Annual Report 2013-2014

1Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

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Our VisionCarnegie Mellon will meet the changing needs of society by building on its traditions of innovation, problem solving, and interdisciplinarity.

Our MissionTo create and disseminate knowledge and art through research and creative inquiry, teaching, and learning, and to transfer our intellectual and artistic product to enhance society in meaningful and sustainable ways.

To serve our students by teaching them problem solving, leadership and teamwork skills, and the value of a commitment to quality, ethical behavior, and respect for others.

To achieve these ends by pursuing the advantages of a diverse and relatively small university community, open to the exchange of ideas, where discovery, creativity, and personal and professional development can flourish.

Our ValuesDedication, as exemplified by our commitment to the critical issues of society and our uncompromising work ethic.

Collaboration, as exemplified by our interdisciplinarity, our external partnerships, and our capacity to create new fields of inquiry.

Measuring excellence by impact, as exemplified by our focus on issues critical to regional development, national interest, and global welfare.

Entrepreneurship, as exemplified by openness to new ideas, prudent use of resources, and readiness to act.

Depth driving breadth, as exemplified by our issue-driven research, our context-based general education initiatives, and our focus on problem solving and creative production at all levels.

Compassion, as exemplified by our focus on human welfare, on the betterment of society, and on the personal development of the members of our community.

Integrity and inclusion, as exemplified by our attention to the highest ethical standards in all domains, and our commitment to being a community which welcomes talented minds from diverse backgrounds and challenges them individually and collectively to achieve their best.


ContentsFrom the President 2

From the Dean 4

Highlights 6

Academics 12

Research 28

Student Affairs 36

Government and Corporate Affairs 44

Admission 50

Marketing and Public Relations 58

Operations and Administration 66

Appendices 70

2 Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar


Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar is moving into its second decade of achievement and success.

CMU-Q’s major fields—biological sciences, computational biology, business administration, computer science, and information systems—are each deep currents of global science and the world economy today. These fields are shaping the future, creating new possibilities and new solutions in health care, education, policy, basic science, social connections, and other areas. CMU-Q is offering the knowledge and skills that the world needs.

I am tremendously hopeful that the decades ahead will be extraordinarily positive ones for humanity, and the students, faculty, staff and graduates of CMU-Q are already prepared to contribute to that forward momentum.

None of this would be possible without the leadership and commitment of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, whose belief in the expansion of educational opportunity for all people is at the heart of her inspirational vision for the future. We are also deeply grateful for the generous support of Qatar Foundation, and for the thoughtful stewardship of Dean Ilker Baybars.

This Annual Report details the events and accomplishments of CMU-Q over the past year, and outlines directions for its continued flourishing and growth. I congratulate you on what you have accomplished so far, and I look forward with enthusiasm to seeing what the next ten years will bring.

Subra Suresh President Carnegie Mellon University

From the President


The 2013-14 academic year was particularly special for Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, as we marked our 10th anniversary in Doha. The year began with our largest enrollment to date, bringing our total enrollment to 400 students from 42 countries.

We celebrated our 10th anniversary in March with a spectacular event on campus. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Carnegie Mellon President Dr. Subra Suresh, and distinguished guests from Pittsburgh and Qatar joined faculty, students, alumni, and friends for an evening that reflected on Carnegie Mellon’s heritage, the growth of the Qatar campus, and our partnership with Qatar Foundation.

When Carnegie Mellon and Qatar Foundation began this journey 10 years ago, both organizations set out to ensure that the quality of education and passion for learning would be as rigorous and inspirational in Qatar as on the home campus in Pittsburgh. The proof of that is in our graduates, who are working for top organizations like Google, HSBC, Microsoft, and Qatar Petroleum, or pursuing graduate degrees at top institutions in North America or Europe. A poignant moment during our celebration was when 120 of these young men and women joined Her Highness Sheikha Moza on stage to be recognized.

At the end of the 2013–14 academic year, we graduated another 80 students, bringing our total number of alumni to 378. As we enter the next decade, we look forward to watching these graduates and those who follow as they make a difference in Qatar and the world.

Ilker Baybars Dean and CEO Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

From the Dean

Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser and Carnegie Mellon University President Subra Suresh stand with alumni at Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 10-Year Anniversary Celebration.


Highlights

July 2013Summer College Preview ProgramA record 62 high school juniors and seniors experienced life at a top university during the Summer College Preview Program (SCPP). Historically, about 25 percent of participants in this program have enrolled at Carnegie Mellon after completing it.

August 2013New Students Welcomed During Orientation Carnegie Mellon’s newest students learned about the university’s history and traditions and explored the many opportunities available to them in the years ahead. The theme of the student-led event was comic book superheroes.

September 2013Campus Celebrates Record Enrollment Carnegie Mellon Qatar marked its 10th academic year by welcoming new students during the university’s annual Convocation ceremony.

99

November 2013Faculty and Students Recognized for Research Faculty and students won several major awards at Qatar Foundation’s Annual Research Forum.

October 2013Class of 2008 Enjoys Five-year Reunion Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s first graduating class, the Class of 2008, caught up with each other, faculty, and staff at a five-year reunion on campus.

