AUC's Department of Political Science held its first summer school for the training of junior faculty from universities across Egypt. The candidates were mentored by some of the most accomplished scholars in the field including AUC Trustees Nathan Brown (CASA '84), professor of political science and international affairs at The George Washington University, and Tarek Masoud, professor of public policy and the Sultan Oman Professor of International Relations at Harvard University.

"This was an excellent opportunity to interact with junior faculty with very different backgrounds. I have the feeling that the quality of the research proposals of the participants in the summer school will improve considerably. Given the high commitment and the remarkable qualifications of the instructors in the school, participants are going to produce interesting and well-developed pieces of research."

— Pedro Riera, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

"The political science summer school was a terrific experience, with some excellent Egyptian PhD students, a great team of AUC faculty and, of course, an excellent opportunity to come back to the University where I had my first job. While I didn’t get to see the new campus, the old campus certainly remains an oasis within busy Cairo."

— Anthony Lang, University of St. Andrews
Previously served as assistant professor of political science at AUC from 1996 to 2000

"It was my great pleasure to be involved in the political science summer school and to have the opportunity to help train the next generation of Egyptian social scientists. The program was a great demonstration of how AUC contributes to the development of intellectual and scientific infrastructure in Egypt. The seminar leaders, AUC Assistant Professors Amr Adly and Mostafa Hefny, are fast becoming the country’s leading scholars of politics and political economy, and I expect their voices to be deeply influential in the broader Egyptian social scientific field for decades to come. The fact that two energetic, brilliant young scholars chose to begin their careers at AUC is a testament to the ability of our University to draw on top global talent."

— Tarek Masoud, professor of public policy and the Sultan Oman Professor of International Relations at Harvard University

Find out more updates on AUC's Department of Political Science Facebook page.

“I've always loved the projects that bring a fresh look at history,” said Nagla Samir, associate professor of practice, Department of the Arts.

With a fresh unconventional take on history, AUC students have worked on producing an archival publication as part of the University's centennial celebrations to document the 1919 Egyptian Revolution while reproducing and recreating the ingenious songs of the Egyptian composer Sayed Darwish and poet Badie Khairy, who “informed as they entertained” Egyptians at the time.

This is What Has Come to Be is the outcome of a yearlong cooperation between graphic design students and the music program, where students have showcased their contemporary reflections and designs on the 1919 Egyptian Revolution as well as songs that both documented and started the first spark — inspiring the people to revolt against the British occupation.

“Each one of the students has made thorough research on the 1919 revolution and its songs," said Samir. "It was their first time to listen to these songs and the first time to learn about Sayed Darwish and Badie Khairy. It was an opportunity for them to get introduced to different Arabic colloquial languages and deep-dive into Egyptian history.”

The graphic design students — Haidy Helmy, Hana Zaher, Helen Bakhoum, Mariam Ismail, Merhan Amer, Sarah Azzab and Zeina Mansour — have had their own reflections on the revolution. Their works echo their diverse backgrounds and individual perceptions “My project was mainly inspired by the Egyptian sense of humor and the idea of making fun of a bad situation. I chose the songs that highlighted and proved this concept,” said Mansour.

It all started when Wael el Mahallawy, associate professor in the Department of the Arts, decided to do a reproduction of the 1919 songs as part of the This is What Has Come to Be centennial project. He started refining and researching the original lyrics of Sayed Darwish from old recordings, as some of the lyrics and music notations have changed over the years.

“The stories behind each song were the most interesting part of the research,” said Azzab. “For example, Aho Da Elly Sar song was originally written to respond to the British representative’s reaction when Egyptians took a stand against the British occupation.”

“You’d be surprised by how time has changed the songs, showing some cultural changes over the years,” added Samir. “For example, the national anthem used to be Masr Ya Set el Belad. Now, it is Masr Ya Om el Belad.”

