The Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies
and the Office of Student Development
The Eighth Annual AUC Conference
For
Excellence in Undergraduate Research, Entrepreneurship, and Creative Achievement
EURECA
“Partners in Progress”
21-22 April, 2013, Moataz Al Alfi Hall
23 April, 2013, P071, Al Waleed
The Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies
and the Office of Student Development
The Eighth Annual AUC Conference
For
Excellence in Undergraduate Research, Entrepreneurship, and Creative Achievement
EURECA
“Partners in Progress”
The AUC Conference for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, Entrepreneurship, and Creative Achievement, organized by the Undergraduate Research Program, Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and co-sponsored by the Office of Student Development, provides a forum for presenting any “inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline”
(Definition by the Council on Undergraduate Research)
It is an opportunity for students to share in the social construction of knowledge, sharpen critical and creative thinking and expression skills -- written, oral and visual -- and engage in interdisciplinary dialogue. It is also exemplary of the effort to integrate the “curricular” and the “co-curricular” student learning experience into a holistic framework.
Join us in celebrating their achievement.
EURECA Schedule-at-a-Glance
Sunday, April 21, 2013 (Moataz Al Alfi Hall)
9:00 – 11:00 am / Breakfast and Orientation for Undergraduate EURECA Presenters11:30 am – 12:45 pm / Conference Opening
Amr Shaarawi, provost
Robert Switzer, dean of undergraduate studies
Amani Elshimi, director of undergraduate research
Keynote Address
Mostafa Hegazi, head of communication and media, Shayfeencom
12:45 pm / Ongoing Sandwich Buffet
1:00 – 1:50 pm / Graphic Design Exhibition
Kufic Name Project
Sara Azlw, Charline Maalof, Syliva Philip, Nourhan Abdelbaki, Leila Eleshe, Dina Karam, Nesma el Abd
Light Project
Ahd Sherif and Dina Soliman, Hana Wahby, Mayar Essawy
Arabic Alphabet
Dina Karam, Charline Maalouf, Nesma Al Abd, Sylvia Philip, Bassem el Khoury
Cart Project
Leila Eleshe, Charline Maalouf and Dina Karam, Nour Osman, Nourhan Abdelbaki, Bassem El Khoury, Marina Boutros
Visual Song Project
Omar Ashour, Ziad Saad, Hana Wahby, Sara Fateen, Nourhan Abdelbaki, Diana Kostandi, Salma el Naggar, Marina Raed
Collage Poem
Engy Abou el Khair, Ahd Sherif
Self-box Project
Nourhan Abdelbaki, Ziad Shaker, Engy Abou El Khair, Sara Azlw, Sara Fateen, Omar Ashour, Ahd Sherif, Hana Wahby,
Diana Kostandi
Digital Practices (Theater Poster Winner)
Bassem el Khoury
2:00 – 3:00 pm / Panel One: Engineering and Sciences
Ali Abdel Shafy
“Drilling and Stimulation of Shale Gas”
Amr Abdel Kader
“Nanostructured Membrane for Detection of Heavy Metals in Aqueous Solutions”
Shady Gergis
“Investigating Seismic Performance of Masonry Infilled Reinforced Concrete Frames”
3:00 – 3:15 pm / Break
3:15 – 4:45 pm / Panel Two: Literature and Social Science
Nadeen Shaker
“The Intellectual Reception of Frantz Fanon in Black America”
Engy Shaaban
“The Solution: Islam's Impact on the Black Community”
Deena Bahgat
“DB: Handmade With Love”
Rwayda Karim, Nagla Al Khoraiby and Mariam El Ibyari
“Rethinking the Nile”
Menna AbdelRahman
“Street Vendors: Unemployment's Curse on Society or an Economic Opportunity”
Monday, April 22, 2013 (Moataz Al Alfi Hall)
8:15 am / Light Breakfast8:30 – 9:45 am / Panel Three: Arabic Studies and Poetry
Griffin Olsen
“The Many Faces of Cheer: Getting to Know the Children of the National Cancer Institute”
William Hussman
“Conversation Cafe: Building Civil Society Through Exchanges of Language and Culture”
Claire Cooley
“Where Is the Bread?”
