What do geographers, anthropologists, artists, engineers, botanists, pottery experts, photographers, Egyptologists and archaeologists have in common? Every single one has an important place at an excavation. 

“You know, excavations nowadays are no longer just an Egyptologist with a brush. It's a huge, interdisciplinary team,” laughs Marleen De Meyer, the William Kelly Simpson Visiting Professor in Egyptology at AUC.

De Meyer appreciates this aspect of her job: There’s a place for everyone, and the more diverse your team is, the more detailed and fascinating the portrait of ancient civilizations can become. From the various medical conditions they had down to the type of paint used for their coffins, an amazing amount of detail can be deduced from the barest remains. But how exactly do all the pieces come together in the field? The answer is in a lot of expert, detailed teamwork.

Focusing on a site in Middle Egypt called Dayr al-Barsha, De Meyer co-directs an archaeological project that is the first major excavation at this location since 1915. “The necropolis has been in use from the beginning of Egyptian history until the very end. Nearly every period is represented there,” she explains.

The team’s research question is much broader than just documenting individual tombs, but rather engages in a full chronological analysis of the area from beginning to end. “What we want is to understand how this site developed through all this time,” says De Meyer. “We're talking several millennia here, not just centuries.” 

De Meyer’s interest is in funerary culture, and Dayr al-Barsha hosts a rich archive to analyze. “Even a plundered tomb is very interesting to an Egyptologist. I mean, just the smallest piece of a coffin is enough to tell you which type was once present,” she says. “The climate here in Egypt is amazing– everything is preserved, even materials that would decay in other circumstances such as wood, textile, human remains, plant remains, and more. This year I excavated a rare Middle Kingdom embalming deposit in which 4000 year old linen bags of natron were perfectly preserved. These materials were used in the mummification process to desiccate the body.” 

Every surviving detail holds significance to a different expert. Botanists, for example, can determine the type of wood used to make a coffin and through this deduce information on the social class of its occupant. Physical anthropologists can look at the way human bones have healed, and at Dayr al-Barsha they were able to determine that successful amputations were performed to manage conditions like diabetes. Geographers examine where the Nile flowed in the past, artists are essential to draw detailed renderings of artifacts, while engineers help with digital scanning and 3D modeling. 

“I sometimes tell students that the best thing to do if you want to end up working on excavations is not necessarily studying Egyptology specifically but rather whatever interests you. Then you can come into the field with a specialty that Egyptologists don't have,” De Meyer says. “Basically, any discipline can help when it comes to archaeology.”

Aside from uncovering historical artifacts that bring us closer to understanding how ancient societies operated, evidence of the more recent past sometimes surfaces during excavations in Egypt as well. “Because of the excellent preservation, anyone who has ever been present at the site often leaves a record of themselves too, even unintentionally,” De Meyer explains. She found newspaper clippings reporting on World War I, left by American Egyptologist George Reisner in 1915. Between 1891 and 1893, a 17-year-old Howard Carter, who 30 years later would be credited with discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun, left his traces: paint tubes and edges of watercolor paper testifying to his work of copying the decoration of several of the tombs on site. 

Alongside the historical records of communities dating back millennia are the century-old traces of researchers who, in the grand scheme of things, might as well have been there yesterday. It all becomes part of the history of the site.

For more information, see https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/dayr-al-barsha 

The Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars (TLS) program welcomed its third cohort of students from various academic backgrounds. Through the program, the students apply a gender lens to their areas of study, engage in civic engagement activities, pursue professional development opportunities and give back to their communities.

“We have selected students who have shown great potential to become gender-sensitive leaders on campus and in their communities in the future,” said Helen Rizzo, associate professor, sociology unit head and TLS academic director.  

Initiated two years ago, TLS  is a joint effort between AUC,  U.S. Department of State and Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. It grants a one-year scholarship to current AUC students who have leadership potential and are interested in studying and incorporating gender across academia as well as the public and private sectors.

This year's recipients are keen to embark on their academic journey.