Sarah Azzab: "What caught my attention the most were the songs made specifically for Saad Zaghloul by using hidden messages because people were prohibited from mentioning his name when he was exiled. So they sang for him indirectly in a way that only the Egyptian people would understand. I used that to divide the lyrics. I used the fact that the Arabic words don't make sense until they’re connected and then divided the lyrics into two layers."

Mariam Ismail: "My design is based on the concept of hope because I think that is what got people going at the time. I made all the pictures in black and white and added color to them to support the idea of hope — that you can still add life to the most monochrome and colorless things."

Haidy Helmy: "When I thought about Saad Zaghloul and the 1919 Egyptian Revolution, I thought how new it was back then. It was very experiential through different artworks, each showing hidden messages. The design indicates the Egyptian slogan that “numbers beat courage,” symbolizing huge numbers with lemons. This is what the design is all about."

Zeina Mansour: "The idea behind my design was to use humor to highlight the underlying meaning of the song, which in this case was making fun of the people who refused to accept different cultures under the umbrella of religion, but this was a facade."

“It is brilliant how these songs have indirectly contributed to the rise of the 1919 Egyptian Revolution, how these songs spread so that almost every Egyptian was singing them everywhere without the British occupation representatives getting the hidden messages — and eventually it resides under the radar and triggers the spark of the revolution because the people understand what this is about,” noted Samir.

All the lyrics were also professionally translated into English, all in one publication, and the music is on SoundCloud with easy access to the public.

The project is a joint collaboration between AUC’s Office of the Provost and Department of the Arts. 

For the whole playlist of songs, click here or scan the QR code below.

AUC graphic design graduate Maha Hesham ‘19 became a city sensation with her senior thesis: colorful postage stamps depicting historical Egyptian female pioneers, from Um Kulthum to Doria Shafik and Huda Sharawi. 

For Hesham, the project was an opportunity to raise awareness of these impactful women and the unequal representation they’ve been given within historical narratives and popular culture.

"We have so many female leaders to be proud of, and people have no idea,” she explained. “I wanted to create stamps that would value these women and discuss their significance -- bringing them some measure of equality.”

Picking Postage

So why did she choose stamps as her medium?

Hesham wanted to pursue a subject that could incorporate her passion for illustration. “My first idea was to design the stamps that go in passports,” she said. However, when she proposed the idea to her professor, the teacher thought she was referring to postage stamps.

“I thought it was an interesting idea, and I decided to look into it,” she confessed.

Hesham started her research broadly, first looking into the history of postage stamps and then focusing on Egyptian postage stamps specifically. Using the AUC Library as her main resource, Hesham discovered that something as seemingly innocuous as a stamp had a rich history and a variety of purposes.

“I found so many uses for postage stamps -- of course their primary function is to prepay mail, but they’re also a form of propaganda. They can advertise for things like the opening of a new hotel or the Art Deco movement,” she explained. “They also have touristic value. If you send a letter from Egypt to the US and it has Egyptian monuments on it, you can get a sense of what Egypt has to offer.”

According to Hesham, the first Egyptian postage stamps were ornamental and detailed with Turkish script. After becoming an independent country, the new motifs in Egyptian postage became symbols of the country’s vast history, like the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx.”

“Looking at these stamps, you can see how Egypt saw itself and decided to represent itself,” she explained. “These stamps really are an important method to record history.” She also saw historical figures represented in these stamps -- leaders, scientists and changemakers who were contributing to society at the time.

A Commemorative Stamp

From her research, one thing stuck out to Hesham: You could learn a lot about a country’s values through its stamps. And by looking at Egypt’s historical stamps, she realized that they were used to pay more tribute to men than to women.

“This is when I decided to start researching Egyptian female leaders,” she stated. And for Hesham, this research was eye-opening. “I learned about so many female pioneers between the 1920s and the 1960s whom I had never heard about,” she exclaimed.