December 2013Celebrating Qatar National Day An event organized by the Qatari Student Association offered the community a chance to experience local food, dress, and culture.

January 2014Ooredoo Chairman Delivers Dean’s Lecture H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, chairman of Ooredoo, discussed the findings of “Young, Arab, and Connected,” Ooredoo’s survey of young people in the Middle East and North Africa.

February 2014Tajer Day Business Outreach Program is Launched Tajer Day, the university’s first Business Administration outreach program, gave 50 high school students a taste of financial markets and live trading.

March 2014Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Attends 10-Year Anniversary Celebration Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser attended Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 10-year anniversary celebrations alongside leadership from Carnegie Mellon, Qatar Foundation, and members of the university and community.

May 201480 Students Become Graduates Before an audience of 1,200 dignitaries, family, and friends, Carnegie Mellon Qatar celebrated the 80 students in its seventh graduating class.

April 2014Dean’s Leadership Series Connects Students with Senior Executives Bart Cahir, president and general manager of ExxonMobil Qatar, and Elizabeth Johnston, chief human resources officer for Qatar Airways, spoke to students and recent graduates as part of the Dean’s Leadership Series.

June 2014 Students Study Abroad A record 49 students from the Qatar campus took classes or conducted summer research projects at the home campus in Pittsburgh.

Academics


AcademicsCarnegie Mellon University in Qatar provides its students with a world-class education in the following areas: Biological Sciences, Business Administration, Computational Biology, Computer Science, and Information Systems. Graduation requirements for students on the Qatar campus are identical to those for their counterparts in Pittsburgh. Students are broadly introduced to the liberal arts and sciences during their first semesters, narrow their focuses to their major core classes in the middle semesters, and deepen and broaden their education in the last semesters through advanced electives in their majors and minors.

This has been a hallmark of Carnegie Mellon’s approach to education since the introduction of the Carnegie Plan for Education more than 60 years ago. The plan prepares students for the modern world, in which technologies, systems, and occupations change rapidly. While challenging math and statistics courses hone students’ analytical skills, exposure to different disciplines and their respective

approaches to problem-solving deepens their abilities in critical thinking.

An active discussion of ethics cuts across academic areas, with an emphasis on nurturing professionals who have a healthy respect for society, as well as for one another. First-rate leadership and teamwork skills grow out of an interdisciplinary environment that requires exceptional communication skills both within and across areas of academic expertise.

Our FacultyCarnegie Mellon Qatar has succeeded in attracting a truly world-renowned faculty. All professors on the Qatar campus are full members of the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University. Broadly, they fall into two groups: (1) those whose primary appointments are in Pittsburgh, but who have agreed to spend anywhere from a mini-semester to three years in


Richard M. Cyert Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Management

Business Insights from Big DataKannan Srinivasan, Rohet Tolani Distinguished Professor of International Business and H.J. Heinz II Professor of Management, Marketing, and Business Technologies, Carnegie Mellon University.

A. Nico Habermann Distinguished Lecture in Computer Science

How does the Brain Represent Meaning?Tom M. Mitchell, E. Fredkin University Professor and head of the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University.

A. Nico Habermann Distinguished Lecture in Computer Science

Machine Learning, Optimization, and Useful ApplicationsJaime Carbonell, director of the Language Technologies Institute and University Professor in Language Technologies and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Qatar, and (2) those who have accepted primary appointments at Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

A well-functioning institution requires a mixture of these two types of educators. The first group helps maintain a living connection between the two campuses, while the second provides the requisite continuity and stability for a healthy local academic environment. See Appendix E for a full list of faculty members during the 2013–14 academic year.

During the 2013–14 academic year, students benefited from their interactions with several senior Carnegie Mellon faculty in Qatar:

Dr. Finn Kydland, Richard P. Simmons Distinguished Professorship, University Professor of Economics, and 2004 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, formally joined the Carnegie Mellon Qatar faculty this year. Dr. Kydland delivered a distinguished lecture; participated in a panel discussion on Monetary Policy with H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, chairman of the board of directors of Qatar Central Bank (QCB); and taught undergraduates for the first time since winning the Nobel Prize, giving our students insights into real business cycles and other advanced macroeconomic topics.

Dr. Takeo Kanade, U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon and winner of both the Marr and Longuet Higgins prizes for his work in computer vision, returned again to Carnegie Mellon Qatar for a full semester. We expect Dr. Kanade to return for another semester next year.

After spending a semester in Qatar during AY 2012–13, Dr. Tridas Mukhopadhyay, Deloitte Consulting Professor of e-Business in Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, committed to a longer-term relationship with the Qatar campus. Dr. Mukhopadhyay will teach courses to both Business Administration and Information Systems students.

Overview of Academic Programs and CourseworkIn the 2013–14 academic year, Carnegie Mellon Qatar offered undergraduate programs leading to the following degrees:

Distinguished Lectures, 2013–14

*This is a highly selective program, open only to students who are already Computer Science or Biological Sciences majors.

