If you struggle navigating traffic in the morning, soon your car may be able to take the wheel. In fact, in 10 years' time, autonomous vehicles are expected to become a main form of transportation —  but what still stands in the way of their development?

In this short Q&A, Yasser Gadallah, professor of electronics and communications engineering at AUC, breaks down how autonomous vehicles are developing, some of the challenges of the field and why it's important to explore.

The emergence of generative AI (GenAI) has forced educators across the world to rethink curricula, policies and principles both in and out of the classroom. “Generative AI brings many opportunities, but also a lot of challenges — especially in terms of academic integrity,” said Sherif Kamel ’88, ’90, ’13, dean of AUC’s School of Business. 

As the new semester kicks off, Kamel has pondered how AI will affect teaching and learning, how it will support and challenge research, and how it will change the daily operations of business schools.

“This is a unique moment for business schools to lead the way in rethinking business and management education and explore what is needed to succeed in a fast, changing, innovative, constantly disruptive and interconnected global environment,” he writes in the most recent edition of the NileView.

He forecasts change across the board — from course assessment to faculty recruitment and retention.

“GenAI plug-ins could help create testing material and analyze student performance, identifying strengths and weaknesses and suggesting ways to improve,” he said. “This would support and optimize learning outcomes and motivate students.”

Kamel also noted that AI skills will soon become a “must” across disciplines, including teaching. “Moving forward, universities and higher education institutions, including business schools, will opt to recruit and retain faculty who can embrace technologies such as GenAI and have the knowledge and experience to use them in their teaching methods and research approaches,” he said. 

Teaching faculty, students and staff how to effectively and responsibly use the tools of tomorrow is of utmost importance, according to Kamel. “A lot of work needs to be done that relates to security, privacy and academic integrity,” he said. “Like every other emerging innovative technology, there are ethical and unethical ways to use AI, and the business leaders of tomorrow need to learn this as students today.” 

Looking back, Kamel points out that the AI revolution has been a long time coming. “This has been gradually happening throughout the last 80 years,” he explained. “Many simple tasks we used to do are now done faster and more efficiently by technology.”

Kamel stresses that machines will not replace humans — at least not in the foreseeable future. However, he does believe that the time we spend on certain activities, as well as the nature of work, will absolutely change. 

"I've always said that humans and human capital are society's most important assets,” he said. “People will keep on doing what they do best, which is the thought process, judgment, vision and strategy, versus machines, which will help with data projections and advanced analysis — and this can help us make better decisions.”

With OpenAI’s latest text-generating model GPT-4 released only last March, Kamel believes that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of AI’s potential, placing importance upon upskilling and reskilling to stay current and competitive in “a more advanced, accelerated, technology-driven environment,” he said. “Degrees will still be important, but they must be complemented with lifelong learning through certification, professional development and training, lifelong learning is no longer an option.”

Innovation for Business Schools

Kamel has been appointed vice chair and chair-elect of the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the oldest global accrediting body for business schools with the largest network of schools, educators, learners and businesses worldwide.

In his new role, Kamel will lend his years of expertise in advocating for innovation, engagement and impact in business education. He will also serve as the board’s chair for the 2024-2025 academic year, and is now chairing the board’s Innovation Committee.

AUC’s School of Business joined AACSB in 2001 and was first accredited by the association in 2006. “Since then, we’ve been active members — not just of the network as an accredited school, but many of our staff and faculty are active in brainstorming strategy discussions, projects as well as regional and global conferences,” said Kamel.

Striving to keep business and management education current amid an ever-changing landscape is one of AACSB’s cornerstones, Kamel explained, highlighting digital transformation and AI as two major trends at the forefront of discussion. “Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have become an integral part of the curriculum and activities organized and offered by business schools,” he added.

Business schools should practice what they preach and always strive to innovate and adapt to developments taking place in different global businesses, industries and markets to remain relevant and impactful and shape the future leaders of tomorrow who can make a positive difference to society.

For a team of architecture alumni at AUC, preserving Egypt’s heritage is vital to building a sustainable future. With collaboration from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Salford, Laila Hany ’23, Heba El Kammah ’23, Mostafa Zahran ’23, Saja Sameh ’23 and Amgad Abdulgawad ’23 set out to study how traditional crafts and buildings can be used to develop sustainable employment and housing across Egypt. 

Put into practice, their work can help shape an eco-friendly future that conserves Egypt’s history. The key? Adapting and reusing what’s already in place. 

