Picture a mangrove emerging from salty coastal zones, its thin bark rises like fingers out of the shallow waters, its strong roots protecting the vulnerable shorelines from erosion, its unique habitat promoting biodiversity. Mangrove forests take in additional carbon dioxide from the surrounding air, sequestering five times more carbon than standard trees and locking it into the soil. Egypt’s Red Sea is one of the few habitats with the right conditions for mangrove forests, yet without sustained local interest or investment, these ecosystems have slowly started to disappear. The mangrove’s potential for economic, environmental and community growth has been forgotten.

That is, until 2021, when a group of researchers from AUC’s Center for Applied Research on the Environment and Sustainability (CARES) wondered: What if these communities could help bring the mangroves back?

The Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Model (MERS) was born not just to replant mangroves, but to root their survival within the community itself.

A benefit concert by Egyptian musician Omar Khairat held by AUC’s Volunteers in Action (VIA) student organization inspired Yasmine El Hagry ’04 to work with orphans after graduation. 

“I learned a lot as a member of VIA, not only about orphans and serving others, but also about how we face our failures and challenges and how we work together despite the fact that we might be different,” said the journalism and mass communication alumna who is currently pursuing a master’s in public administration from AUC.

Today, El Hagry is the executive director of Sanad for Orphans, a nongovernmental organization that provides alternative care solutions from early childhood through young adulthood. She was named by the Regional Network for Social Responsibility among the 100 Sustainability Champions in the Middle East and North Africa in 2023 and 2024 and as one of the most influential Arab figures in corporate social responsibility and sustainability in 2022. 

“You nurture their talent. You help them learn how to present their ideas, thoughts and challenges — to understand themselves.” 

In the shade of the grandiose Ibn Tulun Mosque, a group of AUC students took in the stone facade and intricate detail. AUC Arabic classes — Hebatallah Salem’s Modern Standard Arabic and Shahira Yacourt’s Egyptian Colloquial Arabic — came together to learn about community empowerment initiatives in the Al-Khalifa neighborhood surrounding the mosque, aiming to lend a hand to the community in their efforts toward urban regeneration, economic advancement and heritage preservation.

The summer after his first year of university, Bernard O’Kane boarded a train from Ireland to Istanbul, emerging in a world of brightly colored tiles. The next year, he took the same train to Istanbul and boarded a boat to Alexandria to see the architecture of Egypt. He continued this habit a third summer, venturing further east from Turkey into Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The colorful art and architecture of the Islamic world captured O’Kane in a way he wasn’t able to shake then.

Now a professor of Islamic art and architecture in the Sheikh Hassan Abbas Sharbatly Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations, O’Kane’s love of travel never faded. He regularly visits places in the Middle East and Central Asia to investigate the historical architecture and tilework around the region.

Most recently, O’Kane traveled to Turkmenistan, researching the tilework of monuments in Kuhna Urgench. This historical site was the capital of the Khorezm region with monuments including a mosque, the gates of a caravanserai, fortresses, mausoleums and a 60-meter-high minaret. O’Kane was drawn to the tilework, whose soulful colors have endured more than seven centuries.

“Tilework is a particularly important form of Islamic art. It serves as a colorful, vibrant way to shape the identity of sacred and secular spaces,” he said.

Known as Hollywood on the Nile, Egypt’s film industry experienced its golden age in the 1960s.The nationalization of its film industry buoyed the budgets of directors to capture the hopes and fears of Egyptian society in hits like Dawn of a New Day and Struggle of the Heroes. Tamara Maatouk, assistant professor of film studies in the Department of the Arts, sees film as a vessel for history, offering insights beyond textbooks. Her research explores how Egypt’s private- and public sector films captured the socialist 1960s. AUCToday spoke with Maatouk to learn more.

Supported by the newly established Kerr Family Scholarship for undergraduate students, freshman Malak Hashem is beginning her path toward becoming an architect focused on sustainability and community impact.

“We have a lot of global challenges, like pollution and the use of nonrenewable resources,” Hashem said. “I chose architecture because it allows me to respond to these issues. My current interest is in sustainability and net-zero buildings. I hope that, with my knowledge, I can help communities adopt these methods to create a stable and sustainable environment.”

Hashem’s interest in architecture grew from a lifelong passion for drawing, crafting and sculpting. While studying historical art, she became drawn to the geometry of Islamic architecture and the grandeur of Baroque ceilings. That balance between beauty and function ultimately led her to architecture — a discipline she believes “can’t be replaced by AI because humans are the only ones capable of true creativity.” 

“I want to use sustainable energy in my future buildings to help reduce the impact of the water crisis."

AUC’s New Cairo campus has reinforced that belief. Designed with sustainability in mind, the low-lying, Andalusian-inspired buildings integrate shaded courtyards, windcatchers and recirculated water systems that reduce energy use and minimize waste amid Egypt’s water scarcity. Summer winds are guided through the campus to cool interior spaces, limiting reliance on air conditioning. 

For Hashem, the campus serves as a living example of the principles she hopes to apply in her own work. “I want to use sustainable energy in my future buildings to help reduce the impact of the water crisis,” she said. 

On a campus built to encourage connection and environmental awareness, Hashem has found a like-minded community. Conversations with senior architecture students have sparked her excitement for upcoming theory courses, where she will explore the historical and philosophical intentions behind architectural forms. AUC’s Core Curriculum has also shaped her perspective. Courses in rhetoric and composition introduced her to the study of beauty beyond aesthetics. 

“I learned that beauty is a deeply rooted concept in every aspect of life,” Hashem said. “It’s not about appearances or social media trends.” As she looks ahead, Hashem is intentionally taking courses across disciplines — including business, psychology and sociology — to develop as both an architect and global citizen. “I won’t stop at my undergraduate degree,” she said. “I want to continue my studies so that one day, I can build communities that are both beautiful and sustainable.”