“When I heard about the opportunity of applying to a scholarship that provides knowledge about gender and also equips us with all that we need to be agents of change, I felt like it’s calling me," said Amina Boudah, psychology major and a member of the third cohort. "Being in something bigger than myself, spreading awareness of gender issues and reaching policymakers are things  I’ve visualized and manifested my whole life.” 

Just like their predecessors, the current cohort will undertake projects in civic engagement and mentored research, attend a series of specialized workshops covering various aspects related to gender, and organize TLS and Tomorrow’s Leaders events on campus.

“TLS for me is a chance to outgrow my gender biases,  challenge them and  absorb cultures that I haven't witnessed before," Boudah reflected.

Graduates of the program also testify to its impact.

"TLS played a major role in shaping my perspective of major issues going on in my academic and social life. In doing so, this scholarship has helped me become a better learner, leader and an overall better human," said Moustafa Sherif, TLS graduate and biology major.

As part of their initial activities this year, students engaged in team-building exercises, an introduction to gender studies, and discussions about emotional intelligence and types of leadership. 

“Being with good company unleashes your abilities and can break barriers you've been trying to overcome for a long time,” said Hammad Omar, electronics and communications engineering major and a member of the third cohort. 

In addition to exploring gender themes, the program also connects students to different networking opportunities, such as attending international and national conferences, where they can engage with a wider community of specialists. It also gives them the chance to interact with civil society organizations working in the field of social development with a gendered lens.

“Gender awareness and advocacy for gender justice are critical to the development of our students, who will be future leaders. We are confident we have a strong cohort in place and are looking forward to working with them over the course of the next year,” said Fatemah Farag, TLS associate director and Tomorrow's Leaders senior gender coordinator.

Atta Gebril, professor of applied linguistics and associate dean for graduate studies and research in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, has won the prestigious Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers for his work in the area of applied linguistics. 

Praised for its focused research agenda, international reputation and impactful publications, Gebril's work focuses on second language assessment, particularly writing assessment, test validation,  assessment literacy, and reading-writing connections. His work is valuable and relevant to both applied linguistics researchers, language professionals and test developers. 

“AUC has been instrumental in helping me work on my research projects and pursue my research agenda,” Gebril said. “I owe a lot to AUC and the research support resources we have on campus. I found nothing but help and support from different AUC entities.”

Gebril’s research has broad impact, targeting participants from many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and geographic locations. He has published as both a sole author and collaborator in top journals within his field, and has used a wide range of advanced quantitative and qualitative techniques.

“I am really honored and humbled to win this prestigious research award. I am also deeply grateful to the Abdel Hameed Shoman Foundation and the selection committee for recognizing my contribution to the field of applied linguistics. I have to also acknowledge the enormous support I have received throughout the years from my research partners, mentors, and of course my family. Their support and encouragement have been instrumental throughout my research journey. Finally, this award motivates me to explore new areas for my research, to continue my commitment to excellence, and hopefully make a meaningful impact on my research trajectory.” - Atta Gebril

Teaching courses on assessment in language assessment, thesis writing and research methods in applied linguistics, Gebril is a valuable member of the AUC community. He received several awards in recognition of his work, including the Scopus award representing the highest-impact scholarship in the field of education in Egypt from Elsevier and Egyptian Knowledge Bank and the Best Article Award in the field of language Testing from the International Language Testing Association in 2018. 

“I couldn't have been able to  achieve this without the excellent research environment at AUC. I am really proud to be part of the AUC community and always will be.”

Far from one-size-fits-all, mental health care is deeply personal. Between individuals, communities and cultures, mental health and the issues surrounding it take on a variety of looks. So what can psychologists, especially those working cross-culturally, do to make sure that the care they’re providing is hitting the mark?

“Even simple things, like terms such as ‘depression’ or even ‘mental health’ itself carry different connotations across cultural backgrounds,” said Gurusewak Khalsa, associate professor of practice in the Department of Psychology. “We might have to throw these terms out completely and find a way to use not just the technical language that a community is using, but also their own description of what it means to be depressed, what it means to feel anxious, what it means to have psychiatric disorders –– everything.” 