Degree Academic Area AcademicYear Started

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

Business Administration

Computer Science

Information Systems

Biological Sciences

Computational Biology*

2004–05

2004–05

2007–08

2011–12

2011–12

Biological Sciences Computer Science Biological Sciences Computer Science

General Education

Business Administration Information Systems Business Administration Information Systems

187

85

98

32

23

18

127

4

Biological Sciences and ChemistryGeneral Education

Business, Statistics and EconomicsComputer Science

Information Systems

70

47

1623

24

Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Business, Statistics and Economics

General EducationComputer Science

Information Systems

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

27

24

16

13

23

Enrollment Faculty

Courses Offered Average Student Enrollment Per Class

18

New Courses

Biological Sciences

• Phage Genomics Research

• Biochemistry


• Advanced Topics in Macroeconomics and Business Cycles

• Financial Markets: Anomalies & Efficiencies

• Marketing Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• Corporate Financial Reporting

• Financial Statement Analysis

• Principles of Game Theory for Business

• Digital Marketing & Social Media Strategy

• Business Technology Consulting

• Quality Management & Productivity

• Product & Brand Management

Computer Science

• Perceptual Computing

• Intro to Text Processing

Information Systems

• Database Applications

• Technology Start-up Launchpad

• Mobile Web Development and Usability Testing

General Education

• The Hispanic World: History, Culture, and Globalization

Biological SciencesCarnegie Mellon’s degree in Biological Sciences provides students with an education that has both intellectual breadth and depth of exposure to modern research biology. This education prepares students to pursue employment and graduate school opportunities in multiple areas. The 2013–14 academic year was the third year the Biological Sciences program was offered in Qatar.

This program is one of the first collaborative efforts between universities in Education City. Carnegie Mellon has partnered with Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar to offer bachelor of science degrees in Biological Sciences and Computational Biology. Students enter the program as either Carnegie Mellon freshmen or transfer students from the two-year premedical program at Weill Cornell. The transfer students spend two additional years at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. All graduating students receive their degrees from Carnegie Mellon.

The Biological Sciences program is built upon a multidisciplinary core curriculum, consisting of courses in biology, chemistry, computer science, computational biology, mathematics, and physics. This approach is designed to provide an education that is both flexible and integrative, allowing students to tailor their education to meet their talents and interests, as well as teaching them

how to tackle today’s most complex scientific problems in an interdisciplinary manner. The Biological Sciences major is well-positioned to prepare students to become leaders and innovators in research, technology, and medicine.

The 2013–14 academic year saw a number of highlights, including the addition of Dr. Mohamed Bouaouina to the faculty as an assistant teaching professor. Dr. Bouaouina received his Ph.D. from Pierre and Marie Curie University and completed his post-doctoral work at Yale University. Dr. Bouaouina’s research is focused on cell biology. This year, he taught cell biology courses and worked with faculty in Pittsburgh to develop a new course for non-science majors.

Dr. Jonathan Finkel was involved in a joint collaboration research project with Hamad Hospital, exploring the genetic strains of Candida albicans present in Qatar. Several students participated in this research, including Fatima Al-Saygh, a graduating senior who was recognized for her work at this year’s Meeting of the Minds undergraduate research symposium.

Also this year, preparations began for renovations that will create more teaching laboratory space. This will allow us to offer an independent research experience for our students when they enter as freshmen through a course called Phage Genomics. The Phage Genomics course will allow students to isolate and sequence bacteriophage common to Qatar.


The new space will also enhance the delivery of our upper-level biology laboratory courses taught by Dr. Annette Vincent. These labs are a central component to our program because they provide opportunities for student-driven independent research, as well as training in modern laboratory methods.

The program graduated its second group of two students in May 2014, with both being accepted to medical school. We also had updates from two graduates from the Class of 2013: One was accepted into a Ph.D. program at the University of Pittsburgh and the other was accepted into the U.S. National Institute of Health’s Intramural Research Training Award Program.

The university admitted a strong class of 12 freshmen in Biological Sciences. Three of these students were accepted into the highly competitive Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)-funded Summer Research Program on the Pittsburgh campus. In this research environment, they learned how to solve technical problems by changing their experimental strategies and interpreting and drawing conclusions from primary scientific data.

A large number of rising juniors traveled to Pittsburgh this summer to explore independent research in individual labs, experiencing research areas ranging from structural biology to tissue engineering. These students had the opportunity to present their results to their peers and faculty at a departmental poster session at the end of the summer. Their presentations, together with their final reports, enhanced their skills as effective science communicators.

The faculty-based research program at Carnegie Mellon Qatar also grew. Dr. Ken Hovis is investigating the neurological basis of behavior in desert geckos and Dr. Valentin Ilyin continues his research on developing useful tools for computational biology. Dr. Bouaouina is collaborating with Yale University to investigate role of integrins in cell adhesion and was one of six faculty at Carnegie Mellon Qatar who were successful in obtaining National Priorities Research Program funds from the Qatar National Research Foundation this year (see Research section).

Business Administration The curriculum for the Business Administration program was developed and continues to be managed by the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon. The school’s legacy is closely tied to our pioneering work in introducing management science to the marketplace and business school arena.

The undergraduate program’s success is based on a rigorous academic curriculum, rich in the technical aspects of management. It has a global focus that emphasizes quantitative decision-making and Tepper’s world-renowned analytical approach to problem-solving.

