CMU-Q OnQ Summer/Fall 2015

Summer 2015 Fall 2015

Going Global at Google Alumna Helps Bring Google Products to New Markets Recent Graduate Begins

career at ge page 20

‫الوصول للعالمية‬ ‫في جوجل‬ ‫خريجة الجامعة تسهم في إدخال‬ ‫منتجات جوجل ألسواق جديدة‬

More than 100 Students

become alumni page 22

Students Create App to Reduce

food waste page 26

Summer 2014 / Fall 2014

CONTENTS 3

16

Summer 2015 Fall 2015

On the record.

Business 26 Food Sharing App Wins CMU-Q's

'Quick Startup' Competition

Science 27 Braille Writing Tutor Wins

Touch of Genius Prize

Student Life

28 Tartans Who Travel

Research 30 The Power of Big Data 32 Air Quality Study Wins Meeting

of the Minds

‫الوصول للعالمية في جوجل‬ ‫خريجة الجامعة تسهم في إدخال منتجات جوجل‬ ‫ألسواق جديدة‬

16 Going Global at Google

Alumna Helps Bring Google Products to New Markets

Pittsburgh 38 Farnam Jahanian Becomes

CMU Provost Alumni 39 Alumni Association Elects

New Officers

20 A Bright Future

Recent Graduate Turns GE Internship into Dream Job

22 The Long Journey to Success

More than 100 Students Graduate from CMU-Q 28

A publication of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar A member of Qatar Foundation P.O. Box 24866, Doha, Qatar www.qatar.cmu.edu Dean and CEO

Ilker Baybars, Ph.D. Executive Director of Marketing & Public Relations

D. Murry Evans Assistant Director

Kara Nesimiuk Administrative Coordinator

Marissa Edulan

Manager of Alumni Relations/Media Support

Feras Villanueva

Students come to Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar to receive a world-class education, but I’m always mindful of how much we, as educators, can learn from them.

With students and graduates from Qatar and across the world, I am always learning—about their lives, their aspirations, and the challenges they overcame to be part of our CMU community.

Manager of Multimedia and Graphic Design

They have much in common, but they are all unique—like the three graduates featured in this issue of On-Q magazine.

Web Manager/Senior Multimedia Designer

Keghani Kristelle Kouzoujian, a 2010 computer science graduate, came to CMU-Q to learn how to use technology to make a difference in underrepresented communities. Now a software engineer at Google, she helps people across the world get access to the company’s products.

Sam Abraham

Stephen MacNeil

Communications Manager/Senior Editor

Sarah Nightingale

MPR Advisory Board Chairperson

Dudley Reynolds, Ph.D. Members

Alexander Cheek Susan Hagan, Ph.D. Khaled Harras, Ph.D. Kenneth Hovis, Ph.D. Gloria Khoury George White, Ph.D. Editor

Sarah Nightingale Writer

Sarah Nightingale Proofreader

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Photographs

Khalid Ismail, Adrian Haddad, Stephen MacNeil, Sam Abraham Layout

Empire Advertising Qatar For editorial inquiries or reprints, contact the Marketing & Public Relations Department at mpr@qatar.cmu.edu Articles and photographs contained in this publication are subject to copyright protection.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the university.

Sama Kanbour, who graduated in May 2015, worked hard to turn an internship at GE into a full-time job offer. Among her accomplishments this year was leading the implementation of a training tool for new employees.

Information systems student Abdelrahman Haroun, who was chosen to speak at our 2015 graduation ceremony, was placed on academic probation at the end of his freshman year.

He turned things around, though, and graduated along with his classmates. His long-term plan is to use his CMU-Q education to help people in his home country of Egypt.

The stories of these graduates begin on page 16. We are proud of our students, and their desire to not only better themselves, but also improve the lives of those around them.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of On-Q. Thank you for your continued interest in Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

Ilker Baybars Dean & CEO

On the record.

Summer 2015 Fall 2015

EVENTS January Nine teams battled it out in CMU-Q’s annual Hackathon, turning their ideas into applications in just 24 hours.

February To celebrate Qatar National Sports Day, staff took on students in a friendly football match that was enjoyed by the community.

March A group of Tartans volunteered at Second Chance Rescue’s animal shelter during a trip organized by the Helping Hands Club.

April The Arab Student Association organized the first “Arab Fest,” which featured a variety of Middle Eastern food, games and performances.

May Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar graduated its largest class to date, of 104 students.

View photos from these events and more at: tinyurl.com/cmuq-albums

Daniel Phelps, assistant teaching professor of information systems at CMU-Q, presents the Patriot Award to Dean Ilker Baybars.

Faculty and Staff Receive Patriot Awards

This spring, six faculty and staff members received the Patriot Award, which recognizes supervisors who have been especially supportive of members of the U.S. National Guard or Reserve and their families.

Daniel Phelps, assistant teaching professor of information systems at CMU-Q and a member of the Navy Reserve, nominated several people in Doha and Pittsburgh for their support during his recent deployment to Afghanistan.

In Qatar, Phelps presented awards to Ilker Baybars, dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar; Selma Limam-Mansar, associate dean of Education at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and faculty chair of the Qatar Information Systems program; and Freida Kinney, director of human resources at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

In Pittsburgh, awards went to John Lehoczky, executive vice president of Carnegie Mellon and former dean of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences; G. Richard Tucker, Paul Mellon University Professor of Applied Linguistics and former interim dean of CMU-Q; and Randy Weinberg, faculty director of the Information Systems program in Carnegie Mellon’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“From the moment I received orders, everyone with whom I work went to great lengths to ensure that I and my family were taken care of and to assure me that my responsibilities to the students, college and university would be covered, allowing me to concentrate on the deployment,” Phelps said. “While any deployment can be difficult, the situation for employees residing overseas, I believe, is particularly complex. The attention and thoughtfulness provided by everyone involved significantly reduced the burden and stress on me and my family during my time away.”

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3

On the record.

Students Organize Annual Hackathon

Carnegie Mellon Qatar hosted its third national Hackathon in January, challenging students to combine their creativity and programming skills to develop novel applications in just 24 hours.

Organized by the “CarnegieApps” student club, the competition drew students from CMU-Q and Qatar University who raced around the clock to build mobile applications, web applications or games for presentation to a panel of industry judges. The competition was sponsored by iHorizons, a Doha-based technology company.

Francisco J. Guzman, a scientist at the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) and

Hackathon judge, was impressed with the quality of the students’ work, calling it “on par with projects being incubated in Silicon Valley.”

Faraj Abdulla, innovative leader at Girnaas; and Mohammed Benmessaoud, service delivery manager, telecom, at iHorizons.

“When I see a résumé that includes participation in Hackathons, I immediately know that this is a student who can get things done and produce innovative ideas, which is why I hope Carnegie Mellon Qatar keeps nurturing this tradition,” he said.

Team “Leesin” of Carnegie Mellon Qatar was awarded Best Commercial Application for a mobile app geared to helping companies promote carpooling among employees.

The application also addressed regional cultural sensitivities by ensuring users are able to choose whom they travel to work with.

Also judging the event were: Maher Hakim, associate professor of entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon Qatar and Hackathon faculty advisor; Julien Abi Nahed, R&D executive at Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP);

Before the competition, participants had the opportunity to attend a series of sessions with mentors from QCRI, General Electric, Aviate Studios, Sidra Medical and Research Center, and Texas A&M University at Qatar.

Hackathon Winners

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Best Design Team Invectous: Kariem Fahmi, Husam Al Jawaheri,

Best Technical Application Team Musleh: Mohammed Fituri, Musab Popatia, Yaser El-Sayed

Mohammed Alomar and Abdelrazek Ibrahim

and Sharjeel Khan

Best Commercial Application Team Leesin: Aliaa Essameldin and Hasan Al-Jawaheri

Best Rookie Team Meow: Umair Qai, Manisha Dareddy and Ashwini Kamath

CMU-Q Hosts Finance Expert Duane Seppi Duane Seppi, BNY Mellon Professor of Finance at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, shared his expertise in international financial markets this spring as part of the Richard M. Cyert Distinguished Lecture in Business Management.

Attended by students, alumni, faculty and members of the Qatar Foundation and wider community, Seppi’s presentation explored the principles of algorithmic trading—the use of computer algorithms to manage the trading process, an increasingly popular method to buy and sell stock used by investment banks, pension funds, mutual funds and other traders.

Seppi said this “algorithmic market” is creating new challenges for investors and computer programmers due to potential glitches and human errors.

“Andrew Carnegie and Steve Jobs were able to grasp both the business aspect of the industry and the technological side of it, making them some of the most successful leaders of our time.

The financial sector needs business people who understand technology and programmers who understand business,” he said.

The Richard M. Cyert Distinguished Lecture in Business Management is named after Richard M. Cyert, who was professor and dean of the Tepper School of Business, and president of Carnegie Mellon University between 1972 and 1990.

Student Research Analyzes Public Opinion Before 2022 World Cup

A team of Carnegie Mellon Qatar students won “Most Promising Research” recognition at the Undergraduate Conference in Information Systems (UCIS) in Pittsburgh, USA, for their project using social media posts to analyze public opinion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The winning team was composed of information systems students Syed Hassan Mehdi, Maher Khan, Ibrahim Soltan and Jiyda Mohamed Moussa.

“Sentiment analysis entails understanding public opinion and, in our case, we analyzed more than 2,000 tweets from Qatar, the US and the UK, categorizing them depending on the sentiment conveyed,” Soltan said. “Predictive analysis uses historical data and past trends that help speculate what will happen in the future. Combining both

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

would improve the organizing committee’s ability to understand public opinion to enhance the overall spectator experience of the games.”

Initial results showed that a higher proportion of tweets from the US and UK were negative, compared to those in Qatar.

The fifth annual UCIS conference was sponsored by CMU-Q’s Information Systems program and the Association of Information Systems chapter in Qatar. This year’s conference was co-chaired

by Selma Limam-Mansar, associate dean for education at CMU-Q; Divakaran Liginlal, associate teaching professor of information systems at CMU-Q and advisor to the winning project; and Jeria Quesenberry, associate teaching professor of information systems at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.

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On the record.

CMU-Q Launches Selective ‫جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر‬ Computer Science ‫تفتتح معهد علوم الحاسوب‬ Institute ‫االنتقائي‬ Twenty-three Qatari secondary school students with an aptitude for computer science came to Carnegie Mellon Qatar this January for the first “Winter Institute: Discovering Computer Science” program.

The students were handpicked for the program after attending some of CMU-Q’s other secondary school outreach programs, including Summer College Preview Program and CS4Qatar.

“Before attending the Winter Institute, I thought computer science was all about coding, but it turns out that coding is just a tool that allows us to do great things,” said Dana Badar, from Al-Bayan Girls School. “Throughout the week, we were able to see how computer science is continuously evolving, and is one of the most successful majors anywhere in the world, because of its limitless possibilities.”

The students also participated in an ACT preparation course taught by the Kaplan Corporation and an admission workshop designed to help strengthen their applications to Carnegie Mellon.

Addressing the students at the closing ceremony, Ilker Baybars, dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar, said, “Upon Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s inception, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser communicated a vision to empower Qatari nationals to leave their mark on the field of computer science. We hope, through your participation in the Winter Institute, you now possess the tools needed to pursue an education in this field, and Carnegie Mellon Qatar looks forward to helping you achieve that.”

Students from the following schools participated: Al Bayan Girls School, Al Jazeera Academy, Al Resala Girls School, Al Wakra Independent, Al-Eman Independent, Amna bint Wahab Independent School for Girls, Khalifa Independent, Omar Bin Al-Khattab, Qatar Independent School for Girls, Rabaa Aladwya School for Girls, Rowda Bint Mohamed School for Girls and Um Ayman School.

