Visiting Scholar at Caltech (California Institute of Technology)

Caltech: Analytical chemistry; environmental chemistry; water treatment; civil and environmental engineering; women in science

MSc in Chemistry

Assistant Lecturer in Applied Chemistry, University Environmental Research Center

She writes “I would like to extend my sincere thanks for your interest in the development of my work at Caltech… and the opportunity to contribute to the development future of our country…”  Her work was in collaborative research on environmental engineering, and in speaking on an IWFF panel at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, she spoke about the differences in educational environment between the US and Iraq.

To an interviewer she said “Each day [at Caltech] was different, and every day I learned something new. As I think of the year I have spent being in the IWFF program, I am constantly aware that I must seize this year, and learn as much as I can, because when I go home, I want to do something for my country”

She continued, “On the professional side, I learned another lesson…In Iraq, I worked in a research center…we worked in teams, but we never worked as a team…In my year at CalTech, I learned that this is not how research is done. In fact, it is not how life is done… If you have a problem…you start to look with the help of others for a solution to your problem. Teamwork is something I really learned here.”

On her return to Iraq, she is developing the field of environmental science and research and establishing ties with Caltech to enable her continued research at Caltech and program collaboration for the benefit of her faculty colleagues and students in Iraq.

Visiting Scholar at UC San Diego

UCSD: Environmental engineering; total quality environmental management; waste management, energy and the environment

PhD in Industrial Engineering

Assistant Professor, College of Engineering

She writes, being an IWFF fellow “was my dream come true. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but knew there were many options and opportunities to learn… taking advantage of all the opportunities and attending class was so amazing. I learned as much about teaching as I did about the subject – maybe more. “

She continues, “I was shocked and a little amazed at my UCSD professor’s teaching techniques. We are accustomed to lectures where the professor instructs the student, and the student absorbs this lesson and uses it… My UCSD professor is interested in making the students be creative in their work and to work as teams. He creates competitions… for students to design and produce ideas and techniques… he uses video clips from YouTube… offers brain twisters…asks us to work in teams, so that we would experience what it is like in many companies where teamwork is essential.”

On return to Iraq, she is dedicated to transferring her new knowledge of teaching methods and skills to her own classrooms, but also to her university administrators and colleagues. She is developing the field of environmental engineering, maintaining contact and building on her experience at UCSD.

Visiting Scholar at Smith College

Smith: Computer science; telecommunications and information technology; women in science

Assistant Lecturer, College of Education/Computer Science

“This trip was my very first trip outside Iraq and the first traveling alone. I arrived…after midnight and I couldn’t see anything. When I got outside, ice was covering everything, and it was snowing. My [Smith College] hosts said ‘We’re sorry that it is snowing and so cold.’ I said, no, I love it”.  That was her introduction to the US and typical of her response to her IWFF experience.

She was hosted by the Director, Computer Science Department, audited three courses, and related seminars held by an established consortium of computing science colleges in the region, attended faculty meetings, and participated in a project for Arabic handwriting recognition. To an interviewer she said of her experience, “Everything I do, even when I am talking with you now, is a new experience…One specific thing I learned here, and want to make true in my country, is including students in faculty staff meetings. They added their ideas and listened…so they learn how decisions are made and also what it means to be a teacher… I have learned too.

She closed by saying, “I come from a great civilization that has been isolated from other countries due to war. When I received an invitation to be a part of this program, I was amazed and excited. The program gave each of us the chance to introduce ourselves to the world… I have now in the US my second home and my best friends.”

On return to Iraq, she sent a report on her IWFF experience to the Assistant President and Associate Dean of Faculty of her university, advocating the establishment of formal cooperation with Smith College and its related consortium colleges on research and student participation in computer science. She is deeply interested to share her experience with her colleagues and students in Iraq, and to extending the outreach between her university and her host universities to develop research and program collaboration.