The idea of translation in mental health care stretches far beyond language. Each society understands and addresses mental health issues in a different way, so it's important for counselors who have been trained in a cultural background different than their clients to address this potential gap in order to be able to provide effective support. To navigate this, discussing mental health must be approached flexibly and responsively. 

“A lot of people in the field of mental health have really good intentions. Those intentions can end up causing harm when we apply them without attention to the cultural context of who we’re working with,” said Khalsa. “It’s your responsibility to learn as much as you can about your clients’ values and beliefs, and develop an understanding of their experience. And then any intervention or support should be based on that understanding rather than solely your training.”

The more that mental health care can match its context and individual recipient, the more people can access support that is meaningful to them. That requires shifting away from a rigid idea of what these concepts mean and adopting a fluid, adaptive approach to how mental health care functions. 

“It’s important that we, as a profession, first try to understand and recognize the needs of the community or people we are serving from their own perspective before developing plans for support,” Khalsa said. “We can also make sure we are including a focus on the community’s strengths–things that are already working well–and help the community grow and develop those strengths to other areas, rather than falling into a trap of starting from a place where only see or recognize things that seem wrong or broken.”

Mental health care access is a topic discussed across the world, showing up in a variety of ways transnationally. Physical and economic barriers affect access, alongside social factors such as stigma. But amidst the continuing conversation, the first step is to be able to get in the room.

“Sometimes the first step is the biggest one. If we can make that first step comfortable and supportive, then we’ve addressed a large barrier to the situation.” said Khalsa. “Meeting that [first step] with flexibility, with both personal and cultural awareness can play an important role in addressing mental health issues in any context.”

To find out more about mental health resources at AUC, visit the AUC Wellbeing webpage.

What is the relationship between emotional intelligence and educational leadership?

Mustafa Toprak, associate professor of educational administration and policy in the Department of Educational Studies, has studied the link between emotion and cognition, specifically how school administrators with emotional competencies are more likely to generate positive attitudes and behavior. 

“School administrators who are well aware of their emotions and those of others, who can regulate their own and others’ emotions through active and empathetic listening, and who can cultivate positive relationships with others can help teachers reframe their negative emotions in difficult times and build their ability to rebound from adversity," Toprak said.

Emotional intelligence helps educational leaders and teachers improve their positive affectivity and thereby increases their affective well-being. Toprak’s research, which has involved surveying school administrators and teachers about their workplace experience, shows that teachers' emotional intelligence significantly reduces stress, anxiety, burnout, and psychosomatic complaints, including heart disease, back pain, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances (physical), loss of concentration, and poor decision-making (mental). 

When asked why he would advise school administrators to apply his research in their daily work, Toprak noted, “School administrators feel pressure from various sources inside and outside schools. I recommend that they take care of themselves first. They should know their emotionality well by regularly engaging in a meta-emotion (thinking about emotions) practice, which requires stepping out of the moment and asking: “What is my emotion now?” and “Is this emotion helpful for my interactions with the individuals I work with?”. Donald Schön’s terms reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action are relevant and helpful for school administrators. School administrators who reflect on their emotional state during an interaction (reflection-in-action) and after an interaction (reflection-on-action) are more likely to adjust their negative emotions and transform them into positive ones. As my research shows, this practice improves the well-being of administrators and increases their capacity to create a positive work experience.”   

“Compassion, kindness, and forgiveness are other essential qualities for school administrators who want to develop a positive school climate in which people are innovative and risk-taking," Toprak continued.

The evidence-based practice of emotionality also has implications for teachers. Just like a school administrator’s emotional state and well-being set the emotional tone of the school, a teacher’s emotional state and well-being largely set the emotional tone of a classroom. 

“Students with an emotionally inept teacher may have trouble understanding and regulating their emotions because of the absence of an adult who can model the display of positive emotions under stress,” Toprak explained. “A teacher who has difficulty managing anger, who projects negative emotions, who is not empathetic, and who prefers to talk and dictate than listen is likely to create a classroom environment characterized by negativity and toxicity that is detrimental to students’ motivation to learn.”

Understanding the demands of emotional intelligence, building a knowledge base, and training are a few of Toprak’s recommendations for school administrators and teachers who seek to improve their emotional well-being. 