The 2013–14 academic year saw a number of changes highlighting the growth and maturity of the program. The program office continued to develop

as Dr. George White, Distinguished Career Professor of Entrepreneurship, agreed to lend his professional experience to the role of academic advisor. With the program director and program coordinator, Dr. White completes a central hub for guiding students through the challenging exploration of their business education.

While the core requirements of the Business Administration program prepare students with general knowledge required in all business careers, tracks provide a comprehensive focus of additional courses related to the specific core in the functional specialties. Each of the offered tracks grew and stabilized this year.

The finance track saw particular growth when long-time Tepper faculty member Dr. John O’Brien, associate professor of accounting and experimental economics, joined the Qatar Business Administration faculty. His courses in Corporate Financial Reporting and Financial Statement Analysis added depth to an already strong finance track. Collaborating with faculty member Dr. Fuad Farooqi, Dr. O’Brien also rolled out a new course teaching practical, in-depth skills in financial market analysis, which allowed students to manage a portfolio on the Qatar Stock Exchange.

Management Science—the academic alternative to the case study method—has its roots in analytical decision-making in complex, dynamic business environments. Its prevalence and popularity has had sweeping effects: Today, nearly all leading business schools include some form of the Carnegie Mellon management science model in their curricula.


Drs. O’Brien and Farooqi also strengthened the program’s ties with the local community by working with several financial institutions to help them analyze the impact of the Basel III liquidity requirements upon the financial sector in Qatar.

This year, students were fortunate to be taught by a Nobel Prize winner. Dr. Finn Kydland, Tepper faculty member, Richard P. Simmons Distinguished Professor,

Business Administration Tracks• Entrepreneurship

• Finance

• Manufacturing Management and Consulting

• Marketing

University Professor of Economics, and 2004 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, taught an Advanced Macroeconomics course. Dr. Kydland plans to make the Qatar Business Administration program a regular part of his teaching schedule.

Each year, faculty lead trips to major business centers for students to absorb real-time information about developing economies. This year, students traveled to Japan, where they visited several multinational companies. Business students also traveled to California’s Silicon Valley as part of a trip led by Information Systems faculty.

Students continue to participate in a number of additional programs:

• Internal Business Case Competition at Carnegie Mellon Qatar

• Undergraduate Business Case Competition at the main campus in Pittsburgh

• Al Fikra National Business Plan Competition in Qatar

• Carnegie Mellon Business Association (CMBA) club activities


Computer Science The curriculum for the Computer Science program was developed by Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science, a world leader in research and education. Its success is based on combining a solid core of computer science courses with a requirement that students gain a real depth of understanding in another area of study by obtaining a minor in a second subject. As computing is a discipline with strong links to many fields, this provides students with unparalleled flexibility to pursue a variety of interests.

The 2013–14 academic year was an active and productive one for the Computer Science program. In fall 2013, the program welcomed 30 students, a record number. Some of the program’s senior students secured acceptances to graduate programs in prestigious schools, such as Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Michigan.

Faculty members continued working on research projects and publishing their results and findings. Dr. Iliano Cervesato’s book, The Deductive Spreadsheet, was published by Springer. Professors Kemal Oflazer and Iliano Cervesato received new National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) grants, while Dr. Cervesato and Dr. Khaled Harras were principal investigators in larger-scale NPRP-EP and NPRP projects respectively that were awarded to Qatar University.

Dr. Saquib Razak continued his work on introducing Alice (an educational software developed at Carnegie Mellon that teaches students computer programming) into Qatar schools. The program was introduced at Al-Arqam Academy, a private English school for girls, which involved curriculum development, creation of teaching materials, and teacher training. The curriculum and training materials were also developed for Arabic schools, with implementation expected during the 2014-15 academic year.

This was also an excellent year for research accomplishments by undergraduate students. The Twitter Sentiment Classification systems developed by two teams of computer science undergraduates and recent graduates, mentored by Drs. Behrang Mohit and Houda Bouamor, ranked third and fourth among 15 teams from around the world in the SEMEval 2014 Shared Task Competition. The other participants in this competition were mostly researchers and graduate students from established institutions such as IBM Labs, Columbia University, and NRC Canada.

A poster presentation by rising seniors Rukhsar Neyaz and Sabih Bin Wasi was named both “Best Poster” and the “Best Presentation” at Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s Meeting of the Minds research symposium, while another poster by Sabih Bin Wasi received second place. A poster by senior Kenrick Fernandes was recognized by a representative from the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics as being closely aligned with the Qatar National Development Strategy, and a poster by research assistant Dania Abed Rabbou won the Post-Graduate Research award.

In addition to hosting the A. Nico Habermann Distinguished Lecture Series in Computer Science, the program and its faculty delivered 17 seminars during the academic year by inviting numerous visiting researchers. A list of seminars is available at: www.cs.qatar.cmu.edu/activities/seminars

Computer Science “Best Paper” Awards Drs. Houda Bouamor, Behrang Mohit and Kemal Oflazer received the Best Paper Award at the 6th International Joint Conference on Natural Language Processing (IJCLNP-2013) in Nagoya, Japan.

Drs. Abderrahmen Mtibaa and Khaled Harras were selected for the Best Paper in the 10th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad-hoc and Sensor Systems in Hangzhou, China.

