj
DFNZ 06
Students: Alain Tager Tarek Baalbaki Abdel Karim El Hajjar
Supervisor: Ali El Hajj
Bluetooth-Based Location Estimation for Mobile Applications
Students: Samer Khattab, Reda Haidar, Hussein Fadlallah
Supervisor: Zaher Dawy
Building Gene Networks: A Multiorganism Approach
Students: Rami Abdallah, Marcel Nassar, Hady Ali Zeineddine
Supervisor: Zaher Dawy
A Direction Finding Application for GSM Networks
Students: Amena Amro, Salim Al-Sahli, Mohammad Mahdi Kassir, Dania Noamani
Supervisors: Zaher Dawy, Mazen Saghir
UMTS Radio Network Planning & Optimization for Lebanon
Students: Bilal Mikati, Haytham Yaghi, Mounir Arab, Samer Ghanem
Supervisor: Zaher Dawy
Robot Navigation & Localization via Natural Landmarks
Students: Najat Bou Diab, Natalie El Nabbout, Hussein Slim
Supervisors: Ali Chehab, Samer Abdallah
V-CAD: Vision-Computer-Aided-Device
Students: Nour Hariri, Sandy Khoury, Fida Tefenkji
Supervisors: Ali Chehab, Samer Abdallah
Performance Assessment of Fuel Cell Based Energy Systems
Students: Karam Wahab, Tony Mina, Walid Abu-Daher
Supervisor: Riad Chedid
A Water Pumping System Fed by Renewable Energy
Students: Nizar Ibrahim, Khalil Al Arab, Tarek Friejeh
Supervisor: Riad Chedid
Electromagnetic Fields from Power Lines
Students: Salma Abu Izzeddin, Hiba Obeid, Kamal Berberi
Supervisor: Farid Chaaban
Energy Sustainability at AUB
Students: Nadim Haddad, Ramzi El Khoury, Christian Azoury
Supervisor: Farid Chaaban
CAD Optimization of PM Machines
Students: Dima Fares, Reef Al-Mokadem, Adham Bou Ghannam, Rabih Ghousayni
Supervisor: Farid Chaaban
Dynamic Programming in Pattern Recognition
Students: Bilal Fadlallah, Oliver Saleh, Mazen Hajjar
Supervisor: Louay Bazzi
Implementation of Pseudorandom Number Generators and Extractors
Students: Ghid Maatouk, Widad Machmouchi, Mona Bazzi
Supervisor: Louay Bazzi
Translation of Motion into Sound; Application: Sign Language into Speech
Students: Elie Shalhoub, Khalid Omari, Ahmad Badr
Supervisor: Hassan Artail
Context-Aware Website
Students: Zeinoun El Khoury, Ramzi Rayess, Mounir El Chakkour
Supervisor: Hassan Artail
Propagation Model Development and Radio Planning for Future WiMax Deployment in Beirut
Students: Adel Yammout, Ali Dabbous, Imad Atwi, Mohamed Hasna
Supervisor: Walid Ali-Ahmad
Wireless OFDM-Based Real-Time Video Streamer
Students: Basem Nakhal, Tammam Sahli, Ziad Zein
Supervisor: Walid Ali-Ahmad
Phased Array Microphones for Voice/Sound Location
Students: Diana Dib, Wissam Khalaf, Ralph Helou
Supervisor: Walid Ali-Ahmad
Image to Sound
Students: Farah Charafeddine, Nour Shublaq, Mona Itani
Supervisor: M.A. Al-Alaoui
Iris Recognition for Security Purposes
Students: Jamil Abou Saleh, Abdullah Bou Saleh, Samer Sharafeddeen
Supervisor: M.A. Al-Alaoui
Sound to Image for the Deaf
Students: Jimmy Azar, Hassan Abou Saleh
Supervisor: M.A. Al-Alaoui
Graduate Theses
Master of
Engineering
Theses in progress
electrical & computer engineering Ω Academics Ω 66
electrical & computer engineering Ω Departmental Activities Ω 67
A Fast Turbo Code Decoder For Software Radios
Students: Mazen Abou Najm, Rani Daher, Mohammad El-Saadi
Supervisor: Ibrahim Abou Faycal
Searching for Specific Sequences in Audio Files
Students: Charles Ghossoub, Guy Haddad, Rami Atme
Supervisor: Ibrahim Abou Faycal
Positioning Using WiFi
Students: Fady Chedid, Bruno Wehbeh, Georges Elias Hanna
Supervisor: Ibrahim Abou Faycal
Ahmad Houalla; supervised by Professor K. Kabalan
Amer Bzeih; supervised by Professor K. Kabalan
Amjad Beainy; supervised by Professor Zaher Dawy
Caroline Jabra Alagha; supervised by Professor M. Adnan Al-Alaoui
Hussam Hseiki; supervised by Professor Hassan Artail
Hussein Salloum; supervised by Professor F. Chaaban
Ibrahim Al Kassem; supervised by Professor Zaher Dawy
Jana Cheaib; supervised by Professor Walid Ali Ahmad
Joseph Costantine; supervised by Professor K. Kabalan
Mossine Koulakozian; supervised by Professor F. Chaaban
Rifai Farah; supervised by Professor R. Chedid
Rola Aylo; supervised by Professor K. Kabalan
Tammam Tabbarah; supervised by Professor F. Karameh
Youssef Chamoun; supervised by Professor A. Chehab
master of engineering thesis
Rula Antoun; Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networking Using lime, November 2, 2005,
supervised by Professor Hassan Artail
Alaa Dalghan; WiSec: vpn over wlan 802.11, Design and Implementation of a Secure Virtual
Wireless Environment, October 26, 2005, supervised by Professor A. Chehab
Ayman Tajeddine; A Truly Comprehensive Reputation - Based Trust Model for Distributed
Computing, December 16, 2005 - supervised by Professor A. Chehab
Camille Gaspard; Policy - Driven Web Security for Hand held Wireless Devices, February 20,
2006, supervised by Professor Ali Chehab
Dana Dannan; Performance Comparisons for Serial Concatenated Block Convolution Codes
with sequentially and iteratively decoded, February 2005 - supervised by Professor K. Kabalan
Elias Nahra; trummar Optimization and Implementation on Wide Scale Networks, October
18, 2005, supervised by Professor A. Chehab
Maher Sidani; Adaptive Control of Induction Motors, June 2006-supervised by Professor
F. Mrad.
Mohamad Abdallah; “The effect of Mutual Coupling on Hybrid Linear and Circular Antenna
Arrays and its Compensation”, Master Thesis, February 2006-supervised by Professor
A. El Hajj
Mohammad Mortada; Empirical Analysis of Software Reliability Models, Feb 2006,
supervised by Professor F. Mrad.
Mohannad Al-Hakeem; Demand Driven Control of Variable Flow hvac Hydronic Networks,
August 2005 - supervised by Professor F. Mrad
Rania Wehbe; serven: Secure Routing and Protection of Security Mechanisms in InterVehicle Communication (ivc) Networks, supervised by Professor A. Chehab
Ruba Kaissi; Dawwsen: A Defense Mechanism Against Wormhole Attacks in Wireless Sensor
Networks, December 12, 2005, supervised by Professor A. Chehab
Samer Taweel; Control of National Economic Model, June 2006 - supervised by Professor
F. Mrad
Yasser Shaer; Secure Range Extensions in ieee 802.11, August 1, 2005, supervised by
Professor A. Chehab
Anis Nazer; Evaluation of Dynamic Current Testing for cmos Domino Circuits, December 12,
2005, supervised by Professor A. Chehab
Chadi Chaker; gis based Risk Assessment of Air Pollution, June 9, 2006, supervised by
Professor F. Chaaban
Elias Yaacoub; Hybrid Linear and Circular Antenna Arrays, February 2006, supervised by
Professor K. Kabalan
Jacques Youssef Boudakian; Power System Operation and Planning in Competitive Electricity
Markets, AUB Master’s Thesis, October 2005, supervised by Professor S. Karaki
Nagy Issam Mounsef; A Reduced Complexity Turbo Decoding Algorithm. (Defense:
September, 2005) supervised by Professor Adnan Al Alaoui
Raji Zeitouny; Scalable Architecture to Support Database Caching in manets, June 7, 06,
supervised by Professor Hassan Artail
Rana Shihab; Modeling and Simulation of a Fuel Cell Supported Renewable Energy Systems.
Dec. 2005 - supervised by Professor R. Chedid
Alain Asmar; supervised by Professor M. Adnan Al-Alaoui
Amine Abu-Akar; supervised by Professor R. Chedid
Hicham Hamze; supervised by Professor Hassan Artail
Khalil Mershad; supervised by Professor Hassan Artail
Adham Atallah; supervised by Professor F. Mrad
Adnan Nehme; supervised by Professor Z. Dawy
five|Departmental Activities
Budgets
major equipment
Power Electronics Lab [$10,100], Biomedical Instrument Lab [$58,000], RF Lab [$126,000].
asha
RF Lab [$200,000], Minor Equipment [$35,000], Supplies [$13,000], Student Work [$16,500].
Meetings
ECE Meetings; Twelve regular departmental meetings and five special meetings were held
during academic year 2005-06.
EAB Meeting; Agenda of the meeting of the External Advisory Board on June 14, 2006: State
of the ece department; Strategic Plan; new programs in ece; other business.
Seminars
The ece Department organized 16 technical seminars during the period July 1, 2005June 30, 2006.
Ω“A Frame-Based Classifier that Provides Endopotns for ‘Owner Speech’ Recorded in MultiChannel Meeting,” Mr. Ziad Al Bawab, Carnegie Mellon University, July 14, 2005.
“3G Evolution-High speed Uplink and Multimedia Broadcast,” Dr. Ali Khayrallah, Ericsson,
July 21, 2005.
Ω“Equalizer Design to Maximize Bit Rate in adsl Transceivers, Prof. Brian Evans,” University
of Texas at Austin, August 3, 2005.
Ω“The Emerging Nanotechnology: Today’s Reality and the Future Direction,” Mr. Jamil Kawa,
Synopsys, November 23, 2005.
Ω“Status of Solar Energy Development in Germany,” Dr. Joachim Fischer, Biomass
Information Center-Stuttgart, November 30, 2005.
Ω“Sensor Network Assisted Tele-Robotics,” Dr. Imad Elhajj, Oakland University,
December 15, 2005.
Ω“No-Reference Objective Wavelet-Based Noise Immune Sharpness Metric,” Mr. Rony Ferzli,
asu, January 5, 2006.
Ω“Higher Order Modulation Formats for High-Speed Optical Transmission Systems,”
Mr. Leonardo Dider Coelho, tum, March 30, 2006.
Ω“Neural Testing of Mixed-Signal/rf Circuits,” Mr. Haralampos Stratigopoulos, Yale
University, April 6, 2006.
Ω“Research Activities in IC Design and Test at ixl Laboratory,” Prof. Yann Deval, University of
Bordeaux, April 11, 2006.
Ω“Diamond Tools for Working Lithod Materials,” Dr. Aldo Valle, MG Diamond Tools Lebanon,
April 12, 2006.
Ω“Modeling and Optimization of Wireless Sensor Networks,” Dr. Raja Jurdak, University of
California, Irvine, April 13, 2006.
Ω“Nokia: Global And Local Strategy,” Dr. Walid Moneimne, Nokia Networks, May 4, 2006.
Ω“Wireless Internet: Challenges and Deployment in Lebanon,” Mr. Ian Howard, May 10, 2006.
Ω“The Molecular Biology of dna Computing,” Prof. Colin Smith, aub, May 11, 2006.
electrical & computer engineering Ω Students Ω 68
Ω“Time-Domain Testing of Analog and Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits,” Mrs. Mona SafiHarb, McGill University, May 18, 2006.
Awards
penrose award
Rani Daher
distinguished graduate award (ee)
Adel Yamout
distinguished graduate award (cce)
Rayan Jaber
charli korban award (undergraduate)
Rami Abdallah
charli korban award (graduate)
Elias Yaacoub
Mohamad Toufic Zeino-Saccal
Hussein Makki
Ahmad Chebaklo
two|Personnel
71
71
71
72
72
72
72
72
73
73
75
76
76
76
76
77
77
77
three|Faculty Research & Activities
dean’s award for creative achievement (cce)
Mansour Rachid
Hady Zeineddine
six|Students
Student
Employment
70
Faculty
New Appointments
Department Secretary
Mechanical Engineering Lab Personnel
External Advisory Board
dean’s award for creative achievement (ee)
Enrollment &
Statistics
one|Introduction
undergraduate students
A total of 613 undergraduate students were enrolled in the ece department in both majors
- Computer and Communications Engineering (cce) and Electrical Engineering (ee) - during
the academic year 2005-2006.
class of
cce
EE
2008 (1st year)
66
69
2007 (2nd year)
91
81
2006 (3rd year)
101
50
2005 (4th year)
100
55
The ece department had 93 students registered in the student work scholarship for the
academic year 2005-2006, 45 students in the fall term, and 48 students in the spring term.
graduate students
term
cce
EE
Fall 2005-06
66
13
Spring 2005-06
57
14
graduate assistants
term
no. of ece graduate assistants
Summer 2005
26
Fall 2005-06
50
Spring 2005-06
40
Research Funding
Pending Research Grants
Refereed Journal Papers
Refereed Conference Proceedings
Book Chapters
Reports
Seminars Presented by ME Faculty
Workshops Presented by ME Faculty
Consultancy Work
Faculty Development Grants
Committees & Community Service
four|Academics
Courses Offered
New Courses to be Offered
Approved Masters Theses & Supervision
Thesis Supervision
five|Departmental Activities
Department Seminars & Presentations
Visiting Scholar
ME Annual Departmental ABET Meeting 2006
six|Students
Enrollment & Statistics
Student Employment
Awards
78
78
80
81
82
82
82
83
83
83
83
84
84
mechanical engineering Ω Introduction Ω 70
mechanical engineering Ω Personnel Ω 71
one|Introduction
Over the past year, me faculty have put forth a commendable amount of effort to render
quality undergraduate and graduate education in mechanical engineering and to expand the
academic learning experiences for our students through a variety of activities and creative
services. For the second year, the faculty continued to follow the department assessment
calendar applying direct and indirect assessment tools to student learning outcomes at
the course and program level in order to improve the undergraduate program content and
delivery and insure that all students have acquired the expected program learning outcomes.
This is not a trivial task and it is an added burden on the faculty; to document course
material, perform course self assessment, meet frequently to evaluate outcomes, and
make recommendations for continuous improvement takes time, planning, and thought.
The following are a few examples of the academic improvements that will be implemented
in 2006-2007:
[1] The Department has revised the me undergraduate curriculum to allow our students
greater flexibility in their studies, and to strengthen the design experience across the
program. Optional tracks were introduced in thermal and fluid sciences; design, materials
and manufacturing; and mechatronics. The newly revised curriculum will be followed by
students joining the me department starting in the fall of 2006.
[2] The Department has revised the assessment method, grades, deliverables time line, and
coordination load of the Final Year Project. Faculty experience has shown that being the fyp
coordinator is time-consuming and should be part of the teaching load rather than being
considered service.
[3] The Department changed the master’s program course requirements, reducing the
number of course credit hours from 24 to 21 credits. The change was implemented to
allow students more time to dedicate to their research.
[4] The Department joined the other fea engineering departments to revise the required
math courses in the undergraduate mechanical engineering program.
Over the past five years, the undergraduate enrollment has grown by 50% and graduate
enrollment has doubled. At the graduate level, the number of students who completed their
theses jumped from five last year to ten students this year. The increased enrollment has
been met with department dedication to stretch resources and provide students with a high
quality learning experience. The integration of the graduate assistants into the departmental
workforce has helped to meet the increased demand on the program. A favorable working
environment for graduate students has attracted dedicated full-time graduate students to the
me program. About 80% of our graduate assistants receive research support from faculty
research grants and are committed to a thesis advisor by the end of the first term after they
join the graduate program.
Two of our faculty members, Prof. Ramsey Hamade and Prof. Alan Shihadeh, have been
promoted to the rank of associate professor effective Oct. 1, 2006. One new faculty member,
Prof. Ghanem Oweis, who received his PhD from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor,
joined the department in the area of experimental fluid dynamics. Two new faculty members
have been extended offers and will join the department during the academic year of 2007-08;
Dr. Eva Kanso from uc Berkely and Prof. Abudel-Rahman El-Khalidy from Cornell.
The me faculty continues to be recognized for their outstanding scholarly work. Professor
Moukalled was appointed a Fellow of the Center of Advanced Mathematical Studies and
was cited by the Organization of Islamic Countries among the top 400 scientists from oic
Member States. This was based on the total number of his research papers indexed in the
Web of Science Database and on his involvement in the promotion of research in Lebanon.
Professor Hamade has been appointed to the editorial advisory board (eab) of the Journal
of Adhesion Science and Technology (jast); the appointment is from January 2006 to
January 2009.
Two new graduate fellowship awards were introduced this year. The Petrofac Graduate
Fellowship valued at $12,500/year was awarded to me graduate student Elie Kfoury.
