The Merge

Dean Shihadeh speaks with Dr. Majd Hilal on The Merge about architecture's massive carbon footprint, like Dubai's vanity towers. Hilal argues we must adaptively reuse buildings and shift to sufficiency-based design to cut emissions.

In episode 5 of The Merge, Dr. Vida Mia García explores the role human-centered design can play alongside the traditional engineering curriculum taught to students through empathy, making actionable problem-statements, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Dr. Fadi Zaraket discusses Arabic Large Language Models (LLMs), he highlights their importance in ensuring technology aligns with the Arabic language and culture. For him, the development of Arabic LLMs is essential in bridging the gap between global advancements and regional identity. The conversation expands to encompass general LLMs, surveillance, tech politics, the future of engineering education and liberal arts, and the unregulated frontiers of AI, all of which are reshaping industries around the world.The Merge is a production of the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at AUB. The podcast was recorded at the studios of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching & Learning at MSFEA. Special thanks to our team Karen Kelaita, Rima Ghannoum, Christina Sleiman, Mariam Noureddine, Kassem Zaayter, and Dana Ghalayini for recording, editing, and production.

When Dr. Nassim Nicholas Taleb looks to the future, he doesn’t see the randomness of a roll of the dice, but a hidden order shaped by probability distributions and rooted in history. For him, randomness itself is epistemic—grounded in knowledge and the deep, unbroken threads that connect us to our past.

The Merge is a production of the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at AUB. The podcast was recorded at the studios of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching & Learning at MSFEA. Special thanks to our team Karen Kelaita, Rima Ghannoum, Christina Sleiman, Mariam Noureddine, Kassem Zaayter, and Dana Ghalayini for recording, editing, and production.

Explore the critical role of urban planning and collective spaces in the rebuilding of war-torn areas with Dr. Mona Fawaz, Professor of Urban Planning and Convener of the graduate programs in Urban Planning and Design at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at AUB. Drawing on her extensive expertise, Dr. Fawaz discusses how urban design can foster social cohesion, economic revitalization, and the preservation of a community.

The Merge is a production of the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at AUB. The podcast was recorded at the studios of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching & Learning at MSFEA. Special thanks to our team Karen Kelaita, Rima Ghannoum, Christina Sleiman, Mariam Noureddine, Kassem Zaayter, and Dana Ghalayini for recording, editing, and production.

Amid relentless bombardments in Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Beqaa Valley, Professor Issam Srour from AUB, an expert in construction waste and sustainable rubble management, discusses urgent strategies for handling Lebanon’s mounting demolition debris and its potential for sustainable rebuilding.