The team began by analyzing sites in historic and downtown Cairo as well as Alexandria, with each student choosing one area to focus on. For example, Hany, who worked in Cairo’s Al Khalifa neighborhood, explored how reviving the tradition of stained glass could also help create sustainable forms of employment for residents. 

Beyond sustainable development, the team pointed out that reviving Cairo’s historic buildings and crafts may be crucial to the survival of some of Egypt's history and traditions, which are in danger due to economic hardships.

Of course, considering the numerous factors at play is a delicate task. 

“The main challenges were finding solutions that balanced heritage conservation, zero-carbon sustainability, revival of traditional crafts and tourism in an eco-friendly manner,” explains Zahran, who studied the landmark Haret Bergwan on Cairo’s famed Moez Street. 

“With extensive research, the group was able to find connections between these different factors to create viable solutions to these issues simultaneously," added Zahran.

The team’s research took them to COP27 and the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, “Time Space Existence,” hosted by the European Cultural Center. Hany and El Kammah presented the team’s work with the support of their thesis adviser Sherif Goubran ’14, assistant professor of sustainable architecture.

“Presenting at COP27 and then displaying our work in Venice is something we are all proud of and excited about,” said Goubran.“The responses we got in all external exposure opportunities showed how important and timely our work is.”  

The team’s projects found that both past and present have a role in the conversation about sustainable development. “We have a lot to learn from the past that can be applied to the future. We already have the technology to help societies and the planet thrive and flourish,” says Zahran. 

In the pursuit of sustainability, Egypt’s heritage is the foundation. For Zahran, this enables future development to maintain a deep connection to its origins: “We can revive the Fatimid Cairo artisans’ hope through innovation that suits modern needs while maintaining their crafts’ essence.” 

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!

From the ancient past to the present, doing business in Egypt has always been an international affair. Today, AUC’s School of Business continues this tradition as part of the CEMS network.

CEMS — the Community of European Management Schools, now known as the Global Alliance in Management Education — is a network of elite business schools and corporations across the world, which cooperate for joint programs and allow students to gain hands-on business experience in foreign countries and companies. 

For six years now, AUC has sent young Egyptian business graduates abroad to study at some of the world’s top universities, and welcomed some 25 foreign students to Cairo to show them how business is done in the Arab world’s largest economy. 

One such student is Angelique Nies, a native of Germany and graduate of the CEMS Master of International Management program at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen.

When choosing a host school for her CEMS semester abroad, AUC stood out clearly from the rest with its promise of something truly different from already-familiar European business schools. “What was most important for me when choosing my exchange destination for my term abroad was having a unique cultural experience and exploring a new part of the world,” says Nies.

Aside from the change in climate, Nies noticed differences in AUC’s teaching system compared to schools in other countries. The AUC School of Business environment is “much more intimate in comparison to European grad school programs,” she remarks. 

Nies recounts that her class sizes at AUC ranged from just five to nine students, allowing more focused teaching and making professors “much more accessible” than at other schools around the world. “Professors at AUC really care about your personal development and learning journey,” she explains.

AUC faculty, along with students, are just a few of those who make up what Nies found most charming about Egypt: the people. “Every Egyptian I met was extremely welcoming and went out of their way to make me feel at home and share their rich culture with me,” she says.

Hindsight has not changed her opinion. “If I could go back, I would choose AUC all over again!”

“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.”

AUC’sSchool of Continuing Education (SCE), has been awarded a two-year, $500,000 grant from the Regional English Language Office (RELO) at the United States Embassy in Cairo, marking the largest single award from the U.S. government to SCE in recent memory.

The grant will support several English-language programs offered by SCE, including its work with the English Language Resource Center at Al-Azhar University, the Mentors project for English-language teachers across Egypt, the Spelling Bee at Al-Azhar, work with the Grand Mufti and more.

"SCE's mission is to be accessible, affordable and applicable, and this grant allows us to reach more teachers, students and Al-Azhar faculty across the country,” said former SCE Dean James Ketterer. "This award underscores SCE's longstanding partnership with RELO while supporting important educational offerings for many Egyptians.”

The school’s programs and partnerships department offers a variety of programs tailored to the needs of a diverse audience with regards to age, education, socioeconomic background and experience, explained Doaa Salem, director of the department. “Through this grant, we are happy to meet the expectations of faculty, teachers and students across different governorates and achieve SCE’s mission to extend the resources of AUC to a larger community,” she added.

