2021-2022 US Fulbright Scholars to Egypt
Hannah Gaff Workshop at Academy of Arts: Movement Theatre Storytelling
BFCE supported a four-day workshop followed by a performance led by U.S. Scholar, Ms. Hannah Gaff at the Egyptian Academy of Arts. The 12 participants were selected through a competition and came from different fields of studies from schools and universities in Cairo, 10th of Ramadan City and Mansoura. The workshop offered training in acrobatic skills and storytelling on stage using highly physical movements such as dance, and gesture in ensemble without a choreographer or director. The workshop ended with a performance.
Musical Recital, Annual Alexandria Alumni Dinner and US Grantee Cultural Tour
The Commission hosted a dinner at the Cecil hotel which was attended by alumni and friends from Alexandria, Matrouh, Tanta and Sohag. The event was attended by Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, Ms. Lauren Lovelace, BFCE Treasurer of the Board and US Fulbright Student and Scholar Program grantees. Dr. David Meder, AY 2022 US scholar and Jazz pianist played 3 musical pieces. The Commission also hosted a two-day cultural program for US grantees who visited museums, cultural and historical sites in Alexandria.
Egyptian Food Security Project (EFSP) Capstone Conference
BFCE hosted a Capstone Conference and Gala Dinner for the Egypt Food Security Project (EFSP) on Building Resilience to Climate Change in Agriculture. The EFSP is a two-year Fulbright alumni research collaboration generously funded by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to study the effect of saline groundwater combined with soil amendments on crop production (wheat and tomatoes) in reclaimed agricultural areas in Egypt with emphasis on water sustainability.
Fulbrighters at AUC
The Fulbright Commission and AUC cohosted a lecture at their New Cairo campus for 2 US Students:
“The Gift of the Nile”: Hydraulic Measurement, Textual Traditions, and the Scientific Revolution
Mr. Anthony Greco, Ph.D. Candidate at University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of History.
“Globalization, Attention Economies, and Belly Dance in Egypt Today”
Ms. Margaret Morley, Ph.D. Candidate at Indiana University, Bloomington, Department of Anthropology.
The Representation of the Female Body and Reproductive Autonomy
The Commission hosted a lecture at Consoleya – downtown Cairo to showcase the work of 2 US U.S. grantees who work on gender issues and to ensure the multiplier effect by connecting them with BFCE’s Egyptian alumni and friends of the Commission in relevant fields.
“Evaluating the Reproductive Autonomy Scale in Egypt: A Qualitative Approach”
Ms. Salma Tayel, Master of Science in Public Health Graduate, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health
“The Representation of the Female Body in Modern Arabic Literature”
Dr. Miral Mahgoub, Writer and Associate Professor, Arizona State University, School of International Letters and Cultures
Fulbright Digital Dialogue Series: Inclusion For Students with Learning Differences and Their Families: A Path to Success – Episode 2
The Commission hosted its second episode on accessibility and inclusion of individuals with special physical and learning needs. This webinar was a follow up on a conversation that started in May when BFCE hosted 3 panels of experts from Egypt and the U.S. who covered several topics starting with overarching policy issues, employers’ perspectives and workforce needs, grassroots and local initiatives as well as opportunities and accommodations for students and scholars to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to academic programs and training opportunities. Speakers highlighted initiatives that were triggered by the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) and the Egyptian law number #10 that passed in 2018.
In the 2nd episode, the speakers discussed inclusion of individuals with special needs and resources for their families. The panel included: Dr. Ehab El Biblawi, Dean of the Faculty of Disability Sciences and Rehabilitation at Zagazig University; Dr. Sarah Dababnah, Fulbright U.S. Scholar and Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore; Dr. Nermin Shaker, Professor of Psychiatry at Ain Shams University; and Dr. Manal Omar, Assistant Professor of Post Graduate Childhood Studies at Ain Shams University.
Digital Dialogue Series: Unusual Figures: Race, Empire and Unseeing the Global Middle East
The Commission hosted an episode of the Fulbright Egypt Digital Dialogue titled: Unusual Figures: Race, Empire and Unseeing the Global Middle East which featured two of its U.S. alumni Dr. Thomas Simsarian Dolan and Dr. Samer Ali who spoke on issues of identity and representation of individuals in liminal spaces.
Thomas Simsarian Dolan is specialized in the Middle Eastern diaspora. He received his Ph.D. in American Studies from George Washington University, and previously studied at Yale and NYU. He is currently affiliated with the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies at Emory University as an ACLS Emerging Voices Fellow.
Samer Ali is Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at University of Michigan. He is an award-winning scholar of race as it pertains to Middle East studies. He has conducted research at Free University in Berlin, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Michigan. Grant makers have included the American Institute of Maghreb Studies, The Institute for Advanced Studies in Berlin, the US Department of Education, and five Fulbright Awards for research in Germany, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, and Spain.