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‫استضافت جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر يناير هذا العام ثالثة وعشرين‬ ‫طالب ًا من طالب المدارس الثانوية القطرية المؤهلين لدراسة علوم‬ ‫ اكتشاف علوم‬:‫ وذلك في افتتاح برنامج "المعهد الشتوي‬،‫الحاسوب‬ ."‫الحاسوب‬ ‫وقد روعيت الدقة في اختيار الطالب للبرنامج بعد مشاركتهم في بعض برامج‬ ‫ بما في‬،‫التوعية األخرى المقدمة من قبل الجامعة لطالب المدارس الثانوية‬ ‫ذلك برنامج كارنيجي ميلون الصيفي وورشة عمل "علم الحاسوب من أجل‬ .)CS4Qatar( "‫قطر‬ ‫ "قبل‬:‫ قائلة‬،‫ من مدرسة البيان للبنات‬،‫وهو الحدث الذي علقت عليه دانا بدر‬ ،‫حضور المعهد الشتوي كنت أعتقد أن علوم الحاسوب تدور حول البرمجة‬ ‫ وقد‬.‫ولكن اتضح لي أن البرمجة ما هي إال أداة تسمح لنا بفعل أشياء رائعة‬ ‫ وكيف تعد من‬،‫رأينا على مدار األسبوع كيف تتطور علوم الحاسوب باستمرار‬ ."‫ بسبب إمكانياتها الالمحدودة‬،‫التخصصات الناجحة في أي مكان في العالم‬ )ACT( ‫وشارك الطالب أيض ًا في دورة إعداد الطالب الختبار الجامعات األمريكية‬ ‫ باإلضافة إلى مشاركتهم في ورشة‬،‫الذي تقوم على تدريسه مؤسسة كابالن‬ ‫تعريفية حول إجراءات التقديم بهدف مساعدة الطالب على تعزيز طلبات‬ .‫التحاقهم بجامعة كارنيجي ميلون‬ ‫ الطالب في الحفل‬،‫ عميد الجامعة‬،‫ومن جانبه خاطب الدكتور إلكر بايبرز‬ ً ‫ قائ‬،‫الختامي للمعهد الشتوي‬ ‫ "في بداية إنشاء جامعة كارنيجي ميلون‬:‫ال‬ ‫ أطلعتنا صاحبة السمو الشيخة موزا بنت ناصر على رؤيتها التي‬،‫في قطر‬ ‫تطمح إلى تمكين المواطنين القطريين من ترك بصمتهم في مجال علوم‬ ‫ نأمل أن تتمكنوا من امتالك‬،‫ وبمشاركتكم في المعهد الشتوي‬.‫الحاسوب‬ ‫ كما تتطلع جامعتنا إلى‬،‫األدوات الالزمة لمواصلة التعليم في هذا المجال‬ ."‫مساعدتكم في نيل تلك الغاية‬ ‫جدير بالذكر أن المدارس المشاركة في أول معهد شتوي بجامعة كارنيجي‬ ‫ ومدرسة‬،‫ وأكاديمية الجزيرة‬،‫ مدرسة البيان للبنات‬:‫ هي‬،‫ميلون في قطر‬ ،‫ ومدرسة اإليمان المستقلة‬،‫ ومدرسة الوكرة المستقلة‬،‫الرسالة للبنات‬ ،‫ ومدرسة خليفة المستقلة‬،‫ومدرسة آمنة بنت وهب المستقلة للبنات‬ ‫ ومدرسة رابعة‬،‫ ومدرسة قطر المستقلة للبنات‬،‫ومدرسة عمر بن الخطاب‬ .‫ ومدرسة أم أيمن‬،‫ ومدرسة روضة بنت محمد للبنات‬،‫العدوية للبنات‬

CMU-Q Welcomes Back Nobel Laureate Finn Kydland, the Richard P. Simmons Distinguished Professor of Economics at Carnegie Mellon and a 2004 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics, returned to Carnegie Mellon Qatar this spring to teach macroeconomics to undergraduate students. This is the second time the CMU alumnus has taught on the Qatar campus.

Kydland praised the quality of the students, saying they were “fantastically interested in the course and in the material.”

In April, Kydland gave a Dean’s Lecture titled “What Ails Europe and the United States.” The talk highlighted the importance of regulations and long-term government policies to ensure economic stability in the U.S. and Europe, and was attended by alumni, students, faculty, and members of the Qatar Foundation and wider community.

Students Dress for Success To prepare students for their upcoming job and internship interviews, Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s Business Administration (cmBA) club organized its annual Fashion Show in February. Participants modeled the latest looks in professional attire before the first Education City Career Fair.

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

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On the record.

CMU-Q Signs MoUs As part of the university’s commitment to strengthening its ties with the community, Dean Ilker Baybars signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with four organizations this spring: Qatar First Bank, Maersk Oil Qatar, Qatar Stock Exchange and KPMG. The organizations plan to collaborate on educational initiatives, scientific research and community development.

‫جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر‬ ‫توقع مذكرات تفاهم‬ ‫ وقع‬،‫في إطار التزام الجامعة بتعزيز الروابط المشتركة مع مختلف روافد المجتمع‬ :‫ وهي‬،‫الدكتور إلكر بايبرز مذكرات تفاهم مع أربع مؤسسات في ربيع هذا العام‬ – ‫ وكي بي ام جي‬،‫ وبورصة قطر‬،‫ وشركة ميرسك قطر للبترول‬،‫بنك قطر األول‬ ‫ من أجل تعزيز التعاون المشترك في المبادرات التعليمية والبحث العلمي‬،‫قطر‬ .‫والنهوض بالمجتمع‬

Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad Al-Thani, deputy managing director, Maersk Oil Qatar, with Dean Ilker Baybars

Ahmad Meshari Muhaidi, acting chief executive officer, Qatar First Bank, with Dean Ilker Baybars ‫ الرئيس التنفيذي باإلنابة لبنك قطر األول‬،‫ أحمد مشاري‬:‫إلكر بايبرز مع‬

‫ نائب العضو المنتدب لشركة ميرسك قطر للبترول‬،‫الشيخ فيصل بن فهد آل ثاني‬

Rashid Ali al-Mansoori, CEO, Qatar Stock Exchange, with Dean Ilker Baybars ‫ الرئيس التنفيذي لبورصة قطر‬،‫راشد علي المنصوري‬

Jamal Fakhro, managing partner, KPMG Qatar, with Dean Ilker Baybars )‫ المدير المشارك بمؤسسة (كي بي ام جي قطر‬،‫جمال فخرو‬

Machine Learning Experts Lead Hands-on Workshop for Students Vast amounts of data from sensors, wearable devices and other technologies are creating opportunities for businesses to make better decisions in real time. To extract that value quickly and effectively, companies are turning to machine learning technologies.

Students and young professionals got a chance to learn more about this growing field at a hands-on workshop delivered this spring by Dragos Margineantu, technical fellow at Boeing, and Mohammed Zaki, principal scientist at Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI).

The introductory session drew about 40 participants from research centers, universities and high schools in Doha.

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The event came on the heels of the annual Machine Learning and Data Analytics Symposium, which was organized by QCRI and Boeing and brought together researchers and industry experts in machine learning, data mining and related areas.

Among the invited speakers were Christos Faloutsos, professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, and two CMU alumni: Polo Chau, assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Rich Caruana, senior researcher at Microsoft Research.

Al Thawadi Encourages Innovation at CMU-Q Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, emphasized the importance of encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship among the region’s youth during a talk at Carnegie Mellon Qatar this spring.

Speaking as part of the Dean’s Lecture Series, Al Thawadi outlined the recently launched Challenge 22 Innovation Award to students and members of the university and wider community.

Launched this year by the Supreme Committee and its partners, the Challenge 22 Award encourages innovators to submit solution-based proposals that could benefit Qatar and other countries when they are hosting global sporting events.

“Carnegie Mellon Qatar and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy share a common goal: to provide opportunities for young people by creating a platform for them to harness and cultivate their ideas,” said Dean Ilker Baybars.

“The Challenge 22 Award will create an environment to showcase the hard work and potential that Qatar and the region have to offer.

I look forward to seeing some of the projects.”

‫حسن الذوادي يشجع االبتكار بجامعة‬ ‫كارنيجي ميلون في قطر‬ ‫ على أهمية غرس ثقافة ريادة‬،‫ األمين العام للجنة العليا للمشاريع واإلرث‬،‫شدد السيد حسن الذوادي‬ ‫ وذلك خالل محاضرته التي ألقاها بجامعة كارنيجي‬،‫ وتشجيع االبتكار بين شباب المنطقة‬،‫األعمال‬ ‫ مستعرض ًا مسابقة "تحدي‬،‫ في إطار سلسلة محاضرات العميد‬،‫ميلون في قطر ربيع هذا العام‬ ‫ وهي مسابقة يتنافس فيها الطالب وأعضاء هيئة التدريس والموظفون‬،ً‫" التي أطلقت مؤخرا‬22 .‫والمنتسبون لمؤسسة قطر‬ ‫ بهدف تشجيع المبدعين‬،‫" من قبل اللجنة العليا وشركائها‬22 ‫وتُمنح جائزة االبتكار بمسابقة "تحدي‬ ‫على تقديم مقترحات وحلول تصب في صالح دولة قطر وغيرها من الدول عند تنظيم واستضافة‬ .‫الفعاليات الرياضية الكبرى على المستوى العالمي‬ ً ‫ قائ‬،‫من جانبه علق إلكر بايبرز على الحدث‬ ‫ "تشترك جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر واللجنة اللجنة‬:‫ال‬ ‫ والذي يتمثل في توفير فرص للشباب من خالل إنشاء منصة‬،‫العليا للمشاريع واإلرث في الهدف نفسه‬ ‫" أن توفر بيئة تسلط الضوء على الجهود الجبارة‬22 ‫ ومن شأن جائزة "تحدي‬.‫لتسخير وصقل أفكارهم‬ ."‫ وإنني ألتطلع إلى رؤية بعض مشاريع المسابقة‬،‫واإلمكانيات المتوافرة في قطر ودول المنطقة‬

ACHIEVEMENTS

Maryam Al-Naemi, a freshman in information systems, was honored alongside other high-achieving Qatari students in March, when she was presented with an Education Excellence Award by H.H. the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani. The event was held under the patronage of H.H. the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

Business administration seniors Mohammed Al-Emadi and Ali Al-Majed have completed the Kawader Program, a training initiative for future business leaders in Qatar that is organized by the Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA). The six-month program is geared to recent graduates, but Al-Emadi and Al-Majed completed it in their senior year to help prepare them for their future careers in the finance sector.

Information systems student Ameera Tag, with a multidisciplinary team from several universities, won the SAP Innojam competition in Germany in March.

The coding contest challenged participants to learn about SAP technologies while building a prototype solution for a real business need.

More than 80 students competed in this year’s event. The team will head to Barcelona, Spain, to compete against professionals in the SAP DemoJam in November.

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On the record.

Team Wins Regional Case Competition

CMU-Q students Tarek Alhariri, Shashank Shetty, Yousuf Akhlaq and Sanjeet Sahni won the Al Ruwad Regional Case Competition at the College of North Atlantic-Qatar in March. Theirs was one of 12 competing teams from the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Canada and Qatar, solving cases from different business disciplines and sectors, including a marketing plan for Indian

sweets, an expansion strategy for Lebanese wood products and employee evaluations in government service.

Alhariri, Shetty and Sahni, joined by Muhammad Suhaib, also won CMU-Q’s Internal Case Competition, during which students from the Qatar and Pittsburgh campuses were challenged to consider the

business implications of tougher regulations on hookah smoking in Qatar. Second place went to Team Epsilon: Saad Asim, Medina Ali, Sampriti Jain and Fazail Ahmad from CMU-Q and Annie Huang from the Pittsburgh campus. Milton Cofield, executive director of the B.S. in Business Administration at the Tepper School of Business, joined Qatar campus faculty and alumni as a judge.

American School of Doha Wins Botball technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills to design and build robots in a hands-on project. CMU-Q has offered the program in Qatar since 2005.

The competition began with a workshop in January, where students were given starter kits, technology training and an introduction to this year’s theme: building robots to collect samples in a geological survey. After seven weeks, the teams brought their robots to campus, where they competed against other students in the challenge.

Members of the winning team were Osama Hyder, Aakash Arora, Madison Crookshanks, Alex Frederick, Hassan Asif and Julian Sam. The Hamza Bin Abdul Mutalib School came in second, and the International School of Choueifat–Doha came in third.

More than 200 high school students from across Qatar went head-to-head in Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s annual Botball competition this spring. The winning team from the American School of Doha (ASD) will represent the region at the 2015 Global Conference on Educational Robotics in the USA. Botball is a team-oriented educational robotics program that encourages middle and high school students to use science,

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Other participating institutions were Doha British School, Qatar Academy Sidra, Middle East International School, Doha Independent Secondary School for Boys, Doha College, Academic Bridge Program, Al Khor International School, Doha Modern Indian School, DPSModern Indian School, Dukhan English School, Qatar Academy, Qatar Canadian School, the Lebanese School and Mohamed Bin Abdul Wahab Secondary Independent School.