Learn more about SCE’s ongoing and upcoming programs that this grant will support.

English Language and American Culture Series

English-language learners across Egypt are diving headfirst into American culture with monthly lectures led by AUC faculty and staff from the United States. The lectures in this free series each center on a theme related to American culture. Topics include history, culture, science, entrepreneurship and media literacy. This is a collaboration between SCE and the U.S. Embassy’s American Center Cairo.

Bridge Plus Program

This is a preparatory academic and cultural program in English designed to prepare high school students for college life. It aims to foster increased understanding and awareness of American perspectives among Egyptian students.

Nile TESOL Teacher Training program, 

This program provides professional development opportunities to teachers across Egypt, awarding teacher training scholarships to 30 active members of Nile TESOL per year. The program aims to enhance and widen the language teaching skills and professional networking of teachers with limited or basic language and teaching experience.

English Access Microscholarship Program

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and managed by the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, Access is a global scholarship program that provides a foundation of English language and 21st-century skills to promising but disadvantaged high school students. The two-year program involves a variety of experiential tracks that develop cross-cultural understanding in addition to soft skills. The aim is to empower participants to pursue better educational and career opportunities and compete for future exchanges and study in the United States. 

Conferences

SCE will deliver a series of mini-conferences to support educators and mentors in English and proposal writing in Cairo and Aswan.

Coming Soon

SCE will soon launch its English-Language Education program for faculty and specific audiences, which will cover the following:

1. Professional development opportunities for educators across Egypt

2. Management of the English Language Resource Center at Al-Azhar University

3. Implementing English-language learning opportunities for specific audiences (Grand Mufti and preachers)

4. Supporting national English-language competitions (Spelling Bee)

Violence has erupted in Sudan as the two major militarized groups, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have gone head-to-head in civilian-populated areas. With casualties rising and no resolution in sight, News@AUC interviewed two faculty members from the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology, Assistant Professor and Associate Researcher Amira Ahmed and Assistant Professor Manuel Schwab, to explain the conflict, its impact on Sudanese citizens and what the international community can do to help.

 Causes of Conflict

The current fighting is the culmination of decades of turmoil in Sudan, but its most recent causes can be traced to Sudan’s 2019 revolution, which toppled former President Omar al-Bashir and briefly replaced him with a civilian government.

 “The Sudanese people were aspiring to remove a military fascist regime that had governed the country for 30 years,” explains Ahmed, who is a daughter of Sudanese immigrants living in Egypt. “Al-Bashir originally legally recognized the RSF to suppress rebellions on his behalf, but the leader of the RSF turned against al-Bashir when the revolution began.”

The 2019 revolution was successful in deposing al-Bashir but left a power vacuum in its wake. A civilian government ruled briefly but was quickly sidelined by the RSF and the SAF. While the two groups had collaborated to bring down the former regime, governing the country afterward proved controversial.

“The RSF was supposed to be integrated into the SAF, which would have created a unified army. That was Omar al Bashir’s plan to maintain power,” says Schwab. “But the integration was not completed by the time he was removed, leaving two groups competing for control who eventually turned on one another.

This scramble for power has proven catastrophic for Sudan as violence rules in the capital, Khartoum, and fighting is spreading throughout the country. The death toll on May 9 had risen to 604  according to the UN health agency. However, an accurate number of casualties may be higher due to complications with reporting. The severity of the conflict reminds some of the  genocide in Darfur in 2003, during which the RSF killed between 80,000 and 400,000 people and displaced nearly 3 million at the orders of al-Bashir.

Power of the People

This echo of history raises the question: After the successful, civilian-led revolution in 2019, how has the country descended into levels of chaos that have not been witnessed since 2003?

“The revolution in 2019 showed the incredible organizing capacity, tenacity, commitment and grassroots solidarity of Sudan,” states Schwab. “I believe Sudan is a place where the power has always been with the people. Unfortunately, the force has always been with the militaries and these groups took over the revolution for their own goals.”

The citizens of Sudan are keenly aware of the role of these armed forces in destabilizing their country. “The Sudanese people are calling for the SAF to go back to the barracks and the RSF to be dissolved,” Ahmed explains. “The people want a democratic civilian government, but first they need the violence to stop.”