She decided to choose nine women to represent in her stamps, and she picked women whose stories moved her. These were Amina Al Said, a writer and magazine editor; Suhayr Al Qalamawi, an academic and journalist; Lutfia Al Nadi, the first female pilot; Doria Shafik, an activist and writer; Huda Sharawi, a feminist and activist; Moufida AbdelRahman, a pioneering female lawyer; Sameera Moussa, a nuclear researcher; Um Kulthum, the famous Egyptian singer; and Safiya Zahgoul, a political activist and revolutionary figure.

During the process, Hesham also sat in on a meeting of a philatelic (i.e. stamp-collecting) society in Cairo. “If I’m going to design something, I need to have a target market,” Hesham explained. Originally, she had considered making her stamps digital, since traditional postage has fallen out of use in Egypt. However, after meeting members of the philatelic society, she realized that there are people out there keeping stamps alive. “Maybe I should do something for them,” she posited.

Making Mail

Once Hesham decided the stamps would be physical instead of digital, she began the design process.

For the representation of women on the stamps, Hesham decided she wanted to incorporate all the colors of the rainbow. She drew the leaders vividly in bright hues -- symbolic of hope. She decided to number the stamps 1, 2, 3 and 5 since these were the most common values for vintage stamps at the time the women depicted on them were alive.

“I experimented with so many art styles from pointism to monochromatic, but then I started with lines, and I realized that minimalism is in right now and that just simplifying everything to lines was the way to go,” she said, explaining her stamps refined look.

Hesham's project touched a chord with people. After the final exhibition of her thesis, someone from Women of Egypt reached out, writing an article about her stamps for International Women’s month. Since then, Hesham has been interviewed by more than six news sources about her project.

“Even now it's very hard to process. It still feels like a dream -- so surreal,” Hesham exclaimed.

So where will Hesham go from here? “It would be so nice to see Egypt develop the production of these stamps,” she suggested. “There is still a debate over whether I should make then a collector's item, print them or sell them in local bookstores.”

According to Hesham, a lot of people are getting into stamps these days, even outside of the philatelic society. “Vintage things are coming back into fashion,” she explained. “More and more people are getting into it.”

And what else is on the horizon for Hesham? “I want to continue to create art that raises awareness about important issues,” she stated.

In the end, her stamps are at once an artistic homage to female leaders, a feminist story and a beautiful collector's item.

“They are like miniature paintings -- masterpieces,” she stated.

Want to learn more about Hesham and her work? Check out her website here.

For any budding Egyptologist, the opportunity to study the hieroglyphics and history of Egypt's ancient civilizations on-site is a chance not to pass up. Graduate student Julia Viani Puglisi, who is currently pursuing her PhD in Egyptology at Harvard’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, decided to do just that — studying Egyptology for a semester at AUC as a recipient of the Simpson Endowed Scholarships for Year-Abroad Program in Egyptology. Puglisi came to AUC as the result of a recent partnership with Harvard University, facilitating student exchange and future collaboration between both institutions. 

Puglisi earned her bachelor's in classical languages from the University of California, Berkeley and her master's in Egyptology from Indiana University, Bloomington, where she won the Indiana University 2018 Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award. Titled The Mechanics of Egyptian Paronomasia: Applying Pattern Recognition Search to the Ramesside Dream Manual, Puglisi's thesis is the highest evaluated thesis in the Math/Physical Sciences/Engineering category. 

Puglisi is grateful for the opportunity to study Egyptology firsthand in the land of the Pharaohs. Speaking at AUC's Centennial Campaign launch in February 2019, Puglisi said:

“I am honored to be here representing my field and, now, two institutions as part of a new generation of Egyptologists empowered to learn from Egyptians and this country’s deep cultural heritage. I am here because I want to contribute to the dialogue of Egyptology’s future in Egypt. As a digital humanist and devoted student to Egypt’s past, I hope to push my discipline forward and encourage young Egyptologists to break convention. With the generous support of the Department of Egyptology and its fearsome faculty — my new mentors — I am able to know how it feels to study Egyptology in Egypt. I am here because I believe that the future of a discipline rests on its ability to reignite sparks of childlike wonder — when you’re too old to play anymore. Egypt has that magic. I am deeply grateful and thrilled for the opportunity to contribute to a strong legacy of Egyptology at The American University in Cairo."

