The American University in Cairo's (AUC) Office of Student Development and Writing program held its two day annual undergraduate research conference. Celebrating its third year, AUC faculty members chose 50 students to present their work before their peers in Oriental Hall, ending last Thursday. "A few years ago, there only used to be a research conference for AUC faculty and graduate students. I thought why not establish one for undergraduates? said Amani El Shimi, co-founder of the undergraduate research conference. Students from all majors were encouraged to submit research proposals, statements and a final essay on topics they chose that represented initiatives integral to the Middle East. AUC Political Science senior Rana Hassanien took the stage early Wednesday morning with her essay on the need to reform international schools in Cairo. Based on her experience as a high school student in Egypt's top rated private international school, Cairo American Collage (CAC), Hassanien declared that "as an Egyptian graduating from an international school in Cairo, I lack the Arabic skills needed for me to interact effectively in Egypt's employment force. Because my English has become so fluent, I'm more likely to work abroad, but what if I want to stay at home? Her essay included the recommendation that "perhaps Egyptian students attending international schools should be traded the requirement of learning two years of Middle East history instead of US history, instead of having to take a foreign language, let us take Arabic, Hassanein said. After a conference intermission late Thursday afternoon, Rola Ayman presented her essay on female sexual harassment in Cairo, telling AUC faculty and students that "the mass sexual harassment of women in downtown Cairo by scores of young men must stop. Ayman's research paper encouraged her and a team of friends to design billboards that read in Arabic: "Don't put yourself in such a position, referring to men in Cairo who "find it manly to sexually harass women. They expect Cairo to be flooded with their message loaded billboards by early fall this year. Graduating senior Joseph Mbombo came from The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to study political science at AUC. In a presentation attended by over 20 students, Mbombo spoke about the weak relationship financial aid donors have with countries such as Egypt and the DRC. Through his research, Mbombo discovered how little foreign donors target civil society organizations in developing nations, a place where the poor can voice their opinions. "If foreign donors were really concerned about spreading democracy, this is where they'd be putting their money, not in the military, he said. Although El Shimi found the low student turn-out frustrating, she also took into consideration the pressure students face during the end of the semester. "Still this is a great opportunity for students and I hope to see the undergraduate research conference become just as popular as the Model UN. El Shimi, along with co-founder of the AUC undergraduate research conference, Diana Blevins, hopes to establish a center for undergraduate research in AUC's new campus next year. "In the future, this center would be able to provide awards for our students, or grants that would allow them to present abroad. Such exposure can prepare them to deal with the world of academia more seriously, said El Shimi. "Last year, a student from Bryn Mawr College received a grant from her college to present her research at AUC, this year we accepted a student from Sadat Academy. El Shimi hopes such exchange will continue to prosper and attract more attention to AUC's Writing Program initiative. Blevins told The Daily Star Egypt, "This conference means a lot of good for AUC. For one thing, it is a platform for undergraduate students seeking to complete a Ph.D. AUC marketing junior Sarah El Guindi also presented at this year's conference. "I think creating an undergraduate research conference was a great idea, it gave me the chance to use my research skills to talk about a serious issue in Egypt, that is cancer awareness, she said. El Guindi is pleased to have AUC Press publish her article in this year's undergraduate research journal. "It's nice being this young and getting work published. More importantly, we're being active students, a role AUC students should take more seriously.