 Human Impact

According to the United Nations, there are currently 4.3 million people in South Sudan who need humanitarian assistance, but the raging violence is making it difficult for supplies to be distributed. Additionally, nearly 2.3 million refugees from South Sudan are currently displaced and 63% of these refugees are children.

“People are dying from more than just bullets and bombs,” says Ahmed. “They are dying from a lack of food, medicine and water. They are dying from preventable diseases or injuries because their hospitals have been destroyed or occupied by armed forces.”

Egypt is a major location for Sudanese refugees to flee to, but supporting them is a difficult task. Ahmed and Schwab attempted to create a GoFundMe campaign to generate funds for arriving refugees, but the campaign was suspended within 72 hours. According to Ahmed and Schwab, this Is symptomatic of the financial distrust that is directed at Sudan.

Sanctions Are Not a Solution

“I will never understand why the international community does not pay attention to the terrible effects of financial and goods-based sanctioning on the Sudanese people,” says Schwab. “There is no evidence that sanctions have any influence on the decisions of these gold-rich governing elites, but there is plenty of evidence that they do real harm to civilians.”

According to Schwab, there is a contradiction between two cornerstones of international relationships with Sudan since it gained independence. The international community executes harsh sanctions to pressure the regime by squeezing its citizens while simultaneously providing humanitarian aid that is meant to offer relief. Together, the two produce a situation in which scarcity and need can be manipulated by various actors, international or domestic, leaving the people of Sudan to pay the price.

This allows the international community to appear invested in solving the problem, without addressing the core issue: International policy regards Sudan as a security problem, not a human catastrophe.

“International powers all see Sudan as a security threat, so they are more interested in ensuring stability than creating long-lasting peace. They want to back the right warlord who will keep Sudan managed, not help the Sudanese people build a civilian democracy,” he says.

The Way Forward

“We have to rethink the way the international community treats Sudan and must listen to the voices of Sudanese people,” says Ahmed. “We need to find a way to stop the violence, but allowing either the SAF or the RSF to rule the country will only lead to a military dictatorship. That may answer the security problem, but it won’t help bring peace to the people.”

Additionally, humanitarian aid needs to be expanded and sanctions rescinded, Schwab recommends. “We need to open up more channels for humanitarian aid alongside corridors of mobility for people to escape. We also need to communicate to our home governments that we do not support sanctions as a solution,” he says.

“Don’t forget Sudan,” Ahmed concludes. “Sudanese people are some of the most politically engaged in the world, but they need the safety and opportunity to build a peaceful future."

Debate your hearts out! AUC’s Cairo International Model United Nations (CIMUN) swept the National Model United Nations in New York last month. Representing Nigeria and Montenegro, the 37-person team took home an impressive 14 awards, making AUC the most-awarded university at the conference.

Within those achievements, the team won two Outstanding Delegation Awards — the highest award a university can achieve— for their group representation of Nigeria and Montenegro. In addition, the AUC delegates won 12 individual awards across multiple councils, including the Human Rights Council, General Assembly, UN Environment Assembly, UN Economic Commission for Africa, International Atomic Energy Agency, Commission on the Status of Women, and Commission Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. 

"The amazing team of delegates we had this year led AUC to become the university with the highest number of awards at the NMUN conference this year, as well as the only university to receive not just one but two Outstanding Delegation Awards. I believe this team raised the bar for many years to come," said Ali Hussein, economics major and CIMUN organization committee head.

Getting ready for this conference took more than six months of practice and a rigorous selection process that included interviews as well as mock conferences and position paper writing. The preparation phase comprised general training sessions for the delegation overall as well as more specific training and strategies for the different councils, in addition to researching foreign policy and identifying key international agreements to support the team's stance. There were also simulations to fully prepare the team for all aspects of the conference as well as a comprehensive process for writing the position papers, "which is a very important aspect of the NMUN conference and yielded many awards for us," explained Hussein. "This year, the majority of our delegates were freshmen and had never experienced a conference of this scale before. This made the preparation process longer and more challenging, which made the victory at the end even more rewarding. That was what was most special about the CIMUN victory this year."

Farid Hani, economics major with a minor in international relations and CIMUN undergraduate academic adviser, echoed similar sentiments. "Working with each and every one of our delegates in training, selection and writing position papers builds a personal connection, and we were eager to see them shine in action. Indeed, they passed our expectations and demonstrated great leadership, presentation, research, analytical and diplomacy skills," he said, adding:

"This year marks the 35th CIMUN team, and it was our target to truly make an impact and prepare the next generation of leaders to partake in this rigorous and prestigious conference. What really made a difference despite our delegation's young age was their spirit, dedication and eagerness to learn. To me, seeing their hard work come into play and their development over the months of training was the true victory."