Drs. Mtibaa and Harras won the best paper award in the Second Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) Workshop in Hong Kong.


Information Systems The Information Systems program at Carnegie Mellon is an internationally recognized undergraduate major for students who want to design and implement effective solutions to meet organizational and management needs for information and decision support. Graduates of the program are ideally situated to take leading roles in shaping the information-based future.

The Information Systems program offers four content areas, each one adapted to specific skills and professional needs: Social and Global Information Systems; User-Centered Information Design; Computing and Information Systems & Technology; and Applied Informatics.

This year, a Technology Start-up Launchpad course was introduced to support talented students who seek to create their own technology start-up companies. We offered a Mobile Web Development and Usability Testing course in collaboration with MADA (Qatar Assistive Technology Center) and introduced students to the important topic of web accessibility.

The program also opened its second lab this year— a Human Computer Interaction lab, with technologies such as eye-trackers, face-readers, Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets, and usability testing applications. The students also continue to make use of the undergraduate information systems lab, a state-of-the-art facility that includes 3D printers and surface tables, that is available for research experiences.

Information Systems Content Areas• Social and Global Information Systems

• User-Centered Information Design

• Computing and Information Systems & Technology

• Applied Informatics


After completing their degrees in May 2014, some of our students were accepted into prestigious graduate programs, including those at the University of Oxford, Carnegie Mellon University, and Georgetown University.

The program organized the fourth annual Undergraduate Research in Information Systems, which was held for the first time at Carnegie Mellon’s home campus in Pittsburgh and attracted students from Qatar, the U.S., and other parts of the world. Daniel Cheweiky, a Carnegie Mellon Qatar Information Systems student, was awarded Best Paper at the conference. Two faculty members also led a trip to Silicon Valley, where 25 students from Information Systems, Business Administration, and Computer Science enjoyed visits to high-tech IT firms and startups, and networked with entrepreneurs, investors, and technologists.

At the local level, the program multiplied its connections with the community, leveraging the Memoranda of Understanding signed by the university. Organizations the program has partnered with include the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Museum, Doha Film Institute, General Secretariat for Development Planning, and Ooredoo.

Information Systems Collaboration with SAP AllianceDr. Ray Tsai organized two SAP workshops this year. The Design Jam and the Code Jam competitions—both delivered for the first time in Qatar—challenged students to apply SAP’s design thinking approach to information systems development, and to explore and apply HANA (an SAP big data technology) to the case of an airline pricing problem. The workshops prepared students to take on the InnoJam competition in Germany, where they placed among the top four teams worldwide.

Through independent studies and a senior project, a group of students completely redesigned the American Chamber of Commerce Qatar online presence, and added a system for the chamber to manage its members.

Students were encouraged to participate in a variety of competitions at the local and international levels. Jaasim Polin and Sarah Mustafa won first prize in the Henkel Innovation Challenge 7 regional semi-finals in Dubai and went on to place second in the international final in Germany. Students continued to engage in research through their Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) projects. Maahd Shahzad, Aysha Anggraini and Nawal Behih’s UREP project titled “Using a Mobile Application to Enhance Young Qatari Health Behavior” was recognized as outstanding.

Faculty research in the Information Systems program is developing steadily. In addition to reviewing papers and organizing conferences and workshops, faculty published papers in various research journals, including the International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications and Information Security Journal.


Meeting of the Minds Meeting of the Minds is an undergraduate research symposium that helps students bridge the gap between conducting research and presenting it to a broad audience. It is a long-standing Carnegie Mellon tradition that takes place each year on the reading day of finals week. Twenty-two teams of undergraduates and one post-graduate research assistant showcased a wide variety of projects to hundreds of guests from the education and business communities in Qatar. The projects were judged by experts from academia and industry. For a full list of projects, see Appendix F.

In conjunction with this year’s Meeting of the Minds event, students who completed senior theses presented their defenses to the university community. One Business Administration student—Nada Salem—and seven Information Systems students—Noora Al-Maslamani, Daniel Cheweiky, Aliya Hashim, Afrah Hassan, Sarah Mustafa, Jaasim Polin, and Haya Thowfeek—presented their work in 15-minute talks.

Collaborative Efforts within Education CityCarnegie Mellon Qatar continued to take a leading role in developing programs, courses, and extracurricular activities that span multiple branch campuses. During the 2013-14 academic year, 40 students from other Education City university took classes at Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

In addition to our robust cross-registration offerings, Carnegie Mellon unveiled a plan to increase the number of minors available to all Education City students, as well as to increase cross-campus collaboration. Subject to the requirements of their home institutions, students at other Education City universities now can complete courses at Carnegie Mellon that may lead to minors in Business Administration, Computer Science, Information Systems, English, History, and Mathematics at Carnegie Mellon.

Institutions Represented by the Meeting of the Minds Judges

• Aspire Zone Foundation

• ictQatar

• iHorizons

• PC DealNet

• Qatar Biobank

• Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI)

• Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI)

• Qatar Foundation for Education, Science,

and Community Development

• Qatar Ministry of Environment

• Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)

• Qatar Shell, Vodafone

• Qatar University

• Qatar Ministry of Development Planning

and Statistics

• Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar

• Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar


Carnegie Mellon also continued to work with Northwestern University to jointly offer students the opportunity to complete a minor in Contemporary Media Studies.