Mennat-Allah Mansour
“The Greatest Gift of All: A Poem”
9:45 – 10:00 am / Break
10:00 – 11:15 am / Panel Four: Media and Politics
Sarrah Kassem
“State of the Discipline(d) of Political Science”
Taha Selim
“Cosmos Radio, New Specialized Media in Egypt and the Middle East”
Zeinab Aboul Wafa
“Social Networking Ethical Code for Journalists and Media Professionals in Egypt”
Sarah Saad and Lojain Ibrahim
“Effects of Social Media On Political Tolerance During 2012 Egyptian Presidential Elections on University Students”
11:15 – 11:30 am / Break
11:30 am – 12:45 pm / Panel Five: Biology and Medical Science
Mahmoud El Maklizi
“A Localized PCR Inhibitor in a Porcelain Crab Suggests a Protective Role”
Mohamed El Shazly, Eman Abdul Ghany and Ali Abd Al-Latif
“Design and Development of Smart Nano-carriers for Targeting Schistosomiasis”
Mahmoud Sakr
“Study of Cardiac Myoctes Moving Mechanism”
Mohamed Ashour
“A Wireless MEMS Device for Blood Sugar Monitoring”
12:45 pm / Ongoing Sandwich Buffet
1:00 – 1:50 / Open Campus Forum on Undergraduate Research
Faculty panelists:
Hassanein Amer, Department of Electronic Engineering
Mona Amer, Department of Psychology
Rania Siam, Department of Biology
Magda Mostafa, Department of Construction and Architectural Engineering
2:00 – 3:15 pm / Panel Six: Astrophysics, Mathematics and Accounting
Ramy El Adli and Sandy El Moghazi
“Radio Telescope Array”
Ahmed Namek
“Geometrical Interpretation of Line Integral”
Ahmed El Bedwihy
“The Implementation of an Audit Rotation in Egypt”
3:15 – 3:30 pm / Break
3:30 – 5:00 pm / Featured speaker: Sherif El Ghamrawy, entrepreneur and owner of Basata Eco-Lodge
Introduced by: Mohamed Dabbour, director, Office of Student Development
Certificate Awards
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 (Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Hall, Room P071)
9:00 am / Breakfast9:30 – 10:15 am / Panel One: History of Zionism Before 1948
Salma El-Saeed
“Zionist Activity During World War I”
Michael Coulom
“Growth of the Yishuv in the 1920s”
Shirin Abdelhamid
“The 1939 White Paper: A Zionist Dilemma”
10:15 – 10:30 am / Break
10:30 – 11:30 am / Panel Two: History of Zionism after 1948
Youssef Sallam
“Perspectives on the War of June 1967”
Engy Moussa
“October 1973: A Turning Point in U.S.-Israel Relations”
Shams AbdelWahab
“The American Jewish Diaspora’s Response in 1973”
Farida Youssef
“Labor and Likud at the 1977 Elections”
11:30 – 11:45 am / Break
11:45 am – 12:45 pm / Panel Three: Soldiers, Youths and Peasants in the Making of History
Tim Stewart
“Egypt in World War II Through the Eyes of British Soldiers”
Helen Min
“The Youth Revolution in Egypt”
Lachlan Tylor
“Transforming the African Peasant Household: Wage Labor and the Rise of Cassava”
12:45 – 1:30 pm / Lunch Break
1:30 – 2:15 pm / Performance: “Marriage, Love, and Divorce During Occupation: A Historical Re-enactment of Two Court Cases”
Salma M. Abdel Basset, Monica M. Abo Shosha, Passant N. Darwish, Magda M. Keshk, Farah A. Mohamed, Nouran M. Mohamed, Omar A. Morsi, Nazly O. Reda, Injy M. Refaie, Yosra T. Rifaat, Alaa A. Saad, Manar A. Safi-El Din, Nadeen M. Shohayeb, Celine Takla
2:15 – 2:30 pm / Break
2:30 – 3:15 pm / Panel Four: Gender and Consumption in 20th Century Egypt
Nancy Salem
“Masculinity in Modern Egypt”
Dalia Abbas
“Representations of Women in Nasser’s Egypt”
Reem Morsy
“The Egyptian Consumer in the Nasser Era”
3:15 – 3:30 pm / Break
3:30 – 4:15 pm / Panel Five: War, Politics, and Class Conflict in 20th Century Egypt
Kareem AbdelBary
“Egypt’s Bourgeoisie in the 1919 Revolution”
Heba Bahnassy
“The 1973 War: Myth of Success?”