The Sakkal Renewable Energy Graduate Thesis Award to promote research in the field of
renewable energy (re) with special applications to Lebanon, valued at $3,000 per year,
was awarded to the me graduate student Mohamad Ayoub who completed his master’s
degree in February 2006. For the third year in a row, the fea Abdul-Hadi-Debs Graduate
Award for Academic Excellence in Research was awarded to a mechanical engineering
graduate student, Rawad Saleh.
Our research facilities were upgraded with the arrival of a wind tunnel facility and laser
flow visualization system and the installation of human gait research equipment in the
bioengineering laboratory. The me department is among the few pioneering programs at
AUB that was recommended by the Program Review Team appointed, by the New York State
Department of Education, to start a PhD program in the fall of 2007-08. The final approval of
the program is pending the approval of the aub Board of Trustees and the degree registration
at the New York State Department of Education.
The me department continues to take great pride in the quality of its graduates.
This annual report presents only a modest picture of the achievements in me/fea in 200506, highlighting the activities and accomplishments of the faculty staff, and the students.
For more information you can refer to the web site: http://webfea.fea.aub.edu.lb/fea/med/
Nesreen Ghaddar; Chaiperson
two|Personnel
Faculty
full time faculty
Marwan Darwish; Professor, PhD, Brunell University. Areas of interest: engineering materials
and computations.
Nesreen Ghaddar; Professor and Chairperson, PhD, mit. Areas of interest: computational
fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and energy conversion.
Fadl Moukalled; Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, PhD, Louisiana State
University. Area of interest: computational fluid dynamics.
Albert Kuran; Associate Professor, ms, Yale University.
Ahmad Smaili; Associate Professor, PhD, Tennessee Technological University. Areas of
interest: design and mechatronics.
Samer Abdallah; Assistant Professor, PhD, University of Sydney. Areas of interests: robotics
and computer vision.
Ramsey Hamade; Assistant Professor, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Areas of interest:
design, materials, and manufacturing.
Kinda Khalaf; Assistant Professor, PhD, Ohio State University. Area of interest: biomedical
engineering.
Issam Lakkis; Assistant Professor, PhD, mit. Areas of interest: analysis, modeling, and design
of rf mems devices and system level modeling of mems, design and analysis of rf circuits
and systems.
Alan Shihadeh; Assistant Professor, PhD, mit. Areas of interest: power engineering and
combustion.
New Appointments
full time faculty
Ghanem Oweis; Assistant Professor, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Areas of
interest: experimental fluid mechanics, laser diagnostics, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics,
and biofluidics. He joined the department in the spring semester 2006.
Eva Kansou; Assistant Professor, PhD, University of California Berkeley. Areas of interest:
mechanics of swimming, solid and fluid mechanics and the development of mimetic
computational algorithms. She will be joining the department during the fall semester
2006-07.
mechanical engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 72
mechanical engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 73
Abdel Rahman Khalidy; Assistant Professor, PhD, Cornell University. Areas of interest:
dynamics, random vibration, and signal processing, machine design, optimal control systems
and stochastic processes, health monitoring of mechanical systems using nde techniques
and dynamic signature analysis. He will be joining the department during the fall semester
2006-07.
external research funding
Ghaddar, N., “Experimental Testing of Radiant Cooling Panel and Displacement Ventilation,”
http://www.ashrae.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/31809, July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006,
ashrae Senior Project support program, $4,430.
part time faculty
Ghaddar, N., Fadel, M., Moukalled, F., and Karaki, S. (erg), Renewable Energy Technologies
II Policy Outline (rets II) for Poverty Alleviation in the Region: Jordan-Lebanon-Syria, Energy
Research Group, September 1, 2005-August 31, 2006, Global Network for Sustainable Energy
Development (gnesd), $25,000.
Shihadeh, A., “Development of an Automatic Iso-kinetic Smoke Sampling and Topography
System for Narghile Smoking in Natural Environments,” 9/05-9/07, Research for
International Tobacco Control, idrc, Canada, $25,540.
Pierre Azoury; Professor, PhD, University of London.
Kamel Abu-Ghali; Lecturer, Associate Professor at bau, PhD, Kansas State University.
Najib Kasti; Lecturer, PhD, uc Berkeley.
Jihad Kasamani; Lecturer, ms, aub.
Wajih Najm; Lecturer, ms Computer Engineering, Germany.
Samir Berjaoui; Instructor, ms Computer Engineering, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana.
new part time faculty
Rami Jabakhanji; Instructor
Charbel Seif; Instructor
Abdelrahman Zahzah; Instructor
Ahmad Farshoukh; Assistant Instructor
Ezzat Jaroudi; Assistant Instructor
Department Secretary
Mechanical
Engineering Lab
Personnel
External Advisory
Board
Pending Research
Grants
Rana Abdel Rassoul
Hisham Ghalayini; me Lab Supervisor
Dori Rouhana; Senior Technician
Roger Said; Mechatronic Lab Master
Dr. Habib Najm from Sandia National Laboratory was appointed to the me Department
External Advisory Board in April 2006. He is an alumnus of the department (class 1983) and
he joined the Board with extensive experience in the research environment. He has managed
cutting edge research projects in the area of combustion and simulation of stochastic
dynamical systems and electrochemical micro fluid systems.
three|Faculty Research & Activities
Research Funding
urb funded research projects
Abdallah, S., “SmartSLAM - A Context-Based Approach to Landmark,” $7,000.
Ghaddar, N., “Effect of Ventilation Supply Conditions to Radiant Cooled Spaces on Thermal
Comfort and Energy Consumption,” $5,000.
Hamade, R., “Using Novel Optimization Techniques in the Design of Composite Laminates,”
$3,000.
Shihadeh, A., Moukalled, F., and Darwish, M., “Aerosol Transport and Disperse Particle
Dynamics in the Narghile Water Pipe,” $17,000.
Smaili, A., “A Flexible-Link Based Model for Compliant Mechanism Synthesis,” $5,000.
projects funded by the lebanese national council for scientific
research (lncsr)
Darwish, M., “Development of a Tool to Improve Casting Quality and Yields,” 2005-06,
LL8,500,000.
Ghaddar, N., “Simplified Thermal Model with Experiments for Designing, Displacement
Ventilation and Chilled Ceiling Systems in Humid Climates,” 2005-06, L.L.7,500,000.
Moukalled, F., “Phase Flow Simulation of Vapor Condensation over Cold Surfaces with
Application to Improving the Performance of Air-conditioning Equipment,” 2005-06,
LL6,000,000.
Refereed Journal
Papers
Abdallah S.M. and Asmar, D.C., Tree Trunks as Landmarks for Outdoor Vision slam
Sponsor: aub/urb. Budget: $8,900. Period: October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007.
Darwish, M., A Coupled Pressure-Density-Velocity Variables Solver for All-speed Flow.
Simulation; Sponsor: urb. Period: October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007.
Ghaddar, N., Moukalled, F., and Shihadeh, A., Karaki, S., Darwish, M., from aub. Ghali, K.
from bau, and Fardoun, F., from lu, “Innovative Curriculum on Sustainable Energy.” Budget:
490,500. Sponsor: European Commission. Period: Oct. 1, 2006-Sept. 30, 2009.
Ghaddar, N., “Simplified Thermal Model with Experiments to Design Optimized Chilled
Ceiling and Positive Displacement Ventilation System.”
Budget: $79,200. Sponsor: ashrae. Period: October 1, 2006-September 30, 2008.
Ghaddar, N., “Simplified Thermal Model with Experiments for Designing Displacement
Ventilation and Chilled Ceiling Systems in Humid Climates.” lncsr
Budget: LL 12,000,000. Sponsor: lncsr. Period: October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007.
Ghaddar, N., “Displacement Ventilation and Chilled Ceiling - Design, Control, and
Experiment.” Budget: $50,000. Sponsor: A Joint Research Proposal Grant under the menaSwedish Research Links Programme. pi at aub. Period: January 1, 2006 - December 31, 2008.
Hamade, R., “Academic Curriculum in Manufacturing Engineering.” (acme)
Budget: 456,000. Sponsor: tempus. Period: October 1, 2006-September 30, 2009.
Khalaf, K., Husari, A., Bitar, F., and Farshoukh, A., “The Design of an Intelligent Hypoxia
Chamber towards the Development of a Chronic Animal Model Mimicking Sleep Apnea.”
Budget: $30,000; Sponsor: urb/mpp.
Lakkis, I., “Grid-Free Computations of Flows with Diffusive and Convective Heat Transfer.”
Budget: $7,000. Sponsor: urb. Period: October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007.
Moukalled, F., “A Heterogeneous musig Model for the Prediction of Mixing and Evaporation
of Poly-dispersed Sprays in Supersonic Flows.” Sponsor: urb. Budget: $10,000. Period:
October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007.
Oweis, G., “The Liquid Micro Jet from Laser Induced Cavitation Bubbles for Surgical and
Engineering Applications.” Sponsor: Arab Science and Technology Foundation (astf).
Budget: $38,500. Period: October 1, 2006-September 30, 2008.
Oweis, G., “Micro Particle Tracking Velocimetry Measurements of the Sub-Layer Region in a
Flat Plate Turbulent Boundary Layer.” Sponsor: urb. Budget: $6,870. Period: October 1, 2006
-September 30, 2007.
Shihadeh, A., “Chemical and Physical Characterization of Waterpipe Emissions for
Environmental Tobacco Smoke Studies” Sponsor: Research for International Tobacco Control,
idrc, Canada. Budget: $200,000. Period: 6/05, 6/06 (revision 1).
Shihadeh, A., “Waterpipe Tobacco Smoke: Toxicant Exposure and Effects.” Sponsor: National
Institutes of Health. Budget: $1.6 million. Period: 4/05, 4/06 (resubmitted).
Shihadeh, A., “Aerosol Transport Dynamics in the Narghile Waterpipe.” Sponsor: Arab Fund
for Economic and Social Development. Budget: 1 year salary. Period: October 1, 2006 September 30, 2007.
Karam C.N., Nuwayri-Salti, N., Usta, J.A., Zwainy, D.S., Abrahamian, R.E., Al Jaroudi, W.A.,
Baasisri, M.J., Abdallah, S.M., Bitar, K.M., and Bikhazi, A.B., “Effect of Systemic Insulin
and Angiotensin II Receptor Subtype-1 Antagonist on Endothelin-1 Receptor Subtype(s)
Regulation and Binding in Diabetic Rat Heart,” Endothelium, 12(5):225-31, Sept-Oct 2005.
mechanical engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 74
mechanical engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 75
Habib R.R., Abdallah, S.M., Law, M. and Kaldor, J., “Mortality Rates Among Nuclear Industry
Workers at Lucas Heights Science and Technology Centre,” Australian and New Zealand
Journal of Public Health 29(3); 229-37, June 2005.
Smaili, A., Diab*, N., “Shape Optimization for Closed Path Generation of Planar
Mechanisms,” ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, (in press), 2006.
Shihadeh, A. and Azar* S., “A Closed-Loop Control Playback Smoking Machine for Generating
Mainstream Tobacco Smoke,” Journal of Aerosol Medicine, 19(2), 2006.
Habib R.R., Abdallah, S.M., Law, M., Kaldor, J., “Mortality Among Nuclear Industry Workers,”
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (accepted, in press).
Shihadeh, A. and Saleh* R., “Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Carbon Monoxide, Tar, and
Nicotine in the Mainstream Smoke Aerosol of the Narghile Water Pipe,” Food and Chemical
Toxicology, 43(5), 655-61, 2005.
Ghali, K., Ghaddar, N., and Jaroudi* ES., “Heat and Moisture Transport Through the
Microclimate Air Annulus of the Clothing-Skin System Under Periodic Motion,” (accepted for
publication), ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, 128, no. 9, 2006.
Shihadeh, A., Antonius* C, and Azar*, S, “A Portable, Low-Resistance Puff Topography
Instrument For Pulsating, High Flow Smoking Devices,” Behavior Research Instruments,
Methods, Computers, 37(1):186-91, 2005.
Ayoub* M., Ghaddar, N., and Ghali, K., “Energy Consumption of Solar-assisted Desiccant
Dehumidification Air Conditioning System in Beirut,” Kuwait Journal of Science, (in press),
2006.
Ayoub* M., Ghaddar, N., and Ghali, K., “Simplified Thermal Model of Spaces Cooled
with Combined Chilled Ceiling and Positive Displacement Ventilation System,” ASHRAE
International Journal of HVAC & R Research, Vol. 12, no.4, 2006.
Salloum* M., Ghaddar, N., and Ghali, K., “A New Transient Bio-heat Model of the Human
Body and Its Integration to Clothing Models,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences, (in
press), 2006.
Hamade, R., “Cathodic Delamination of Elastomer-to-metal Adhesive Joints: Experimental
Data and Empirical Modeling,” International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, (in press),
available online 3 April 2006.
Hamade, R., “Evaluating the Learning Process of Mechanical CAD Students,” Computers &
Education, (in press), available online 10 January 2006.
Moukalled, F., and Saleh* Y., “Heat and Mass Transfer in Moist Soil, Part I. Formulation and
Testing,” Numerical Heat Transfer, Part B, 49, 467-86, 2006.
Moukalled, F., Ghaddar, N., Saleh* Y., and Fawaz* Z., “Heat and Mass Transfer in Moist Soil,
Part II. Application to Predicting Thermal Signatures of Buried Landmines,” Numerical Heat
Transfer, Part B, 49, 487-512, 2006.
Moukalled, F., Ghaddar, N., Kabbani* H., Khaled* N., and Fawaz* Z., “Numerical and
Experimental Investigation of Thermal Signatures of Buried Landmines in Dry Soil,” ASME
Journal of Heat Transfer, 128, 484-94, 2006.
Merhi, D. Lemaire, E., Bossis, G., and Moukalled, F., “Particle Migration in a Concentrated
Suspension Flowing Between Rotating Parallel Plates: Investigation of Diffusion Flux
Coefficients,” Journal of Rheology, 49, no. 6, 1429-48, 2005.
Khalaf, K., “Optimization-based Simulation of Manual Lifting Using Multiple Performance
Criteria,” International Journal of Modeling and Simulation, (in press).
Oweis, G.F., Jessup, S.D., Chesnakas, C.J., Fry, D.J., and Ceccio, S.L., “Development of a TipLeakage Flow-Part 1: The Flow over a Range of Reynolds Numbers,” ASME J. Fluid Engineering,
(in press). 2006.
Oweis, G.F., Jessup, S.D., Chesnakas, C.J., Fry, D.J., and Ceccio, S.L., “Development of a TipLeakage Flow-Part 2: Comparison between the Ducted and Un-ducted Rotor,” ASME J. Fluid
Engineering, (in press), 2006.
Refereed
Conference
Proceedings
Ayoub, M., Ghaddar, N., and Ghali, K., “Energy Consumption of Solar-assisted Desiccant
Dehumidification Air Conditioning System in Beirut,” proceedings of The Third International
Conference on Energy Research and Development, Kuwait, Nov. 21-23, 2005, 521-33, 2005.
Jaroudi* E., Ghaddar, N., and Ghali, K., “Heat and Moisture Transport from a Swinging
Limb of a Clothed Walking Human,” accepted for presentation at The 13th International Heat
Transfer Conference, Australia, August 17-22, 2006.
Moukalled, F., Ghaddar, N., and Saleh* Y., “Numerical Prediction of Thermal Signature of
Buried Landmines in Moist Soil,” accepted for presentation at The 13th International Heat
Transfer Conference, Australia, August 17-22, 2006.
Ghaddar, N., Ghali, K., Ayoub* M., “Feasibility of the Use of Chilled Ceiling and Positive
Displacement Ventilation Systems in Hot Humid Climates,” proceedings of The 2nd
International Green Energy Conference, 25-29 June 2006, uoit, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Abdallah, S.M., Chehab, A., Fawaz, A., Ghanem, B., Karame, G., “Real-Time Vision-Based
Mobile Robot Navigation in Outdoor Environments,” IEEE/RSJ International
Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing, China, October 9-15, 2006.
Asmar, D.C., Zelek, J.C., Abdallah, S.M., “Tree Trunks as Landmarks for Outdoor Vision
slam,” 5th IEEE Workshop on Perceptual Organization in Computer Vision, New York, usa,
June 22, 2006.
Abdallah, S.M., Asmar, D.C., Zelek, J.C., “Towards Benchmarks for Vision slam Algorithm,”
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Orlando, Florida, usa,
May 15-19, 2006.
Asmar, D.C., Zelek, J.C., Abdallah, S.M., “Seeing the Trees Before The Forest,” 2nd
Canadian Conference on Computer and Robot Vision, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada,
May 9-11, 2005.
Oweis, G.F., Winkel, E., Vanapalli, S., Dowling, R., Perlin, M., Solomon, M., and Ceccio, S.L.,
“Friction Drag Reduction at High Reynolds Numbers Using Injected Polymer Solutions,” 26th
ONR Symposium Naval Hydrodynamics, Rome, Italy, September 2006.
Smaili, A. and Diab* N., “Interval Analysis Based Approach to Analysis and Synthesis of
Planar Mechanism with Clearances and Tolerances,” ASME DETC 2006 Conferences, paper #
detc 2006-99713.
Smaili, A. and Chaaya* B., “Stackable 5R Chains with Multiple End-Effectors: Architecture
and Optimum Synthesis,” ASME DETC 2006 Conferences, paper # detc 2006-99717.