“Start by reading,” he advised. “Self-motivation is a significant ingredient of emotional intelligence. I recommend reading Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ and Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence.”

Toprak has authored numerous publications on emotions and educational leadership and is already making an impact by providing a model for school leadership. In “Managing Emotions in Schools: Insights from Religion Sources and a Model for School Leadership”, a chapter he co-authored in the book titled Islamic-based Educational Leadership, Administration, and Management: Challenging Expectations through Global Critical Insights, he provides the details of this model and highlights the connection between culture and emotion management, demonstrating how culture influences the way educational leaders and teachers display and suppress their emotions. 

A warm welcome to all our new faculty! With research interests from international policy to visual storytelling, we are thrilled to have incoming faculty this fall who are experts in a range of disciplines. Read more about the wide array of knowledge they bring to AUC, and enjoy hearing a few fun facts – they may surprise you!

AUC is kicking off the semester with new academic programs: the University’s first minor in translation studies, biology specializations in biotechnology as well as ecology and conservation, in addition to computer science and engineering specializations in embedded systems and artificial intelligence.

Offered by the Department of Applied Linguistics, the new translation studies minor is geared toward students from any major, according to Reem Bassiouney, professor and department chair. “Training in translation will broaden career opportunities for students in any field, from business and social sciences to medicine and engineering,” she said. “In today's world, there isn’t any business or sector that does not require some form of translation services. However, you can’t do it well without understanding the relationship between language and society, as well as the tools of translation science.”

The minor is open to all undergraduate students at AUC and consists of five courses: two in linguistics and three specifically focused on translation. “To be a good translator, you need to develop some background in linguistics, which is the study of language, its structure and syntax,” explained Bassiouney. “Linguistics helps us understand the importance of language, how it shapes our social world and the way we relate to one another.” 

Students will be able to choose from several new offerings covering the theory of translation as well as skill-based courses on subjects including document translation, specialized courses for specific types of documents and simultaneous translation.  

Other departments within AUC have also adjusted their offerings ahead of the new school year with the aim of better preparing students for career success. 

The Department of Biology is now offering two new specializations for its Bachelor of Science in biology: one in biotechnology and another in ecology and conservation. These specializations will replace previous concentrations in marine biology as well; as molecular and cell biology. 

“This program restructuring was driven by our dedication to offering a curriculum that includes the latest and most applicable biological disciplines,” said Ahmed Moustafa, professor and chair of the Department of Biology. “The new specializations seamlessly complement the foundational knowledge in our biology program. They empower students to grasp the real-world applications of these subject areas within the biological sciences. This not only enriches their academic perspective but also broadens their career horizons, positioning them as top contenders for roles in research, industry and conservation.”

Additionally, the Computer Science and Engineering Department will now offer specializations in embedded systems and artificial intelligence for its Bachelor of Science programs to cater to the rapidly evolving and expanding field, creating a need for new skills and expertise in the workforce.

“These specializations are increasingly sought out by employers both in Egypt and abroad,” said Sherif Aly ‘91, professor and department chair. “We have been offering courses in both areas for some time, but the specializations formalize these two tracks within our programs. They will now be listed on student degrees upon graduation, providing them with an additional credential as they enter the workforce.”

“Navigating a massive city such as Cairo encompasses a wide array of challenges and gender inequalities, from walking in the streets and riding public transportation to dealing with physical and social limitations,  as well as the absence of public space. These are all encounters that raise questions about harassment and women's rights. Students should reimagine how this can be different,” said Momen El-Husseiny, assistant professor in the Department of Architecture. 

This is what students in the new course, Gender as a Design Lens,  sought to do –– find solutions to pressing social challenges such as public space sexual harassment, designing women-only areas in health clubs and mosques, and improving the livability of places on campus and in Cairo.

The course divided students into groups and helped them develop a design thinking exercise, where they reflected on a particular challenge they experienced. Course instructors were El-Husseiny; Helen Rizzo, associate professor of sociology; and Magda Mostafa, professor of design in the Department of Architecture.