Adham Youssef
“A Class Analysis of the January 1977 Uprising”
4:15 – 4:30 pm / History Certificate Awards
Program
Sunday, April 21, 2013, Moataz Al Alfi Hall
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Breakfast and Orientation to Undergraduate EURECA Presenters
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Conference Opening and Keynote Speaker
Conference Opening
Amr Shaarawi, Provost
Robert Switzer, Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Amani Elshimi, Director of Undergraduate Research
Keynote Address
Mostafa Hegazi, Head of Communication and Media committee in Shayfeencom NGO
1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
Art Exhibition
Kufic Name Project
Sara Azlw, Charline Maalof, Syliva Philip, Nourhan Abdelbaki, Leila Eleshe, Dina Karam, Nesma el Abd
Light Project
Ahd Sherif and Dina Soliman, Hana Wahby and Mayar Essay
Arabic Alphabet
Dina Karam, Charline Maalouf, Nesma Al Abd, Sylvia Philip, Bassem el Khoury
Cart Project
Leila Eleshe, Charline Maalouf and Dina Karam, Nour Osman and Nourhan Abdelbaki, Bassem El Khoury, Marina Boutros
Visual Song Project
Omar Ashour, Ziad Saad, Hana Wahby, Sara Fateen, Nourhan Abdel Baki, Diana Kostandi, Salma el Naggar, Marina Raed
Collage Poem
Engy Abou el Khair, Ahd Sherif
Self-box Project
Nourhan Abdelbaki, Ziad Shaker, Engy Abou El Khair, Sara Azlw, Sara Fateen, Omar Ashour, Ahd Sherif, Hana Wahby, Diana Kostandi
Digital Practices (Theater Poster Winner)
Bassem el Khoury
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM - Panel 1: Engineering and Sciences
Drilling and Stimulation of Shale Gas
Interest Area: Engineering
Type: Research Paper
Speaker(s):
Mr Ali Abdelshafy
Shale Gas has gained significant interest in recent years due to huge Shale Gas reserves all over the world, increas of gas prices and update of drilling and production technologies. This research focuses on Shale Gas reservoir nature, techniques used in drilling and stimulation, and a case study of a type of a shale gas reservoir.
Mr. Ali Abdelshafy is a Junior at the Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering , Suez University
Nanostructured Membrane for Detection of Heavy Metals in Aqueous Solutions
Interest Area: Sciences
Type: Research Paper
Speaker(s):
Mr. Amr Abd El-Kader
Heavy metals may often have combined effects so that exposure to multiple heavy metals at low levels might be just as toxic as exposure to one metal at a high level - a condition which could lead to some critical and dangerous side effects. This project provides fast detection of the concentration of heavy metals in water, which allows for a clean and healthy environment.
Mr. Amr Abd El-Kader is a Senior Student, BioEng, HTI
Investigating Seismic Performance of Masonry Infilled Reinforced Concrete Frames
Interest Area: Engineering
Type: Research Paper
Speaker(s):
Mr. Shady Gergis
Masonry infilled frames are widely used in concrete construction worldwide, especially in Egypt. Their effect on the earthquake resistance of buildings could be very detrimental, even in moderate earthquakes. Their performance in earthquakes should be assessed and understood to ensure safe new construction and apply appropriate rehabilitation to old construction. This should prevent future unexpected failures during earthquakes.
