17.4.3 Education for SDGs in the wider community
Lebanese University student Bushra Moussawi represented Lebanon at the Global Peace Chain World Peace Summit in Dubai between February 23 and 26, 2022, with the participation of "Peace Ambassadors" from around the world.
Global Peace Chain selected Moussawi from Lebanon to attend the summit, which served as a meeting place for peacebuilders of young leaders and social entrepreneurs to exchange ideas on their projects related to peace, innovation, human rights and climate.
At the Peace Youth Summit, Al-Mousawi presented the idea of her own project, which is based on the importance of teaching English to young people for free, and partnered with a student group to provide solutions to the problem of climate change and proposals to improve higher education in the Middle East, in addition to proposing plans to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.
Bouchra Moussawi is pursuing a first-year study / Life Sciences at the Faculty of Science – First Branch at the Lebanese University, and is active and volunteer in a number of local and international associations and within United Nations programs concerned with working to implement the Sustainable Development Goals – Agenda 2030.
Marwa Rima, from the Faculty of Engineering – First Branch at the Lebanese University, represented Lebanon in the "UNESCO Virtual Student Forum on Global Citizenship Education for Sustainable Development: Taking Action for Man and Planet" held online between 7 and 9 December 2021.
The forum was an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences among young leaders on education and citizenship and how to reach more just, peaceful and sustainable societies, in addition to discussing the role of formal education in that process.
Student Rima, the younger young leader of the Forum, presented a project on human rights and discussed it on the first day of the Forum with a number of participating students and international specialists.
"This experience changed my life, I always believed in change and today I am more confident in that and I see life from a different angle. We have to believe in ourselves, celebrate our little successes and remember that an inch of movement is better than a mile of intention."
The student Mohamed Farid Abara from the Faculty of Engineering – Third Branch at the Lebanese University (fourth year of electricity and electronics) won the first prize of the Huawei ICT Competition Lebanon-2022.
Abbara, along with Joumana Hajjar from the Lebanese International University (LIU) and Emile Boulos from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), will participate in the regional edition of the competition to be held in the Omani capital Muscat on December 20, 2022, where talented students from 11 countries in the Middle East will compete to reach the global competition.
It is noteworthy that the Huawei ICT Competition was launched in 2017, becoming one of the largest competitions aimed at providing a competitive and participatory motivational platform for students through which they gain more knowledge and enhance information and experience in ICT to improve their practical skills and innovative capabilities through modern technologies and platforms.
Huawei honored Mohamed Dabbaja, a student at the Faculty of Science/Lebanese University, who won the second prize in the global final of the Huawei ICT Competition 2021-2022 Global Final.
The honoring took place during the launch ceremony of Huawei on October 25, 2022, the sixth session of the Information and Communication Technology Competition in Lebanon, in the presence of the Ministers of Communications and Labor in the caretaker government, Johnny Al-Qurm and Mustafa Bayram, the Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Lebanese University, Professor Ali King, representing the President of the University, Prof. Bassam Badran, a number of professors of the Lebanese University and private universities, and experts in the world of technology and communications.
Dabaja had won the first prize of the competition in its Lebanese version and the second prize in the Middle Eastern version, then moved to the global final of it with Alan Nahra from the American University of Science and Technology (AUST), and a few days ago he finished his master's degree in computer science / web programming from the Faculty of Science.
It is noteworthy that the competition aims to stimulate innovation among university students and accelerate their integration into the ICT market to enhance their skills and raise the level of their expertise in order to support the digital transformation process in their countries.
The Lebanese University won a gold medal at the Indonesia International Invention Fair (IID 2022), which was organized between October 28 and 31, 2022, and judged the projects submitted via ZOOM technology.