Antonios*, C., Inman, D., and Smaili, A., “Experimental and Theoretical Behavior of Selfhealing Bolted Joints,” Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, (in press), 2006.
[* Graduate Student at AUB]
[* Graduate Student at AUB]
Book Chapters
mechanical engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 76
mechanical engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 77
Smaili, A. and Hassanieh* M. “A Flexible-Link Model for Compliant Mechanisms Synthesis,”
ASME DETC 2006 Conferences, paper # detc 2006-99715.
Environment Programme, Regional Office for West Asia, (unep/rowa) American Society of
Heating Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ashrae), Lebanese Chapter. The work
shop was held at the American University of Beirut (aub) on December 8, 2005.
Ghaddar, N., Ghali, K., and Jones, B., “Convection and Ventilation in Fabric Layers,”
Chapter 20, Handbook on Thermal and Moisture Transport in Fibrous Materials, Edited
by N. Pan and P. Gibson, (accepted for printing), April 2006, Woodhead publishing.
Jones B., Ghali, K., and Ghaddar, N., “Heat-Moisture Interactions and Phase Change
in Fibrous Material,” Chapter 14, Handbook on Thermal and Moisture Transport in
Fibrous Materials, edited by N. Pan and P Gibson, (accepted for printing), April 2006,
Woodhead publishing.
Consultancy Work
Faculty
Development
Grants
Ghali, K., Ghaddar, N., and Jones, B., “Phase Change in Fabrics,” Chapter 13, Handbook on
Thermal and Moisture Transport in Fibrous Materials, edited by N. Pan and P Gibson, October
2005, Woodhead publishing, (accepted for printing), April 2006.
Ghaddar, N., Fadel, M., Moukalled, F., and Karaki, S., First Report on “Renewable Energies
Technologies Contribution and Barriers to Poverty Alleviation in Lebanon.” Global Network on
Energy for Sustainable Development, May 2006.
Seminars
Presented by
ME Faculty
Ghaddar, N. and Ghali, K, “Thermal Comfort and Stove Radiative Heating Units-Optimum
Location and Energy Efficiency,” presented to ASHRAE on February 16, 2006 at the American
University of Beirut.
Ghaddar N., and Ghali, K., “Modeling and Performance of Positive Displacement Ventilation
and Chilled Ceiling Systems in Humid Climates,” presented to ASHRAE on January 18, 2006
at the American University of Beirut.
Khalaf, K., “Engineering Education and Practice for Women in the Middle East,” International
Institute for Women Engineers, Paris, France, July 2006.
Shihadeh, A. and Saleh*, R., “Size Distribution Dynamics of a Hygroscopic Aerosol Flowing
Through a Constant Wall Temperature Tube with Coupled Heat and Mass Transfer Effects:
Modeling and Experimental Investigation,” 24th Annual American Association of Aerosol
Research Conference, Austin, tx, October 17, 2005.
Workshops
Presented by
ME Faculty
Ghaddar, N., Workshop on preparation of teaching portfolio for faculty. Twenty five
participants. Organized by the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning.
(co-facilitators: Prof. Sadek and Prof. Boujaoudi), Dec. 13, 2005.
Ghaddar, N., Workshop on preparation of teaching portfolio for faculty. Twenty participants.
Organized by the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning. (co-facilitators: Prof. Sadek
and Prof. Boujaoudi), Mar. 24, 2006.
Ghaddar, N., Facilitator. Evaluating Student Learning: Assessment of Students learning
outcomes. Twelve participants. Faculty seminar-2 hours- April 13, 2006
Ghaddar, N., Organized and moderated a workshop on National Phase-out Management
Plan of Ozone Depleting Substances. The workshop was sponsored by the National Ozone
Unit of the Ministry of Environment (Lebanon), United Nations Environment Programme,
Regional Office for West Asia (unep/rowa) American Society of Heating Refrigeration
and Air-conditioning Engineers (ashrae), Lebanese Chapter. The work shop was held
at the American University of Beirut (aub) on December 8, 2005. It was attended by 100
professionals, engineering students and government representatives.
Moukalled, F. and Darwish, M., “Computational Fluid Dynamics - The Finite Volume
Method,” a 9 hour-workshop offered at cams, March 27-29, 2006.
Moukalled, F., Represented aub and was an invited speaker to the workshop on National
Phase-out Management Plan of Ozone Depleting Substances. The workshop was sponsored
by the National Ozone Unit of the Ministry of Environment (Lebanon), United Nations
[* Graduate Student at AUB]
me short-term faculty development grants
Abdallah, S.; 2006 ieee International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Orlando,
Florida, May 15-19, 2006.
Darwish, M.; The Fourth International Conference on Fluid Dynamics in Ghent, Belgium, July
10- July 14, 2006.
Ghaddar, N.; 13th International Heat Transfer Conference iht in Australia, August 12-18.
me long-term faculty development grants
Oweis, G.F., and Ceccio, S.L., “Cavitation,” in Multiphase Flow Handbook, ct Crow Editor,
crc Press; isbn 0849312809; Taylor & Francis 2006.
Reports
Moukalled, F. and Ghaddar, N., Developing Course Material on Environmental Challenges in
Managing Ozone Depleting Substances. April-September 2006 - undp - Regional Office for
West Asia (rowa). Karaki, S. (pi), Chaaban, F., Moukalled, F., and Ghaddar, N. The objective
of the project was to recommend a long-term energy policy to promote energy conservation
and reduce energy costs. Starting Date: March 1, 2006 - aub Energy Audit Project.
Hamade, R.; Research at University of Kentucky, Lexington, usa, June 15-August 15, 2006.
Lakkis, I.; Research at mit, usa, June 20-Sept. 10, 2006.
Committees &
Community
Service
Abdallah, S.; Member: fea Research, University Student Faculty, me Departmental Meeting
(secretary).
Member of the Program Committee, International Conference on Image Analysis and
Recognition, Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, September 18-20, 2006, http://www.iciar.uwaterloo.
ca/iciar06/index.php (Reviewed 6 papers)
Member of the Program Committee, International Conference on Computer Vision Theory
and Applications, Setubal, Portugal, February 25-28, 2006, http://www.visapp.org/index.htm
Darwish, M.; University Admissions Committee (chair), University Graduate Study Ad hoc
Committee, fea Graduate Studies (chair), Member: Organizing Committee of the 5th feasc
Conference.
Ghaddar, N.; Member: fea abet, fea Academic, fea Administrative, fea Advisory,
fea Strategic Planning, fea Space, fea Petroleum Ad hoc Committee, fea Ad hoc Math
Committee, aub Committee on Discrimination and Harassment.
Hamade, R.; Member: fea Academic, fea Admissions, Editorial Advisory Board Member
(eab) of the Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology (jast). January 2006-January 2009.
Khalaf, K.; Lebanese Industrial Research Association (lira), Executive Committee member.
Reviewed projects for lira 6 Conference; performed on site visits to evaluate projects at
various institutions in Lebanon; participated in lira 6 Conference and evaluated projects
during the conference; and helped review and revise various aspects including evaluation
criteria.
Moukalled, F.; fea Academic, fea Administrative, fea abet, fea Strategic Planning, fea
Admissions, Interfaculty Admissions, fea Commencement, fea Ad hoc Math, Campus
Bookstore, Petroleum Engineering, Policies and Procedures Review (pprc), fea Physical,
Space, Departmental Evaluation Committee for ArD Applicants.
Oweis, G.; Marshall for the University Commencement Ceremony, Session chair for the fea
Student Conference.
Smaili, A.; Advisor of the asme Student Section, aub Lab Budget Committee.
Lakkis, I.; Secretary of the feasc, Academic Affairs, Graduate Student Advisor for the me
Department, cams High Performance Computing Committee, me Comprehensive Exam
Coordinator, Graduation Marshal.
mechanical engineering Ω Academics Ω 78
mechanical engineering Ω Academics Ω 79
four|Academics
Courses Offered
term
Courses offered during the academic year 2005-06
term
course
number
course title
instructor
sec
size
course
number
course title
instructor
sec
size
fall
mech 501
Final Year Project I
Darwish, M.
75
2005-06
mech 510
Design of Thermal Systems
Ghaddar, N.
61
mech 520-1
Mechanical Design II
Abdallah, S.
40
summer
mech 340-1
Engineering Materials
Darwish, M.
34
mech 520-2
Mechanical Design II
Smaili, A.
33
2005
mech 430-1
Instrumentation &
Measurements
Smaili, A.
49
mech 513
Air conditioning
Moukalled, F.
30
mech 530
Mechatronics
Smaili, A.
9
mech 431-1
Dynamic System Analysis
Darwish, M.
47
mech 601
Principles of Combustion
Shihadeh, A.
12
mech 431-2
Dynamic System Analysis
Smaili, A
39
Hamade, R.
1
Advanced Manufacturing
Processes
5
Sp Pro in me
mech 622
Hamade, R.
mech 796
mech 798
Sp. Topic in me/ 10 sts.
Abdo, J.
3
mech 631
Smart Materials and mems
Lakkis, I.
12
mech 799
Thesis
Ghaddar, N.
2
mech 633
BioMechanics
Khalaf, K.
42
mech 642
Computer Vision
Abdallah, S.
14
mech 645
Noise and Vibration Control
Smaili, A.
8
mech 664
Advanced topics in cfd
Darwish, M.
4
fall
mech 799
Thesis
Smaili, A.
2
mech 799
Thesis
Lakkis, I.
1
mech 799
Thesis
Hamade, R.
1
mech 797
Seminar
Lakkis, I.
18
mech 799
Thesis
Darwish, M.
2
mech 799A
Thesis
Ghaddar, N.
1
mech 799
Thesis
Moukalled, F.
2
mech 799A
Thesis
Khalaf, K.
1
mech 799
Thesis
Shihadeh, A.
2
mech 799A
Thesis
Shihadeh, A.
1
mech 799A
Thesis
Ghaddar, N.
1
mech 799B
Thesis
Smaili, A.
1
mech 799C
Thesis
Ghaddar, N.
1
mech 799B
Thesis
Shihadeh, A.
1
mech 799C
Thesis
Smaili, A.
1
mech 799B
Thesis
Darwish, M.
1
spring
mech 312
Applied Thermodynamics/ ece
Kuran, A.
47
2006
mech 321
Mechanical Engineering Tools
Hamade, R.
85
mech 340
Engineering Materials
Darwish, M.
47
mech 341
Materials Lab
Hamade, R.
71
mech 799B
Thesis
Ghaddar, N.
1
asst 200
Introduction to Engineering
Ghaddar, N.
305
mech 310-1
Thermodynamics I
Shihadeh, A.
42
mech 411
Engineering Fluids I
Lakkis, I.
56
mech 310-1
Thermodynamics I
Azouri, P.
41
mech 411
Engineering Fluids I
Oweis, G.
24
mech 311-1
Thermodynamics II
Abou Ghali, K.
42
mech 412
Heat Transfer
Boughali, K.
84
mech 312
Intro to Fluid and Thermal
Eng’g
Abou Ghali, K.
8
mech 420
Mechanical Design I
Abdallah, S.
56
mech 320
Introduction to Engineering
Seif, C.
84
mech 420
Mechanical Design I
Azoury, P.
33
mech 430
Smaili, A.
40
mech 410L
Thermal Fluids Laboratory
Shihadeh, A.
85
Instrumentation and
Measurements
mech 411-1
Fluid Engineering I
Lakkis, I.
49
mech 431
Dynamic System Analysis
Darwish, M.
16
mech 411-1
Fluid Engineering I
Azouri, P.
37
mech 433
Control and Automation
Abdallah, S.
46
mech 421-1
Manufacturing Processes I
Hamade, R.
23
mech 433
Control and Automation
Smaili, A.
35
mech 421-2
Manufacturing Processes I
Darwish, M.
56
mech 502
Final Year Project II
Darwish, M.
75
mech 432
Mechanics of Machines
Kuran, A.
88
mech 512
Internal Combusion Engine
Zahzah, A.
16
2005-06
cad
mechanical engineering Ω Academics Ω 80
term
course
number
instructor
sec
size
spring
mech 516
Aerodynamics
Ghaddar, N.
55
2006
mech 522
Computer-Aided Design
Hamade, R.
23
mech 531
Engineering Vibrations
Kuran, A.
44
Robotics eece 637S
Mrad, F
12
mech 663
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Moukalled, F.
6
mech 706
Aerosol Dynamics
Shihadeh, A.
2
mech 721
Elasticity and Plasticity
Kasti, F.
6
mech 740
Advanced Dynamics
Darwish, M.
7
mech 760
Advanced Fluids Dynamics
Lakkis, I.
8
mech 799
Thesis
Ghaddar, N.
1
mech 799A
Thesis
Darwish, M.
3
mech 799A
Thesis
Hamade, R.
1
mech 799A
Thesis
Moukalled, F.
2
mech 799A
Thesis
Smaili, A.
1
mech 799A
Thesis
Lakkis, I.
1
mech 799B
Thesis
Khalaf, K.
1
mech 799B
Thesis
Ghaddar, N.
1
mech 799B
Thesis
Shihadeh, A.
1
mech 641
New Courses
to be Offered
course title
mechanical engineering Ω Academics Ω 81
The following new courses were approved by the fea Academic Committee and will be
offered during the academic year 2006-07
undergraduate
mech 532: Dynamics and Applications (3 credits)
This course examines the dynamics of particles and rigid bodies moving in three dimensions.
Topics include Lagrange’s equations of motion for particles, rotations of rigid bodies, Euler
angles and parameters, kinematics of rigid bodies, and the Newton-Euler equations of
motion for rigid bodies. The course material will be illustrated with real-world examples such
as gyroscopes, spinning tops, vehicles, and satellites. Applications of the material range from
vehicle navigation to celestial mechanics, numerical simulations, and animations.
Pre-requisites: elementary course on Newtonian dynamics or consent of instructor.
graduate
mech 609: Experimental Methods in Fluid Dynamics (3 credits)
This is a graduate level course aimed at introducing students to experimental methods
used to measure fluid flow quantities such as pressures, forces, and velocities. The course
will start with an introduction to what and why we measure, and to uncertainty analysis and
measurement error estimation. Some basic techniques for data reduction and data postprocessing will be introduced. The available fluid measurement methods will be surveyed
briefly, with selected applications. Emphasis will be on advance optical diagnostic techniques;
namely particle image velocimetry (piv) and laser induced fluorescence (lif). The theoretical
foundations of these techniques will be established, and the discussion will extend to
practical considerations including software and hardware components. A few laboratory
sessions will be incorporated into the course to supplement the lectures, and will make use
of the instruments available in the me department including the open circuit wind tunnel, and
the piv system. In addition to the lectures and lab sessions, emphasis will be on the available
literature. Prior knowledge of the basic principles of fluid mechanics and fluid systems is
required. matlab will be needed for course work.
Approved
Masters Theses
& Supervision
Graduate students whose master’s thesis proposals have been approved by the fea Graduate
Studies Committee, during the academic year 2005-06
name
thesis
supervisor
thesis title
Bassel Monzer
Defended February 06
Shihadeh, A.
Experimental Investigation of the Relative
Contributions of Charcoal and Tobacco to
Carbon Monoxide and Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbon Yields in the Mainstream
Smoke of the Narghile Waterpipe
Ezzat Jaroudi
Defended June 06
Ghadddar, N.
Three-Dimensional Periodic Ventilation
Model of Heat and Moisture Transport
Through Clothing Systems with Skin Contact
Moh’d Ayoub
Defended February 06
Ghaddar, N.
Combined Radiant Cooling with Desiccant
Dehumidification: A Case Study: Numerical
and Experimental
Mohannad Al-Hakeem
Defended October 05
Murad, F.
Demand Driven Efficient HVAC Systems A Neuro-Fuzzy Logic Controller for Variable
Speed Secondary Chilled Water Pumps
Nassim Khaled
Defended October 05
Ghaddar, N.
Landmine Identification and Classification
Protocol using Thermography and
Numberical Modeling of the Thermal
Signature Evolution
Rawad Saleh
Defended February 06
Shihadeh, A.
Evaporation and Condensation of Aerosol in
a Constant Wall Temperature Pipe Plug Flow
- A Computational Model with Experimental
Validation
Tony Saad
Defended October 05
Darwish, M.
Implementation of a High Performance
CD Solver Using Cluster Based Parallel
Computing
Bachir Chaaya
Defended June 06
Smaili, A.
Robomechs: New Architectures and
Optimum Synthesis
Mazen Hassanieh
Defended June 06
Smaili, A.
Flexible Link Model and Topology
Optimization of Compliant Mechanisms
Balsam Nehme
Lakkis, I.
System Level Modeling of Microfluidic
Devices
Ihab Sraj
Darwish, M.
A Fully Coupled Finite Volume Method for
Fluid Flow at All Speeds
Chafic Mansour
Darwish, M.
A Finite Volume Solid Mechanics Solver
Hussein Al Sayyed
Moukalled, F.
Formulation and Implementation of a
Numerical Model for the Simulation of
Evaporation of Injected Liquid Droplets into
a Gas Flowing at Supersonic Speed
Zeina Alwan
Moukalled, F.
Combining Population Balance Equation to
cfd through the musig (Multi-Size-Group)
Model in Predicting Supersonic Turbulent
Mixing and Evaporation
May Khalil
Shihadeh, A.