“This was a great opportunity to bring these fields together in conversation with gender studies and expose the students to design thinking,” said Rizzo, explaining how Cairo's complex problems require interdisciplinary solutions. 

Mostafa hopes the course broadens student understanding of the role gender identity plays in multiple facets. “Academic disciplines engage with the notion of gender in different ways and at different levels,” she said. “For example, biology works to try and find quantifiable measures rooted in science that define gender. Sociology engages with gender as a social construct, and design engages with gender as user experiences and identities. The more students understand and can engage in multiple understandings of gender and its correlation with problem solving, the better they will be equipped to make a meaningful, equitable and just impact on the world.”

This multidisciplinarity enabled students to approach projects with a structured and methodical approach. “I was introduced to various concepts related to gender and design, which broadened my understanding of the subject matter and its impact on society,” said Heidi Mohamed, mechanical engineering senior. “But the most thrilling aspect of the course was collaborating with students from diverse academic backgrounds and conducting interviews with individuals on campus whom I may not have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise.”

Maureen Salama, sociology senior, found value in learning that there isn’t a single way to develop a good solution for a given situation. “Empathy allowed us to consider as many people as possible and thus create more inclusive designs,” she said. “However, it’s important to remember that as time goes by, the way stakeholders interact with a design implemented may change over time. We see this happen often when small changes are made to spaces we use daily or the redesign of entire physical spaces.”

The course covered various topics, including gender, access and a sense of safety in public space; mapping gender and public space in the AUC campus and Cairo; gender through a biological lens; and women and mosque design. The course also featured prominent guest speakers. “Each guest lecturer brought their expertise and thus allowed for conversations to go in ways I wouldn’t necessarily expect,” said student Maureen Salama. 

El-Husseiny hopes this course empowers students to break norms, barriers and taboos while engaging in problem solving given the existing social, cultural and economic constraints. “Together, we can develop a meaningful, purposeful, effective and sustainable change,” he said. “Cairo is a mosaic of interrelated fields, and we need to enable our students to be well equipped with a future that will be more dynamic and interdisciplinary.”

Students from AUC and Georgetown University collaborated on a joint course last spring exploring Egyptian cultural heritage and the role that organizations and governments play in protecting and preserving history. 

“Egypt has such a long history, and it is a country at the forefront of showcasing its history and heritage to its own people and tourists,” stated Rochelle Davis (YAB ‘88, ‘89, CASA ‘92), associate professor at Georgetown’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. “As a former year-abroad student and Center for Arabic Study Abroad fellow at AUC, I knew the caliber of teaching here, and it seemed like an exciting connection to make with Georgetown students.” 

Egypt is a natural choice for exploring cultural heritage. The country has seven properties inscribed on UNESCO’s world heritage list, from Saint Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula to Abu Simbel in the south near Sudan’s border. Additionally, there are 34 sites on the organization’s tentative list. 

But what constitutes cultural heritage?

Culture and heritage are abstract concepts, which makes the process of defining a specific property as “cultural heritage” difficult. This course aimed to understand who gets to decide what is cultural heritage and what social and political implications these decisions have. 

“Cultural heritage doesn’t just exist as such — It exists, but has to acquire the label of ‘“cultural heritage’” — part of what we will investigate is how the cultural heritage categorization goes through processes of codification and adoption,” reads the course description. “Global, national, and local agendas and efforts are part of these processes, as are international bodies and law, as well as state and civil society agendas.”

By providing an academic framework to this abstract question, the class asked students to address the roles of tourism and museums, changing environments and climate change, political forces, wars, ideologies and how people advocate for or against defining specific places as cultural heritage.

Bahia Shehab (MA ’09), professor of practice in AUC’s Department of the Arts and course leader, emphasized the courses experiential learning opportunities, such as museum visits, concerts and lectures from Egyptian visionaries — like architect May Al-Ibrahsy and Professor Hoda Elsadda, co-founder of the Women and Memory forum. “We wanted to expose students to culture in Egypt and the Arab world from different perspectives,” she said, “in hopes that they would understand how rich and multifaceted Arab culture is.”

