Visiting Iraqi Scholars to Speak at UW Sept. 4

Seven scholars from cities and universities throughout Iraq who have been at the University of Wyoming since July 1 will discuss their experiences in their home country Wednesday, Sept. 4, at UW.

The public presentation -- “Navigating the challenges of post-conflict education in Iraq: the personal perspectives of seven Iraqi Fulbright scholars” -- is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. in Room 118 of the Classroom Building. Tea, coffee and cookies will be served.

The seven Iraqi scholars came to UW funded by the Fulbright Junior Faculty Development Program, managed through the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau in the Department of State. They all are engineering faculty members and have been mentored throughout the summer in their respective engineering specialties by UW College of Engineering and Applied Science faculty.

In addition to research methods and information they have been studying related to their disciplines, they have been learning about U.S. higher education in general, taking a range of seminar courses related to topics such as accreditation, women in higher education, curriculum design, disabilities in higher education and student services.

The group’s visit also includes learning about U.S. and local culture. Their Sept. 4 presentation will follow a weeklong trip to Yellowstone National Park, Devils Tower and Mount Rushmore.

“Equally important is their desire to give something back to our community, which is why they want to do this talk,” says Eric Nigh, director of the Arabic and Middle East Studies Program in UW’s School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies.

The scholars will give a brief introduction on the various challenges and victories they have experienced in higher education in Iraq, followed by a time for discussion, during which they will address comments and questions on a panel.

Faculty members are:

Sinan Alkassar, lecturer at Ninevah University, computer engineering; image processing and pattern recognition; medical imaging; and biometrics.

Auday Al-Mayyah, lecturer at the University of Basrah, electrical engineering; industrial automation; robotics and computer vision; control and automation.

Monatadhar Al-Moussawi, assistant professor at Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, materials engineering; metallography; modeling; and simulation.

Mazin Al-Saedi, senior lecturer and department head at Middle Technical University, mechanical engineering; mechatronics; robotics; and automotive.

Wafaa Goriel, assistant lecturer at Duhok University, architecture and design.

Eamon Henikish, assistant lecturer at the University of Diyala, civil engineering and structural engineering.

Ammar Karkar, lecturer at the University of Kufa, computer engineering.