Academic SupportTo ensure the success of Carnegie Mellon Qatar students, the Academic Resource Center (ARC) and its seven full-time staff serves as the university’s academic support center. The staff were aided by student peer tutors and teaching assistants.

The support for core freshman courses remained the ARC's primary focus during the 2013–14 academic year, with 1,200 hours used by freshman (66 percent of the total usage). Computer Science comprised the biggest area of support, followed by Mathematics and Statistics, and then Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The ARC also offered academic skills workshops to address specific areas that students struggle with, including exam preparation, time management, goal setting, preparing

LibraryWith the addition of Alicia Salaz as reference and instruction librarian, the library at Carnegie Mellon Qatar continued to operate successfully as both a physical and virtual space for students, faculty, and staff to learn, research, study, collaborate, and innovate.

Physical resources

Digital resources

Equipment

Services

15,000 print books

2,000 Kindle edition eBooks

iPads and Kindle eReaders Printers and scannersPCs, Macs, and “Bring Your Own Device” stations

Reference assistance

Two small-group study rooms, a room for silent individual study, and an outdoor poetry garden

500 iTunes movies and television shows

Information literacy training

Popular magazines; scholarly journals; and local, regional, and international newspapers in print

Millions of popular and scholarly articles

Rosetta Stone language-learning software

Interlibrary loans between the main campus in Pittsburgh and other Education City institutions

for class, and taking lecture notes. The Student Success Initiative (SSI), a program that focuses on academically at-risk first- and second-year students, was offered over both semesters.

One of the goals of the ARC is to receive certification for its tutor-training program. To prepare for that, a training program was developed to enhance student workers’ professionalism and skill sets.

Meeting of the Minds WinnersThe first-place award went to computer science students Sabih Bin Wasi and Rukhsar Neyaz for their project titled “Twitter Sentiment Analysis.” Second place went to Sabih Bin Wasi for his solo effort, “Using Technology to Help People Save Food Effortlessly.” Third place went to Noora Al-Muftah for her computational biology project, “A Quality Control Tool for Familial Exome Sequencing Data Based on the Sharing of Rare Genetic Mutations.” The award for Best Poster went to Bin Wasi and Neyaz’s project.

Barak Yehya, Expert, Institutional Development at the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics attended Meeting of the Minds on behalf of His Excellency Saleh bin Mohammad Al Nabit, the Minister of Development Planning, to recognize projects that were closely aligned to the Qatar National Development Strategy. The winners were Fatima Al-Saygh, Kenrick Fernandes, Aliya Hashim, and Dania Abed Rabbou (post-graduate).

GraduationCarnegie Mellon Qatar held its seventh graduation ceremony at the completion of the 2013–14 academic year. Of the 80 students who participated in the ceremony, two were in Biological Sciences, 42 were in Business Administration, 10 were in Computer Science, and 26 were in Information Systems.

Number of Graduates

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012

35 36 34

48

81 80

61

Research


ResearchResearch has always been an important part of the undergraduate educational experience at Carnegie Mellon, and faculty fully integrate undergraduates into their diverse research programs. A significant number of faculty have active research programs that are funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and Carnegie Mellon’s internal seed research fund, creating a vibrant research environment for faculty, staff, and undergraduates.

Funded research projects cover the disciplines that are taught at Carnegie Mellon Qatar: Biological Sciences, Business Administration, Computational Biology, Computer Science, and Information Systems. In addition, there are significant research projects in other areas, including mathematics, languages, environmental science, and other social sciences. Our faculty members collaborate with colleagues at our home campus in Pittsburgh, other institutions in Education City, Qatar University, Hamad Medical Center, and other major research universities around the world.

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)The Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) was established by Qatar Foundation in 2006 as part of its ongoing commitment to establish Qatar as a knowledge-based economy. QNRF provides funds for research by established faculty, junior faculty, undergraduates, and—more recently—post-doctoral associates.

The National Priorities Research Program (NPRP)This is the major funding program in Qatar, encouraging research activities that are aligned with the Qatar National Research Strategy, which is centered on the following themes:

• Energy and environment

• Computer science and ICT

• Health

• Social sciences

• Arts and humanities

A total of 30 proposals were submitted in the seventh cycle of this program. Of these, six proposals were awarded, with a combined budget of approximately 4.8 million USD. The funded proposals are listed in the box (facing page, top left).

Since the inception of the NPRP funding program, faculty from Carnegie Mellon Qatar have submitted 188 proposals, of which 43 were awarded funding. Twenty of these funded projects are still active, and six new Cycle 7 awards in the process of starting up. For a list of NPRP-funded projects in the first seven award cycles, see Appendix G.


Junior Scientist Research Experience Program (JSREP)This is designed to support junior scientists in leading their own research programs. One faculty member and two post-doctoral fellows at Carnegie Mellon Qatar currently hold the JSREP awards listed in the box below.