News@AUC spoke with Puglisi about her passion for Egyptology and her learning experience at AUC:

Q: What originally got you interested in Egyptology?

Like most Egyptologists, my passion emerged when I was young and never went away. The hieroglyphic script caught my attention first, in particular, the inscriptions on monumental structures half-buried under layers of debris and sand. Although I could write my name with the hieroglyphic "alphabet" (snake - quail chick - mouth - reed - vulture

) I was dissatisfied with my inability to make sense of the enigmatic texts inscribed on tomb and temple walls. What did they truly say? It was my dream to read their language and to understand how they felt and expressed their world.

Q: What was your favorite part about attending AUC?

The Egyptology faculty is the primary reason why I chose AUC. I felt that there was a harmonious balance between my professors, which created a rich, open learning environment. I also greatly enjoyed the composition of my schedule and how the conversation and material explored in each course complemented and enhanced one another throughout the semester.

Thank you, Fayza Haikal, Salima Ikram, Lisa Sabbahy and Mariam Ayad for your endless support and the passion with which you shared your knowledge.

I also loved the bus rides and the University Garden with its rows of grapefruits, oranges and lemons. I loved that my backpack was packed with citruses of all kinds in March and April. I remember the transit in and out of New Cairo: I would arrive on campus as the sun was rising and leave when it was setting. Every day, the R9 bus was filled with dynamic and colorful conversations between students, professors and visiting scholars. Specifically, I remember connecting more with two of my professors during these commutes — I spoke about my dreams as a scholar and consulted them on my fears as I embark further on my path in my field. It was very therapeutic.

Q: Would you encourage other international Egyptology students to come to Egypt to study?

Yes, I would highly recommend the program and the opportunity to live in Cairo. I think it is essential for young Egyptologists to familiarize themselves with the culture and spaces that modern Egyptians inhabit and experience and to be able to see history in person in the place where it all happened.

Q: Do you have a hero?

My mother and father, who worked hard to do what they love and taught their children to chase their dreams to the end. They're the best people I know.

“Go clean is all about changing people's perspective on recycling so that their brains give them negative signs when they witness environmental hazards,” said Mohamed Hamdy ‘13, founder of Go Clean, a recycling solutions company aiming to increase public environmental awareness. Go Clean has recently won the European Union’s Most Promising Environmental Initiative Award at the Alex Go Green, hosted by the French Embassy in Egypt.

Hamdy studied philosophy at AUC, which he believes is directly proportional to whatever career he pursues.

"Philosophy is all about teaching people how to think," affirmed Hamdy. "Besides giving me credibility, studying philosophy at AUC gave me the mental power to negotiate for hours with CEOs of multinational companies with a concrete logic that I've gained during my undergraduate studies."

Go Clean gets people involved by allowing them to separate their own recyclables and rewarding them for it  “We give the consumers cash or household products in return or they can donate this cash through us, so it is a win-win situation," said Hamdy.

It all began in 2017 when Hamdy realized that Egypt needs more consideration and more practical steps toward recycling to save the environment. “We thought about an incentive to encourage people and change their mindsets regarding throwing their recyclables," he explained.

Go Clean started with only recycling for factories and companies, but expanded this year to a household door-to-door initiative, which includes first asking customers to sort their recyclables by separating plastics, metals, and papers, then having these customers send their locations to Go Clean for their recyclables to be picked up. The final stage is rewarding customers according to the weight of the recyclables by exchanging them with cash or household items.

“We are looking for more expansion," said Hamdy. "We want everyone to know us and call us. We want our services to reach every corner of Egypt. We are now covering Cairo, Giza and Alexandria, and more governorates are definitely in our future plans."

AUC's Cairo International Model United Nations (CIMUN) delegation received a record-breaking 19 awards at the National Model United Nations conference in New York -- the highest number of awards in the history of the program at AUC.  The students also received the Outstanding Delegation Award -- the highest award at the conference -- for the 10th consecutive year. 