International Day is Showcase for Home Country Pride It’s not every day that you see a woman wearing traditional Korean clothing at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, but biological sciences student MinKyung Kang showed off her formal “Hanbok” at April’s International Day celebration. Students from around the world joined her, proudly showcasing their home countries through traditional dress.

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

With CMU-Q students representing more than 40 nationalities, International Day celebrates the diversity on campus through traditional food, attire and cultural performances. The event is one of many on-campus cultural events offered to students, as well as international exchange programs and overseas student service learning trips.

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On the record.

CMU-Q Admits Record ‫قبول عدد قياسي من الطالب‬ Number of Qatari Students ‫القطريين بجامعة كارنيجي ميلون‬

With more than 850 applications for fall 2015, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar has admitted the largest number of Qatari students and most diverse class in its history. The newly admitted students represent 34 nationalities and are from 105 schools in Qatar and around the world.

The university welcomed the admitted students on campus in April at the annual Marhaba Tartans event.

Speaking at the event, Dean Ilker Baybars said: “You are a highly select group of students chosen because of your accomplishments.

You are now part of the Carnegie Mellon family and we look forward to welcoming you to campus in fall.”

‫قبلت جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر التحاق عدد قياسي من الطالب القطريين‬ ‫ طلب ًا لفصل الخريف الدراسي‬850 ‫هذا العام من إجمالي طلبات بلغت أكثر من‬ ‫ حيث ينتمي‬،‫ ليلتحقوا بذلك للدفعة األكثر تنوع ًا في تاريخ الجامعة‬، ،2015 ‫لعام‬ ‫ مدرسة ثانوية من قطر ومختلف‬105 ‫ جنسية من‬34 ‫الطالب الجدد إلى أكثر من‬ .‫دول العالم‬ ‫وقد نظمت الجامعة مؤخراً حفل االستقبال السنوي في الحرم الجامعي‬ .‫للترحيب بالطالب الجدد واالحتفاء بهم‬ ً ‫ هنأ الدكتور إلكر بايبرز طالب الدفعة الجديدة قائ‬،‫وبهذه المناسبة‬ ‫ "أنتم تمثلون‬:‫ال‬ ‫ وأنتم اآلن أعضاء في عائلة‬.‫بناء على إنجازاتكم‬ ً ‫نخبة منتقاة بعناية من الطالب‬ ."‫ ونتطلع إلى استقبالكم في فصل الخريف بمقر الجامعة‬،‫كارنيجي ميلون‬

Students Win Regional Round of Imagine Cup CMU-Q’s “The Tartans” was among three winning teams in the Qatar round of Microsoft’s 2015 Imagine Cup. Yousuf Akhlaq, Ibrahim Soltan, Maher Khan and Shashank Shetty were recognized in the World Citizenship category for their proposed crowdsourcing application, “WeServe,” which would bring together volunteers, champions and sponsors for their service projects.

The competition aims to bring together the brightest young minds from across the Arab world to showcase the power of student innovation.

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Dreamers Club Organizes “Inspire Me” Event We all need a little encouragement from time to time. Knowing this, CMU-Q’s Dreamers Club, led by founder and president MinKyung Kang, organized the first Inspire Me event on campus this spring.

Using a talk show format, the event featured presentations from Maryam Al-Subaiey, CEO and founder of Qtalent; Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, a writer and educator; Kang, and several other students.

The event drew a large crowd from Education City and the wider community.

“Our lives are full of potential and you can achieve whatever you want if you truly believe in yourself.

We decide what we want to be, we choose who we want to be with, and we decide where we want to be in the future. I’m glad that our show helped many people to realize this,” Kang said.

Maryam Al-Subaiey, CEO and founder of Qtalent

Campus Staff Recognized with Awards The Charles E. Thorpe Awards, named for Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s founding dean, are presented each year to staff members who display exceptional teamwork and dedication. This year’s awards

Outstanding Newcomer Suzanne Dixon Facilities Manager

Outstanding Commitment to the Community Nada Waleed Soudy Research Associate/ Project Manager in Computer Science

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

were presented in five categories during a ceremony on the Qatar campus in April. The 2015 recipients are:

Outstanding Innovation Doru Meltei Principal Media Technology Design Engineer

Outstanding Service to Students

Outstanding Dedication to CMU

Christine Gilchrist Academic Program Administrator

Renee Barcelona HR Administrative Coordinator

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On the record.

Students Spend Spring Semester in Pittsburgh

Seven CMU-Q students studied on the home campus in Pittsburgh this spring, taking classes toward their courses of study and experiencing life as part of a larger Carnegie Mellon community.

CMU-Q’s campus exchange program allows students to spend a semester or summer at the main campus as they challenge themselves personally, socially and academically in a different setting.

Of the seven students in Pittsburgh this spring, four were business administration students, one is studying computer science and two are studying information systems.

Information systems student Zehni Khairullah took classes in information systems sustainability, digital marketing and social media strategy, and healthcare information systems, among others. “My semester on the Pittsburgh campus was a fantastic experience that enabled me to meet and work with new people from different cultures. I also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop where undergraduate students were given the chance to contribute to the strategic future plan of Carnegie Mellon, so it was great to be able to represent the Qatar campus in Pittsburgh,� he said.

Professionals Complete Executive Education Courses Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar concluded its yearlong Executive and Professional Education program series in May with the largest number to date of more than 700 participants.

The program is a series of courses during which faculty share their world-class expertise in a variety of disciplines, including decision-making in organizations, e-business strategies, and data-driven computer security. The courses are offered to organizations that CMU-Q has built strategic partnerships with.

Of the 755 participants this academic year, 415 were from the government sector and 340 were from the private sector.

Participants from more than 30 organizations in Qatar attended.

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CMU-Q Receives Five NPRP Grants Researchers at Carnegie Mellon Qatar have received five grants in the eighth cycle of the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) National Priorities Research Program. The awarded proposals are: • “SLATE Q-Scaffolding Literacy in Academic and Tertiary Environments: The Case of Communication in Information Systems,” by Silvia Pessoa, associate teaching professor of English, CMU-Q.

professor of mechanical engineering at Michigan State University, and Hasan Demirkoparan, associate teaching professor of mathematics, CMU-Q.

• “Testing English Reading Comprehension through Deep Text Analysis and Question Generation,” Kemal Oflazer, teaching professor of computer science, CMU-Q.

• “Towards Mobile Opportunistic Cloud Computing: Enabling Generic Computational Offloading to Extreme Heterogeneous Entities,” by Khaled Harras, associate teaching professor of computer science, CMU-Q.

• “New Mathematical Models for the Large-strain Swelling Response of Biological Tissues: Applications to Edema, Inflammation, and Pregnancy,” by Thomas Pence,

• “Development of Novel Antibiotic, Antiparasitic and Anticancer Agents,” by Gordon Rule, professor of biological sciences, Carnegie Mellon University.

Publications and Presentations Books Benjamin Reilly, associate teaching professor of history. Slavery, Agriculture, and Malaria in the Arabian Peninsula, Oxford University Press.

Articles and Book Contributions Adam Hodges, visiting assistant professor of English.

“Sociocultural Linguistics,” in The International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction, Wiley.

Niraj Khare, visiting assistant professor of mathematics.

“Generalization of Erdos-Gallai edge bound,” in European Journal of Combinatorics.

Adam Hodges, visiting assistant professor of English.

“Intertextuality in Discourse,” in The Handbook of Discourse Analysis, Second Edition, Wiley.

Dudley Reynolds, teaching professor of English. “Adaptation Across Space and Time: Revealing Pedagogical Assumptions,” in Transnational Writing Program Administration (with Danielle Wetzel).

Starling David Hunter, visiting associate teaching professor.

“A Network Text Analysis of Fight Club,” in Theory & Practice in Language Studies (with Saba Singh).

Heiko Topol, postdoctoral research associate, and Hasan Demirkoparan, associate teaching professor of mathematics.

“Uniaxial load analysis under stretch-dependent fiber remodeling applicable to collagenous tissue,” in Journal of Engineering Mathematics (with Thomas J. Pence and Alan Wineman).

Niraj Khare, visiting assistant professor of mathematics.

“On the size of a 3-uniform linear hypergraph,” in Discrete Mathematics.

Presentations Susan M. Hagan, assistant teaching professor of English. “Developing Style as Meaning in Animation,” Confia: International Conference on Illustration & Animation, Braga, Portugal.

Adam Hodges, visiting assistant professor of English.

“Creating Racists and Ignoring Racism: Ideologies of Language and Race in the Case of NBA Owner Donald Sterling,” American Association of Applied Linguistics 2015, Toronto, Canada.

Divakaran Liginlal, associate teaching professor of information systems. “The Richness of Metaphor and the Metaphor of Richness in Arabic E-commerce,” International Business Conference (IBC) 2015, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.

Niraj Khare, visiting assistant professor of mathematics.

“Higher Moments of Crossings, Nestings and Alignments in Matchings,” Connections in Discrete Mathematics Conference, Vancouver, Canada (with Rudolf Lorentz and Catherine Yan).

Dudley Reynolds, teaching professor of English. “Teacher Development in a Translanguaging Context,” American

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

Association for Applied Linguistics 2015, Toronto, Canada (with Samah Al-Sabbagh, CMU-Q, and Andrew Cohen, JoAnn Crandall, Maha Cherif and Zohreh Eslami).

Dudley Reynolds, teaching professor of English. “Professional Development Programs for Teaching Content through English: Lesson Study in Qatar,” TESOL 2015 International Convention and English Language Expo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (with Samah Al-Sabbagh, CMU-Q).

Nada Soudy, research associate/project manager. “Brain Race: An Educational Mobile Game for an Adult English Literacy Program,” 7th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, Lisbon, Portugal (with Silvia Pessoa, CMU-Q, Swapnil Joshi and Haya Thowfeek, CMU-Q, and M. Bernardine Dias and Ermine Teves, CMU-P).

Heiko Topol, postdoctoral research associate, and Hasan Demirkoparan, associate teaching professor of mathematics. “Evolution of Mechanical Properties in Tissues Undergoing Deformation-Related Fiber Remodeling Processes,” 86th Annual Meeting of GAMM, Lecce, Italy (with Thomas J. Pence and Alan Wineman).

15

Going Global at

Google Alumna Helps Bring Google Products to New Markets

U

ntil recently, some people in the West African country of Sierra Leone couldn’t use some of the features of Google products. And it wasn’t because they didn’t have access to the Internet. Rather, their phone numbers—which are required during the sign-up process—weren’t recognized by these products as legitimate.

From about 3,000 miles away, at Google’s offices in Switzerland, Keghani Kristelle Kouzoujian helped fix the problem, validating the numbers and ensuring people could sign up for the services they wanted.

For the past three-and-a-half years, Kouzoujian, a Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar computer science graduate, has been working as a software engineer at Google Zurich, a major engineering hub for Google’s services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In the spring of 2014, she joined the Internationalization Team, a group charged with the complicated task of making sure people all over the world can use Google products.

“It’s basically about taking products that already exist in one location or language— in one currency or time zone—and writing the tools that make them accessible to people in many other places,” Kouzoujian said.

Kouzoujian spent most of her childhood in Lebanon before moving to Qatar at the age of 16. She joined CMU-Q’s computer science program in 2007 after taking a Java course and “falling in love” with programming. As a student, Kouzoujian earned several feathers in her academic cap, among them, representing the Qatar Campus as the 2010 Andrew Carnegie Society Scholar and being selected for Carnegie Mellon’s competitive Fifth Year Scholar program.

As a Fifth Year Scholar, Kouzoujian spent an additional year at Carnegie Mellon’s main campus in Pittsburgh after completing her undergraduate degree in Qatar.

The scholarship gave her the opportunity to combine her interest in technology and passion for music, as she took advantage of classes offered by Carnegie Mellon’s world-class School of Music.