Funded NPRP Proposals• “A Scalable Analytics Engine for Big Graphs

on the Cloud,” by Dr. Mohammad Hammoud

• “Learning4Teaching-Qatar: Examining Qatari teachers’ experiences of professional development in English-language teaching,” by Dr. Dudley Reynolds

• “Numerical and Theoretical Modeling of Complex Fluid Flows,” by Dr. Snezhana Abarzhi

• “Role of the PDZ and LIM Containing Protein Zasp in Integrin-Mediated Cell Adhesion,” by Dr. Mohamed Bouaouina

• “MADAR: Multi-Arabic Dialect Applications and Resources,” by Dr. Kemal Oflazer

• “Automated Verification of Properties of Concurrent, Distributed, and Parallel Specifications with Applications to Computer Security,” by Dr. Iliano Cervesato

JSREP Awards• “A Type-Safe Programming Language to

Build Safe and Secure Web Applications,” by Dr. Thierry Sans

• “Reimplementing Dependent Pattern Matching and Termination Checking in the Coq Theorem Prover,” by Dr. Jorge Sacchini

• “Effective Parallel and Distributed Programming via Join Pattern with Guards, Propagation, and More,” by Dr. Edmund Lam


Projects Funded by Carnegie Mellon Seed Research ProjectsLong-term faculty at Carnegie Mellon Qatar can compete for research seed funds, which are intended to encourage faculty to explore new areas of research and to provide resources for obtaining preliminary data for QNRF funding in one of the five focus areas.

CMU-Q's high success rate in obtaining NPRP awards attests to the importance of seed funding. Seed research funding is also an important component of faculty development and enhances the environment for undergraduate research. A total of 62 awards for seed funding have been made since the program began in 2004. This year, faculty received the seed grants listed at the left.

Seed Grants

• “Genetic Variations at Protein-Protein Interfaces and Their Relations with Diseases in Gulf Region and to Temperature Adaptation,” by Dr. Valentin Ilyin

• “Narrative, Identity, and Multiculturalism in a Rapidly Developing Globalized City,” by Dr. Tom Mitchell

• “Ambiguity Preferences,” by Dr. Peter Stuettgen

• “Basel III, Risk, and the Middle East Financial Markets,” by Dr. Fuad Farooqi


• Dr. Khaled Harras, associate teaching professor of computer science, won the Best Oral Presentation in the Computing and Information Technology category for his project, “OSCAR: An Incentive-Based Collaborative Bandwidth Aggregation System.” The work was done in collaboration with Drs. Karim Habak and Moustafa Youssef from the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (EJUST).

• Dr. Dudley Reynolds, teaching professor of English, received Best Poster award in the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities category, for his project, “Human Capacity Building: The Challenge of Learning to Learn.” The project was done in collaboration with Drs. Zohreh Eslami and Nancy Allen of Texas A&M University; Drs. Maha Ellili Cherif and Katherine Wright, Qatar University; and Samah Al-Sabbagh, senior research associate, Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

Student-Initiated Undergraduate Research Program (SIURP) Carnegie Mellon is a leader in undergraduate research. In Qatar, the Student-Initiated Undergraduate Research Program (SIURP) encourages students to work with faculty advisors to develop their ideas into cross-disciplinary projects. The program awards up to $4,000 for research in any area, as long it can be conducted on campus. This year, the following projects were funded:

• “Analyzing and Classifying Emergent Gameplay in Video Games,” by Mohammad Abdullah Zafar

• “Cross-Site Scripting Library,” by Yusuf Musleh

• “How Can Google Glass Enhance Active Learning for Students with Disabilities?,” by Ali Naqi and Noshin Nisa

• “On the Creation of a Consistent Winning Algorithmic Trading Strategy—A Study in Computational Finance,” by Saad Ahmed Asim

• “Reliable Mobile Ad Hoc Communication on Linux/Android and Raspberry Pi,” by Hasan Al-Jawaheri

• “Robust Beta Model for Qatar & GCC,” by Vanessa Henry Fernandes and Zainab Irshad Baqri

Faculty and Students Recognized at Annual Research Forum

• Carnegie Mellon students and recent graduates took home three awards in two categories. Hanan Mohammed Alshikhabobakr and Syed Ali Hashim Moosavi, with Qatar University’s Fathima Thowfeek, won first place in the Computing and Information Technology category for their poster, “Exploration of Optical Character Recognition of Historical Arabic Documents.” Naassih Gopee won second place in the same category for his poster, “Contextual Spellchecker to Improve Human-Robot Interaction.” In the Social Sciences and Humanities category, Maryam Al-Subaie won second place for her poster, “Qatari Colloquial Arabic: A Sociolinguistic Study of Language Change.”

Research Highlights

Improving Reading Skills in the Middle School Science Classroom

The Team• Dudley W. Reynolds, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

(principal investigator)• Zohreh Eslami, Ph.D., Texas A&M University (co-PI)• Maha Ellili Cherif, Ph.D., Qatar University (co-PI)• Samah Al-Sabbagh, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar• Katherine Wright, Texas A&M University• Andrew Cohen, Ph.D., University of Minnesota (consultant)• Jodi Crandall, Ph.D., University of Maryland Baltimore County (consultant)• Nancy Allen, Ph.D., Qatar University (consultant)

FundingQatar National Research Fund’s National Priorities Research Program.