AUC’s Cairo International Model Arab League (CIMAL) delegation received the Overall Distinguished Award as well as awards in four out of eight councils at the U.S. National University Model Arab League conference held at Georgetown University, where AUC continues to be the sole representative of Egyptian and Middle Eastern universities.

“The performance of our students this year by the recognition of all was amazing. I could not have asked for more,” said Walid Kazziha, political science professor and faculty adviser to both CIMUN and CIMAL at AUC. “It definitely crowned our 29 years of continuous participation in the NMUN in New York. A standard has been set, which I imagine will be difficult to follow in future years. However, our students never fail to surprise me.”

The CIMAL team won awards in the Palestinian Affairs Council, Joint Defense Council, Economic Affairs Council and Social Affairs Council.

Two CIMUN teams made up of 39 AUC students from different academic disciplines represented the University and competed with more than 3,000 delegates from over 50 countries. The conference was made up of two teams: one team represented the Republic of the Côte d’Ivoire, and the other represented Malta.

This year, the top delegations are honored with awards in three categories; Position Paper, Outstanding Delegate and Outstanding Delegation — the most prestigious award. Only 10 out of 130 universities taking part in the simulation exercise were awarded the outstanding ranking. AUC also won 12 Position Papers awards based on individual and group efforts, as well as five Outstanding Delegate awards given to individual students who represent their countries in UN organizations.

"It has been a long and exhausting journey, from selecting our delegates and logistical challenges to training sessions and the actual conference," said Ziyad Rushdy '18, 31st CIMUN graduate adviser. "We had full confidence in the abilities of our team but did not expect to come back with this many awards. We are very proud of our team and confident that this achievement will be replicated throughout the coming years and even exceeded."

"We would like to thank Dr. Kazziha, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Office of Student Life, and hope that we can garner more support and assistance in the years to come so that we may continue to achieve great results and bring more awards in the name of AUC," Rushdy noted.

Kazziha added, "Our students distinguished themselves in both areas of individual and collective effort. Our focus is always on cooperation and teamwork, without stifling the individual. We have succeeded in both, and we deserve to be proud as an AUC community in the achievements of our students."

Earlier this month, 15 AUC theatre students traveled to Berlin to participate in the 19th Festival International New Drama (FIND) at the Schaubühne Theatre. Other participating universities included New York University, The New School and the Paris Conservatory, as well as universities in Germany and Belgium. 

During the trip, students got the opportunity to work with internationally renowned theatre-makers from Brussels, Beijing, Santiago, New York, London and Montreal and saw the world-premiere of theatre productions from around the world, including the Wooster Group's new production, Town Hall Affair, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte.

The festival seeks to create a global dialogue about the art form with the leading theatre-makers of tomorrow. The AUC Theatre program received a special invitation to this festival and was offered grants to cover most of the costs. 

Before the Trip

The students were excited about the opportunity to meet and work with other students and theatre majors from around the world. "We're collaborating with other students from different universities, so we'll get to see people from different backgrounds and different cultures, but at the same time we have an interest in the same thing," explained Reem Amer, theatre major. 

"Its a very interesting concept and a very exciting opportunity!" expressed Laila Ghoneim, a double major in theatre and English and comparative literature major. "We'll have the opportunity to work with people from other universities."

"It's really good for AUC students to get exposed to this and to try different methods of acting," said Hisham AbdelRazek, mechanical engineering major and theater minor. "Just to be around so many different cultures and people interested in the same thing — it's brilliant!"

A Holistic Experience

During the 10-day festival, AUC students took part in guided workshops on performance, cultivating their acting skills during the trip. The workshops included contemporary dance, the Meisner technique and the Grotowski technique.

"The whole thing was a learning experience, from the workshops to the plays," said Yasmine Hagagg, political science and history major, and theatre minor. "But my favorite part was getting to watch productions every night because it really showed me what contemporary and experimental drama is starting to develop into. Also, I got to meet Elizabeth LeCompte, which was pretty cool!"