Coagulation, Phase Change, and Deposition
Dynamics in the Narghile Waterpipe
Marwan Katerji
Shihadeh, A
Development of a Portable Closed Loop
Control Isokinetic Sampling System to
Assess Toxicant Exposure of Waterpipe
Smokers in Natural Settings
mechanical engineering Ω Departmental Activities Ω 82
name
Thesis Supervision
thesis
supervisor
thesis title
Ibrahim Geha
Smaili, A.
Acoustic and Siesmic Sensing of Burried
Object and Landmining
Ahmad Al Masalkhi
Farshoukh
Khalaf, K.
Design of an Intelligent Hypoxia Chamber
Controller for InVivo and InVitro Biomedical
Experimentation
Moh’d Khaled Joujou
Smaili, A.
Experimental Investigation on Active
Vibration Control of Flexible Mechanisms
Using Intelligent Control Schemes
mechanical engineering Ω Students Ω 83
Visiting Scholar
ME Annual
Departmental
ABET Meeting
2006
me faculty members are supervising the thesis of the following current students who will be
submitting proposals in 2006-07:
student name
thesis supervisor
Maan Hamdan
Moh’d Othmani
Moh’d Baydou
Bassel Jreije
Mounir Mossolly
Moh’d Al Saad
Camile Ziadeh
Ali Al Ammouri
Ali Awarke
Farid Merhej
Youssef Hijazi
Abdallah, S.
Ghaddar, N.
Ghaddar, N.
Ghaddar, N.
Ghaddar, N.
Hamade, R.
Hamade, R.
Hamade, R.
Hamade, R.
Hamade, R.
Khalaf, K.
five|Departmental Activities
Department
Seminars &
Presentations
Ω “Opportunities and Challenges for aub in the Oil and Gas Industry,” presented on March
23, 2006 by: Mr. Saddad El-Husseini, Saudi Aramco X-Executive Vice President and a member
of its Board of Directors.
Ω “Micro-End Milling and Thermally-Assisted Manufacturing,” presented on March 13, 2006
by Dr. Frank Pfefferkorn, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ω “Automative Seminar: Continuous Variable Transmission cvt, Direct Shift Gear dsg,
Biturbo System, and Multitronic,” presented on February 23, 2006, by: Mr. Sleiman Jalkh,
Workshop Manager at Audi/Volkswagen-Kettaneh Group.
Ω “Experience of icie/petra with Engineering Professors, Doctors, Teachers, and
Engineering Students,” presented on May 25, 2006 by Mr. Samir Sotiry and Mr. Shadi Abdul
Rahim from icie and petra Factory.
Ω “Objective Computational Fluid Dynamics (cfd) - Current Status,” presented on December
6, 2005 by Prof. Marwan Darwish, me faculty member. mech 797 series.
Ω “Modeling of Cathodic Deponding of Elastomer/Metal Adhesive Bonds,” presented on
November 29, 2006 by Prof. Ramsey Hamade me faculty member. mech 797 series.
Ω “Contact Characteristics and Their Contributions to Dynamic Instability of Mechanical
Systems with Friction,” presented on November 17, 2005, by Dr. Jamil Abdo, Visiting
Fulbright Scholar.
Ω “Computer Aided Design of mems @aub,” presented on October 18, 2005, by Prof Issam
Lakkis, me faculty member. mech 797 series.
Ω “Dynamic Meshing Fluid/Structure Interaction,” presented by Prof. Marwan Darwish, me
faculty member. mech 797 series.
Ω “Vortex Methods in Bounded Domains: Flow over Cylinder,” presented by Prof. Issam
Lakkis, me faculty member. mech 797 series.
Frank Pfefferkorn; University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Pfefferkorn presented a seminar on
Micro-End Milling and Thermally-Assisted Manufacturing. He met with me third and fourth
year students to discuss the opportunities available at the University of Wisconsin, inviting
them for summer training.
The me department held its day-long annual abet meeting on Feb. 2, 2006 at the Riviera
Hotel. The meeting was attended by me faculty to conduct a comprehensive review of the
undergraduate curriculum and discuss strategic initiatives.
The revision was based on assessment results of the past three years and
recommendations of discipline specific departmental committees. The curriculum introduces
optional tracks within the major in thermal and fluid sciences; design materials, and
manufacturing; and mechatronics. The revised curriculum increases the number of technical
electives to 6 electives including one restricted elective in design.
Strategic initiatives that were discussed covered the future proposed plan for faculty hiring
and areas of expertise needed. In addition, target future centers proposed include a Center for
Innovation in Product Development (cipd), and an Energy Research Center (erc) under the
fea umbrella.
six|Students
Enrollment
& Statistics
undergraduate student enrollment
1st year
2nd year
3rd year
4th year
Graduate Students
64
89
86
74
30
students graduating in october 2005
be (Major me)
1
Master’s Degree (Major me)
3
students graduating in february 2006
Bachelor of Engg (Major me) 3
Master’s Degree (Major me)
4
graduates of june 2006
Bachelor of Engg (Major me)
Master’s Degree (Major me)
58
3
transfer students accepted from outside aub to me
Fall 2004; Accepted
Spring 2005; Accepted
2
1
transfer students from within aub to me
Total fall term & spring term
(sophomore & freshmen)
16
transfer students from within fea to me
Academic Year 2005-06
From arch to me
From cee to me
From cce to me
From ee to me
0
1
1
1
mechanical engineering Ω Students Ω 84
students who transferred from me to other fea majors
To cce
1
To ee
2
graduate student enrollment
Summer term 2005:
Fall term 2005-06
Spring term 2006
20
30
28
graduate assistants (gas)
Summer term 2005
Fall term 2005-06
Spring term 2006
12
19
20
research assistants (ras)
Academic year 2005-2006
Student
Employment
Awards
19
In the Student Study Program, 30 registered undergraduate me students were selected
under the Specialized Work category for the academic year 2005-06. Their work assignments
included clerical work, help in research, help in lab experiments, developing material for the
website and similar tasks. The selection is based on merit and the departmental needs.
dean’s award
The following me students received the Dean’s Award for Creative Achievement for their
project: “Remote Controlled Airplane Design, Implementation and Testing,”
Paul Hajj Boutos, Bashir Jawhar, Roy Assaf, Jalal Haddad, Roy Baaklini, Marwan Cortas
The award winning Final Year Project conducted by the above students was on Metal Matrix
Composite Processing. The project advisor was Prof. Issam Lakkis.
abdul hadi debs endowment award for academic excellence
Mr. Rawad Saleh a master’s student in the me department received the award this year.
Mr. Saleh achievements in the last two years include winning a fellowship to present a paper
at the Annual Society for Research of Nicotine and Tobacco in Prague (March 2005). He is
publishing a manuscript in Food and Chemical Toxicology; and co-authoring a presentation at
this year’s meeting of the American Association for Aerosol Research in Austin, Texas.
sakkal renewable energy graduate thesis award
Mr. Mohammad Ayoub a graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
received this award valued $3,000 for demonstrating evidence of quality research work in the
field of renewable energy with special applications to Lebanon.
petrofac graduate fellowship
Mr. Elie Kfoury was awarded the fellowship valued at $12,500/year to cover his tuition and
stipend of his graduate education.
one|Introduction
86
two|Personnel
88
88
89
89
89
90
Faculty
Academic Support
Visiting Research Scholars
External Advisory Board Members
Staff
three|Faculty Activities & Research
Professional Development Workshops,
Public Lectures, & Seminars
Academic Service at AUB
Outreach & Community Services
Public Appearances & Interviews
Professional Consulting
Journal Publications
Book Chapters
Conference Proceedings
Conference Chair, Editorial Board, & Editor
Research Reports
Research Funding
Other Sources
Thesis Supervision
four|Academics
Courses Offered
New & Restructured Courses
Curricular Changes (2006-07)
Final Year Projects
Graduate Theses
five|Department Initiatives & Activities
Transportation Research Unit
Reaction Wall-Strong Floor Earthquake Testing Facility
Civil Engineering Infrastructure
Systems Conference (CEIS 2006)
5th FEA Student Conference
The MEDAWARE Workshop at AUB
Civil Engineering Seminars & Lectures
Environmental Engineering & Science Seminar Series
Educational Movies
Field Trips
six|Students
Enrollment
Student Employment
Graduation
Civil Summer Camp 2006
90
90
91
92
92
92
93
94
94
94
94
94
95
95
95
95
97
98
98
100
100
101
101
101
102
102
102
102
103
103
103
103
104
104
104
civil & environmental engineering Ω Introduction Ω 86
civil & environmental engineering Ω Introduction Ω 87
one|Introduction
The academic year 2005-06 was marked by numerous success stories in the Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering (cee) at aub. The team of faculty, students, and
staff takes great pride in the activities and achievements of the cee Department which are
summarized in this report, for the period spanning July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006. These
include teaching and research activities, service to the university and the community,
participation in development workshops and conferences, and awards and honors granted.
The highlights of the year,
Prof. George Ayoub received the university’s Distinguished Faculty Service Award for
2005 in recognition of his lifelong dedication to the excellence of aub.
Ms. Zakeya Deeb, the secretary of the department, was honored by the university with the
President’s Service Excellence Award for her selfless devotion and service to the department.
Prof. Salah Sadek was promoted to the rank of Professor effective October 2006.
Mr. Abdallah Zakhem (President of Zakhem International - Lebanon, and Chair of cee
External Advisory Board) and Dr. Hani Mahmassani (Professor of Civil/Transportation
Engineering at the University of Maryland and member of cee External Advisory Board)
received the fea Distinguished Alumni Award at the 5th fea Student Conference.
Dr. Mahmassani was also invited by the University Research Board at aub to be a
Visiting Research Scholar in the department for two weeks during spring 2006.
Two new faculty members were hired and are expected to join the department in spring
2006: Dr. Samer Madanat (Professor of Civil/Transportation Engineering and Director of
Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Berkeley) and Dr. Pascal
Saikaly (Environmental Science/Technology, Postdoctoral Research Associate at North
Carolina State University).
The PhD program, with majors in Civil Engineering (ce) and Environmental and Water
Resources Engineering (ewre), was approved by the University and is due to start in
October 2007, pending registration at the New York State Education Department (nysed).
A preliminary proposal for an undergraduate program in Construction Engineering was
initiated during a departmental faculty retreat and endorsed in principle by the cee External
Advisory Board. The program was given a high priority in the fea strategic planning, and will
be further discussed and presented for approval to the university during the upcoming year.
Research initiatives and facilities have achieved notable gains: the start of the Transportation
Research Unit (tru), a new collaborative research initiative between aub and the Beirut
Container Terminal Consortium (funded by bctc), which Prof. Isam Kaysi is heading on
behalf of aub/cee; and the activation of a world-class Strong-Floor/Reaction-Wall in the
Structural and Materials Laboratory, thanks to the great and sustained efforts by Prof.
Mohamed Harajli and the Structures/Earthquake group; and the complete upgrading of
the Hydraulics Laboratory.
Over the past two years, there has been a greater number of applicants for admissions
into Civil Engineering. The department has been able to raise the admissions scores and
thereby improve the performance of the students in this major.
A pioneering Civil Summer Camp was organized by the student Civil Engineering
Society (ces), with the Economic and Social Fund for Development (esfd) at the Council
for Development and Reconstruction (cdr). The pilot project consisted of cee students
volunteering one week for civil and community development work, hosted by the municipality
of the village of Mishmish, Akkar.
Further academic activities and news,
Faculty maintained a high level of research productivity and contribution in services
to the university and community, as evidenced in the core of this report.
The temporary relocation of selected cee laboratories to the new Science Research
Building (srb) was prepared for summer 2006. The permanent setting of all laboratories
into the new Irani Oxy Engineering Complex (ioec) was also planned incorporating a space
expansion to accommodate new foreseen functions and facilities, with expected completion
in 2008-09.
The cee Department continued preparations for the abet 2000 accreditation of its
undergraduate program. The department prepared for a visit by the abet Commission
which was to take place in October 2006. The visit, for the second year in a row, was
postponed due to the travel advisory for us citizens (to Lebanon) posted by the
us government.
An evaluation and revision of the current undergraduate curriculum was conducted
during which basic and advanced courses were introduced or restructured. Improvements
to the Final Year Project (fyp), offered for the second time, were observed at the process
and outcome level, and the participation of cee students at the 5th fea Student Conference
was notably evident and praised.
Several social events took place during the year in the cee department: activities and
gatherings continued to be organized by the ces; special achievements by faculty and staff
and family happenings were recognized; the traditional Civil Engineering Gala dinner was
held at the end of the year, where the cee community of aub and its guests gathered to bid
farewell and best wishes for a successful future and career to graduating students.
The situation in Lebanon,
The assassination of the late pm Rafic Hariri in February 2005 and the instability which
followed continued to leave their marks during this past year on the country and, it goes
without saying, at aub. The department did not escape some repercussions, the main of
which was the cancellation of the Civil Engineering Infrastructure Systems Conference (ceis
2006), organized by the cee department in collaboration with other international institutions
and foundations.
On the bright side, Lebanon was showing signs of health amid uncertainties. The country
engaged in a healthy political debate, headed by the most influential parties and constituents,
through continued round table discussions, addressing serious and once-considered
taboo issues of concern to the country. Signs of economic recovery were being observed,
accompanied by booms in certain areas and a high surge in the tourist industry. An indication
of Beirut’s growth and popularity was its ranking as ninth best city in the world for travelers,
according to Travel and Leisure Magazine’s annual “World’s Best” awards. All indications
were that the upcoming year would be positive for all.
A final note, last, but foremost,
This year marked an event dear to the cee Department, fea, and aub. In 1956, Prof. Ayoub
graduated from aub, and for the past fifty years, he has remained committed and dedicated
to his profession and to the educational mission of the university. Prof. Ayoub is one of the
true pillars of aub; a leader, a visionary, and a friend.
Mounir Mabsout; Chairman
civil & environmental engineering Ω Personnel Ω 88
civil & environmental engineering Ω Personnel Ω 89
two|Personnel
Faculty
Rami Jabakhanji; Instructor (Civil Engineering), me, American University of Beirut (new).
Jihad Kassamani; Lecturer (Dynamics), be, American University of Beirut.
Shadi Kodeih; Assistant Instructor (Computer-Aided Drafting), me Candidate, American
University of Beirut (new).
Fouad Kasti; Lecturer (Structures), PhD, University of California, Berkeley.
Halim Nader; Lecturer (Surveying), be, American University of Beirut.
Shadi Najjar; Lecturer (Structures), PhD, University of Texas at Austin (new).
Wajih Najm; Lecturer (Dynamics), me, American University of Beirut.
full-time faculty
There are eleven full-time faculty lines in the cee department. These are distributed as
follows: Environmental Engineering and Technology [3], Geotechnical [1], Structural [3],
Transportation [2], and Water Resources [2]. The current faculty and their rank composition
during 2005-06 was: 1 Assistant Professor, 1 Associate Professor, and 7 Professors. Two new
faculty members in Transportation and Environmental Sciences/Engineering will join the cee
department in 2007. All of the full-time faculty members are PhD holders from top us, uk,
and Canadian institutions of higher learning.
faculty recruitment
Two new faculty members, Dr. Samer Madanat in Transportation Engineering and
Dr. Pascal Saikaly in Environmental Science/Technology, have been recruited and will be
joining the department in spring 2007. Dr. Samer Madanat is currently a Professor of Civil/
Transportation Engineering and Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the
University of California, Berkeley, and Dr. Pascal Saikaly is a Postdoctoral Research Associate
at North Carolina State University.
Faculty Promotion
In June 2006, Dr. Salah Sadek was promoted to the rank of Professor, effective October 2006.
Summary Profile of Faculty Members
Hamed Assaf; Assistant Professor, PhD, University of British Columbia. His areas of interest
are: water resources planning and management; watershed modeling; gis; risk analysis;
integration of information technology in engineering applications; and agents technology.
He joined the department in 2003.
George Ayoub; Professor, PhD, London University, Imperial College. His areas of interest are:
water and wastewater management; development of low cost methods and materials in water
and wastewater treatment; and industrial waste treatment. He joined the department in 1963.
Habib Basha; Professor, PhD, University of California, Berkeley. His areas of interest are:
development of analytical and numerical models for infiltration; modeling groundwater flow;
solute transport in water networks; rainfall-runoff; and mathematical analysis of conduit flow.
He joined the department in 1990.
Mutasem El-Fadel; Professor, PhD, Stanford University. His areas of interest are:
environmental impact assessment; water allocation and conflict management; solid waste
management; air pollution control; transport and the environment. He joined the department
in 1996.
Bilal Hamad; Professor, PhD, University of Texas at Austin. His areas of interest are: design
and behavior of reinforced concrete structures; bond and development of reinforcement;
repair and strengthening of reinforced concrete structures; and concrete technology.
He joined the department in 1990.
Mohamad Harajli; Professor, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His areas of interest
are: design and behavior of reinforced, pre-stressed, and fiber reinforced concrete under
static and seismic loads; and repair and rehabilitation of concrete structures using advanced
composites. He joined the department in 1985.
Isam Kaysi; Professor, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His areas of interest are:
advanced technology applications in transport; national and regional transportation planning;
and public transport systems. He joined the department in 1991.