Walid Kazziha, political science professor and CIMUN's faculty adviser, commended the hard work put in by all those involved. "My sincere thanks goes to all colleagues and staff members who helped prepare CIMUN for its great success," he said. "Above all, we owe our students and their High Board a word of gratitude and true recognition for the relentless efforts they have made to maintain the high standards we always demand of them.”

For participating students, the conference taught them valuable lessons both personally and professionally. "Attending the NMUN conference this year as head delegate has taught me a lot of new skills and lessons," reflected Hussein. "The key lesson I learned was how to properly strategize and plan ahead with my fellow High-Board members in order to reach the best outcome possible, which we thankfully succeeded in doing. Other important skills that were reinforced, thanks to this experience, included discipline, leadership and diplomacy. I am now assured that if I put my mind to something, plan accordingly, trust the process –– and most importantly my team –– I will reach the goal that I had set out from the beginning."

As Lara Radwan, economics major and CIMUN secretary-general put it, "Year by year, our goals for NMUN increase, and this year, we were able to win the highest amount of awards amongst all competing universities. With the competition becoming stronger and the MUN scene growing day by day, we had to prepare our team to become the top competing university in this year’s conference. The process has definitely been challenging, but the amount of knowledge we gained en route and the experience of getting to meet participants from all over the world is indescribable!"
 

A bolt of energy rattles the bonds of a water molecule: H₂O. The links between the molecule begin to snap as the oxygen and hydrogen particles are pulled to separate compartments. The hydrogen molecules are collected and pressurized until their gaseous form transforms into a liquid, the process guiding these powerful particles to their new life: green energy. This process, called electrolysis, has existed for several years; now the goal is to expand its application by producing green hydrogen and clean water simultaneously.

Ehab El Sawy, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, recently received funding from Egypt’s Academy of Scientific Research and Technology to pursue this endeavor. 

“Traditional forms of green hydrogen production utilize clean water in their process. This is more expensive and inefficient; clean water should be prioritized for necessities like drinking,” El Sawy explains. “Our proposal is to utilize wastewater and salt water to produce the hydrogen energy in a way that generates clean water as a byproduct.”

This solution is a two-for-one deal. A small village with a contaminated lake could use this new technology both as an energy supplier and as a way to make its water safe for drinking. 

But why green hydrogen?

“It has local and global benefits,” El Sawy says. “Right now, most of our energy comes from fossil fuels that produce toxic gasses like carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides — all of which are an environmental disaster. Green hydrogen requires energy to create, so making it ‘green’ means ensuring the source of energy for the electrolysis is renewable, like wind, solar, geothermal, or tidal sources.”

Green hydrogen has become a popular alternative to fossil fuels internationally over the past two decades, with buses, trains and cars running on this climate-friendly alternative from the United States to Japan. In addition to its liquid form, which can be pumped like traditional gas, green hydrogen can also be put into fuel cells, similar to batteries. In the future, these fuel cells may be able to power houses and buildings as a replacement for power grids. 

This climate-friendly energy is perfect for Egypt. “Here, we don’t have an abundance of fossil fuels like the Gulf region or lithium for lithium-based batteries like Australia,” El Sawy explains. “What we do have is plenty of sun and salt water.”

This project is interdisciplinary: El Sawy along with Nageh Allam, professor in the Department of Physics, use their expertise in electrochemistry and materials design to refine the compartments that produce the hydrogen through electrolysis so they can function at max efficiency. Meanwhile other AUC faculty, like Ahmed El-Gendy, professor and director of the environmental engineering graduate program, and Anwar Abd ElNaser, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, study the water treatment and desalination system. El-Gendy and Abd ElNaser monitor bacterial growth on electrodes, desalination efficiency and the physics of the molecular movements, in addition to exploring the benefits of this new technology on public health. 

AUC students are also involved in the process. Undergraduate and graduate research assistants help develop the materials in the lab throughout the school year and summer. Recent PhD graduates are also funded in the lab, offering them the opportunity to conduct research while attending international conferences and workshops.

“It has been a privilege to work with such a collaborative team,” El Sawy says. “Our project is still in the initial stages, but with more funding and research, I believe we can turn this design into a reality.