Mr. Shady Gergis is a Construction Engineering graduating senior, specializing in Structural Engineering at The American Univeristy in Cairo.
3:15 PM - 4:45 PM - Panel Two: Literature and Social Sciences
The Intellectual reception of Frantz Fanon in Black America
Interest Area: Humanities
Type: Research Paper
Speaker(s):
Ms. Nadeen Shaker
Frantz Fanon was not only popular in the East, but had a huge impact on African-American youth and intellectuals in the 1960s. The project presents how Fanon's works including The Wretched of the Earth was intellectually received within this community.
Ms. Nadeen Shaker graduated in Fall 2013 with a degree in English and Comparative Literature from The American University in Cairo. This research was conducted in the Fall of 2013.
The Solution: Islam's Impact on the Black Community
Interest Area: Humanities
Type: Research Paper
Speaker(s):
Ms. Engy Shaaban
Islam was seen as a liberating religion that spoke volumes to a Black Community that had been dehumanized for far too long. It offered a solution to oppression and hate, giving people hope that by adopting the message of the prophet Muhammad, racial and even national prejudices could disappear. How was Islam able to give the struggling black community such hope? What aspects of the Islamic narrative caused it to become a revolutionary medium for the jaded black community in “pre-civil rights” America? This study will attempt to answer such questions and define Islam as it was seen through the eyes of the oppressed black man.
Ms. Engy Shaaban is an American Egyptian studying at AUC. This study is her particular area of interest within the realm of African-American Encounters. She minors in philosophy, history, and psychology and integrates the many skills she has learned from these minors in her writing. She has a passion for writing and cross-cultural research.
DB: Handmade With Love
Interest Area: Arts
Speaker(s):
Ms. Deena Bahgat
DB is a social enterprise which empowers women through the art of crochet. In the world we live in today, most store-bought products are impersonal. Huge factories in far off places create clothing pieces and accessories by the thousands. The stakeholders in creating these products rarely get the chance to enjoy the fruit of their labor and are paid abysmally. Consequently, handmade products lose their glory and value. DB, a small social enterprise founded and run by Deena Bahgat, a student at the AUC with 10 years of experience in sewing, design and crochet, aims to bridge the gap between producers and consumers and bring back an association of elegance to handmade goods.
Ms. Deena Bahgat is a Freshmen at AUC specializing in Social Entrepreneurship.
Rethinking the Nile
Interest Area: Sciences
Type: Research Paper
Speaker(s):
Ms Rwayda Karim, Nagla Al khoreiby, Mariam El Ibyari
The Cairo Aqueduct is currently cut off from the Nile and acts as a barrier rather than a connecter to its community. Restoration of the connection between the Nile and the Aqueduct will promote revitalization of the area. Our presentation will detail our plans for restoring the link between the Nile and the aqueduct, and outline projects that we have in mind for the community living in that area.
Street Vendors: Unemployment's Curse on Society or an Economic Opportunity?
Interest Area: Humanities
Type: Research Paper
Speaker(s):
Ms. Menna AbdelRahman
The noticeable expansion in the street vendor phenomenon can be attributed to the rising levels of unemployment since the Jan 25 uprising as well as ineffective government policy that has continued to aggravate the situation rather than solve it. This study looks at the street vendor phenomenon in Egypt in relation to unemployment; exploring their work environment, social and economic implications of their activities, as well as government policy and legislation addressing this situation. After discerning whether this phenomenon is in fact unemployment’s curse on society or a veiled economic opportunity, some policy recommendations that aim to find a sustainable solution for this issue will be explored.
Ms. Menna AbdelRahman is a Senior at The American University in Cairo specializing in Economics.
Monday 22 April 2013, Moataz Al Alfi Hall
8:30 AM - 9:45 AM - Panel Three: Arabic Studies and Poetry
The Many Faces of Cheer: Getting to Know the Children of the National Cancer Institute