Mounir Mabsout; Professor and Chair, PhD, University of Texas at Austin. His areas of
interest are: structural mechanics; finite element analysis; soil-structure interaction; and
computing and information technology. He joined the department in 1991.
Salah Sadek; Associate Professor (promoted to Professor effective October 2006), PhD,
University of California, Berkeley. His areas of interest are: electrical properties of clays;
properties of solid waste fills and their evaluation; alternative landfill cover systems; and
seismic design of dams. He joined the department in 1993.
part-time faculty
During the academic year 2005-06, twelve part-time faculty members were appointed by
the cee Department. Six of the twelve appointments were new recruitments. They assisted
in teaching basic undergraduate, laboratory, and specialized graduate courses.
Hani Al Naghi; Instructor (Transportation), me, American University of Beirut (new).
Elie Awwad; Instructor (Materials), me, American University of Beirut (new).
Hisham Basha; Lecturer (Structures), PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Fadi Hamdan; Lecturer (Structures), PhD, Imperial College (new).
Hayssam Hasbini; Instructor (Information Technology), ms, Boston University.
endowed chair
An Endowed Chair position in Civil Engineering, sponsored by Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and
Partners), was advertised. The selection of the successful candidate, which will be made from
a pool of highly recognized applicants, should be finalized by fall 2006. The Dar Al-Handasah
Endowed Chair position will provide a notable enhancement to the faculty resources, and is
expected to have a significant impact on graduate education and research, especially on the
PhD level.
Academic Support
Visiting Research
Scholars
External Advisory
Board Members
Helmi El-Khatib; Manager and Supervisor, cee Laboratories, ms, University of Toledo. Taught
Construction Materials and Soil Mechanics lab sessions.
Elizabeth McGreevy; fea Academic Assistant, ms Education, suc at Buffalo. Provided support
to the department academic activities: abet, PhD, assessment and review, editing, etc.
Lucy Semerjian; Research Associate, eerc and Environmental Laboratories, PhD, University
of Bradford. Conducted and supervised Environmental lab sessions, taught Environmental
Microbiology elective course.
The cee department hosted three research scholars in 2005-06.
Dr. Hani Mahmassani visited aub for two weeks as a Research Scholar in the spring of 2006
(May-June), by invitation of the University Research Board (urb). Dr. Hani Mahmassani
holds the Charles Irish Sr. Chair in Transportation Engineering at the University of Maryland,
and is founding Director of the Maryland Transportation Initiative.
Dr. Rabi’ Mohtar visited the department as a Research Scholar for one month during July
2005; where he conducted research and collaborated with various faculty members.
Dr. Mohtar is an Associate Professor of Water Resources Engineering at Purdue University.
Dr. Hani Nassif visited the department as a Research Scholar for two weeks during July
2005; where he conducted research and collaborated with various faculty members. Dr.
Nassif is an Associate Professor of Civil/Structural Engineering at the State University of
New Jersey, Rutgers.
Mahmoud Abdul-Baki; Group Vice President, Middle East, Consolidated Contractors Co.(CCC)
Sati’Arnaout; PhD 1986, Senior Urban Specialist, The World Bank, usa
Paul Boulos; PhD 1989, President and coo, mwh Soft Inc., usa
Adib Kanafani; PhD 1969, Professor of Civil/Transportation Engineering, University of
California at Berkeley, usa
Mounir Khatib; Founder and Partner, Khatib and Alami - cec, Lebanon
Hani Mahmassani; PhD 1982, Professor of Civil/Transportation Engineering, University of
Maryland, usa
Antoine Naaman; PhD 1972, Professor of Civil/Structural Engineering, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, usa
Tammam Nakkash; PhD 1969, Managing Partner, Lebanon, Team International
Staff
civil & environmental engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 90
civil & environmental engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 91
Ghassan Saab; President and Chief Executive Officer, Sorensen Gross Construction, usa
Makram Suidan; PhD 1975, Professor of Civil/Environmental Engineering, University of
Cincinnati, usa
Abdallah Zakhem; (Chair of eab), President, Lebanon, Zakhem International
Helmi El-Khatib attended and/or participated in the following: Electric Safety, Fire Protection,
and Chemical Hazardous workshops offered by the Office of Development at aub; Laboratory
Method Validation seminar offered by the Ministry of Economy and Trade; Implementation
of a Quality Assurance System Within Testing and Calibration Laboratories, iso 17025, fiveday workshop offered by Ministry of Economy and Trade; Labview Basics I and II, five-day
workshop offered by National Instruments. He also trained for three days in Switzerland on
the newly acquired state-of-the-art X-Ray Diffraction Machine.
Bashir Asyala; Technician in Structural and Materials Laboratory
Jamil Bashir; Technician in Soil Mechanics Laboratory
Christiane Chedid; Secretary of cee Laboratories
Joseph Daoud; Assistant Technician in eerc and Environmental Laboratories
Helmi El-Khatib; Manager and Supervisor of cee Laboratories
Zakeya Deeb; Secretary of cee Department
Khaled Hallak; Assistant Technician in Hydraulics Laboratory
Abdel Rahman El-Sheikh; Senior Technician in Structural and Materials Laboratory
Lucy Semerjian; Research Associate in eerc and Environmental Laboratories
Bilal Hamad attended the International Conference ccc 2005 Composites in Construction,
Lyon, France (July 11-13, 2005); presented a seminar: Learning from Structural Failures at the
chamber of Commerce and Industry, Saida, Lebanon (March 1, 2006); presented a seminar:
Characteristics of Sand in Quality Concrete in the workshops on Sand dredging on the
Lebanese Coast, Existing Situation and Future Challenges, organized by the Environmental
Committee of the Order of Engineers, Beirut, Lebanon (March 15, 2006); and as President
of the aci Lebanon Chapter, organized two seminars: the first on Repair & Protection of
Reinforced Concrete at the Gefinor Rotana Hotel, Beirut (November 29, 2005) and the
second on Admixtures in Hot Weather High Performance Concrete at the Gefinor Rotana
Hotel, Beirut (April 16. 2006).
three|Faculty Activities & Research
Professional
Development
Workshops,
Public Lectures &
Seminars
Isam Kaysi presented a seminar on Beirut Container Terminal: From World Trade Patterns to
Terminal Operations at Port of Beirut (July 14, 2005), and held a series of seven workshops
focusing on elements of container terminal operations (August to October 2005).
Hamed Assaf completed an esri training workshop at cec-Khatib & Alami (May 22, 2006).
He attended and/or participated in the following: pccp unesco Workshop, Beirut (July 1215, 2005); idrc/cnrs Workshop on Sustainable Management of the Litani River, Chtaura
(November 26, 2005); Seminar on Developing a Teaching Portfolio, Center for Teaching and
Learning, aub (December 16, 2005); Third Meeting of the escwa Consultative Committee on
Scientific and Technological Development and Technological Innovation, Beirut (6-7 March
2006); Presentation by the Ministry of Environment (May 22, 2006).
George Ayoub attended and/or participated in the following: Fourth International Water
Conference in the Arab Countries at Habtour Grand Hotel, Beirut (June 27-30, 2005);
Workshop on Wastewater Sector in Lebanon at Rachid Karami Educational Center, Tripoli
(July 7, 2005); Workshops in Sweden sponsored by the Stockholm Environmental Institute:
Application of Water Evaluation and Planning Tool to the Eastern Mediterranean (August 1720, 2005) and Water for Agriculture in the Middle East, held as part of the World Water Week
(August 21, 2005); Fifteen Stockholm Water Symposium, World Water Week Conference,
Sweden (August 22-27, 2005); presented a paper at the First International Conference on
Sustainable Urban Wastewater Treatment and Reuse at the Nicosia Hilton Hotel, Cyprus
(September 15-17, 2005); organized and presided Medaware workshop on the development
of tools and guidelines for the promotion of the sustainable urban wastewater treatment
and reuse in the agricultural production in the Mediterranean countries, Gefinor Hotel,
Beirut (January 19-20, 2006); chaired sessions at Medawater International Conference on
Sustainable Water Management: Rational Water Use, Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
ruwtr 2006, Marrakech (8-10 June 2006). He presented the following public lecture by
invitation: Wastewater Treatment in workshop entitled Efficient Management of Wastewater
treatment and Reuse in the Mediterranean Countries, eu funded project and managed by
Lebanese American University (lau) and Balamand University.
Mutasem El-Fadel attended and/or participated in the following: Workshops in Sweden
sponsored by the Stockholm Environmental Institute: Application of Water Evaluation and
Planning Tool to the Eastern Mediterranean (August 17-20, 2005) and Water for Agriculture in
the Middle East, held as part of the World Water Week (August 21, 2005); Fifteen Stockholm
Water Symposium, World Water Week Conference, Sweden (August 22-27, 2005); Medaware
workshop on the development of tools and guidelines for the promotion of the sustainable
urban wastewater treatment and reuse in the agricultural production in the Mediterranean
countries, Gefinor Hotel, Beirut (January 19-20, 2006); Medawater International Conference
on Sustainable Water Management: Rational Water Use, Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
ruwtr 2006, Marrakech (8-10 June 2006).
Salah Sadek participated in preparation and presentation of two workshops on Teaching
Portfolio preparation (December 2005 and April 2006).
Lucy Semerjian attended or participated in the following: the First International Conference
on Sustainable Urban Wastewater Treatment and Reuse at the Nicosia Hilton Hotel, Cyprus
(September 15-17, 2005); Seminar on Developing a Teaching Portfolio offered by the Center for
Teaching and Learning at aub; and workshops for course Management (WebCT I, WebCT II)
and plagiarism prevention (Turnitin) offered by the Academic Computing Center at aub. She
also attended a three-day training course on “Theories and hands-on applications of Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometer” (Flame, graphite furnace, and hydride generation) at Thermo
Electron Corporation, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Academic Service
at AUB
Hamed Assaf served on the fea Academic and Curriculum Committee and on the fea
Research Committee. He was the faculty supervisor of the Hydraulics Laboratory. He was
assigned academic advisor to fourth year undergraduate students (Class of 2006).
George Ayoub served on the University Commencement Committee and on the University
Reunion Committee, and assisted in activities with the aub Development Office. He was
a member of the fea Space Committee. He was the faculty supervisor of the eerc and
Environmental Laboratories. He was assigned academic advisor to ewre graduate students
and to third year undergraduate students (Class of 2007).
Habib Basha chaired the fea Library Committee, and was a member of abet fea Committee
and abet department task team. He was in charge of upgrading the Hydraulics Laboratory
equipment and of the PhD proposal wrap-up. He was assigned academic advisor to third year
undergraduate students (Class of 2007).
Mutasem El-Fadel chaired the Advisory Board of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy.
He served on the University Senate and was a member of the Senate Steering Committee.
He was the Acting Director of the Interfaculty Graduate Environmental Science Program
and the Director of the Interfaculty Water Resources Center (wrc). He was a member of the
Energy Research Group at fea, Core Science Laboratory Committee at fas, and Interfaculty
Committee for the Environmental Science Program. He was assigned academic advisor to
etp graduate students and to first year undergraduate students (Class of 2009).
civil & environmental engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 92
civil & environmental engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 93
Bilal Hamad served on the fea Admissions Committee and was a member of the fea Fifth
Student Conference Committee. He was the faculty supervisor of the Structural and Materials
Laboratory. He was assigned academic advisor to fourth year undergraduate students (Class
of 2006) and Final Year Project (fyp) coordinator.
Assessment in the Oil and Gas Industry; Laceco, Saudi Oger on Environmental management
plans for the Saraya Development Project, Aqaba, Jordan; Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
and Bureau Veritas as Expert Judge on the uae Health, Safety and Environment Competition;
Société Generale Immobilière on Environmental Assessment of the Raouche Rotana
Complex, Beirut, Lebanon; Rafic El Khoury and Partners as expert on environmental impact
assessment in the water sector in Lebanon.
Bilal Hamad was consultant for: Oger Liban as expert to perform technical control and
review of the structural design of the new Saudi Arabia Embassy, Beirut, 2006; cdr as
expert to perform supervision of the repair and strengthening procedures of Chekka Tunnel,
North Lebanon, 2006; mak Khorafi Contracting as expert to perform structural evaluation
and recommend seismic strengthening procedures of the building in Lot 365, Mina El
Hosn, Beirut.
Isam Kaysi was consultant for: Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners) as senior transportation
advisor; Millennium Development & sets as advisor on transport infrastructure; International
College (ic) as Advisor on parking, access, and traffic impact (IC Master Plan).
Mohamad Harajli was the chair of the University Unified Admissions Committee. He served
on the fea Advisory Committee. He was a member of the abet department task team
and of the department sub-committee in charge of developing the draft of the proposed
Construction Engineering undergraduate program. He was assigned academic advisor to first
year undergraduate students (Class of 2009).
Isam Kaysi served on the fea Advisory Committee (secretary) and on the fea Strategic
Planning Committee (2005-present). He was a member of the abet department task team
and of the department sub-committee in charge of developing the draft of the proposed
Construction Engineering undergraduate program. He was a member of cams HighPerformance Computing Committee. He was the faculty supervisor of the Transportation
and Surveying Laboratory facilities. He was assigned academic advisor to second year
undergraduate students (Class of 2008).
Mounir Mabsout (Chair of cee Department) served on the fea Administrative Committee,
Academic and Curriculum Committee, Space Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, fea
abet Committee; abet department task team, and fea Math Committee. He was assigned
academic advisor to ce graduate students, Intensive English, and special/transfer students.
Salah Sadek served on the following aub committees: Interfaculty Financial-Aid, Strategic
Planning - General Education, Teaching Excellence Award, and Athletics. He also served
on the fea Graduate Students Committee and Web-Site Committee. He was the faculty
supervisor of the Soil Mechanics Laboratory. He was assigned academic advisor to second
year undergraduate students (Class of 2008).
Outreach &
Community
Services
George Ayoub was a member of the Scientific Committee for Friends of Abel Al.
Mutasem El-Fadel was a member of the Advisory Group, Council for Public Works, Energy,
and Water, Lebanese Parliament.
Bilal Hamad was the President of the aci Lebanon Chapter. He assisted the President of the
Order of Engineers in representing the Order at the meetings of the Parliamentary Committee
of Public Works and Transport designated to discuss seismic activity in Lebanon and propose
means for emergency management.
Mohamad Harajli was a member of the Organizing Committee of Local Workshop for
Expert’s Group on Earthquake and Tsunami Hazard, Lebanese National Council for Scientific
Research (lncsr).
Mounir Mabsout was elected member of the board of the ngo International Education
Association (iea).
Helmi El-Khatib, Mohamad Harajli, and Salah Sadek were appointed, on behalf of fea, as
members on sub-committees of LibNor to set Lebanese standards.
Public
Appearances &
Interviews
George Ayoub interviewed for broadcasting station Voice of Lebanon on status of wastewater
treatment in Lebanon. He was an invited speaker at the Information Seminar, Le semide et le
Secteur de l’Eau au Liban, presentation entitled Development of Tools and Guidelines for the
promotion of Sustainable Urban Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Agricultural production
in the Mediterranean Countries (November 10, 2005).
Professional
Consulting
George Ayoub was a consultant for: Rafic El Khoury and Partners as expert on state of the
wastewater sector in Lebanon; Al-Ard for training of municipal authorities and operators; cecKhatib and Alami for expert advice on the design of wastewater treatment plant for the City of
Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Mutasem El-Fadel was consultant for: World Bank on environmental management plans
for infrastructure development projects in Iraq power, water and wastewater, roads, and
bridges; World Bank on environmental management plans for the Cultural Heritage Program
in Jordan; Petroleum Development of Oman and Bureau Veritas on Integrated Impact
Journal
Publications
Al-Battaineh, O.* and Kaysi I (2005). “Commodity-Based Truck O-D Matrix Estimation Using
Input-Output Data and Genetic Algorithms,” in Transportation Research Record: Journal of
the Transportation Research Board, No. 1923, Transportation Research Board of the National
Academies, Washington, d.c., pp. 37-45.
Ayoub G.M. and Kalinian, H. (2006). “Removal of Low Concentration Phosphorus Using a
Fluidized Raw Dolomite Bed,” Water Environment Research, 78 (4), pp. 353-61.
Ayoub, G.M. and Malaeb, L. (2006). “Impact of Intermittent Supply on Water Quality in
Lebanon,” International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 26 (4), pp. 379-97.
Ayoub, G.M. and Chammas, D. (2006). “Potentiality of Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse in
the Lebanon,” International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 28, (1).
Basha, H.A. and Maalouf, S.F. (2005). “Theoretical and Conceptual Models of Subsurface
Hillslope Flows,” Water Resources Research, 41, W07018, doi: 10.1029/2004WR003769.
El-Fadel, M. and Alameddine M. (2005). “Desalination in Arid Regions: Merits vs. Concerns,”
Journal of Water Supply: Research & Technology - AQUA, 54 (7), pp. 449-61.
El-Fadel, M. and El Fadl K. (2005). “Water in the Middle East Revisited: Conflict Management
Alternatives,” Water Policy, 7 (4), pp. 385-412.