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Photo courtesy of Vega Paithankar

‫الوصول‬ ‫للعالمية في‬

‫جوجل‬

‫خريجة الجامعة تسهم في إدخال منتجات‬ ‫جوجل ألسواق جديدة‬

‫حتى وقت قريب‪ ،‬لم يكن بمقدور بعض الناس في سيراليون الواقعة غرب أفريقيا استخدام‬ ‫بريد جوجل (‪ )Gmail‬وغيرها من منتجات جوجل‪ ،‬ليس ألنهم عاجزين عن الوصول إلى اإلنترنت‪،‬‬ ‫بل ألن أرقام هواتفهم التي تُطلب أثناء عملية التسجيل غير معتمدة من قبل الشركة كأرقام‬ ‫صحيحة‪.‬‬ ‫وعلى بعد ما يقرب من ‪ 3000‬ميل‪ ،‬في مكاتب جوجل بسويسرا‪ ،‬ساعدت كيغاني كوزوجيان في‬ ‫حل المشكلة بالتحقق من صحة األرقام وضمان قدرة المواطنين على االشتراك في الخدمات‬ ‫التي يريدونها‪.‬‬ ‫على مدار الثالث سنوات ونصف الماضية‪ ،‬عملت كوزوجيان‪ ،‬خريجة علوم الحاسوب بجامعة‬ ‫كارنيجي ميلون في قطر‪ ،‬مهندسة برمجيات في شركة جوجل زيوريخ التي تعد بمثابة مركز‬ ‫هندسي رئيسي ألوروبا والشرق األوسط وأفريقيا‪ .‬وفي خريف عام ‪ ،2014‬انضمت إلى فريق التدويل‬ ‫وهو عبارة عن مجموعة مكلفة بمهمة معقدة تتمثل في التأكد من قدرة الناس في شتى أنحاء‬ ‫العالم على استخدام منتجات جوجل‪.‬‬ ‫وهو ما علقت عليه كوزوجيان‪ ،‬قائلة‪" :‬تتمثل مهمتنا في أخذ المنتجات الموجودة بالفعل في‬ ‫مكان معين أو بلغة معينة؛ بعملة أو منطقة زمنية معينة‪ ،‬وتوفير األدوات التي تجعلها في‬ ‫متناول العديد من الناس في األماكن األخرى"‪.‬‬ ‫قضت كوزوجيان معظم فترات طفولتها في لبنان قبل أن تنتقل إلى قطر في الخامسة عشر‬ ‫من عمرها‪ .‬والتحقت ببرنامج علوم الحاسوب بجامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر عام ‪ 2007‬بعد‬ ‫حصولها على دورة جافا "ووقوعها في حب البرمجة"‪ .‬وفي أثناء دراستها بالجامعة حصلت‬ ‫كوزوجيان على عدة أوسمة أكاديمية‪ ،‬من بينها تمثيل مقر الجامعة في قطر ‪ 2010‬بصفتها باحثة‬ ‫بجمعية أندرو كارنيجي واختيارها لبرنامج "باحث السنة الخامسة" التنافسي في كارنيجي ميلون‪.‬‬ ‫وبوصفها "باحث السنة الخامسة" قضت كوزوجيان سنة إضافية في الحرم الجامعي الرئيسي‬ ‫بجامعة كارنيجي ميلون بعد حصولها على درجة البكالوريوس من حرم الجامعة في قطر‪ .‬وقد‬ ‫أعطتها تلك المنحة الدراسية الفرصة للجمع بين اهتمامها بالتكنولوجيا وشغفها بالموسيقى‪،‬‬ ‫حيث استفادت من الدروس المقدمة في مدرسة كارنيجي ميلون للموسيقى على أحدث الطرز‬ ‫العالمية‪.‬‬ ‫وهو ما أشارت إليه بقولها‪" :‬لقد عزفت على البيانو‪ ،‬لذلك كنت دائمة االهتمام بدراسة‬ ‫الموسيقى من الناحية النظرية‪ .‬كما وضعت دورتين لهما عالقة بالتكنولوجيا حيث كتبت‬ ‫البرامج التي يمكن أن تؤلف مقطوعات موسيقية واستخدمت البرمجة لتأليف الموسيقى‬ ‫الرقمية"‪.‬‬ ‫أما أحد أكثر إنجازات كوزوجيان تأثيراً فكان في عام ‪ 2009‬عندما تلقت منحة جوجل أنيتا بورغ‬ ‫التذكارية‪ ،‬والتي تدعم إكمال المرأة لتعليمها األكاديمي في علوم الحاسوب والمجاالت ذات‬ ‫الصلة‪ .‬كانت كوزوجيان واحدة من عشرين طالب ًا فقط حصلوا على تلك المنحة من أوروبا‬ ‫والشرق األوسط وأفريقيا‪ ،‬والطالبة الوحيدة من قطر‪ .‬ومن مقر المنحة الدراسية الواقع في أحد‬ ‫منتجعات زيوريخ‪ ،‬عرفت كوزوجيان من أين تبدأ حياتها المهنية‪.‬‬

‫‪17‬‬

‫‪Summer 2015 / Fall 2015‬‬

“I play the piano, so I was always interested in studying music from a theoretical perspective,” she said. “I also did a couple of technology-related courses where I wrote programs that can compose music and used software to create digital music.”

One of the most important of Kouzoujian’s achievements was in 2009, when she received a Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship, which supports women completing degrees in computer science and related areas.

She was one of only 21 recipients in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, and the only student from Qatar. The scholarship included a retreat in Zurich, where Kouzoujian realized that was where she’d like to start her career.

An intentionally unconventional place to work, Google is famous for designing work environments that inspire creativity, and the Zurich branch is no exception. It features open office areas, informal meeting spaces and recreation areas—among them a massage spa, a jungle lounge, and mini kitchens offering drinks and snacks throughout the day. Slides and firepoles are optional ways to get from one floor to another.

“It’s a beautiful place to work,” Kouzoujian said. “Our buildings have a different theme on every floor. For example, the blue floor has a theme of water and snow, and all of the meeting rooms have names like Blue Penguin and Blue Ice. When you work on a floor the whole time, it loses its novelty a little bit, but then, when you have a meeting in another part of the building, it’s really refreshing because there’s a color change and a theme change.”

Google is also known for being flexible in terms of employees’ schedules. Kouzoujian has settled into a routine where she arrives around 9:30 a.m., which gives her time to plan her day, tackle any problems and work on some code before lunch.

“One of the things that I really like about Google is that we get to do a bit of everything.

We design the tools, write the code, test it and troubleshoot. It gives you exposure to different technologies and it keeps the work more interesting,” she said.

In the afternoon, Kouzoujian goes back to programming, but the mood is more collaborative, as people come together to bounce ideas around and learn from

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each other. Google’s informal “20 percent project” allows employees to spend a fifth of their time experimenting with ideas that are outside their job description but of some value to Google. Gmail, for example, grew out of an engineer’s 20 percent project.

This year, Kouzoujian dedicated some of her 20 percent to highlighting notable women in technology, a project that coincided with International Women’s Day on March 8.

Although Kouzoujian’s team is genderbalanced, women are a minority among Google Zurich’s 1,100 employees, as they are in most high-tech companies. And male dominance isn’t just bad for the industry, Kouzoujian said; it’s bad for all women.

“There are a lot of technologies that could really affect the way women and minorities are empowered and perceived, and, if that information doesn’t come to light because there are too few minorities in the field, then technology inventors aren’t going to know what people in the market want,” she said. “It’s very important to have diversity— gender, age and race—in all fields and we’re really struggling with that in technology.”

Fortunately, Kouzoujian doesn’t mind being in the minority, and she credits CMU for not “sugar coating” her experience in the computer science program.

Photo courtesy of Roshan Sembacuttiaratchy

“When I went to school, I was a minority, and I’ve always been used to that. When I walk into a room and it’s full of men and there’s not a single other woman, I don’t feel out of place. I’ve just gotten used to that, too,” she said.

all our students onward. We are proud of her contributions to Google and how she represents us there,” he said.

Kouzoujian said Carnegie Mellon equipped her for Google in many other ways, including the experience she got from programming contests and the concepts she learned in the systems and advanced systems courses.

“No matter how well educated you are outside of Google, you are going to need to do a lot of learning after you come here, so that skill set is very important—and I learned that at CMU.” Kemal Oflazer, associate dean for research at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and director of the Qatar Computer Science Program, said Kouzoujian is one of the program’s “star graduates.”

“She was our first graduate to be honored with Google’s very competitive Anita Borg Scholarship and has been a role model for

After three-and-a-half years in Zurich, Kouzoujian’s plan is two-fold: She’ll get involved in the Zurich community, perhaps as part of the local music scene, and continue helping people in Sierra Leone—and the rest of the world—take advantage of Google’s technologies.

“I’m really excited to be part of the Internationalization Team,” she said.

“It’s easy to apply technologies everywhere, but it hasn’t been done in many parts of the world, which is really sad. The original reason I wanted to join Google was so I could make a difference in underrepresented parts of the world—that was my dream—and now I’m doing it.”

‫لقد تعمد القائمون على تصميم شركة جوجل أن‬ ‫يجعلوها مكان ًا غير تقليدي للعمل‪ ،‬ومن ثم تشتهر‬ ‫جوجل بتصميم بيئات عمل تلهم اإلبداع‪ ،‬وفرع‬ ‫جوجل في زيورخ ليس استثناء من تلك القاعدة‪.‬‬ ‫فهو مكان يزخر بالمناطق المكتبية المفتوحة‪،‬‬ ‫ومساحات االجتماعات غير الرسمية واألماكن‬ ‫الترفيهية – ومن بينها منتجع صحي للتدليك‪،‬‬ ‫وصالة الغابة‪ ،‬ومطابخ صغيرة تقدم المشروبات‬ ‫والوجبات الخفيفة طوال اليوم‪ .‬كما تعتبر الزحلوقة‬ ‫وأعمدة رجال المطافئ وسائل اختيارية لالنتقال من‬ ‫طابق إلى آخر‪.‬‬ ‫وهو ما علقت عليه كوزوجيان‪ ،‬قائ ً‬ ‫ال‪" :‬إنه مكان‬ ‫جميل للعمل‪ .‬لدينا مبنيان‪ ،‬وفكرة تصميم كل‬ ‫طابق فيهما فكرة مختلفة‪ .‬على سبيل المثال‪،‬‬ ‫تقوم فكرة تصميم الطابق األزرق على المياه‬ ‫والثلوج‪ ،‬وكل قاعات االجتماعات أطلقت عليها‬ ‫أسماء مثل البطريق األزرق والجليد األزرق‪ .‬وعندما‬ ‫تعمل بطابق واحد طوال الوقت‪ ،‬فإنه يفقد رونقه‬ ‫قلي ً‬ ‫ال‪ ،‬ولكن عندئ ٍذ عندما يكون لديك اجتماع في‬ ‫جزء آخر من المبنى‪ ،‬فتشعر بانتعاش حقيقي ألنك‬ ‫ستغير لون وتصميم الطابق"‪.‬‬ ‫كما تعرف جوجل أيض ًا بمرونتها في مواعيد‬ ‫الموظفين‪ .‬واستقرت كوزوجيان على نظام‬ ‫يقضي بوصولها حوالي الساعة ‪ 9:30‬صباح ًا‪ ،‬مما‬ ‫يعطيها وقت ًا لتخطيط أنشطتها اليومية‪ ،‬وحل أي‬ ‫مشاكل قد تطرأ والعمل على بعض البرامج قبل‬ ‫تناول الغداء‪.‬‬ ‫وهو ما أعربت عنه‪ ،‬قائلة‪" :‬من أكثر األشياء التي‬ ‫أحبها حق ًا في جوجل أننا نكلف بفعل شيء‬ ‫من كل شيء‪ .‬فنقوم بتصميم األدوات وكتابة‬ ‫التعليمات البرمجية‪ ،‬واختبارها واستكشاف األخطاء‬ ‫وإصالحها‪ ،‬مما يعطيك الفرصة للتعرف على‬ ‫مختلف التقنيات التكنولوجية وتجعل العمل أكثر‬ ‫إثارة وتشويق ًا"‪.‬‬ ‫في فترة ما بعد الظهر‪ ،‬تعود كوزوجيان إلى البرمجة‪،‬‬ ‫ولكن بمزاج تعاوني أكثر‪ ،‬حيث يلتقي الموظفون‬ ‫مع ًا لتبادل األفكار والتعلم من بعضهم البعض‪.‬‬ ‫فهناك "مشروع العشرين بالمائة غير الرسمية" في‬ ‫جوجل والذي يسمح للموظفين بقضاء خمس‬ ‫وقتهم في تجريب أفكار خارج نطاق مهامهم‬ ‫الرسمية ولكنها تمثل قيمة بشكل أو آخر لجوجل‪.‬‬ ‫فقد جاءت فكرة الجيميل‪ ،‬على سبيل المثال‪ ،‬من‬ ‫مهندس بمشروع العشرين بالمائة‪ .‬وقد كرست‬ ‫كوزوجيان ‪ 20‬بالمائة من وقتها هذا العام في‬ ‫تسليط الضوء على أبرز العناصر النسائية في مجال‬ ‫التكنولوجيا‪ ،‬وهو المشروع الذي تزامن مع اليوم‬ ‫العالمي للمرأة في ‪ 8‬مارس‪.‬‬ ‫على الرغم من أن فريق كوزوجيان ال ينقصه التوازن‬ ‫بين الجنسين‪ ،‬إال أن المرأة تعتبر أقلية بين ‪ 1100‬موظف‬ ‫في جوجل زيوريخ‪ ،‬كما هو الحال في معظم‬ ‫شركات التكنولوجيا المتقدمة‪ .‬وهيمنة الرجل‬ ‫ال تسيء لهذه الصناعة فحسب‪ ،‬على حد قول‬ ‫كوزوجيان‪ ،‬بل تسيء لجميع النساء‪.‬‬ ‫وأضافت‪" :‬هناك الكثير من التقنيات التي يمكن أن‬ ‫تؤثر حق ًا في طريقة تمكين ورؤية المرأة واألقليات‪،‬‬

