22 30 48 1<None> A More Abundant Life The Unseen Ravages of War Women’s Work Discover a treasure of handwritten Warfare’s devastating effects For Sheikha Hissah Al Sabah (BA ’74), student magazines from 1899-1933 on health care empowering women is serious business American University of Beirut Magazine. Fall 2014, Vol XIII, No.1 Larger than life A future eco-entrepreneur puts worms to work Aiducation. Besher Al-Makhlouf grew up in Damascus. A gifted Although he plans to return to the region, Besher is hoping musician, he plays the clarinet and was a member of Syria’s to pursue a doctoral degree in the United States after he national youth orchestra. He always knew he wanted to graduates. “I’ve enjoyed every moment of my time at AUB, pursue a degree in a field that would enable him to have a and will miss everything about it,” he says. “At AUB, you positive impact on the region. Because he was chosen to meet people from different backgrounds, different receive an Asfari Scholarship, Besher was able to earn that ideologies, and different aspirations and so you see things degree at AUB. An economics major, Besher participated in from many points of view.” several student clubs, and was a research assistant in the Civilization Sequence Program. To speak to someone about supporting financial aid, contact us at [email protected] or make an gift at https://give.aub.edu.lb The MainGate Fall 2014 Contents Volume XIII, No. 1 Student life, the liberal arts, AUB personalities Inspiration 5 past and present Developing Worlds, Microbial and Otherwise 8 Eugene Gangarosa, the first dean of FHS, discovers new frontiers. Discoveries 19 Research, the arts, and current events A More Abundant Life 22 Handwritten student magazines from 1899 to 1933 reveal the hearts and minds of AUB students. Wellness 29 AUBMC 2020, health, and medicine The Unseen Ravages of War 30 When health-care delivery becomes deadly. Impact 39 Regional impact, advocacy, and policy initiatives First Prize to the Wrigglers 40 Worms rise and shine. AUB Everywhere 47 Alumni profile, class notes, WAAAUB, and chapter news Women’s Work Sheikha Hissah Al Sabah (BA ’74): feminist and 48 social welfare visionary. In Memoriam 65 Presidenting Spirited from a rich diversity of distinguished CARING institutions. Growing numbers of patients are SUMMERING AT AUB traveling to Beirut to receive treatment at the AUB Medical Center. This More than 60 students participated includes some Iraqi patients who are in the Summer Arabic Program, only being cared for at AUBMC because of slightly fewer than last year. Due to the a special arrangement with the Iraqi severe water shortage caused by last Ministry of Public Health, which you year’s very dry winter, AUB has been can read more about on page 36. redrilling nonfunctioning campus wells to exploit older water supplies. The brackish water from one well is being CELEBRATING treated through reverse osmosis to produce water of an appropriately low The opening of the Ray R. Irani-Oxy salinity to use in coolin g systems on Engineering Complex (IOEC) took campus. My own cooling system was place on September 9 to great fanfare. an hour spent in the late afternoon at The building is named for AUB INCOMING the AUB beach. alumnus and Trustee Emeritus Ray R. Irani (BS ’53) and the Occidental AUB welcomed 1,845 new ENHANCING OUR CAMPUS Petroleum Corporation. This new undergraduate students, 260 new complex contains cutting-edge graduate students, 105 medical Recently dedicated buildings are engineering labs, faculty offices, AUB as a beacon students, and 12 new PhD enrollees already being heavily used and are spaces for graduate students, and an of learning and in fall 2014. These numbers indicate enhancing our campus. The Wassef upper-floor terrace. FEA faculty are inclusivity AUB’s ability to draw excellent and Souad Sawwaf Building at AUBMC, also moving into the newly renovated applicants even in troubled times, for example, is the center for the 5th floor of the Bechtel Building, which not only from Lebanon itself but from University Health Services. I go there has been refurbished thanks to 51 other countries around the world. myself to see my family doctor. The donations from the Bechtel family and During a reception at West Hall, I PET-CT scan is functional and the the Bechtel Foundation. This global talked with a number of international cyclotron will be in operation this engineering firm has been a good students from Denmark, Germany, and coming academic year. friend and strong supporter of AUB for Malaysia as well as from nations closer many years, beginning with the very to home, all of them energized to begin The Issam Fares Institute for Public founding of FEA as an independent a new year at AUB. Policy and International Affairs (IFI) faculty in 1951. is in great demand from departments INTRODUCING across campus, who are making good LOOKING AHEAD use of the excellent conferencing and The University introduced three new