Fatta, A., Anayiotou, S., Arslan-Alaton, I. Ayoub, G., Muhammad Rusan, M., Hameed, K., and
Loizidou, M. (2006). “The Water Profile and the Policies that Need to be Developed for the
Promotion of Wastewater Reuse in the Mediterranean Countries - The Case of Cyprus, Jordan
and Lebanon,” International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 28 (2).
Hamad, B., Al Hammoud, R., and Kunz J. (2006). “Experimental Evaluation of the Bond
Strength of Bonded-In Reinforcement Using Hilti Injection Systems,” ACI Structural Journal,
V. 103, No. 2, pp. 207-18.
Hamad, B. and Fakhran, M. (2006). “Effect of Confinement on Bond Strength of Hot-dip
Galvanized Lap Splices in High Strength Concrete,” ACI Structural Journal, V. 103, No. 1,
pp. 48-56.
Harajli, M.H. (2005). “Bond Strengthening of Steel Bars Using External frp Confinement:
Implications on the Static and Cyclic Response of R/C Members,” ACI Special Publication
SP230 on Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Reinforcement for Concrete Structures - FRPRCS 07,
American Concrete Institute, pp. 579-596.
Harajli, M.H. (2006). “Effect of Confinement Using Steel, frc, or frp on the Bond Stress-slip
Response of Steel Bars Under Cyclic Loading,” Journal of Materials and Structures, rilem,
V. 39, pp. 621-634.
Harakeh, S., Yassine, H., and El-Fadel, M. (2006). “Antimicrobial-resistant Patterns
of Escherichia Coli and Salmonella Strains in the Aquatic Lebanese Environments,”
Environmental Pollution, 143, pp 269-77.
Kazopoulo, M., El-Fadel, M., and Kaysi, I. (2005). “Emission Standards Development with
Exhaust Emission Measurements in a Typical I/M Program,” ASCE Journal of Environmental
Engineering, 131 (9), pp. 1330-39.
Massoud, M.A., El-Fadel, M., Scrimshaw, M.D., and Lester, J.N. (2006). “Factors Influencing
Development of Management Strategies for the Abou Ali River in Lebanon I: Spatial Variation
and Land Use,” Science of the Total Environment, 362, pp. 15-30.
Massoud, M.A., El-Fadel, M., Scrimshaw, M.D., and Lester, J.N. (2006). “Factors Influencing
Development of Management Strategies for the Abou Ali River in Lebanon II: Seasonal and
civil & environmental engineering Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 94
civil & environmental engineering Ω Academics Ω 95
Annual Variation,” Science of the Total Environment, 362, pp. 31-41.
Sadek, S. and El-Khoury, M. (2005). “The abcs of Soil Nailing: An Integrated Tutorial and
Knowledge-base Approach to Teaching Design,” International Journal of Engineering Education,
V.21, No.5, pp. 1003-12.
Sadek, S., El-Fadel, M., and Freiha, F. (2006). “Compliance Factors within a GIS-based
Framework for Landfill Siting,” Journal of Environmental Studies, 63 (1), pp. 71-86.
Sadek, S., Ramadan, R. and Naghi, H. (2005). “A gis-based Landslide Hazard Assessment
Framework for Road Repair and Maintenance,” EJGE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, V.10,
No. 7, 8 pages.
Yamout, G. and El-Fadel, M. (2005). “An Optimization Approach for Multi-sectoral Water
Supply Management in the Greater Beirut Area,” Water Resources Management, 19 (6), pp.
791-812.
Yeung, A. and Sadek, S. (2005). “Apparatus Induced Error in Hydraulic Conductivity
Measurement,” Geotechnical Testing Journal, ASTM, V.28, No.5, pp. 472-80.
waste: Phase II,” lnscr, $6,000.
Hamad, B. and Harajli, M. “Effect of frp Confinement on the bond strength of steel bars
under static and seismic loading: application of exterior beam-column connections and
gravity load-designed columns,” lncsr, LL 12,000,000.
Harajli, M. and Hamad, B. “Effect of steel reinforcement on the seismic response of concrete
columns,” urb, $5000.
Kaysi, I. “Evaluation of motorist information systems for border crossings,” urb, $5,000.
Mabsout, M. “Finite element analysis of skewed steel highway bridges,” urb, $4,500.
Sadek, S. “Liquefaction of silty sands,” urb, $5,000.
Sadek, S. and Mabsout, M. “Finite element-based design methodology for buried infrastructure pipes,” lncsr, LL 8,000,000.
Book Chapters
Kaysi, I. (2006). “Evaluating Emissions Implications of Proposed Intelligent Transportation
Systems Deployments: Canadian Experience”, in Urban Transport XII: Urban Transport and the
Environment in the 21st Century, C. Brebbia and V. Dolezel (eds.), wit Press.
Conference
Proceedings
Ayoub, G.M. and Semerjian, L. (2005). “Low Cost Processes for the Removal of Phosphates
from Water and Wastewater,” First International Conference on Sustainable Urban Wastewater
Treatment and Reuse, suwtr, September 15-17, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Harajli, M. and Hamad, B. (2005). “Bond Characteristics of Steel Bars in Concrete Confined
with Fiber Reinforced Polymer Sheets,” Third International Conference on Construction
Materials, ConMat’05, August 22-25, Canada.
Harajli, M.H., Hantouche, E., and Soudki, K. (2005). “Evaluation of the Axial Stress-Strain
Response of frp Confined Concrete,” Third International Conference on Construction Materials,
ConMat’05, August 22-24, Vancouver, Canada.
Hamad, B.S., Hage Ali, A. (2005). “frp Confinement of Anchored Bars in Beam Anchorage
Specimens,” in proceedings of International Conference CCC 2005 Composites in Construction,
July 11-13, Lyon France.
Ramadan, R., Naghi, H., and Sadek, S. (2006). “A gis-based Slope Stability Hazard
Assessment Framework for Prioritizing Road Maintenance,” International Conference on Civil
Engineering Infrastructure Systems, June 12-14, aub, Beirut, Lebanon.
Sadek, S., El-Fadel, M. and Freiha, F. (2006). “A Multi-criterion Modular and Flexible
Decision-aid Tool for Landfill Siting Using gis,” Twenty First International Conference on Solid
Waste Technology and Management, March 26-29, Philadelphia, usa.
Sadek, S. and Saleh, M. (2006). “Liquefaction of Sands with Calcareous Silts,” Eighth US
National Conference on Earthquake Engineering Conference-100th Anniversary of the 1906
Earthquake, April 18-22, San Francisco, usa.
Conference Chair,
Editorial Board, &
Editor
Research Reports
Research Funding
Other Sources
El Fadel, M. “Community development project: pilot demonstration in North Lebanon,” cdr,
and World Bank, $102,000.
El Fadel, M. “Expanding economic opportunities under clustering for economic development
and revitalization of industry sectors: post-harvest management,” chf International, $400,000.
Ghaddar, N., El Fadel, M., Karaki, S., Mezher, T., and Moukalled, F. “Renewable energy policy
options for economic improvement in disadvantaged rural areas - Phase II,” Global Network
for Sustainable Development (gnesd), $25,000.
Harajli, M. “Open and fully compatible strengthening system for heritage buildings in the
Mediterranean region (operha),” European Commission (ec), $120,000.
Kaysi, I. “Container terminal operations,” Beirut Container Terminal Consortium (bctc),
$250,000.
Thesis Supervision
Hamed Assaf supervised the master students Muheiddine Kabbani and Linda Khalil (ewre);
and co-supervised the PhD candidate Mark Saadeh (Technical University of Aachen, Germany).
George Ayoub supervised the master students Oussama Kobeissi and Mary Semaan (ewre).
Habib Basha supervised the master students Rayan Bsat and Ali Dib (ewre) and
co-supervised the PhD candidate Manal Hatem-Mussalem (University of Newcastle upon
Tyne, uk).
Mutasem El Fadel supervised the master students Fadi Matar (ewre), Michele Harfouche,
Safaa Murad, Darine Salam (etp), and Lea Kai (es); and co-supervised the master students
S. Al-Madbouh, G. Azar, S. Hojeij and D. Sarkis (es).
Bilal Hamad supervised the master students Charbel Bou Abs and Faten Ibrahim; and cosupervised the Master student Aline Kahwaji (ce).
Mohamad Harajli supervised the Master students Mohamad Abou Niag, Farid Dagher,
and Zeinab Khalil (ce).
Isam Kaysi supervised the master students Nada Chehab, Rawad Hani, Serene Saab (ce),
Rayan Khraibani (em), Alice Kam (University of Toronto, Canada), and c0-supervised the PhD
candidate Marianne Kazopoulo (University of Toronto, Canada).
Mounir Mabsout supervised the master students Firas Bou Diab, Fatima El Meski, and Sako
Holtian (ce); co-supervised the PhD candidate Khaled Shihabi (Damascus University, Syria).
Salah Sadek supervised the master students Antoine Abboud, Fadi Freiha, Aline Kahwaji,
Ramzi Ramadan, Nadim Rouhana, and Maha Saleh (ce); co-supervised the master students
Charbel Bou Abs (ce) and Joy Jadam (Agriculture).
Harajli, M, Harik, I., and Naaman, A. Co-chairs and Editors of Proceedings of the International
Conference on Civil Engineering Infrastructure Systems, June 12-14, 2006, aub, Beirut, Lebanon.
Kaysi, I. Program Committee Co-Chair, IEEE ITSC 2006 Conference in Toronto; Editorial
Board Member of Transportation Research - Part C: Emerging Technologies; Editorial
Board Member, Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems; Editor, Public Transportation
Management and Electronic Payment - IEEE ITSC 2006 Conference in Toronto; Editor, ieee
Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.
Kaysi, I. (2005). “aub - bctc Workshops Progress Report,” November 11, 2005.
Kaysi, I. and Mneimneh, F. (2005). “Beirut Container Terminal Operations Improvement
Studies - Progress Report.”
University Research Board (urb) & Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (lncsr)
Assaf, H. “Integrated water, energy, and environmental knowledge system (weeks) using gis
technology,” urb, $5,000.
Basha, H. “Extension to contaminant transport in water distribution systems,” urb, $2,000.
El Fadel, M. and Darwish, N. “Anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid
four|Academics
Courses Offered
The following table includes the civil engineering courses offered by the department during
2005-06, along with the related information on enrollment and instructors.
term
course
n˚
course title
level cr
ug/gr
instructor
no
sec
sec
size
summer cive 360 Surveying
ug
2
H. Nader
2
68
2005
cive 430 Engg Geology
ug
3
S. Sadek
1
51
cive 500 Approved
ug
0
B. Hamad
1
40
Experience
civil & environmental engineering Ω Academics Ω 96
term
fall
course course title
number
cive 210
Engg Mech
level cr
ug/gr
instructor
no
sec
sec
size
4
F. Kasti & W.
Najm
2
178
ug
2006
cive 310
Mech of Materials
cive 320L Const Materials
term
spring
course
number
course title
level cr
ug/gr
instructor
no
sec
sec
size
cive 350
Envir Engg
ug
3
G. Ayoub & M. ElFadel
1
94
2006
ug
3
M. Mabsout &
Hisham Basha
3
150
cive 421
Concrete II
ug
3
B. Hamad
1
38
ug
1
H. El-Khatib
2
72
cive 431
Soil Mech & Lab
ug
3
S. Sadek
2
76
cive 441
Hydrology
ug
3
H. Basha
1
41
cive 450
Water &
Wastewater
Treatment & Lab
ug
3
G. Ayoub
1
33
cive 461
Transportation
Engg & Lab
ug
3
I. Kaysi
1
33
cive 502
Final Year Project II
ug
3
B. Hamad
& H. Assaf
(Coordinators)
1
41
cive 623
Bridges
gr
1
M. Harajli
1
4
cive 624
Steel Design
gr
3
B. Hamad
1
9
cive 625
Strength & Rehab
of Concrete Struct
Analysis
gr
3
M. Harajli
1
10
cive 351
Envir Microbiology
ug
3
L. Semerjian
1
25
cive 370
Intro to it
ug
3
Assaf & Hasbini
2
70
cive 410
Structures II
ug
3
B. Hamad
1
51
cive 420 Concrete I
ug
3
M. Harajli
1
49
cive 440 Hydraulics & Lab
ug
3
H. Basha
1
37
cive 460 Highway Engg
ug
3
I. Kaysi
1
56
cive 501
Final Year Project I
ug
0
B. Hamad
& H. Assaf
(Coordinators)
1
42
cive 530
Foundation Engg
ug
3
S. Sadek
1
36
cive 580
Const Management ug
3
M. Abdel-Malak
1
29
cive 610
Advanced
Structural Analysis
gr
3
F. Hamdan
1
6
cive 620 Plain Concrete
gr
3
B. Hamad
1
26
cive 622 Prestressed
gr
3
M. Harajli
1
18
cive 630
Applied Foundation gr
Engg
3
S. Sadek
1
9
cive 640 Hydraulic
gr
3
H. Basha
1
8
cive 644
Coastal Engg
gr
3
H. Basha
1
13
gr
3
H. Assaf
1
9
Concrete
Structures
cive 656
Air Pollution &
Control
gr
3
M. El Fadel
1
11
cive 661
Urban
Transportation
Planning
gr
3
I. Kaysi
1
14
cive 730
Soil & Site
Improvement
gr
3
S. Sadek
1
6
ensc 620 Water &
gr
3
G. Ayoub
1
1
ensc 660 Envir Tech
gr
3
M. El-Fadel & G.
Ayoub
1
13
ensc 690 Seminar in Envir
gr
0
M. El Fadel
(Coordinator)
1
43
cive 200 Perspectives in ce
ug
0
M. El Fadel
(Coordinator)
1
75
ug
3
F. Kasti & W.
Najm
2
180
ug
3
Hisham Basha
1
39
ug
3
M. Mabsout
1
75
ug
3
H. Assaf
2
76
Wastewater
Treatment
Science
spring
civil & environmental engineering Ω Academics Ω 97
2006
cive 210
Engg Mech
cive 310 Mech of Materials
cive 311
Structures I
cive 340 Fluid Mech & Lab
cive 647
gis for Water
Resources & Envir
Engg
New &
Restructured
Courses
cive 659
Envir Impact
Assessment
gr
3
M. El Fadel
1
8
cive 665
Transportation
Economics
gr
3
I. Kaysi
1
17
cive 798
Spec Top: ReliabBased Design of
Civil Engg Systems
gr
3
S. Najjar
1
11
cive 797
Civil Engg Seminar
gr
0
M. Mabsout
(Coordinator)
1
14
During the past two years, the following courses were introduced to the program or taught
for the first time:
cive 501/2
cive 647
cive 798
cive 798
Final Year Project - fyp, 0/3 cr, ug (2004-05 & 2005-06)
gis for Water Resources & Environmental Engg, 3 cr, gr (Spring 2005
& Spring 2006)
Special Topics: Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites, 3 cr, gr
(Spring 2005)
Special Topics: Reliability-Based Design of Civil Engg Systems, 3 cr, gr
Spring 2006)
It is worth noting that most ce courses currently include substantial computer applications/
implementations and web-based instruction/information (WebCT). In addition, an AutoCAD
Curricular
Changes
(2006-07)
civil & environmental engineering Ω Academics Ω 98
civil & environmental engineering Ω Academics Ω 99
drafting lab was added as a component in the cive 311 - Structures I course; a formal
course on drafting/cad (mech 320 - Introduction to Engg cad) will be introduced to the ce
curriculum at the first-year level staring 2006-07.
Design Enhancement of Bisri Dam
Students: Souad Al Sarraf, Nicolas Ziadeh, and Christiane Zoghbi
Faculty Supervisor: Habib Basha
The project consists of a study of an existing dam design (Nahr el Awwali dam project)
and covers both risk assessment (dam behavior to earthquake and flooding) and
implementation of new features based on gis (flow modeling). A historical overview of
the project is also included.
A restructuring of the cee undergraduate curriculum was adopted, following an evaluation of
the program by the department. The changes were introduced to better meet the objectives
and satisfy the outcomes of the program, while remaining in line with abet criteria.
The revised curriculum will start with the new first year students effective Fall 2006-07.
The modifications adopted, namely in the first two years, are summarized below:
Ω cive 200 - Introduction to Civil Engineering (2 cr) replaces cive 200 - Perspectives in Civil
Engineering (0 cr) and asst 200 - Introduction to Engineering (3 cr).
Ω cive 210 - Statics (3 cr) replaces cive 210 - Engineering Mechanics (Statics and Dynamics;
4 cr).
Ω phys 210 - Introductory Physics (3 cr) is revised to include substantial components of
Dynamics and Thermodynamics.
Ω eece 210 - Electric Circuits (3 cr) replaces eece 210 - Circuits and Electronics (4 cr).
Ω eece 230 - Introduction to Programming (3 cr) replaces eece 230 - Computers and
Programming (4 cr).
Ω mech 320 - Engineering Graphics (1 cr) is new.
Ω cive 320 - Construction Materials and Technologies (2 cr) replaces cive 320L Construction
Materials (1 cr).
Ω stat 230 - Introduction to Probability and Random Variables (3 cr) replaces asst 310Probability and Statistics (2 cr), and will be offered by the Math Department.
Ω math 251- Numerical Computing (3 cr) and one Math elective (math 212, 218, 281, or
approved; 3 cr) replace asst 312/313 - Applications of Analytical Methods in Engineering I/II
(3 cr/ 3 cr).