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‫‪Keghani Kristelle Kouzoujian with members of the Internationalization Team‬‬

‫وإذا لم تخرج هذه المعلومات إلى النور نظراً لضآلة‬ ‫عدد األقليات العاملة في المجال‪ ،‬فلن يعرف‬ ‫مخترعو التكنولوجيا ما يريده الناس في السوق‪.‬‬ ‫لذا من األهمية بمكان أن يكون هناك تنوع بين‬ ‫الجنسين واألعمار واألعراق في كافة المجاالت‪ ،‬ونحن‬ ‫نناضل حق ًا من أجل تحقيق تلك الغاية في مجال‬ ‫التكنولوجيا"‪.‬‬ ‫ولحسن الحظ‪ ،‬ال تمانع كوزوجيان في أن تكون‬ ‫ضمن األقلية‪ ،‬وتنسب الفضل لجامعة كارنيجي‬ ‫ميلون في عدم "محاولة تجميل" تجربتها في برنامج‬ ‫علوم الحاسوب‪.‬‬ ‫وعن ذلك تقول كوزوجيان‪" :‬عندما التحقت‬ ‫بالمدرسة كنت أقلية ولطالما كنت كذلك‪ .‬وعندما‬ ‫أدخل غرفة كل من فيها رجال وليس هناك أي امرأة‬ ‫أخرى غيري‪ ،‬ال أشعر بأنني غريبة عن المكان‪ ،‬فكل ما‬ ‫هنالك أنني اعتدت ذلك أيض ًا"‪.‬‬ ‫وتضيف كوزوجيان أن كارنيجي ميلون أعدتها‬ ‫خير إعداد للعمل في جوجل بعدد من الطرق‬ ‫األخرى‪ ،‬بما في ذلك الخبرة التي اكتسبتها من‬ ‫مسابقات البرمجة والمفاهيم التي تعلمتها في‬ ‫دورات "األنظمة" و "األنظمة المتطورة"‪ .‬وتؤكد‬ ‫قائلة‪" :‬بغض النظر عن جودة التعليم الذي تتلقاه‬ ‫خارج جوجل فأنت بحاجة إلى الكثير من التعلم‬ ‫بعد مجيئك هنا‪ ،‬ولذلك تعتبر تلك المهارات التي‬ ‫تعلمتها في جامعة كارنيجي ميلون مهمة جداً"‪.‬‬

‫ومن جانبه صرح كمال اوفالزر‪ ،‬مساعد العميد‬ ‫لشؤون البحث العلمي بجامعة كارنيجي ميلون‬ ‫في قطر‪ ،‬ومدير برنامج قطر لعلوم الحاسوب‪ ،‬بأن‬ ‫كيغاني هي واحدة من "نجوم خريجي" البرنامج‪.‬‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬كانت كيغاني أول خريجة من جامعتنا تنال‬ ‫شرف الحصول على منحة أنيتا بورغ الدراسية من‬ ‫جوجل ‪ ،‬وذلك رغم احتدام المنافسة للحصول على‬ ‫تلك المنحة‪ ،‬وبذلك كانت قدوة لجميع طالبنا من‬ ‫ذلك الحين فصاعداً‪ .‬ويحق لنا أن نفخر بمساهماتها‬ ‫في جوجل وتمثيلها لنا هناك"‪.‬‬ ‫بعد ثالث سنوات ونصف في زيوريخ‪ ،‬وضعت‬ ‫كوزوجيان خطة من شقين هما‪ :‬االنخراط في مجتمع‬ ‫زيوريخ‪ ،‬ربما ضمن المشهد الموسيقي المحلي‪،‬‬ ‫واالستمرار في مساعدة الناس في سيراليون وبقية‬ ‫العالم على االستفادة من تقنيات جوجل‪.‬‬ ‫وعن هذا تقول كوزوجيان‪" :‬أنا سعيدة حق ًا‬ ‫النضمامي إلى فريق التدويل‪ .‬فمن السهل تطبيق‬ ‫التقنيات في كل مكان‪ ،‬ولكن ذلك لم يحدث‬ ‫في الكثير من بقاع العالم‪ ،‬وهو أمر محزن حق ًا‪.‬‬ ‫ويرجع السبب األساسي في رغبتي في االنضمام‬ ‫إلى جوجل إلى رغبتي في صنع فارق في مناطق‬ ‫مهمشة ومحرومة في العالم ‪ -‬كان ذلك حلمي –‬ ‫وها أنا ذا أحققه اآلن"‪.‬‬

‫‪Summer 2015 / Fall 2015‬‬

A Bright Future Graduate Turns GE Internship into Dream Job

S

ama Kanbour is a self-described hybrid. She’s fascinated by big data, and enjoys analyzing reports and crunching numbers on a spreadsheet. While working as a peer tutor at CMU-Q, she discovered her passion for teaching. As a trilingual Iraqi growing up in Qatar, she loves the idea of bringing people together to solve important problems.

At the end of the semester, she shared her discovery with Selma Limam-Mansar, associate dean for education at CMU-Q and director of the Qatar Information Systems program. Limam-Mansar said she’d be a good fit for an internship that had recently come up at GE, and Kanbour joined the company on a part-time basis during her senior year.

Kanbour, who graduated with an information systems degree in May 2015, didn’t expect to find an internship that would challenge her to use all of these skills, but, soon into a yearlong position at GE, she realized the company was the ideal place to develop her interests into a career.

As part of GE in Qatar’s Global Growth and Operations division, Kanbour worked with a team responsible for further growing the multinational company through technology. Employees in the division work across GE’s seven operational areas, which include oil and gas, power and water, energy, aviation, healthcare, transportation, and capital. Since physical location doesn’t limit the projects a GE staff member will work on, the division tackles projects not only in Qatar but also elsewhere in the region and across the world.

It was the opportunity to work on big data that first drew Kanbour to GE. While spending a semester on Carnegie Mellon’s home campus in Pittsburgh, she took a course highlighting the growing need for scientists who can organize and analyze large and complex data sets. The course made an impression, and Kanbour saw a future in which she was one of those scientists.

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When Kanbour first joined the team last October, she explored company data and conducted interviews with GE teams in the

CMU-Q Graduates and Students at GE Hicham Nedjari, a 2009 graduate in business administration, is a MENAT Commercial Excellence leader at GE in Dubai.

Bilal Alkadhe, a 2012 graduate in business administration, is in the Financial Management Program at GE in Qatar. ‬Shahriar Haque, a 2010 graduate in computer science, is an IT Pricing Leader at GE in Qatar.

Hadi Murtada, a 2010 graduate in business administration, is a senior associate with GE’s Corporate Audit Staff in Cincinnati, United States.

Ahmad Al Salama, a 2013 graduate in computer science, is in the Information Technology Leadership Program at GE in Qatar.

Maryam Al-Haddad, an information systems student, completed her second summer internship with GE in 2015.

“It’s fascinating to witness a 120-year-old multi-business and multinational corporation think and act like a startup, constantly investing in new technologies and processes. GE is committed to continuous change and evolution, and I feel lucky to be part of its growth,” she said.

Kanbour said she has put her coursework in information systems, computer science and business administration into practice at GE, and uses the material she learned in software development, database design and leadership courses on a daily basis.

“This year, I’ve been taking a lot of business administration courses because I wanted to support my technical skills with a better understanding of how a big organization like GE functions,” Kanbour said.

United States and Middle East to help streamline direct sourcing costs for an oil and gas project. Since then, she has launched a customer relations management tool for suppliers in Algeria, and led the implementation of a game-like platform to help familiarize new employees with GE processes and practices— a tool that has already been used to train 250 fresh graduates in Saudi Arabia. With the support of her mentor, Kanbour has been challenged to lead all of these projects, taking increasing ownership for the outcomes as the year has gone on.

“I’ve been fortunate to work on data projects, on designing a training tool, and using my French and Arabic to connect people in the region. It’s like GE studied my résumé to find projects that would be a great fit for me,” Kanbour said. “Since I’ve been working with so many different people, I’ve also had a lot of chance to develop non-technical skills, such as presentation and negotiation.”

Kanbour said GE’s entrepreneurial approach to developing new technologies means fresh ideas are implemented quickly, and she has enjoyed seeing people interacting with her systems and gaining the feedback she needs to improve her work.

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

Kanbour’s mentor in Qatar is Michelle Wu, regional senior IT leader and regional ITLP champion at GE Global Operations.

Wu said she has been pleased with the work done by CMU-Q students who have completed internships or begun their careers at GE. “As an intern, Sama was focused, creative and resourceful,” said Wu. “All CMU-Q students whom GE has recruited demonstrate solid problem-solving and analytics skills, which helps GE go fast and embrace new ways to solve business challenges.”

Kanbour’s hard work paid off: in April she was selected for GE’s Information Technology Leadership Program, a career development program that offers new recruits the chance rotate through projects in several of the company’s major business units.

“One of the things that has really motivated me is that everything I do is directly affecting something, whether it be improving a process or helping people get the information they need. GE was a perfect fit for me from the beginning, so I am thrilled to be able to stay and start my career with the company,” Kanbour said.

21

More than 100 CMU-Q Students Complete the

A

t the end of his freshman year, in 2012, Abdelrahman Haroun got the news no student wants to hear: His academic performance wasn’t good enough and, unless it improved, he’d have to leave Carnegie Mellon.

He turned things around, though, and graduated with his classmates at the May 4 ceremony on campus.

Not only that, he served as the student speaker, sharing his journey at CMU-Q and how he plans to use his education to help people in his home country of Egypt.

22

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

23

Clockwise from top: Dean Ilker Baybars with Lana Al Kahala, who was this year’s Andrew Carnegie Society Scholar; Professor John Gasper, who played the bagpipes during the ceremony, with graduating senior Hassaan Ijaz; student speaker Abdelrahman Haroun; Nathan Urban, interim provost; graduating senior Maryam Gholamhossein Amini, who received dual degrees in computer science and information systems; and a view of the event, which was held in the CMU-Q building.

24

Haroun was one of 104 students representing 19 countries who were awarded their diplomas in front of family, friends and the university community at the university’s eighth graduation ceremony. As members of the largest graduating class from the Qatar campus to date—54 business administration students, 29 in information systems, 17 in computer science and four in biological sciences—the graduating students received their degrees to officially become part of Carnegie Mellon University’s global network of more than 100,000 alumni.

Congratulating the class of 2015, Ilker Baybars, dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar, said: “It is with great pride that I extend my congratulations to the Class of 2015. You have exemplified Carnegie Mellon’s traits of hard work, collaboration across disciplines and innovation. As Carnegie Mellon graduates, we are confident that you are prepared for your future— in Qatar and across the world.”

During the graduation ceremony, Baybars awarded the Meritorious Teaching Award to Muhammad Fuad Farooqi, assistant teaching professor of finance, for his remarkable dedication to his undergraduate teaching.

Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards went to graduates from each program, based on outstanding academic performance, and included Bilal Jaradat from biological sciences, Tanzeel Huda from business administration, Sabih Bin Wasi from computer science and Sama Kanbour from information systems.

