In Brief
Dr. André Megarbane Receives the 2024 Arab Award in Genetics
The 2024 Arab Award for Genetics was presented to Professor André Megarbane, chair of the Department of Human Genetics and assistant dean for Research at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine. Awarded by Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, the recognition celebrates Dr. Megarbane’s vast contribution to the field, especially in terms of understanding genetic disorders, raising public awareness, early diagnosis, genetic counseling and the effective management of cases.
Dr. Hussein Zeaiter Serves on a Doctorate Jury at the University of Montpellier, France
The Doctoral College of Economics and Management at the University of Montpellier, France, invited Associate Professor of Economics at LAU, Hussein Zeaiter, to act as an external reviewer on the doctoral jury for student Rim Al-Amin. Al-Amin successfully defended her dissertation, “Collective and Contextualized Strategies to Enhance the Resilience of Agricultural Systems in Lebanon.” Dr. Zeaiter has previously participated in doctorate committees at the Université de Montpellier, thereby enhancing his academic relationship with both schools.
AKSOB Students Granted Internships at Alvin D’Or
Marketing students in the Consumer Behavior Course walked away with internships at Alvin D’Or SARL after demonstrating their creativity, strategic thinking and e-marketing skills in a project competition. Alvin D’Or Cosmetics and marketing agent Frequency Unplugged praised the students’ presentations and commitment. Assistant professors Hounaida El Jurdi and Joelle Majdalani, along with instructor Nadia Azzam, expressed their delight with the quality of work and the dedication shown by their marketing students.
Praise for AKSOB Student’s E-Marketing Project
Rima Sfaxi, a third-year marketing student at the Adnan Kassar School of Business, has been praised by Saber Industrial Corporation—a manufacturer of sealants and adhesive tapes—for her outstanding e-marketing project, a social media reel that perfectly captures Saber Industrial’s commitment to Lebanon’s reconstruction. In a thank-you letter, the company’s leadership said that her project was “a testament to the talent and dedication of AKSOB marketing students who are helping spread messages of optimism and resilience far and wide.”
Creative Writing at LAU: Top 1 Percent in Literary Studies
Now in his second year among the top 2 percent of researchers worldwide, LAU Associate Professor Sleiman El Hajj has ranked among the top 1 percent in Literary Studies (121 out of 17,976) by Scopus-Elsevier, achieving the highest ranking globally for Creative Writing scholars. Dr. El Hajj expressed pride “in having placed Lebanese creative writing on the academic map,” noting how its integration with quantitative algorithms enhances its standing internationally.
LAU Joins International Scientific Forum
LAU, through its School of Engineering, recently joined the Open Quantum Institute, an initiative hosted by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), born at the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), and supported by UBS. As Lebanon’s sole representative, LAU will collaborate with international partners, including BMW Group, Idealworks, InMind .ai, and the University of Franche-Comté to help promote inclusive access to quantum computing and the development of applications to be leveraged for the UN 2023 SDGs.
A Tournament With a Purpose
In the spirit of bringing the engineering community together and enjoying a friendly competition for a greater cause, a mini-football tournament titled Engineering Cup: Playing with Purpose was held on Thursday, December 5, on the Byblos campus. Organized by the IEEE, ASME, IISE, SPE, ASCE, and DSC LAU chapters with the support of the School of Engineering, the event successfully raised donations to support displaced families and the community during these challenging times.
Students Repair, Renew and Donate
A drive organized by the Engineers Without Borders student club combined sustainability, volunteerism and practical skills to benefit Lebanon’s vulnerable communities. Throughout November, the LAU community on the Byblos campus donated used items such as batteries, doll houses, board games, kitchen appliances and laptops for engineering students to repair and clean up. While a few items had to be recycled, a large number of toys, electronics and appliances were donated to aid those in need.
Dr. Dumitru Baleanu Awarded the Liu-Hui Prize
Professor at LAU’s School of Arts and Sciences Dumitru Baleanu has received the 2024 Liu-Hui Prize—a prestigious award that honors contributions to the field of mathematics—at the 2nd International Conference on Mathematical Analysis, Applications and Computational Simulation, China. This award recognizes Dr. Baleanu’s contributions to fractional variational principles and their applications in control theory, notably through co-developing the Atangana-Baleanu fractional derivative, a mathematical tool with broad applications in science and engineering.
Architect Celine Lahoud Awarded by AIA Middle East
Alumna Celine Lahoud (BArch ’24) has received the Honor Award for Best Graduation Project at the 2024 American Institute of Architects Year-End Conference and Design Awards, organized by the Institute’s Middle East Chapter in Qatar. Lahoud’s final-year project, De Rerum Natura, developed under the supervision of Prof. Issam Barhouch, proposed a sanctuary that revitalizes an ancient site in Bjarrine, combining innovation in preservation with environmental design, and inviting visitors to immerse themselves in nature, while promoting community and self-sufficiency.
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