The following modifications were also adopted at the senior undergraduate and graduate
levels as of fall 2006-07, and will apply to the current senior students.
Ω cive 501/502 - Final Year Project (1 cr/3 cr): one credit has been added to cive 501 (Part 1)
which was originally zero credit. cive 502 (Part 2) remains 3 cr.
Ω cive 581 - Specifications and Cost Estimation (3 cr) is introduced as a senior undergraduate
elective and is cross-listed with enmg 503.
Ω cive 672 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (gis; 3 cr), previously offered
as asst 632, is part of the pool of the cee graduate courses which can be taken as a senior
undergraduate elective, and remains open to other programs and majors at fea.
With the modifications above, the program will be maintained at the original 143 credits.
Final Year
Projects
The Final Year Project - fyp (cive 501/2) was introduced as a requirement in the cee
curriculum for the first time in 2004-05, in line with abet requirements. Teams of students
were formed and the following projects were submitted and presented during 2005-06.
Elevated Freeway
Students: Nicolas Bekhazi, Mohamed Itani, Elias Nehme, and Marc Rashed
Faculty Supervisor: Mounir Mabsout
The project presents a solution to the heavy traffic on the highway strip between Dbayeh and
Beirut. It involves structural and highway design while taking into consideration the effect on
the existing structures, environmental concerns, and economic feasibility.
Beach Complex Resort
Students: Maya Abi Aad, Mohamed Al Jourdi, Jean Paul Akiki, and Michael Daher
Faculty Supervisors: Bilal Hamad and Mohamed Harajli
The project includes architectural and structural designs (chalet, offices...), geotechnical
issues, and breakwater design.
Green Village
Students: Hani Bou Nasr, Bahjat Dagher, Lea Diab Maalouf, Elie Kmeid, and
Mohamad Yassine
Faculty Supervisor: George Ayoub
The project’s idea involves choosing a village in Lebanon and planning all the infrastructure
and facilities pertaining to it. This includes road network, water supply and distribution
system, wastewater retrieval (and possible treatment) system, electrical distribution system
(and possibly supply), and even architecturally beautifying the village by adding trees.
Development of Kleiat Renee Mouawad Airport
Students: Tammam Al Dandachi, Joseph Betour El Zoghbi, Ahmad El Harake,
Fadel El Samman, and Jacques Khoriaty
Faculty Supervisor: Mutasem El Fadel and Isam Kaysi
The project consists of the design of a new passenger terminal at Kleiat Airport in North
Lebanon with a single runway having the potential of attracting local and international
airlines in an area where the effect of wind on arriving and departing aircrafts is minimal.
The implementation of this project is to have a positive economic impact in the area.
Metro System in Greater Beirut Area
Students: Elie Kharrat, Toufic Ramia, George Tohme, Jamil Zakhem, and Maria Zeghayar
Faculty Supervisor: Isam Kaysi
The project consists of defining the study area, data collection, modeling, and forecasting.
It covers the design of the tunnels, rail system and the stations through which the metro
will pass. The project includes structural design, transportation aspects, economics, and
construction management.
3D Visualization of the Subsurface for Foundation Design
Students: Miled Chalfoun, Hussein El Hariri, Hrag Karaoghlanian, and Mazen Rammal
Faculty Supervisor: Hamed Assaf
The project consists of developing software that comprises two parts. The first part resides in
generating a computer model of the terrain out of the borehole logs and possibly establishes
the soil characteristics. The second step is in designing the best foundation according to
the soil model generated and according to criteria selected by the operator. The code will
be designed in a modular function in order to be able to add modules that would extend
its ability to adopt multiple design features and new foundation types in the future without
affecting the code itself.
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport A380 Adaptation Challenge
Students: Ralph Bou Khalil, Jamil Daou, Radwan Nayfeh, and Alexander Rizkallah
Faculty Supervisor: Salah Sadek
The project includes a new airport master plan, plane parking facilities and gate usage, and
the rehabilitation of the runway to sustain the A380 load requirements.
Implementation of Railway between Beirut and Jounieh
Students: Bassam Abou Rabia, Rawad Jamal, Nakhle Mansour, and Jad Tabbara
Faculty Supervisor: Isam Kaysi
The project consists of a preliminary design for the railway considering horizontal and vertical
alignments, right of way, and other transportation consideration. The project includes a
brief feasibility study involving economic and managerial issues. Environmental and social
problems are also discussed.
Graduate Theses
civil & environmental engineering Ω Department Initiatives & Activities Ω 100
civil & environmental engineering Ω Department Initiatives & Activities Ω 101
Parking Structure in Beirut Central District (BCD)
Students: Zeid Imam, Youssef Shaka’, and Raed Sobh
Faculty Supervisors: Bilal Hamad and Mohamed Harajli
The project consists of a design of a reinforced concrete parking structure in downtown
Beirut, taking into account transportation considerations. An investigation of the parking
needs in the area was conducted, and a feasibility study involving economical and managerial
issues is presented.
The cee Department organized and was involved in many academic activities during the
year 2005-06. This included: organizing the International Conference on Civil Engineering
Infrastructure Systems (ceis); actively participating in the 5th fea Student Conference;
organizing workshops, lectures and seminars; showing educational movies; and planning
technical field trips.
Meetings involving cee faculty members were held on several occasions and at various
levels. These included regular and special faculty meetings, a faculty retreat, and a meeting
with the department External Advisory Board. The department was also involved in a series
of meetings with external reviewers for the evaluation of the proposed PhD program.
Thesis Proposals Approved in 2005-06
name
major advisor
(committee
members)
thesis title
date
approved
Aline Kahwaji
ce
S. Sadek
(M. Mabsout
& B. Hamad)
Developing Bearing
Capacity Factors
for Foundations on
Multilayered Soils Using
the Finite Element Method
7/05
Layale Abi-Esber
etp
M. El Fadel
(I. Nuwayhid,
N. Saliba &
A. Chehadeh)
In-Vehicle Exposure to
Carbon Monoxide in a
Commercial/ Residential
Region of Beirut, Lebanon
8/05
Faten Ibrahim
ce
B. Hamad
(M. Harajli
& G. Ayoub)
Effect of FRP on Bond
Strength of Hooked Bar
Anchorages in Normal
Strength Concrete
Structures
10/05
10/05
Farid Dagher
ce
M. Harajli
(M. Mabsout
& S. Sadek)
Effect of FRP Confinement
on Seismic Behavior of
Gravity Load-Designed
Columns
Ramzi Ramadan
ce
S. Sadek
(B. Hamad
& I. Kaysi)
A GIS-Based Landslide
10/05
Hazard Framework for Road
Repair and Maintenance
Antoine Abboud
ce
S. Sadek (M.
Harajli & M.
Mabsout)
Shear Strength Evaluation
11/05
of Fiber-Reinforced CementStabilized Sands
Charbel Bou Abs
ce
B. Hamad
(M. Harajli
& S. Sadek)
Effect of FRP on Bond
Strength of Hooked
Bar Anchorages in
High Strength Concrete
Structures
2/06
Serene Saab
ce
I. Kaysi
(M. Mabsout
& M.A. Abdul
Malak)
The Competitiveness of
Beirut Container Terminal
and its Prospects of
Transshipment
4/06
five|Department Initiatives
& Activities
Academic and research initiatives were notable in the cee Department during 2005-06.
These included in particular the initiation of the Transportation Research Unit (tru) and the
launching and activation of a world-class Strong-Floor/Reaction-Wall for dynamic/earthquake
testing in the Structural and Materials Laboratory.
Transportation
Research Unit
aub (cee Department and fea) and the Beirut Container Terminal Consortium (bctc) signed
an agreement to start a Transport Research Unit (tru) at the faculty. This agreement, which
was signed on February 3 2006, in College Hall, is the result of a joint effort made by
Dr. Isam Kaysi, Professor of Transportation Engineering (cee), bctc Chairman Ammar
Kanaan, and other bctc members. Through this agreement, bctc, which is a private
company that obtained a ten-year concession from the Beirut Port Authority to operate
the new Beirut Container Terminal, will provide the support needed to create a Transport
Research Unit, over a five-year period.
The tru, lead by Dr. Kaysi, aims at providing technical support to conduct studies
and research towards developing operational procedures at the container terminal, and
to contribute to the development of software and information solutions for container
terminals in general. In line with aub’s mission, the Transport Research Unit will first
advance knowledge in transportation technology; second, it will provide excellent educational
opportunities for students; and third, it will serve Lebanon, the region, and beyond, by
facilitating the exchange of goods with the international trading partners of Lebanon.
Reaction WallStrong Floor
Earthquake
Testing Facility
The first experimental program using the new Reaction Wall-Strong Floor test system was
launched during the summer of 2005 in the Structural and Materials Laboratory of the cee
Department. The recently constructed world-class testing facility makes it possible for aub
researchers to test large-scale structural and geotechnical systems under earthquake loading,
and evaluate the seismic performance of the types of structural systems that are commonly
used in the region. It will therefore help in the assessment of the vulnerability of building
structures and other civil facilities to the seismic activities in the region. It will also foster
research cooperation at the regional and international levels in areas related to earthquake
engineering.
The construction of the testing facility required careful design and construction. The
efforts by the department to coordinate and complete the system were lead by Dr. Mohamad
Harajli, Professor of Structural Engineering (cee), with the Structures/Earthquake group in
the cee Department. The establishment of the facility was supported by fea and aub central
administration.
The first testing program to take place was concerned with examining the seismic
performance of reinforced concrete columns strengthened using fiber-polymer laminates,
with particular emphasis on the design and construction practice of concrete columns in
Lebanon. Other tests using the facility took place during 2005-06 by the structural group
in the cee Department.
Civil Engineering
Infrastructure
Systems Conference
(CEIS 2006)
The cee Department at aub planned to co-organize the International Conference on Civil
Engineering Systems (ceis 2006) on its premises with the ce Department at the University
of Kentucky, Lexington and the cee Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The conference, which was postponed from last June 2005 due the tragic assassination of the
late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in February 2005, was to be held in June 2006 and dedicated
to his memory. The continued assassinations that took place during 2005-06 caused the
cancellation of the ceis conference. The conference co-chairs, Profs. Mohamad Harajli (aub),
Issam Harik (Lexington), and Antoine Naaman (Michigan), reached this difficult decision
after a careful assessment of the situation in Lebanon at the time. The organizers decided
to publish proceedings of all the revised and accepted papers, and to provide copies of the
proceedings, free of charge to all authors, promising to hold a follow-up conference as soon
as the political situation permits.
civil & environmental engineering Ω Department Initiatives & Activities Ω 102
5th FEA Student
Conference
The MEDAWARE
Workshop at AUB
Civil Engineering
Seminars & Lectures
Participation in the 5th fea Student Conference (May 17-18, 2006) by the cee Department
included the presentation of two keynote lectures and seven student papers published in the
conference proceedings.
Educational Movies
The regional meeting of the medaware Steering Committee was held in Beirut on the 19th
and 20th of January 2006 at the Rotana-Gefinor Hotel. The meeting was organized and
presided over by Professor George Ayoub who is the director of the project at aub. Eight
international and regional institutions are involved in this project. The first day covered
deliberations on the existing status of the project and charted future work to be completed.
The second day was spent on sightseeing visits to Jeita caves, Byblos and downtown Beirut.
The Seminar Series in Environmental Engineering and Science (ensc 690) was offered to the
interfaculty graduate program in Environmental Sciences and to the ewre graduate program
in collaboration with the World Bank. The seminar series was coordinated by Dr. Mutasem
El-Fadel, cee Department and Dr. Karim Makdisi, pspa.
[1] “In-vehicle Exposure to Carbon Monoxide” by Ms. Layale Esber, November 16, 2005
[2] “Dbayeh Water Supply: Utilization Pattern and Perceived Quality” by Ms. Joumana Nasr,
November 30, 2005
[3] “National Reforestation Plan for Lebanon” by Ms. Therese El-Gemayel, December 14, 2005
[4] “Human Development: Access to Water, Sanitation and Energy” Position Paper, World
Bank, escwa, January 25, 2006
[5] “Saving the Planet: Water Resources Management” Position Paper, World Bank, escwa,
February 1, 2006
[6] “Saving the Planet: Climate Change” Position Paper, World Bank, escwa, February 8, 2006
[7] “Saving the Planet: Sustainable Land Management” Position Paper, World Bank, escwa,
February 15, 2006
[8] “Saving the Planet: Forests and Biodiversity” Position Paper, World Bank, escwa,
February 22, 2006
A number of educational movies on various civil engineering topics were shown as part of the
cive 200 course (Perspectives in Civil Engineering) during the spring of 2006. The purpose
of the course was to introduce 1st year cee students to the world of civil engineering.
The movies were attended by various ce classes. Discussions followed the showings,
moderated by cee faculty members. The course and movies (listed below) were coordinated
by Dr. Mutasem El-Fadel, cee department.
[1] “Three Gorges: The Biggest Dam Construction in the World” (Discovery Channel)
Moderator: Dr. Hamed Assaf. February 23, 2006
[2] “The Golden Gate Bridge” (A&E Entertainment)
Moderator Dr. Mounir Mabsout. March 2, 2006
[3] “Super Structures of the World: Skyscrapers” (Unapix)
Moderator: Dr. Mohamed Harajli. March 9, 2006
[4] “Leaning Tower of Pisa” (Discovery Channel)
Moderator: Dr. Salah Sadek. March 16, 2006
[5] “A Journey in the History of Water” (University of Bergen, Winner of the Grand Prix in the
17th International Environment Film Festival)
Moderator: Dr. Habib Basha. March 23, 2006
[6] “The Search for Clean Air” (University of North Carolina, Center for Public Television)
Moderator: Dr. Mutasem El Fadel. March 30, 2006
[7] “Eurotunnel, Super Structures of the World” (Unapix Entertainment)
Moderator: Dr. Bilal Hamad. April 6, 2006
The Civil Engineering Seminar Series (cive 797) was offered to ce graduate program during
the spring of 2006, and was open to the public. The seminar series was coordinated by
Dr. Mounir Mabsout, cee Department. Other seminars and lectures were presented during
2005-06.
[1] “Deep Foundations Quality Control and Quality Assurance Testing Methods”
by Dr. Mohamad Hussein; Vice President, grl Engineers, Inc., Orlando, Florida, usa;
Partner, Pile Dynamics, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, usa; Chairman, Deep Foundations Committee,
American Society of Civil Engineers. July 20, 2005.
[2] “The Importance of Reliability Analyses in Structural and Geotechnical Engineering”
by Dr. Shadi Najjar; Lecturer, cee Dept, aub. December 8, 2005.
[3] “Structural Health Monitoring and Field-Testing of Civil Infrastructures”
by Dr. Hani Nassif; Associate Professor, cee Department; Rutgers, the State University
of New Jersey. January 5, 2006.
[4] “Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering”
by Dr. Salah Sadek; Associate Professor, cee Department, aub. February 16, 2006.
[5] “Managing Safety in the Construction Industry”
by Dr. Fadi Hamdan; Lecturer, cee Department, aub. April 20, 2006.
[6] “Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Flow and Transport in the Environment”
by Dr. Elie Bou Zeid; Post-Doctoral Researcher - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
at Lausanne. April 28, 2006.
[7] “Maritime Transport in Lebanon: Policies, Ports Development, and Role of the
Private Sector”
by Mr. Ammar Kanaan; President, International Port Management sa. May 4, 2006
[8] Simulation Tools for Infrastructure Monitoring and Management
by Dr. George Turkiyyah; Visiting Faculty, Computer Science, aub. May 11, 2006.
[9] “its: a 15-yr Retrospective and Looking Ahead”
by Dr. Hani Mahmassani; Professor of Transportation, cee Department, University
of Maryland. May 26, 2006
Environmental
Engineering &
Science Seminar
Series
civil & environmental engineering Ω Students Ω 103
Field Trips
Field trips were organized by the cee faculty with the objective of exposing students to the
real life experiences in the practical civil engineering world. Visits to the projects, offices, and
plants (listed below) were also aimed at enhancing student learning in specific courses.
[1] Dar Al Handasah (Resources and Environment Department)
Accompanying Faculty: Dr. Habib Basha
Course/Class: cive 440 (Hydraulics and Laboratory), cive 640 (Hydraulic Structures),
ce 2007 (3rd year students), and Graduate Students
Date: December 20, 2006
Aim: to attend a presentation of dam projects in Algeria and Angola.
[2] Container Terminal at the Port of Beirut
Accompanying Faculty: Dr. Isam Kaysi
Course/Class: cive 461 (Transportation Engineering and Laboratory), and ce 2007
Dates: May 2006
Aim: to familiarize students with operations at the Container Terminal.
six|Students
Enrollment
In the fall 2005, 293 (251 undergraduate and 42 graduate) students were enrolled in the cee
department distributed as follows:
class
year 2005-06
Intensive English
10
Undergraduate 1st Year
75
Undergraduate 2nd Year
72
Undergraduate 3rd Year
51
Undergraduate 4th Year
43
Graduate-ce
16
Graduate-ewre
12
Graduate-et
14
Total
293
civil & environmental engineering Ω Students Ω 104
Student
Employment
Graduate Assistantships (ga) were granted to 9 students in summer 2005, 24 students in
fall 2005, and 22 students in spring 2006. ga tasks included assisting in courses and in lab
teaching and lab operations, as well as in various departmental tasks such as assisting in
proctoring exams, preparing reports, and academic activities, as listed below:
undergraduate student-work scholarships
During the year 2005-06, 16 undergraduate students from various majors and classes across
fea and aub worked in the cee laboratories and department. The students were assigned
mainly to the Soil Mechanics Laboratory to assist in testing; 2 students worked on the cee
and faculty websites; 4 students assisted in cad Lab sessions. The average working time
funded was 5 hours per week.