Out of 277 scientific projects submitted by more than 2,000 inventors from 22 countries, the Lebanese University project on medicinal plants related to the use of natural pomegranate peel extracts to treat wounds within a short period of time, without any complications and with the same effectiveness as chemical products, won:
Robustic natural pomegranate peels-based ointment for cutaneous wounds treatment
The winning project is registered in a Lebanese patent and is part of the research conducted by the student Ghosoun Al-Bahri to obtain a master's degree in molecular biology under the supervision of Dr. Muhammad Nasser from the College of Science and in cooperation with Prof. Akram Hijazi and Mr. Muhammad Saleh from the Higher Institute for Doctorate in Science and Technology and a group of professors at Al-Mustansiriya University / Baghdad.
Graduates of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Lebanese University, Dr. Dani Al-Khawaja and Fatima Benout, won two awards at the Sixteenth Francophone International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises (CIFEPME), which was organized between October 25 and 28, 2022 in Lyon, France, with the participation of three universities:
Lumière – Lyon 2
Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne
Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mine de Saint-Etienne
The conference discussed a group of researches distinguished by their quality and scientific value, which will contribute to improving the performance of small and medium enterprises and in the world of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The conference concluded with awards for the best research contributions, with MBA graduates Dr. Dani Al-Khawaja and Fatima Banout winning two awards for their joint work with Dr. Nadine Dubrooke, Research Professor at the Henri Fayol Institute at EMSE and Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Lebanese University:
Dr. Dani Khawaja: Won a grant to promote the work of researchers from developing countries on the resilience of Lebanese SMEs: "Lebanese SMEs with sustainable inclusive performance – a path towards resilient businesses in the face of multiple crises"
Fatima Benout: She won the Best Entry Award for the article "Public-Private Research: A Lever for French SMEs' Performance?"
Ihab Salman, a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture – Fourth Branch at the Lebanese University, won the silver and bronze medals at the London International Awards 2022, after he participated in a team designing an advertising campaign for Jeep.
Ehab, who holds a BA in Advertising Arts and Visual Communication in 2018, participated as artistic director in Jeep's advertising campaign, which was selected by major industry blogs and magazines around the world, including Little Black Book, Clube de Criação and The Stable.
About his studies at the Lebanese University, Ihab said: "At this university, we are fortified with a strong personality that helps us enter the labor market strongly and with experience we gain from the best professors, and the theoretical and practical educational system at the Faculty of Arts allows us to test our abilities and skills before moving to the labor market and business."
Ihab Salman wishes that the Lebanese University had a system that would allow him to pursue his master's degree "online" because he is currently outside Lebanon to work.
Marilyn El Khoury-Dandan, a student from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture – Second Branch at the Lebanese University, won the second prize in the Arab Starpack Student 2022 packaging competition organized by the Lebanese Center for Packaging (Liban Pack) in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Student Al-Khoury-Dandan won the second prize / visual packaging category after presenting the project (The Super Box-Sesobel), which is a box with 5 chocolate bars with different flavors inspired by the social service she provided at the (Sesobel) Foundation for Child Care.
Marilyn says children, despite their fatigue and illness, are able to give us love, strength and hope. She adds: "The concept of 'The Super Box' is about children's super ability to give us strength and love of life, and the chocolate was wrapped in an attractive way that shows children's heroism."
Regarding her studies at the Lebanese University, Marilyn said: "I finished my bachelor's degree in graphic design and visual communication and will continue my master's degree in the same specialization and at the same university despite all the pressures. Negativity.. Despite everything, the professors remained by our side to help, motivate and support us to develop and participate in local and international competitions because they believe in us and in our abilities and skills."
Arab Starpack Student targets university students in the Middle East and North Africa and aims to ensure inclusive and sustainable industrial development by engaging young people, unleashing and supporting their creativity, spreading awareness about the importance of packaging and creating a real partnership between the packaging industry and the educational sector.
It is noteworthy that the winners of the competition in its Arabic version are entitled to participate in the global packaging competition organized by the World Packaging Organization (WPO: World Packaging Organization), which gives them the opportunity to present their projects at the international level.