For the students, “The course provided a platform for comparing cultures on a more comprehensive and relevant level,” reflected Nour Hassan ‘23, a graphic design major. “With the Georgetown students, we were able to delve further into our culture and see it from the perspective of an outsider.” 

The course culminated in a two-part final project. Georgetown students produced a grant proposal asking for funding to protect a certain cultural heritage project. AUC students then turned the proposal into a visual pitch booklet that aims to entice an external organization to invest in the project. 

In addition to a written project, Georgetown students also visited Egypt to see these cultural heritage properties in person. “The trip was fantastic,” stated Davis. “Egyptians are legendary for their warmth and generosity and it was so wonderful for my students to experience that.” 

Photos courtesy of Rochelle Davis

The first international survey of work by the late Armenian-Egyptian studio photographer Van Leo is currently on display in the Hammer Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles as a collaboration between the museum and AUC’s Rare Books and Special Collections Library, which holds the Van Leo collection, with additional collaborative support from the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut. Becoming Van Leo is showing until November 5 and includes ephemera and some photographs printed from negatives for the first time. 

“This exhibition at the Hammer Museum is the highest-profile showing of Van Leo's work to date — a retrospective of his art and life — and therefore brings international attention both to Van Leo's work and legacy but also the tremendous holdings of the Rare Books and Special Library at AUC,” said Negar Azimi, the exhibition’s curator. 

Three years prior to his death, in 1998, Van-Leo bequeathed his collection to AUC, where it has since been housed at the Rare Books and Special Collections Library. Last year, AUC celebrated the artist’s 100th birthday with a first-of-its-kind 3D exhibit, and this year, it has partnered with the Hammer Museum on Becoming Van Leo. 

"Over the past decades, the AUC Library has been keen to partner with museums and reputable organizations across the globe, including Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, Brighton Photo Biennial and  Deutsche Architecktur-Museum in Frankfurt," said Lamia Eid '82, '92, interim dean of AUC's Libraries and Learning Technologies. "Our aim has been to be a key partner in the creation of innovative exhibitions, using the rich and unique collections of  AUC's Rare Books and Special Collections Library. I’m positive that the Becoming Van Leo exhibit is a resounding success, bringing together people who appreciate the significance of Van Leo’s unique work. It is surely a celebration of a great photographer and a testament of  collaborative efforts by team members from both AUC and the Hammer Museum."

As stated on the Becoming Van Leo webpage, “The exhibition traces Van Leo’s career from his earliest encounters with the camera in the 1930s, in which he used friends and family as models, through his experiments in self-portraiture of the 1940s and 1950s, and onward to his studio work, which extended into the 1990s.” The exhibition also includes Van Leo’s personal items, including letters, books, magazine clippings, personal notes, immigration forms to the United States and Canada, bills, correspondence with girlfriends, applications to the Art Center School in Los Angeles, a video interview by the artist Akram Zaatari and a series of never-before-seen 16mm films of the artist’s family. 

“It is extraordinary to have access to not only an artist’s work but also his ‘life scraps,’ which is to say the tremendous well of ephemera that Van Leo amassed and kept, from letters to business cards to childhood mementos,” said Azimi. “Van Leo was a complicated, compelling artist who in many ways was ahead of his time. His work belies facile distinctions between art and craft, East and West.”

Becoming Van Leo has been described in the media as “compelling and deeply personal,” and visitors to the exhibition have been “very enthusiastic,” as Azimi noted. 

Behind-the-scenes work was "a complex process that involved countless hours of communication, discussion, planning and preparations by members of both institutions," said Eid. "Sharing collections from AUC's Rare Books and Special Collections Library, reaching out to different communities, engaging visitors, promoting Egyptian culture and heritage beyond AUC, furthering research and scholarship, and enriching the visitor experience are critical goals that we constantly strive to achieve."

As Ann Philbin, director of the Hammer Museum, noted, “This exhibition is an opportunity to introduce Van Leo’s extraordinary oeuvre to people outside Cairo, where his archive is housed, and to take a more in-depth look at his influences and impact. Dedicated to working in black and white film, Van Leo’s photographs are dramatic, moving, and through his lens, the ordinary became extraordinary.”