Graduation
Civil Summer
Camp 2006
undergraduate students and distinction
Thirty undergraduate students were granted the Bachelor of Engineering (be) degree, major
Civil Engineering (ce), three with distinction and one with high distinction.
Eleven graduate students were granted the Masters of Engineering or Science (me or ms)
degree, major Civil Engineering (ce), Engineering and Water Resources Engineering (ewre),
or Environmental Technology (et), during 2005-06.
The Civil Summer Camp 2006 was a modest experiment. The activity was jointly conducted
and co-funded by the Economic and Social Fund for Development (esfd) at the Council for
Development and Reconstruction (cdr). Beyond the initial connection made by the cee
Department with esfd, the students, through the Civil Engineering Society (ces), took it
upon themselves to organize and coordinate the entire activity with the parties involved.
The camp consisted of a one-week, community development project in the remote village
of Mishmish in the upper Akkar region. Fifteen Civil Engineering (ce) students volunteered
during their break between spring and summer terms to spend time assisting in public
works, construction of a health-care center, and a center for agriculture development in the
village. The students got further involved by offering review lessons and classes to a large
number of Brevet students in preparation for the official government exams, as well as in
the clean-up of a forest with a team of village scouts. The camp began with specialized
workshops for the students organized on site by esfd. At the local level, the link was the
Mishmish Municipality which coordinated and organized the “on-the-ground” activities.
The project helped meet the objectives of the two partners, the esfd and the cee/ces.
For esfd, this project promoted their activities in community development and gave
credible visibility to the on-going work on development issues. The project also falls
within the esfd methodology of Community Development which maintains continuous
support for its partner communities and helps them mobilize resources to help them in the
implementation of community development projects. At the same time, the project helped
a group of Civil Engineering students: acquire some civil engineering related experience by
helping in public works; get involved in community development projects and be exposed to
local development issues; acquire responsibility, maturity and discipline; encourage youth
participation in civil society through partnership between youth and community groups; and
encourage volunteerism as non-profit, non-wage and non-career action for the well being of
the community or society at large.
one|Introduction
106
two|Personnel
107
Faculty
Staff
three|Faculty Research & Activities
Refereed Journals, Book Chapter
Conferences
Research Proposals
Committee Service
Professional Activities
four|Academics
Graduate Thesis Supervision
Courses Offered
five|Program Activities
Seminars & Presentations
six|Students
GA Appointments
107
107
107
107
107
107
108
108
108
108
109
110
110
110
110
engineering management program Ω Introduction Ω 106
engineering management program Ω Faculty Research & Activities Ω 107
one|Introduction
This year, 2005-06, is the third academic year during which the Engineering Management
(em) Program implemented the new program structure and curriculum offering. The new
program has four areas of concentration: Financial Engineering, Industrial Management,
Projects and the Built Environment, and Information and Organizational Management.
The program has continued to attract qualified students from architecture and engineering
majors and a modest number of applications from other majors including computer science,
business, physics, and information systems. The enrollment in the program has increased to
about 100 students, reflecting around a twenty percent increase from the average of the last
five years.
This year two major initiatives were completed: the offering of the engineering
management master’s degree with a thesis and a non-thesis option, and the introduction
of a minor in engineering management for undergraduate students. Both initiatives received
the approval of the concerned fea and University boards and committees. They will be
implemented effective fall term 2006.
Under the non-thesis option, the Master of Engineering Management (mem) degree
requirements will remain the same, with the exception that the students will have to
complete a total of 33 credits instead of the previous requirement of 36. This is achieved by
relinquishing the “Project” requirement, while keeping an opportunity for those who may opt
to undertake research work of a limited scope to take the enmg 797 Special Project course,
which can be used to satisfy the 3-credit requirement of any elective depending on the nature
of the topic addressed. Under the thesis option, students will be required to complete a total
of 30 credits, subdivided as follows: four core courses (12 credits), three courses from the
student’s area of concentration (9 credits), one free elective course (3 credits), and a thesis
(6 credits). The merits of these approved changes are expected to include:
two|Personnel
Faculty
full time faculty members
Mohamad-Asem Abdul Malak; Professor and Coordinator EM Program, Moueen Salameh;
Professor, Toufic Mezher; Professor, Khalil Hindi; Professor, Bacel Maddah; Assistant
Professor, Walid Nasrallah; Assistant Professor.
part-time faculty members
Samir Traboulsi; Senior Lecturer, Akram Tannir; Lecturer, Hassan Charif; Lecturer,
Youssef Nizam; Instructor, Walid Abi Lamaa; Lecturer, Maher Al Ajam; Instructor
Staff
secretary
Maya Kouzi
three|Faculty Research & Activities
Refereed Journals,
Book Chapter
Conferences
[1] offering students the opportunity to completed the degree in one year (non-thesis option);
[2] relieving students who have less interest in research work from having to fulfill the project
requirement, thereby students can finish their degrees faster and reducing project supervision
load on full-time members of the em group;
[3] suiting the career-oriented industry professionals (non-thesis option);
[4] ability to better recognize students’ effort resulting in substantive research work
(thesis option);
[5] improving the research output of em faculty;
[6] and paving the way for a PhD program in the future.
The minor in engineering management is aimed at allowing undergraduate engineering
and architecture students, as well as students from related majors, to pursue an engineering
management concentration starting as early as the fall semester of their third year. To satisfy
the requirements of this approved minor, a student must earn 18 credits of course work as
follows:
[1] At least nine out of the total requirements of 18 credits shall be fulfilled from the
undergraduate em course offerings, which shall include the enmg 400 course.
[2] The other nine credits can be satisfied by taking courses either from the undergraduate
or the elective graduate course offerings.
Finally, the program joined the Engineering and Technology Management Education
and Research Council (etmerc), a forum that was recently formed in order for heads of
engineering and technology management (etm) programs and departments to address
issues facing the etm community. The etmerc operates as an integral part of and under the
auspices of the Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology
(picmet) and has as objectives the promotion and improvement of higher education and
research in Engineering Management and Technology Management.
Majdalani, Z., Ajam, M., and Mezher, T. 2006, “Sustainable Construction in Lebanon,”
Construction Innovation, 6(1): 33-46.
El-Taha, M. and Maddah, B. 2006, “Allocation of Service Time in a Multi-Server System,”
Management Science, 52: 623-37.
Mezher, T., Abdul-Malak, M.A., Hamzeh, F., “Process Model for Managing Partnering,” in
proceedings of The International Conference on Civil and Infrastructure Systems (ceis 2006),
Beirut, Lebanon, 80, June 12-14, 2006.
Maddah, B., “Convenience Tying of Complementary Retail Items,” informs Annual Meeting,
San Francisco, November 2005.
Maddah, B., “Machine Repair with General Repair Times and Spares,” informs Annual
Meeting, San Francisco, November 2005.
Salameh, M., “Automated Generation of the University Calendar,” the 92nd Annual
Conference of the Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (aacrao),
San Diego, April 17-20, 2006.
Salameh, M.K., and Mikaty, W., “Accounting for the Holding Cost of Raw Material in a MultiCycle Production Model,” The Third International Conference on Current Issues in Business
and Information Technology, Beirut, May 26, 2006.
El-Kassar, A.N., and Salameh, M.K., “Finite Production Model for Items with Different
Qualities,” the Third International Conference on Current Issues in Business and Information
Technology, Beirut, May 26, 2006.
Nasrallah, W., “Evolutionary Paths to a Corrupt Society of Artificial Agents.” Paper presented
at the New England Complex Systems Institute’s International Conference on Complex
Systems (necsi iccs), Quincy, Massachusetts, usa, 25-30 June 2006.
Nasrallah, W., “Corruption and Cooperation in an Iterated Prisoners’ Dilemma Agent-Based
Model.” Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the North American Association for
Computational Social and Organizational Science (naacsos), Indiana, usa, 22-24 June
2006.
Nasrallah, W., “Solving the Interaction Value Analysis Equations.” Talk given at informs
annual meeting in San Francisco, USA, November 2005.
Nasrallah, W., “Replicative Generation of Critical Path Schedules for Projects With Linear
Segments,” Civil Engineering Infrastructure Systems (ceis 2005), Beirut, Lebanon, June
2006.
invited international presentation
Mezher, T. March 19-21, 2006. “Global Sustainability and Regional Diversity,” participated
in the Alliance for Global Sustainability Annual Meeting (ags 2006), Bangkok, Thailand.
Research Proposals
funded research
Toufic Mezher; “Integrated Water, Energy, and Environmental Knowledge System (weeks)
Using gis Technology,” urb, [$14,500]
“bird project,” tempus, [$18,000]
engineering management program Ω Academics Ω 108
Committee Service
Professional
Activities
engineering management program Ω Academics Ω 109
Professor Mohamad-Asem Abdul-Malak; Member of the: Public Policy and International
Affairs Institute Committee; University Employee Benefits Committee; University Promotion
Committee at the bod level; University Search Committee: Director of Physical Plant;
fea Strategic Planning Committee; fea Space Planning Committee; fea Administrative
Committee.
Professor Toufic Mezher; Member of the: University Senate, Senate Committee on Faculty
Affairs, fea Research Committee, Energy Research Group.
Professor Khalil Hindi; Member of the: osb Advisory Committee, Graduate Studies
Committee, Academic Committee, Curriculum Committee, Administrative Committee,
University Board of Graduate Studies (chair), University Strategic Planning Committee for
Graduate Education and Research (chair), University Strategic Planning Steering Committee.
Professor Bacel Maddah; Member of the: fea Graduate Studies Committee, fea Students
Affairs Committee.
Professor Walid Nasrallah; Chair: fea Student Affairs Committee.
Professor Mohamad-Asem Abdul-Malak; Technical Advisor, Facilities Planning and Design
Unit, aub.
four|Academics
Graduate Thesis
Supervision
student
project title
supervisor
Sami M. Kamal
Azhari
The Use of Historical Overhead Costs
for Estimation and Control Purposes in
Future Construction Projects
Mohamad-Asem
Abdul Malak
Mireille Manoukian
Development of a Life-Cycle Cost Model
for a MSW Treatment Facility
Mohamad-Asem
Abdul Malak
Walid Kamel
Professional Liability in the Lebanese
Construction Industry
Mohamad-Asem
Abdul Malak
Samer El-Masri
Earned Value Analysis Applied to Concrete Mohamad-Asem
Construction
Abdul Malak
Majd Khalaf
The Use of Material Forward Planning
Process with a 3D Control Environment in
Large Mechanical Projects
Mohamad-Asem
Abdul Malak
Fehmi Raouf
Data Model For Cost Schedule Integration
Toufic Mezher
Rony Antoun
Cultural Impact on Quality Management
Systems: The Case of Dar Al-Handasah
Toufic Mezher
Michel El Azar
The Impact of The Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority in Lebanon on the
Mobile Communication Sector
Toufic Mezher
Pierre El Khoury
The Use of Natural Gas for Power
Generation in Lebanon: Analysis and
Proposed Solutions for the Bedawi and
Zahrani Power Plants
Toufic Mezher
Hilal Itani
Human Resource Management in the
Lebanese Construction Industry
Toufic Mezher
Mohamed M. Kara
Balanced Scorecard Implementation:
Lessons Learned, 2006
Toufic Mezher
Mohamad Khaled
Toward Building A Knowledge
Management System in a Design Firm:
The Case of Khatib and Alami Structural
Department
Toufic Mezher
Courses Offered
student
project title
supervisor
Omar Sinno
Dynamics of Business Process
Reengineering: The Case of Ministry of
Finance in Lebanon
Toufic Mezher
Mohamad Yasser
Noamani
Revenue Assurance in Telecom Industry
Through Managing Revenue Loss Areas
Toufic Mezher
Rami Barakat
The Rise and Fall of the Lebanese ict
Sector
Toufic Mezher
Tarek Mikati
Portfolio Optimization by Minimax
Khalil Hindi
Rayan Khraibani
A Financial Overview of Ports
Privatization; Case Study
Khalil Hindi
Jocelyne Khawand
The Search for a Solution to the iva
Equations
Walid Nasrallah
Wassim Bleik
Improving Project Quality Measures
through Organizational Change:
A Pre-planning Case Study Comparing the
vdt and xdt Tools
Walid Nasrallah
Yousef Saad
The Impact of Interaction Barriers and
Access to Information on the Emergence
of Cooperation or Conflict - an AgentBased Simulation Model
Walid Nasrallah
Hania Sabbiddin
Open Source Software: Leadership,
Motivation and Quality Aspects
Walid Nasrallah
Jamil Hannouche
Finite Production Model for Items with
Different Qualities
Moueen Salameh
fall term 2005
enmg 400
enmg 400
enmg 400
enmg 500
enmg 500
enmg 502
asst 520
enmg 601
enmg 602
enmg 617
enmg 623
enmg 632
enmg 640
enmg 651
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Youssef Nizam
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Bacel Maddah
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Maher Al Ajam
Engineering Management I; Instructor: Moueen Salameh
Engineering Management I; Instructor: Samir Traboulsi
Construction Management; Instructor: Mohamad-Asem Abdul Malak
Contemporary Issues in Technological and Engineering Ethics;
Instructor: Tofic Mezher
Management Theory; Instructor: Tofic Mezher
Introduction to Financial Engineering; Instructor: Khalil Hindi
Engineering Management Statistics; Instructor: Akram Tannir
Stochastic Models and Applications; Instructor: Bacel Maddah
Engineering Project Management; Instructor: Mohamad-Asem
Abdul Malak
Sustainable Development Management; Instructor: Hasan Charif
Decision Support Systems; Instructor: Akram Tannir
spring term 2006
enmg 400
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Samir Traboulsi
enmg 400
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Toufic Mezher
enmg 400
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Youssef Nizam
enmg 501
Engineering Management II; Instructor: Moueen Salameh
enmg 501
Engineering Management II; Instructor: Akram Tannir
enmg 503
Specification and Cost Estimation; Instructor: Mohamad-Asem
enmg 603
enmg 604
enmg 623
Abdul Malak
Probability and Decision Analysis; Instructor: Walid Nasrallah
Deterministic Optimization Models; Instructor: Khalil Hindi
Stochastic Models and Applications; Instructor: Walid Abillama
engineering management program Ω Students Ω 110
enmg 624
enmg 635
enmg 638
enmg 653
Financial Engineering I; Instructor: Bacel Maddah
Project Deliverance and Contracts: Instructor: Mohamad-Asem
Abdul Malak
Advanced Topics in Construction Management;
Instructor: Walid Nasrallah
Knowledge Management; Instructor: Toufic Mezher
summer term 2006
enmg 400
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Toufic Mezher
enmg 400
Engineering Economy; Instructor: Youssef Nizam
enmg 611
Supply Chain Design and Management; Instructor: Akram Tannir
enmg 633
Advanced Topics in Project Management; Instructor: Mohamad-Asem
enmg 661
Abdul Malak
Strategic Management; Instructor: Toufic Mezher
five|Program Activities
Seminars &
Presentations
Mr. Marwan Dayya; “Establishing Successful IT Companies in Lebanon: Management
Challenges and Potentials,” November 23, 2005.
Professor Walid Nasrallah; “Reporter’s Notebook from the informs 2005 Conference,”
November 30, 2005.
Professor Mohammad Asem Abdel Malak; “Guidelines for Devising Your Research
Methodology and Plan,” December 7, 2005.
Professor Toufic Mezher; “Engineering Ethics,” December 21, 2005.
Professor Bacel Maddah; “Financial Engineering: Practice and Research Prospects,”
January 4, 2006.
six|Students
GA Appointments
The following were appointed as gas for the academic year 2005-06. The list below shows the
terms granted.
Mohamad El Kayaji; Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Linda Shihabi; Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Maya Itani; Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Nada Matar; Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Nabil Nehme; Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Nabil Machaka; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Samer Saghir; Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Rana Zoghbi; Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Majd Khalaf; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Hussein Rida; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Samah Halawi; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Reem Saab; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Mazen Rashidi; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Mohamad Faour; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Rawia Mecherkany; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Ali Mahmoudi; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Cinderella Nuwayhid; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Fouad Tarazi; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Leila Fadlallah Yehia; Fall 2005, Spring 2006
Rami Sleiman; Fall 2005
Hani Zein; Spring 2006, Summer 2006
David Sayyah; Summer 2006
Elias Nehme; Summer 2006
american university of beirut Ω Faculty of Engineering & Architecture
P.O.Box 11-0236 Ω Riad El Solh Ω Beirut 1107 2020 Ω Lebanon
tel Ω + [961] 1 341310 ext Ω 3400 email Ω fea@aub.edu.lb
design Ω Rima Abou Chakra & Lara Captan Ω in collaboration with Leila Musfy
printing Ω Anis Commercial Printing Press sal