Lana Al Kahala, the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Society Scholar, and the Qatar Campus Scholars were also recognized during the ceremony. This year’s Qatar Campus Scholars were Al Kahala and Tanzeel Huda, both business administration graduates; Sabih Bin Wasi from the computer science program; and information systems graduate Sama Kanbour.

Also this year, 10 students received Senior Student Leadership Awards: Vanessa Fernandes (with distinction), Tarek Al Hariri (with distinction), Hassan Al-Malki (with distinction), Mohamed Benkermi, Francine Dinglasan, Ahmed Hashmi, Lana Al-Khahala, Mohammed Al-Matwi, Lamana Mulaffer and Amalan Roshan.

During his remarks, Nathan Urban, Carnegie Mellon’s interim provost, encouraged graduates to pursue their ambitions: “Carnegie Mellon has prepared you well for whatever directions your lives and aspirations will take you; in every field of study, this university has given you a worldview that will serve you well. I look forward to seeing what the Class of 2015 will accomplish and how you will contribute to the world.”

Haroun, the student speaker and an information systems graduate, plans to pursue a graduate degree and eventually return to Egypt to make a positive change.

Highlighting the vast opportunities available to the Class of 2015, Haroun said, “There is the student whose campaign against reckless driving will save lives. Another developed business fashion shows so that more of us will have professional confidence. Another wanted to host websites; now his startup is employing our undergraduates. Almost all of us had ideas cooking for a long time as daydreams, but Carnegie Mellon gave us the courage to pursue them.”

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

25

On: Business

Waste Not, Want Not Food Sharing App Wins CMU-Q’s ‘Quick Startup’ Competition Admaney, a business administration graduate, said that, in addition to the technical development of the app, the team will also look for revenue models.

“When we surveyed people about the app, they said they wouldn’t expect to be compensated for giving away food, so one idea we have is for people who receive the food to make a donation,” she said.

“Those revenues could be used to support the app with the remainder going to charities that address hunger.”

Safe.T, a program that encourages employers to use workers’ commute times to provide safety training, came in second place, while PetApp, a mobile application that provides information about services for pet owners, came in third.

Participants in Quick Startup 2015 came from Carnegie Mellon Qatar, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNAQ-), Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Qatar University, Stenden University Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, ALSTOM and the pre-university Academic Bridge Program.

You’re baking a cake, but don’t have enough eggs. Your neighbor has eggs, but he’s going on vacation and won’t use them up.

A mobile application app being developed by a team of CMU-Q students would solve both problems, enabling friends, families and neighbors to share food and reduce waste.

Members of the judging panel were Peter Moore, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar; Rawan Al Fares, Qatar Business Incubation Center; Yasmeen Hasan, Bedaya Center; Michael Portz, the Shisha Company Ltd.; Khalifa Al-Misnad, Al Misnad & Rifaat; Juha Peralampi, Qatar University; and John O’Brien, Carnegie Mellon Qatar. Tom Emerson and George White, who are both distinguished career professors of entrepreneurship at CMU-Q, organized the event.

The app, called Basket, won first place in CMU-Q’s Quick Startup, which was held on campus this spring. Launched last year, Quick Startup challenges university students to conceive and develop a business idea within 72 hours for presentation to a judging panel.

This year’s event was sponsored by the Small and Medium Enterprises Department of Qatar National Bank (QNB).

“It’s an impossible task to start a business in three days; however, we provided students with a framework for the important steps needed to get started, focusing on business plan development, customer discovery and investor pitching,” said Dave Mawhinney, co-director of the Carnegie Mellon University Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and executive director of the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship.

This year’s event saw participation by 38 budding entrepreneurs, working in teams of four to propose solutions that would fill gaps in the market.

Winning team members Sabih Bin Wasi, Rukhsar Neyaz and Noor-ul-Huda Admaney from CMU-Q were joined by Abdul Jabbar Mir Ali Khan, a student at the College of North Atlantic-Qatar.

“We came up with the idea for Basket awhile ago and have always wanted to take it to the next level,” said Bin Wasi, a senior in computer science. “At Quick Startup, we only had three days to come up with our business plan, which gave us the push we needed to jumpstart our project and take advantage of an opportunity to gain feedback from industry experts.”

26

First Place: Basket Rukhsar Neyaz (Carnegie Mellon University–Qatar) Sabih Bin Wasi (Carnegie Mellon University–Qatar) Noor ul Huda Admaney (Carnegie Mellon University–Qatar) Abdul Jabbar Mir Ali Khan (College of the North Atlantic–Qatar) Second Place: Safe.T Qazi Umair (Carnegie Mellon University–Qatar) Shivi Mishra (Stenden University Qatar) Vignesh Venkatraman (Stenden University Qatar) NK Yagnessh (Weill Cornell Medical College–Qatar) Third Place: PetApp Mohammad Alrifai (College of the North Atlantic–Qatar) Omar Laham (College of the North Atlantic–Qatar) Samer Abdelhamid (ALSTOM)

On: Science

Braille Writing Tutor Wins Touch of Genius Prize Device to Help Literacy of Visually Impaired People in Developing Nations Supported by QNRF Despite the importance of literacy to employment, social wellbeing and health, the ability to read and write remains low in visually impaired populations, who use a tactile system of embossed dots called Braille as a means of communication.

In developing countries, where Braille typewriters and other assistive technologies are not readily available, the problem becomes even worse.

An innovative device developed by a team of Carnegie Mellon researchers in Qatar and Pittsburgh, and supported in part by a grant from Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)’s National Priorities Research Program, is helping to change that.

The technology, which helps visually impaired students learn how to write

in Braille using a slate and stylus, was recently awarded the 2014 Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation.

The $15,000 prize was given by the National Braille Press’ Center for Braille Innovation and is sponsored by the Gibney Family Foundation. The prize was presented April 2 at an awards ceremony at the Microsoft New England R&D Center in Boston, USA.

embossed dots placed in a cell of two columns and three rows. To create English Braille characters, letters are written backwards and from right to left, so that when the paper is removed from the slate and turned over, the characters read from left to right. The automated tutor, which connects to a laptop computer, provides a student with audio feedback to address challenges associated with learning this skill.

Carnegie Mellon’s Braille Writing Tutor was developed by the TechBridgeWorld research group, which develops state-of-the-art technology in collaboration with partner communities that is accessible and relevant to underserved areas of the world.

The system is now functional in English, Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, French, and Swahili Braille. The team has also developed a battery-powered Stand-Alone Braille Writing Tutor with onboard computing for use where reliable computers and external power are not routinely available.

CMU students and researchers began work on the Braille Writing Tutor in 2006 and have since developed different versions of the tutors, which have been field-tested in India, Bangladesh, Tanzania and Zambia, and introduced to organizations in Qatar and around the world.

For many people in these countries, full literacy can be achieved only by first learning to create the embossed dots of Braille writing using a slate and stylus.

Writing in Braille with a slate and stylus is not intuitive. In Braille, each character is formed on paper using a subset of six

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

“The Braille Writing Tutor has been one of our most successful projects to date,” said M. Bernardine Dias, associate research professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon and director of TechBridgeWorld.

“We’ve seen the profound impact it has had on blind and visually impaired students and their teachers in the communities where we have been fortunate to test the tutor, and its potential for impact in so many more communities around the world.

We are thrilled and humbled that the Touch of Genius Prize judges saw fit to recognize this achievement.”

27

On: Student Life

Tartans Who Travel

Information Systems Student Juan Sam Shares his Experience in the IMPAQT Exchange Program For a student, registering for a university trip feels like booking a vacation—it gives you something to look forward to while you sit in class and study. This semester was really busy, though, and I didn’t have much time to think about the IMPAQT trip I’d signed up for.

So, when the time came to get on a plane to Pittsburgh, I didn’t really know what to expect.

IMPAQT, which stands for Initiating Meaningful Pittsburgh and Qatar Ties, is a cross-campus exchange program for students in Qatar and Pittsburgh. Students on the Qatar campus spend a week on the Pittsburgh campus and vice versa, fostering a relationship between students as they explore a different community and culture.

Ten students from each campus participated in the program.

It was our turn to go to Pittsburgh first, and we had a great time exploring the home campus with our hosts. One of my favorite events was watching “The Wiz” at the School of Drama on the second day.

It was a really entertaining play that highlighted the focus on arts as well as technology in Pittsburgh. It set the bar for the rest of the trip.

In addition to getting to know the campus, we spent a lot of time sightseeing around town. We attended an ice hockey game (the Penguins won, of course!); visited the Heinz History Center and the Carnegie Science Center; took a tour of the Pittsburgh Google office; and explored the Strip District’s shops and restaurants. Equally exciting were the smaller experiences, such as volunteering at a food bank, watching the movie “Selma” at the Waterfront theatre,

28

going ice-skating and competing in a trivia night. In one week, we managed to feel as if we had known each other forever, both within the Doha team and with those from the Pittsburgh team. More than ever, it was clear that, although we are in different parts of the world with different experiences, we are all from the same university.

Our IMPAQT experience only felt truly complete after the Pittsburgh students spent a week here in Doha. Unlike past trips, we were even able to travel together on the same flight, which made IMPAQT truly feel like one long, seamless journey.

In addition to showing off Qatar’s sights, such as Souq Waqif, the Corniche and the Pearl, we also introduced our guests to life at Education City and CMU-Q. The Pittsburgh students really enjoyed joining in our events, such as Pizza & Politics, Thursday Majlis, and Lohri—a Punjabi festival that was celebrated on campus.

The best moments were the spontaneous ones—the plans we made up on the spot. Throughout these experiences, I was surprised by how deep and meaningful our conversations were (along with some really silly ones). We were just curious about each other’s lives and kept asking questions. By the end of the experience, I felt like we all had a greater appreciation for each other, and a greater understanding of the different perspectives that we all have.

When I think back now, I am so thankful that I signed up for IMPAQT, as it gave me the opportunity to learn more about the world; to truly engage with others; and, of course, to have a lot of fun.

On: Science

Qatar students experience ice skating in downtown Pittsburgh, a snowy tour of the main campus, and a Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey game as part of the IMPAQT Exchange Program.

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

29

On: Research

The Power of Big Data Q-SmartLab Will Help Create the Next Generation of Data Scientists in Qatar A decade ago, many professional sports teams were assembled based on managers’ gut feelings, and officials presided over games by making split-second decisions during fast plays.

“A lot of concepts in machine learning and data mining are very abstract, but relating them to sports gives them meaning, which makes it engaging for young people,” he said.

However, with the recent emergence of tracking technologies that can record players’ performances and the game ball itself, the Middle East’s sports industry could be set for big changes, both on and off the playing field.

O’Brien said students who begin careers in large-scale analytics will contribute to Qatar’s economy, including the sports industry, because a growing number of fields are turning to big data to answer important questions.

In 2011, Hollywood released the motion picture “Moneyball,” which followed Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics general manager, as he discovered an alternative way of assembling a winning baseball team through analysis of in-game statistics—otherwise known as sabermetrics. This plot was an adaptation of the 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by financial columnist Michael Lewis.

“Hosting international sporting events will certainly benefit Qatar’s economy,” he said. “However, the lasting impact of this event will be the resources and skills nurtured within the country through the development of sports analytics, since they will undoubtedly spin off into other industries such as finance and oil and gas.”

To take “Moneyball” to the next level, the challenge lies in analyzing the enormous amount of data that can be collected during today’s professional sports games and presenting it in a way that’s useful for teams and officials. As a leader in interdisciplinary education and research, Carnegie Mellon is at the forefront of this emerging field of extracting new intelligence from big data, which relies on visual data analytics, business analytics and computer science techniques to organize and analyze data to extract new intelligence.

Through Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s Q-SmartLab, students will learn how researchers are creating visual dashboards that link raw data to the user who wishes to leverage the information.

The overall aim is to provide new and often real-time intelligence for decision makers.

According to John O’Brien, associate dean at Carnegie Mellon Qatar and co-director of the Q-SmartLab, students are learning through active participation in this type of research. Having a real-world focus, whether it be banking or sports, will help attract the next generation of data scientists in Qatar.

“Attracting young men and women into studying technical fields like computer science and information systems can be challenging, but, by using sports for example, we can make it more relevant to students and their parents,” said O’Brien, whose current research focuses on using data analytics in both banking and sports, the latter being NBA basketball games.

