Professors at Work

When the COVID-19 virus hit two years ago, AUB Associate Professor of pathology, virology and immunology Hassan Zaraket spiked to a new level of action. He adjusted his lab research -- on the genetic makeup of viruses and their spread, mutations, and vaccine responses -- to develop new diagnostic tests that can be used on the front line of public health action in Lebanon and across the region. He also shifted slowly to assess other respiratory transmissions, and the impact of masks and distancing. He talks about his research on infected patients and staff in the hospital emergency rooms, to determine the impact of more fresh air on the virus’ spread, and shares what he has learned about the best ways to reach the public with practical tips on staying healthy.

Professor Sumru Altug, Chair of the AUB Economics Department, explores whether geographical proximity can stimulate economic growth and diversification in nearby countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Her analysis of the impact of trade, physical proximity, and institutions suggests that the spillover effect is limited, other than workers’ remittances. This probably reflects the distorting dominance of oil and gas in MENA economies, and the political capture of states by their elites.

Associate professor of hydrogeology in the Geology Department, Dr. Joanna Doummar, explains the existing stresses on the limited and erratic quantities of groundwater reserves in Lebanon, which is the main source of fresh water for most countries in the region. By monitoring flows of water into complex underground aquifers, she models the operations of entire water catchment areas and springs that will also be impacted by population growth and climate change. Quality of water is also constantly monitored, which allows her and her colleagues to develop early warning systems and models to catch problems before they get out of control.

Professor Elie Shammas of the mechanical engineering department has investigated and created robotic and bio-robotic “shape controllable structures” that perform duties beyond the abilities of human brings – like remotely controlled snake robots that slide and slither wherever they are needed. He explains the progress he and his colleagues have made in areas like dangerous search and rescue operations and delicate medical work. His latest research includes medical forceps that retrieve objects from inside human bodies, and scanning technology that measures tooth movement during operations.

Economics professor and former director of the Institute of Financial Economics, Simon Neaime, sees hard times ahead as Lebanon’s problematic political class shows no will to fix the country’s economic decline. He sees added pressures from regional stresses of poverty, inequality, and unemployment, though countries like Jordan and Egypt have taken decisive measures that elude Lebanon. He sees hope in the students and young people he encounters daily, who insist on identifying the political changes needed to save the country, including reducing corruption.

Joseph Costantine, Associate Professors in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at AUB, helps chart the future of wearable electromagnetic devices that measure various human body conditions like blood sugar or cancer. He explains how he embarked on this path that has led to his being chosen one of ten World Economic Forum global young scientists, who each contribute to the development of technologies that could improve humankind’s wellbeing.

Dr. Faysal Kak’s research and policy interventions have covered a wide range of issues related to women’s reproductive and sexual health in Lebanon and the region. This includes rising and falling maternal mortality rates, and empowering youth by integrating sexuality and rights into community life in conservative societies. As Senior Lecturer of Health Behavior and Sexuality & Public Health, and Director of the Women Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) Program at AUB Medical Center, he explains the different threats to women’s wellbeing at home, school, work, and across society, and how training, laws, advocacy and shelters reduce some problems.

AUB chemical engineering MSc student Elsy Milan uses 3D computer modelling to investigate how CO2 in the atmosphere can be captured and safely stored underground in depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Her pioneering work analyzes data from 42 projects around the world to determine if available subsurface spaces could safely store CO2 in the atmosphere that – if left unchecked – threatens the viability of life on earth. She explains that her next step in the research is to simulate if the CO2 can be safely captured and stored in individual underground reservoirs.

Senior lecturer in English and comparative literature Sirene Harb was just honored by the Arab American Book Awards for her publication Articulations of Resistance Transformative Practices in Contemporary Arab-American Poetry. She explains her analyses of Arab-American poets, especially women, who represent their own understandings of time, space, resistance, and identities, often in daring experimental forms of poetry. Arab-American poets’ sentiments and perceptions of themselves in society also frequently link with similar attitudes among African-American and Arab women, especially in racial discrimination.

AUB Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Elias Ghossoub analyzed global research to identify high risk factors for homicide-suicides – when someone kills someone and then commits suicide – during high stress periods such as pandemics. Because these rare events have such serious consequences, Dr Ghossoub and his colleagues have analyzed data in Lebanon that matches known symptoms of homicide-suicides. These include higher rates of depression and suicide thoughts, as witnessed in Lebanon these days. This prompted him to design recommendations for psychiatrists and MDs to screen all their patients for` troubling symptoms. He also explains other high risk symptoms associated with this phenomenon, and his recommendations for immediate interventions.