Every day, students got the opportunity to see a play in a different language."The plays touched on a lot of controversial topics, and it was very interesting to see and to watch," expressed AbdelRazek. "We'd have a discussion afterward because there would be a talk after each play."

The students also got the opportunity to meet and hang out with their theatre peers from around the world. "We would always eat lunch together — us and the other schools," explained Amer. "And at night, we got the opportunity to watch plays and hang out with other people there at the theatre."

Overall, the students were grateful for the experience. "I think the festival was incredible and I think everyone who went grew," reflected AbdelRazek. "It's really inspiring for us that we're not alone, that there is more of us here. It makes you feel comfortable as a person that you're on the right track with what you've studied."

Check out these pictures of their adventures abroad.

A Cloudy Dream

Last week, graphic design students on the team Ciel, Ghenwa Yehia ElMougy, Farah Habib, Nehal Ezz and Mariam Ismail, won the AUC-TAMEER water tower beautification competition with their blended composition of the sky. Their submission fuses the shades of the firmament at different times of day and incorporates hazy lines and vivid colors. At the bottom of the design, a crowd of people look up at in awe at the heavens above them.

“We wanted to have the chance to show Egypt different, but familiar faces — the type of faces you feel like you could meet while walking down the street, inspired by the sight of the sky at different times of day,” the team explained.

Their creative interpretation of the sky will soon decorate Egypt’s first beautified water tower, situated on the south side of AUC’s New Cairo campus. Currently a bulky bare concrete structure, soon it will be transforming into a towering artistic landmark, contrasting the real and imagined sky against the sandy background of New Cairo.

An Integrated Neighborhood

The announcement of the winning team selected by TAMEER out of three finalists came at AUC’s Watson House gardens, amidst friendly chatter and a sense of anticipation coming from the contestants. With flowers in full bloom and a clear blue sky above, it was a fitting setting for the launch of the naturally inspired design project.

According to AUC President Francis J. Ricciardone, the initiative is an attempt to positively impact New Cairo by further integrating the University with the neighborhood.

"We started talking about how AUC and our New Cairo campus can be what AUC was on the old Cairo campus,” he explained. “We were integrated. An engine of richness and of life. … This campus is still new, and it isn't fully developed. And we want to be that vibrant center of life here."

The announcement of the competition winners kicked off the beginning of production — the process of turning Ciel’s water tower design from a cloudy dream to an emerging reality.

The project will take place over the next couple of months and will tentatively be finished and inaugurated in September 2019. If the project goes well, the promoters of the competition hope it can be replicated in other parts of Cairo and Egypt.

"This is something we want to do right, really right, so it’s enduring and so it will get a lot of attention from the neighbors,” Ricciardone added.

The real estate development company TAMEER has been AUC’s partner in the competition and will take over funding and management of the design production from this point forward. Ciel will have a say on the final shop-drawings to ensure the final artwork embodies the idea and spirit of their original design.

"Once [the student design] is executed, people should no longer see a water tower," said Antoine El Khoury, managing director of TAMEER. “They should see a piece of art.”

Beyond Complications

Besides beautifying the New Cairo skyline, the decorated structure will serve as a landmark for New Cairo as it continues to develop. According to El Khoury, initiatives like this are important for promoting the desert city and building a community.

“When we work together in this way, we become friends. We become a community, and we overcome fences.” El Khoury stated.

AUC and TAMEER’s investment in this project is a testament to their dedication in giving back to the local community. According to Nagla Samir, associate professor of practice in the Department of the Arts, art is the perfect way to do this.

"Art is perceivable beyond complications. It’s very flexible in content, and it’s so inviting by its very nature. Art has always been playing this role. By giving a message without clearly setting boundaries, it creates open space,” Samir explained.