Patrick Lucey, associate research scientist at Disney Research Pittsburgh, on Carnegie Mellon’s home campus in the United States, agrees. Lucey visited CMU-Q recently, where he presented results from powerful techniques he has developed and applied to extracting new intelligence from large amounts of unstructured data from soccer and tennis.

30

‫قوة البيانات الضخمة‬ ‫خريجة الجامعة تسهم في إدخال منتجات جوجل ألسواق جديدة‬ ‫بناء على‬ ‫قبل عقد من الزمان‪ ،‬تشكلت العديد من الفرق الرياضية االحترافية ً‬ ‫حدس مدراء فنيين‪ ،‬وفازوا بالبطوالت نتيجة اتخاذهم قرارات معينة في جزء من‬ ‫الثانية في األلعاب والرياضات السريعة اإليقاع والحركة‪ .‬ومع ذلك‪ ،‬ومع ظهور‬ ‫تقنيات التتبع مؤخ ًرا والتي تستطيع أن تسجل أداء الالعبين وأداء الكرة نفسها‪،‬‬ ‫أصبح باإلمكان إحداث ثورة كبيرة في صناعة الرياضة في الشرق األوسط داخل‬ ‫وخارج الملعب‪.‬‬

‫وهو ما علق عليه أوبراين‪ ،‬قائ ً‬ ‫ال‪" :‬من الصعوبة بمكان جذب الشباب من الجنسين‬ ‫إلى دراسة المجاالت التقنية مثل علوم الحاسوب وأنظمة المعلومات‪ ،‬ولكن‬ ‫باستخدام الرياضة كمثال‪ ،‬يمكننا أن نجعل دراسة تلك المجاالت جذابة أكثر‬ ‫للطلبة وأولياء أمورهم"‪ .‬وجدير بالذكر أن بحث أوبراين الحالي يركز على استخدام‬ ‫تحليل البيانات في القطاعين المصرفي والرياضي‪ ،‬مع دراسة الدوري األمريكي‬ ‫للمحترفين لكرة السلة كنموذج للقطاع الرياضي‪.‬‬

‫في عام ‪ ،2011‬تم عرض الفيلم السينمائي "كرة المال"‪ ،‬والذي يتناول قصة بيلي‬ ‫بياني‪ ،‬المدير العام لفريق أوكالند أثليتيكس‪ ،‬واكتشافه طريقة بديلة لتشكيل‬ ‫فريق بيسبول قادر على الفوز بالبطوالت من خالل تحليل إحصاءات اللعب في‬ ‫المباريات‪ ،‬أو ما يعرف بـ "سابرماتريكس"‪ .‬وقصة الفيلم مقتبسة من كتاب "كرة‬ ‫المال‪ :‬فن الفوز في لعبة غير عادلة"‪ ،‬الصادر عام ‪ 2003‬للمؤلف والكاتب الصحفي‬ ‫المتخصص في شئون المال مايكل لويس‪.‬‬

‫واتفق معه في الرأي باتريك لوسي‪ ،‬مساعد شئون البحث العلمي بكلية ديزني‬ ‫للبحث العلمي في بيتسبيرغ‪ ،‬الواقعة في الحرم الرئيسي لجامعة كارنيجي‬ ‫ميلون في الواليات المتحدة‪ .‬وكان لوسي قد زار جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في‬ ‫قطر مؤخ ًرا لعرض نتائج تقنيات متقدمة استطاع تطويرها وتطبيقها الستخالص‬ ‫معلومات جديدة من كميات كبيرة من البيانات غير المنظمة في كرة القدم‬ ‫والتنس‪ ،‬حيث أشار‪ ،‬قائ ً‬ ‫ال‪" :‬هناك الكثير من المفاهيم المجردة للغاية في مجال‬ ‫التعلم اآللي واستخالص البيانات‪ ،‬ولكن ربطها بمجال الرياضة يعطيها معنى‪،‬‬ ‫األمر الذي يجعلها جذابة للشباب"‪.‬‬

‫ومن أجل تطوير فكرة "كرة المال"‪ ،‬يكمن التحدي في تحليل كمية هائلة من البيانات‬ ‫التي يمكن جمعها خالل مباريات اليوم في البطوالت الرياضية االحترافية وعرضها‬ ‫بطريقة تفيد ك ً‬ ‫ال من الفرق والمسؤولين‪ .‬وبوصفها مؤسسة رائدة في مجال التعليم‬ ‫والبحوث العلمية متعددة التخصصات ‪ ،‬تقف جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في طليعة‬ ‫هذا المجال الناشئ والذي يُعنى باستخالص معلومات جديدة من البيانات الكبيرة‪،‬‬ ‫ألنه يعتمد على تحليل البيانات البصرية‪ ،‬وتحليل األعمال‪ ،‬وتقنيات علم الحاسوب‬ ‫لتنظيم وتحليل البيانات الستخالص معلومات جديدة منها‪.‬‬ ‫ومن خالل مختبر ‪ Q-SmartLab‬بجامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر‪ ،‬سوف يتعلم‬ ‫الطالب كيف يصنع الباحثون لوحات قياس تربط بين البيانات األولية والمستخدم‬ ‫الذي يرغب في االستفادة منها‪ .‬ويتمثل الهدف العام في توفير معلومات جديدة‬ ‫وغالب ًا ما تكون لحظية لصانعي القرار‪ .‬وبحسب جون أوبراين‪ ،‬عميد الجامعة‬ ‫المساعد ومدير مختبر ‪ Q-SmartLab‬المشارك‪ ،‬فإن الطالب يتعلمون من خالل‬ ‫المشاركة الفعالة في هذا النوع من البحوث‪ .‬فالتركيز على القضايا التي تمس‬ ‫الواقع‪ ،‬سواء كان ذلك في القطاع المصرفي أو الرياضي‪ ،‬من شأنه أن يسهم‬ ‫في استقطاب الجيل القادم من علماء البيانات في قطر‪.‬‬

‫وهو ما أوضحه بقوله‪" :‬سوف يستفيد االقتصاد القطري بكل تأكيد من استضافة‬ ‫الفعاليات والمسابقات الرياضيات الدولية‪ ،‬غير أن التأثير الدائم لهذا الحدث‬ ‫يتمثل في تطوير الموارد والمهارات داخل البالد من خالل تطوير التحليالت‬ ‫الرياضية‪ ،‬ألن ذلك سينعكس بال شك على المجاالت األخرى مثل التمويل‬ ‫وصناعة النفط والغاز"‪.‬‬

‫إن إستقطاب ميول فئة‬ ‫الشباب إلى دراسة المجاالت‬ ‫التقنية مثل علوم الحاسوب‬ ‫ونظم المعلومات هو بمثابة‬ ‫تحدي‪ ،‬ولكن من خالل تطبيق‬ ‫اآلفكار المبتكرة كالرياضة مث ً‬ ‫ال‬ ‫تمكنا من جعلها أكثر مالءمة‬ ‫للطلبة وكذلك أولياء أمورهم‬

‫‪Attracting young men and‬‬ ‫‪women into studying‬‬ ‫‪technical fields like‬‬ ‫‪computer science and‬‬ ‫‪information systems can‬‬ ‫‪be challenging, but, by‬‬ ‫‪using sports for example,‬‬ ‫‪we can make it more‬‬ ‫‪relevant to students‬‬ ‫‪and their parents.‬‬

‫العميد المساعد‬ ‫جامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر‬

‫‪John O’Brien‬‬ ‫‪Associate Dean‬‬ ‫‪Carnegie Mellon Qatar‬‬

‫جون أوبراين‬

‫‪31‬‬

‫وأضاف أوبراين أن الطالب الذين يعملون في مجال التحليالت واسعة النطاق‬ ‫سيسهمون في االقتصاد القطري بما في ذلك صناعة الرياضة‪ ،‬نظ ًرا لتزايداً عدد‬ ‫المجاالت التي تستعين بـ "البيانات الضخمة" لإلجابة عن األسئلة الهامة‪.‬‬

‫‪Summer 2015 / Fall 2015‬‬

On: Research

Air Quality Study Wins Meeting of the Minds University Symposium Provides Platform for Budding Scientists to Present Research A study of Qatar’s air quality recently received the Best Project award at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar’s ninth annual Meeting of the Minds undergraduate research symposium.

The award for the Best Poster went to “Designing Qatar’s Infrastructure in a Human Centered Way” by information systems student Noshin Anjum Nisa.

The “Particulate Air Pollution in Qatar and the Air Quality Index” project was a collaboration between biological sciences students Syed Abbas Mehdi and Nourhan ElKhatib, under the mentorship of Terrence Murphy, teaching professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

Awards at Meeting of the Minds were presented after deliberation by a panel of judges from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF); Ministry of Development, Planning and Statistics; Qatar Biobank; Qatar Science and Technology Park; Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar; Siemens Qatar; Qatar Foundation Research and Development; Al Jazeera; Vodafone Qatar; Qatar Computing Research Institute; and Northwestern University in Qatar.

The year-long study, conducted from March 2014 through April 2015, showed the annual average air pollution in Qatar exceeds not only guidelines set by Qatar’s National Standards but those of the World Health Organization and the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency as well.

“With the results and information gathered thus far, we hope to expand on our research and help establish a set of guidelines for air quality in Qatar,” ElKhatib said. “We are also looking forward to improving our research to learn more about the molecules that are causing the pollution.”

“Meeting of the Minds is a great platform for sharing research that has the potential to yield viable commercial results,” said Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, executive director of QNRF, who recognized two projects with awards from QNRF. “This symposium also provides the opportunity for knowledge transfer across the entire Qatar Foundation community in Education City, which is something that QNRF is proud to support.”

In addition to taking first place in the competition, the study was one of five projects recognized by Barak Yehya, expert in institutional development at the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, for their alignment with Qatar’s National Development Strategy.

Batool AlSayed, engineer at Vodafone Qatar, engineer at Vodafone Qatar, added, “Vodafone Qatar works in partnership with Qatar Foundation to support the Qatar National Vision 2030, which is why sponsoring research from young scientists is very important for us, as it allows us to harness their talents to better serve Qatar in the future.”

Metis, a digital academic planner for college students created by computer science students Rukhsar Neyaz Khan and Sabih Bin Wasi, was awarded second place in the Best Project category, while a study titled “Bacteriophage Diversity in the Ecology of Qatar,” conducted by biological sciences student Umm-Kulthum Umlai, took third place.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the undergraduate research symposium, where all students are encouraged to participate and present their original research and creative projects. The Meeting of the Minds initiative originates from the Carnegie Mellon University main campus in Pittsburgh, USA, which hosted the first annual Meeting of the Minds in 1995.

32

‫دراسة حول جودة الهواء تفوز بجائزة ملتقى العقول‬ ‫منتدى الجامعة يوفر ملتقى يعرض من خالله العلماء الجدد أبحاثهم‬ ‫فازت دراسة حول جودة الهواء مؤخ ًرا بجائزة "أفضل مشروع" في الدورة السنوية‬ ‫التاسعة لملتقى العقول ضمن فعاليات المنتدى البحثي لطالب الجامعات‬ ‫والذي أقيم بجامعة كارنيجي ميلون في قطر‪.‬‬

‫أما جائزة "أفضل ملصق" فكانت من نصيب موضوع بعنوان "تصميم البنية‬ ‫التحتية في قطر بطريقة تتمحور حول اإلنسان"‪ ،‬المقدم من طالبة أنظمة‬ ‫المعلومات نوشين أنجوم نيسا‪.‬‬

‫وقد جاءت الدراسة بعنوان "الجسيمات الملوثة للهواء في قطر ومؤشر جودة‬ ‫الهواء" من إعداد سيد عباس مهدي ونورهان الخطيب‪ ،‬الطالبين في قسم علوم‬ ‫األحياء‪ ،‬وتحت إشراف الدكتور تيرنس ميرفي‪ ،‬أستاذ الكيمياء بجامعة كارنيجي‬ ‫ميلون في قطر‪.‬‬

‫هذا وتم تقديم جوائز "ملتقى العقول" عقب مداوالت لجنة التحكيم المكونة من‬ ‫محكمين من الصندوق القطري لرعاية البحث العلمي‪ ،‬وزارة التخطيط التنموي‬ ‫واإلحصاء‪ ،‬وقطر بيوبنك‪ ،‬وواحة العلوم والتكنولوجيا في قطر‪ ،‬وكلية طب‬ ‫وايل كورنيل في قطر‪ ،‬وسيمنز قطر‪ ،‬وقطاع مؤسسة قطر للبحوث والتطوير‪،‬‬ ‫وشبكة الجزيرة اإلعالمية‪ ،‬وفودافون قطر‪ ،‬ومعهد قطر لبحوث الحوسبة‪ ،‬وجامعة‬ ‫نورثويسترن في قطر‪.‬‬