Under the patronage and presence of the President of the Lebanese University, Dr. Bassam Badran, the Faculty of Law and Political and Administrative Sciences – French Branch, in partnership with the University of Aix-Marseille, organized an international conference entitled (Entreprise et transitions énergétique et environnementale).
The conference was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Political and Administrative Sciences, Dr. Habib Al-Azzi, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Dr. Salim Al-Maqdisi, the Director of the Faculty of Law - French Branch, Dr. Tharwat Al-Zahr, in addition to a high-level European delegation and human rights figures.
After the national anthem and the university anthem, Dr. Al-Zahr delivered the opening speech, referring to the distinguished relations between the Faculty of Law – French Branch and the University of Aix-Marseille represented by the Vice-President Dr. Jean-François Marche and Dr. Isabelle Grossi, representative of the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr. Jean-Baptiste Perrier.
Dr. Al-Zahr stressed that the conference comes as a result of the strong cooperation and coordination between the two universities, pointing to the importance of the conference topic and shedding light on the future of the environment and energy in Lebanon.
For his part, the Vice President of the University of Aix-Marseille, Dr. Jean-François Marche, stressed the importance of continuous scientific cooperation with the Lebanese University, while the Dean congratulated the Faculty of Law - French Branch for organizing the conference in cooperation with the French University.
After that, President Badran delivered a speech in which he praised the distinguished relationship between the Lebanese University and the universities of the European Consortium, pointing to the importance of the topics discussed at the conference.
The conference witnessed a series of interventions by Dr. Salim Al-Maqdisi, Dr. Marie Lamoureux, Dr. Haitham Fadlallah, Judge Lamis Haj Diab and Dr. Yves Troeli, and the discussion was moderated by Brigadier General Al-Azzi and Dr. Amal Abdullah to be presented by Dr. Gisabel Grossi.
The Lebanese University participated in the launch of the HPC4L facility to promote computing research in Lebanon, in a distinguished technology event organized at the Grand Serail at the invitation of the Ministry of Communications in cooperation with the High Performance Computing Steering Committee in Lebanon and sponsored by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The scientific event was attended by the President of the Lebanese University, Dr. Bassam Badran, the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Dr. Ali Kanj, the Executive Coordinator of the Informatics Resource Center in the Central Administration Dr. Mustafa Al-Sarji, the Director of Development at the Informatics Resource Center, Dr. Gilbert Saouma, and a number of directors and professors of the university's faculties.
The celebration program began with a video showing explaining the different stages of the project since its inception and highlighting Ogero's role in providing a state-of-the-art data center and high-speed international internet to operate.
Afterwards, the Head of Information Technology at the European Foundation for Nuclear Research in Geneva (CERN), Ms. Enrica Bourcari, pointed out that this work will provide many opportunities for young people in Lebanon to have tools that enable them to develop.
"Our software and devices rely on access to data and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting innovative initiatives."
Patricia McBride, an expert in physics and scientific cooperation, said the launch of the HPC Steering Committee is a major step in strengthening cooperation with Lebanese universities that are part of this project.
Among the speakers was the representative of the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Governance Project in Lebanon, Dr. Zaher Dawi, who pointed out that the facility, which consists of a very advanced infrastructure that includes thousands of computing centers with large and high connectivity, hoping to use this engine in an effective way through students, researchers and scientists.
For his part, Dr. Haitham Zaraket, Professor at the Lebanese University, researcher in the field of optical sciences and physics, and Scientific Director at HPC4L, gave a comprehensive overview of the facility's applications and capabilities.
Established in 4, HPC2018L is a partnership between public and private institutions to promote computing research in Lebanon with the support of the European Foundation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Public Sector Partners: Ministry of Telecommunications in Lebanon, Ogero, National Center for Scientific Research and Lebanese University
Private Sector Partners: American University of Beirut, Lebanese American University, Saint Joseph University, Beirut Arab University and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.