“Their [Ciel's] work draws from the context by including real portraits of the 'humans of New Cairo,' creating a subliminal sense of place and visual recognizability without being literal and direct," added Magda Mostafa, associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Architecture, describing how Ciel's design will relate to the New Cairo community. 

A Creative Challenge

For students, this challenge wasn’t just a competition; it was a comprehensive business experience simulating real-world conditions and constraints. When formulating a viable design, they had to consider everything from engineering footprints and mathematical calculations to weather conditions and brand identity. Their submissions not only had to be creative and practical, but they also had to fit within budgetary and regulatory constraints and communicate something meaningful to the community.

For many of the participants, the competition was a cross-disciplinary experience and a form of experiential learning, combining architecture, design, business and engineering, among other disciplines.

"The competition is a successful example of collaboration between industry and academia," said Soha Hassan, assistant director for experimental learning at AUC's Career Center. "It provided our students with a valuable learning experience that links what they learn in the classroom to real life."

While AUC offered the students mentored workshops led by faculty mentors on subjects such as urban design and project management, the workshops just provided guidance. The results were all student-based and included impressive and imaginative submissions incorporating everything from 3D-overlays and colorful patterns to shocking shades and asymmetrical structures.

“We sometimes stayed up almost all night working on it,” the Ciel teammates confessed.

Final Contenders

At the first exhibition, 25 students in seven groups submitted designs, with the teams Colors of Life, HRSH Architects and Ciel chosen as finalists.

The students’ submissions were awash with color and creativity, submitted to the scrutiny of the judging panel which included AUC's Magda Mostafa and Nagla Samir; Arch. Bachir Moujaes, architect, urban designer and head of design at Solidere; Engineer Mahmoud Hussein, vice president of New Cairo Municipality for Development; and Mona Hussein ‘83, designer and owner of Mahally furniture store. Non-voting jury members included John Hoey, associate professor of practice in the Department of the Arts; Engineer Ghada Oteifa, construction engineer and project management professional; and Engineer Sally Hussein, director of the Beautification Division of the New Cairo Municipality.

The judges weren’t just looking for appealing designs; they were also searching for realistic submissions.

In the end, Ciel’s design was chosen for its feasibility, creativity, durability and ability to convey the shared values of AUC and TAMEER. “We avoided the abstract so we could reach a wider audience,” the team explained.

"I believe the winning project presents an example of tackling and successfully balancing one of the most difficult challenges in creative work — being powerful and meaningful while remaining simple," said Mostafa.

El Khoury acknowledged the students, saying, “This project is your baby, your dream, and it would have never happened without the passion, the determination, the commitment and hard work of each one of you. We promised to offer you a real-life business experience and we delivered. Today, TAMEER’s promise is to turn your dream into reality."

As their prize, the Ciel team members will take part in an educational trip to Beirut, fully funded by TAMEER and in collaboration with Solidere, the urban development company responsible for the regeneration of Beirut’s central district after the war. The trip will include a presentation on urban planning and the cultural, economic and social aspects of the company and a field tour of Beirut central district guided by Solidere’s architects.

The two other finalists, Colors of Life (Best Story) and HRSH Architects (Best Architectural Design), have received from TAMEER a cash award in recognition of their commitment and creativity.

All three finalist teams will be offered a job shadowing experience with TAMEER in the department of their choice.

To the Canvas of Reality

The finalists were humbled and excited about their win. “I have no words,” said Farah Habib, one of the winners.

“When we first started the competition, we didn’t really think we had a shot. We just said, 'let's try it out,'” team member Mariam Ismail continued. “There were a lot of moments where we said ‘Oh, let's give up; we’re not going to win."

“We are all design students, so we got some background in architecture through this — and we learned a lot,” Nehal Ezz affirmed.

According to El Khoury, all the student participants have received more than just work experience and prizes from this project.

“It's not only about awards. I think that you have all understood that behind business there are people with values. It's not only about creating something, but it’s also about initiating a dynamic and inspiring other people, and we are very curious to learn what will come next and how your work will inspire others,” Khoury said to the three finalists.