‫وتوصلت الدراسة التي استمرت عام ًا كام ً‬ ‫ال من مارس ‪ 2014‬إلى أبريل ‪ 2015‬إلى‬ ‫أن متوسط تلوث الهواء السنوي في قطر يتجاوز ليس فقط المعايير الوطنية‬ ‫في قطر بل ومعايير منظمة الصحة العالمية ووكالة حماية البيئة في الواليات‬ ‫المتحدة‪.‬‬ ‫وهو ما علقت عليه نورهان الخطيب‪ ،‬قائلة‪" :‬مع النتائج والمعلومات المتوافرة‬ ‫لدينا حتى اآلن‪ ،‬نأمل أن نتوسع في أبحاثنا وأن نسهم في وضع مجموعة من‬ ‫المعايير الخاصة بنوعية الهواء في قطر‪ .‬كما نتطلع أيض ًا إلى تحسين أبحاثنا من‬ ‫أجل معرفة المزيد عن الجسيمات التي تسبب التلوث"‪.‬‬ ‫وباإلضافة إلى فوزها بالمركز األول في المسابقة‪ ،‬كانت هذه الدراسة ضمن خمسة‬ ‫مشاريع كرمها الدكتور براك يحيى‪ ،‬خبير التطوير المؤسسي بوزارة التخطيط‬ ‫التنموي واإلحصاء‪ ،‬التساقها مع استراتيجية التنمية الوطنية لدولة قطر‪.‬‬ ‫فيما حصل ميتس‪ ،‬المخطط األكاديمي الرقمي لطالب الجامعات والذي تم‬ ‫تصنيعه من قبل طالب علوم الحاسوب روخسار نياز خان وصبيح بن وصي‪ ،‬على‬ ‫المركز الثاني في فئة "أفضل مشروع"‪ ،‬في حين حصلت دراسة بعنوان "تنوع‬ ‫الجراثيم في البيئة القطرية"‪ ،‬والتي أجرتها طالبة علوم األحياء أم كلثوم عمالي‬ ‫على المركز الثالث‪.‬‬

‫‪33‬‬

‫وبهذه المناسبة صرح الدكتور عبد الستار الطائي‪ ،‬المدير التنفيذي للصندوق‬ ‫القطري لرعاية البحث العلمي‪ ،‬الذي كرم مشروعين بجوائز خاصة من الصندوق‪،‬‬ ‫قائ ً‬ ‫ال‪" :‬ملتقى العقول عبارة عن فرصة عظيمة لعرض األبحاث القادرة على تحقيق‬ ‫نتائج تجارية قابلة للتنفيذ على أرض الواقع‪ .‬كما يتيح هذا المنتدى الفرصة لنقل‬ ‫وتبادل المعرفة عبر مجتمع مؤسسة قطر بكافة أطيافه في المدينة التعليمية‪،‬‬ ‫وهو األمر الذي يفخر الصندوق بدعمه"‪.‬‬ ‫ومن جانبها أضافت بتول السيد‪ ،‬المهندسة بشركة فودافون قطر‪" :‬تعمل‬ ‫فودافون قطر بالشراكة مع مؤسسة قطر لدعم رؤية قطر الوطنية ‪ ،2030‬ولهذا‬ ‫السبب نعتبر رعاية البحوث المقدمة من شباب العلماء مسألة في غاية األهمية‬ ‫بالنسبة لنا‪ ،‬ألنها تسمح لنا بتسخير مواهبهم من أجل تقديم خدمة أفضل لقطر‬ ‫في المستقبل"‪.‬‬ ‫جدير بالذكر أن هذا العام يشهد الذكرى السنوية العشرين لمنتدى بحوث طالب‬ ‫الجامعات الذي يشجع جميع الطالب على المشاركة وتقديم بحوثهم المبتكرة‬ ‫ومشاريعهم اإلبداعية‪ .‬و"ملتقى العقول" مبادرة يقدمها الحرم الرئيسي لجامعة‬ ‫كارنيجي ميلون في بيتسبيرغ‪ ،‬بالواليات المتحدة األمريكية‪ ،‬التي استضافت‬ ‫الملتقى السنوي األول للعقول في عام ‪.1995‬‬

‫‪Summer 2015 / Fall 2015‬‬

On the record.

Hundreds of secondary school students learned more about CMU-Q’s degree programs in biological sciences, business administration, computer science and information systems during outreach workshops offered this spring.

34

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

35

On the record.

The Carnegie Mellon Honors String Quartet visited Doha this spring, performing at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, the Education City Student Center and the Dean’s residence. The musicians also visited the Qatar Music Academy and several local schools.

36

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

37

On: Pittsburgh

Farnam Jahanian Becomes CMU Provost New Provost to Bring Expertise to Qatar Computing Research Institute

I am honored by this appointment and eagerly anticipate the opportunity to work closely with President Suresh and the CMU faculty, deans and campus community to help shape the university’s future.

After being appointed in February, Farnam Jahanian has assumed his new role of provost of Carnegie Mellon University.

Jahanian, an accomplished scientist and successful entrepreneur, brings extensive leadership experience in higher education administration, an impressive background in scholarly achievement, and a strong commitment to teaching and learning to his new role.

Jahanian will report directly to CMU President Subra Suresh, serving as a key member of his leadership team. As the university’s chief academic officer, Jahanian will have broad responsibility for leading CMU’s schools, institutes and campuses, and will be instrumental in long-range institutional and academic planning and implementation.

“I am pleased to have Farnam assume this role,” said Suresh. “He has shown an extraordinary ability to engage members of the faculty and broader community through his visionary leadership and skill at fostering cross-departmental strategic collaboration and innovation. His commitment to teaching and scholarly research, demonstrated by his impressive personal and professional accomplishments, brings unique insights to this key leadership position.”

Before becoming provost, Jahanian was CMU’s vice president for research from April 2014 to May 2015, leading the university’s efforts in expanding CMU’s

38

Farnam Jahanian CMU Provost

world-class research and innovation ecosystem. Building on his role as vice president for research, Jahanian will focus on supporting and advancing the teaching and scholarship of CMU’s faculty with the support of the academic deans, as well as providing leadership for all other facets of the university’s academic life.

“I am honored by this appointment and eagerly anticipate the opportunity to work closely with President Suresh and the CMU faculty, deans and campus community to help shape the university’s future,” Jahanian said. “Carnegie Mellon is a remarkable institution with deep traditions in promoting excellence in education and research.

The way in which science and technology are intertwined with social science, humanities and the arts at CMU creates a nurturing environment for learning and discovery that advance human knowledge and the human condition. I admire and personally share CMU’s commitment to this mission.”

Before coming to CMU, Jahanian led the National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) from 2011 to 2014.

He also served as co-chair of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council Committee on Technology.

Jahanian was on the faculty at the University of Michigan from 1993 to 2014, where he held the Edward S. Davidson Collegiate Professorship in the College of Engineering and served as chair of computer science and engineering from 2007 to 2011 and director of the Software Systems Laboratory from 1997 to 2000. Previously, he held research and management positions at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center.

Jahanian’s research on network routing and security formed the basis for the Internet security company Arbor Networks, which he co-founded in 2001 and where he served as chairman until its acquisition in 2010.

He has been an active advocate for how basic research can be uniquely central to an innovation ecosystem that addresses societal priorities and drives global competitiveness.

Jahanian serves as chair of the National Research Council’s Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) and is a board member of the Computing Research Association (CRA) and National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). He has served on dozens of national advisory boards and government panels. In May, he was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI).

The author of more than 100 research papers, Jahanian has received numerous honors for his scholarly research and commitment to education excellence. His work on Internet routing stability and convergence has been highly influential within both the network research and the Internet operational communities and was recognized with an ACM SIGCOMM Test of Time Award in 2008.

Jahanian holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

On: Class Notes

Alumni Association Elects New Officers Following elections this spring, three new officers have been chosen to represent the Carnegie Mellon Qatar Alumni Chapter and one officer has been reelected to a second term.

The officers will serve two-year terms beginning in April 2015.

Marie-Joe Khachan (BA’12),

As a 2013 graduate, Amal would like to continue to be involved with and give back to the CMU-Q community. During her time as vice president, she hopes to maintain the strong social connections that have been built and further strengthen the alumni network.

Contact Amal at molaosman@gmail.com.

President

Jevika Shetty (BA’13),

Marie-Joe Khachan is part of the International Retail Department at QNB Group, where she is currently working on enhancing the products and services offered by QNB branches abroad.

Before that, she was a senior marketing and development executive at KPMG in Qatar.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, learning languages and Zumba.

Communications Director

While at Carnegie Qatar, Marie-Joe was involved in many activities. She was the editor-in-chief for the All Around student newspaper and the VP of Academics for the Student Government.

A highlight of her time at CMU-Q was participating in an adventure trip to Morocco.

Marie-Joe is pleased to be serving as president of the chapter, and looks forward to strengthening the bond among CMU-Q alumni and helping them retain their connections with the university.

Contact Marie-Joe at mariejoe.khachan@gmail.com.

Amal Osman (BA’13), Vice President Amal Osman is a market research analyst at the Doha office of Ipsos, a global market research company that is headquartered in Paris, France.

Throughout her time at CMU-Q, Amal was involved in various clubs and organizations, including the Student Government, Development Solutions Organization (DSO), Activities Board and CMU-Q’s ladies basketball team.

In 2012, she spent a semester abroad at the main campus in Pittsburgh, which enriched her overall college experience. As a CMU-Q student, she also did a community service project in Vietnam, travelled to Taiwan and Singapore for academic trips, and attended the Harvard Women's Leadership Conference in Boston, USA.

Summer 2015 / Fall 2015

Jevika Shetty graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in Professional Writing.

Jevika currently works as the postgraduate & research administrator at the Translation & Interpreting Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar Foundation. Jevika is also a freelance writer focusing on various forms of writing and content development, as well as editing and proofreading.

Jevika is actively involved in community and social development initiatives in Doha, and loves exploring new cultural concepts.

Contact Jevika at jshetty@qf.org.qa.

Abdallah Darwish (BA’12), Director of Finance Abdallah Darwish works for Qatar Petroleum International in the Corporate Development and Planning Department. During his tenure with the company, he has gained insight into all sectors of the company including Upstream, Downstream, Gas & Power, Legal, HR and Procurement. This has made his career very dynamic, as he has constantly been faced with new challenges and has had the satisfaction of resolving them. The company is now undergoing an integration process with the mother company Qatar Petroleum, and he is looking forward to his next step in his career.

2009 Dana Haidan (BA), head of corporate social responsibility and sustainability at Vodafone Qatar, was named among the "100 Most Talented CSR Leaders" at the World CSR Congress held in Mumbai, India.

2011 Aisha Al-Darwish (BA), is a policy advisor for Qatar Shell.

2013 Hiba Al-Ashtal (BS), is a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, where she has been investigating the structure and function of biological molecules through a technique called X-ray crystallography. She recently co-crystallized the interaction of the DM15 domain of La-related protein 1 with RNA, adding to our knowledge about gene expression.

Humaira Tasnim (IS) is a teaching assistant in information systems at CMU-Q.

2014 Aveed Sheikh (BA) is a marketing specialist at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

Nada Salem (BA) is a consultant at Ernst & Young.

2015 Omar Shamiyeh (IS) is president & founder of Al Wakalat, an online showroom for car dealerships in Qatar.

To be re-elected for the finance director position is an honor for Abdallah. As part of the Qatar Chapter leadership, Abdallah aims to provide support for his fellow alumni and help keep the network strong.

Contact Abdallah at cedar_90@hotmail.com.

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Alumni welcomed graduating seniors into the CMU-Q Alumni Association during an evening at the beach at Doha’s InterContinental Hotel.

In recognition that a growing number of alumni are living and working in the United Arab Emirates, a networking event in Dubai brought together CMU alumni from the Pittsburgh and Qatar campuses.

A global leader in education with 13,000 students across the globe

19 Nobel Laureates and 12 Turing Award winners

More than 400 students from 40 countries on the Qatar campus

Programs: Biological Sciences Business Administration Computer Science Information Systems