communications facilities housed in Over the next months, my focus will undergraduate programs: Bachelor of Zaha Hadid’s stunningly designed be on providing both institutional Engineering in Industrial Engineering; building. continuity and also a big push for and two Bachelor of Science degrees, the launching of the 150th celebration in Medical Audiology Sciences and in Concrete pouring for the largest of AUB’s founding in 2016. My own Medical Imaging Sciences. There are addition to the Medical Center in 50 messages to the wider community will new graduate programs as well: MS years–the Halim and Aida Daniel focus on AUB as a beacon of learning degrees in Chemical Engineering, Academic and Clinical Center at the and inclusivity, the humanistic Energy Studies, Rural Community corner of Abdul Aziz and Maamari grounding of our undergraduate liberal Development, and the Scholar’s HeAlth Streets–has begun. This magnificent arts education, the importance of Research Program (SHARP). Kathy and new facility should open in December interdisciplinary research and creation I hosted a lively welcome reception at 2016, as we conclude AUB’s 150th of relevant new knowledge, and the Marquand House for 53 new faculty anniversary celebration. abiding values that define the AUB members, who have been recruited experience. 32 Inbox From the editor I have had the privilege of being on campus for the start of the academic year on many occasions. I am always struck by the fact that although it is in some ways repetitive, it is also always very special. Each entering class is different. This was true again in 2014. Cover FAFS graduate student The new school year kicked off with abundant energy as a student body of more than 8,000 (!) Sara Moledor and her students arrived at AUB—some for the first time, others (returning seniors) for perhaps the last award-winning worms. time. They “rendezvoused” with friends on the Main Gate steps, took deep breaths before Photo by Jean Pierre Tarabey heading up those daunting engineering stairs (more on those stairs on page 4), and explored new buildings on campus. Along with new students, AUB also welcomed many new professors, some 53 recruits from around the world, including Ethiopia, the Un ited States, China, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and of course Lebanon. With so much to report on from campus, I’ll share some highlights from this issue of the magazine: Editor Ada H. Porter Mona Hatoum’s (DHL ’08) exhibit at the Alexander and Bonin Gallery in NYC Director of Communications –page 6 Responsible Director Nabil Dajani “When I set off for work I say that I am going to my second home.” Art Direction and Design Communicati on Design SAL –Hanaa Kobeisi (BS ’84, MPH ’86), page 9 www.cd-sal.com Production “I have plenty of ideas concerning how to make the world better. Office of Communications I saw an opportunity to turn my ideas into reality.” Photography Ali Hashisho –Tarek Sakakini (BEN ’14), page 10 Hasan Nisr Neil Singh “We have seen the transformation of health care. It is now directly implicated Jean Pierre Tarabey University Libraries, Archives in military strategy.” and Special Collections –Omar Dewachi (MPH ’00), page 30 Staff Writers Susanne Lane Barbara Rosica Ada H. Porter, Editor Contributing Writers [email protected] Maureen Ali Nicholas Boke Kathy Dorman Arianne Shavisi ACS CASAR FEA IFI NCC American Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Faculty of Issam Fares Institute Nature Conservation Community School Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Engineering for Public Policy and Cent er for Sustainable Abbr. Center for American and Architecture International Affairs Futures AUB American University of Beirut Studies and Research American University FHS IOEC OSB Office of Communications of Beirut CCECS Faculty of Ray R. Irani-Oxy Suliman S. Olayan PO Box 11–0236 Center for Civic Health Sciences Engineering Complex School of Business Common AUBMC Riad El Solh 1107 2020 Engagement and abbreviations American University of FM KSA PSPA Beirut, Lebanon Community Service Tel: 96 found in the Beirut Medical Center Faculty of Medicine Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Department of Political 1-1-353228 FAFS Studies and Public MainGate (MG): CAMES HSON LAU Faculty of Agricultural Administration New York Office Center for Arab and Rafic Hariri School Lebanese American and Food Sciences 3 Dag Hammarskjold Middle Eastern Studies of Nursing University REP FAS Regional Plaza 8th Floor CAMS IC LDEM Faculty of Arts External Programs New York, NY 10017–2303 Center for Advanced International College Landscape Design and and Sciences Tel: 212-583-7600 Mathematical Sciences Ecosystem Management SPC [email protected] Syrian Protestant College www.aub.edu.lb/maingate WAAAUB Printing Worldwide Alumni Lane Press Association of AUB www.fsc.org The pages of the MainGate are printed on 100 percent postconsumer fiber paper and the cover is 30 percent.