AUCians will now have the opportunity to witness the fruits of Ciel’s labors, watching their artwork transform from the stuff of dreams to the canvas of reality.

As part of AUC's efforts to engage high school students, the Department of the Arts and the Office of Enrollment, Admissions and Student Service Center recently planned and held a Wall Art Competition for high school students from seven different schools in Cairo. The competition aims to get talented high school students involved with AUC's graphic design program and promote community engagement, since the paintings will be donated to decorate public schools. 

"The aim of the competition was to promote the arts at AUC and provide a platform for students from different schools in Cairo to meet, reflect and produce art around important issues such as global citizenship, gender equality and the environment," said Bahia Shehab (MA '09), associate professor of professional practice in the Department of the Arts. "We are hoping that this will become a yearly competition for different schools in Cairo to look forward to joining us in producing art on our beautiful campus."

The students, together with Tarek Abdelkawi, adjunct faculty member in the Department of the Arts, brainstormed and sketched three main themes for the workshop: global citizenship, gender equality and the environment. The event took place over two days, including an introductory workshop and a competition where the students implemented what was discussed at the workshop and painted the murals.

First Place: International School of Elite Education  (Malak Ibrahim, Sohaila Tamer and Malak Hussien)

Second Place: Narmer American College (Farah Nashaat and Daniel Essam)

Third Place: Hayah International Academy (Zeina Ashour, Jana El Zaghal and Alia Abdelghaffour)

All participating members will be given participation certificates. 

A Towering Win

Graphic design students on the team Ciel, Ghenwa Yehia ElMougy, Farah Habib, Nehal Ezz and Mariam Ismail won the TAMEER-AUC competition with their design of an amorphous dream-like sky. Their creative interpretation of the celestial sphere will soon decorate Egypt’s first beautified water tower.

The water tower in question is the bare concrete structure on the south side of the New Cairo campus, just visible from the AUC Sports Center. The decorated tower will become a monument for AUC and a marker for the New Cairo community.

And the prize for the winners? A fully funded educational trip to Beirut in collaboration with Solidere, an urban development company responsible for much of the reconstruction of Beirut’s central district after the war. The trip will include a presentation on urban planning and the cultural, economic and social aspects of their current projects. Bachir Moujaes, architect, urban designer and head of design at Solidere, was one of the judges of the challenge and was present at the finale.

“The trip to Beirut is intended to encourage students to explore art and architecture in a different country,” said Soha Hassan, experiential learning manager at AUC's Career Center.

The two other finalists were given a cash reward and honorable recognition. Colors of Life, with team members Haidy Helmy, Mostafa Ahmed and Merhan Amer, was awarded Best Story for its design, and HRSH Architects, with team members Rana Abdelkhalek, Hana Elshiaty, Hady Eissa and Sana Soliman, was awarded Best Architectural Design. 

All three teams will be offered a job shadowing experience with TAMEER in the department of their choice. 

Street Art With a Soul

Ciel’s design was ultimately selected for its creativity, technical feasibility and compliance to budgetary and logistical constraints.

Antoine El Khoury, managing director of TAMEER, expressed his pride in the students' work. “We will turn this functional structure into street art that has a soul,” he stated. “Today, TAMEER will take over your dream and make it a reality.”  

TAMEER will now take over the production of the students work. The award-winning team will have a say on the drawings before they are executed, to ensure that the final design conveys their original idea.

The finalists were humbled and excited about their win. “I have no words,” said Farah Habib, one of the winners.

“When we first started the competition, we didn’t really think we had a shot. We just said, 'let's try it out,'” team-member Mariam Ismail continued. “There were a lot of moments where we said ‘Oh, let's give up; we’re not going to win."

“We are all design students, so we got some background in architecture through this -- and we learned a lot,” Nehal Ezz affirmed.

Their hard work clearly showed to the judges and soon it will show to the whole New Cairo community -- a water tower painted in splashes of sky, standing out in hazy hues against its physical counterpart.