The ProjectWith the long-term goal of helping Qatari middle school students improve their ability to read science texts in Arabic and English, the project is developing a training program for teachers focused on instruction in strategic reading. Project outcomes are evaluated based on measures of student performance and teacher development.

ImpactThe teacher training program being developed and researched aims most importantly to improve student performance but also to understand how professional development programs can be more effective in the Qatari school system.

New Mathematical Models for the Large Strain Swelling Response of Biological Tissues

The Team• Hasan Demirkoparan, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University Qatar• Heiko Topol, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar• Thomas J. Pence, Ph.D., Michigan State University• Kun Gou, Ph.D., Michigan State University


The ProjectThe researchers are creating mathematical models that describe how biological tissues swell. The cervix exhibits complex interactions between swelling, resorption, and fiber reassembly during pregnancy and childbirth. Also, many diseases are characterized by swelling and inflammation. Our mathematical models permit computer simulation of these processes to guide treatment options and assess new medical therapies.

ImpactThis research has direct application in mathematical biology and in the health and life sciences. For example, tracheal (windpipe) swelling due to angioedema provoked by an allergic reaction. These modeling activities are directly related to Qatar’s research priority area of women and children’s health.

Usable Automated Data Inference for End-Users

The Team• Iliano Cervesato, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (PI)• Cleotilde (Coty) González, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University (co-PI)• Askerali Maruthullathil, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar• Hau-yu Wong, Carnegie Mellon University• Shikhar Kumar, Carnegie Mellon University (past member)• Anas Halbawi, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar student (past member)


The ProjectNEXCEL is an extension of the spreadsheet paradigm that enables users to define useful forms of correlation among their data. It supports expressing the recursive relational calculations underlying many common types of data correlation problems. We are developing an advanced prototype of NEXCEL that retains the cognitive simplicity, ease of use and gentle learning curve of today's spreadsheet applications, and are performing extensive usability studies to understand how to best present the extended functionalities to users.

ImpactData are more easily accessible than ever, yet support for correlating base data into interesting consequences is often unavailable for many users. NEXCEL solves this problem within the spreadsheet paradigm. This will allow users to solve complex correlation problems productively with little or no training.

Advancing Arabic Language Learning in Qatar

The Team• Zeinab Ibrahim, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar• Andreas Karatsolis, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology• Pantelis M. Papadopoulos, Ph.D., Aarhus University• Ezzohra Moufid, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar• Hanan Mohammed, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar• Sara Shaaban, freelance designer


The ProjectThis research combines many approaches to learning the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) language by 5-6 year old (kindergarten) Arabic native speakers. This research builds upon the Surface Table technology to develop a framework for language instruction which is based on combining three innovations: first, a student-centered curriculum based on a storytelling approach; second, physical classroom reconfiguration; and third, interactive software centered around multi-player, collaborative games. The research introduces a new pedagogy into the elementary school language-learning curriculum, which requires both curricular and technological innovations to work together.

ImpactThe new curriculum aims at enhancing the experience for Qatari kindergarteners as they learn Modern Standard Arabic, which in turn strengthens their national identity. The focus on MSA allows the project to be expanded in all 22 Arab countries, with Qatar taking the lead in such a learning change.

Student Affairs


Student AffairsThe Division of Student Affairs at Carnegie Mellon Qatar aims to create the ideal undergraduate experience, where students are engaged, challenged, and supported. Carnegie Mellon believes in the development of students across a wide array of areas, from the personal to the professional, social, emotional, physical, and intellectual. To that end, the division has numerous resources and programs in place to support students in reaching their highest potential and achieving their goals.

An integral part of the division’s strategy is to develop partnerships with the home campus in Pittsburgh, the Education City branch centers, and Qatar Foundation, further expanding the opportunities available to students.

Service and Community-Building At Carnegie Mellon Qatar, students are challenged to reflect on the need for social responsibility and make positive social changes by volunteering at organizations in Qatar or overseas.

In the spring, two groups traveled internationally for service learning opportunities. The first group of 11 students

and two staff members traveled to Chitwan, Nepal, and partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build a house in the community. Now in its third year, the Global Service Program (GSP) received a record number of proposals from students hoping to lead service trips that they were passionate about. This year’s student leader, Amalan Roshan, traveled with seven other students to Chiang Rai, Thailand, where they worked in rice fields and helped lay the foundation for an orphanage.

First- and Second-Year Programs First-Year Programs are designed to introduce students to the concepts of leadership and engagement in a university community. Students learn to think critically and analyze the aspects of ethical leadership while integrating servant leadership principles.

Initiatives geared toward second-year students included “The Sophomore Experience,” a retreat focusing on balancing their academic, personal, and professional lives, and “Sophomore Lunches,” which provided an opportunity for students to connect with their advisors and learn about leadership and professional development opportunities.


Student Clubs and Organizations Student organizations create opportunities for students to grow, develop, and promote campus involvement and university citizenship. The division continued to support student leaders by providing training and resources to help them succeed. Once again, the most popular event of the year was the annual Tartan Carnival (Tarnival), which was hosted by the Student Majlis and showcased the wide range of student clubs and organizations available to students.

Highlights from the 2013–14 academic year included:

• The All Around student newspaper printed a yearbook that was popular among students.

• As part of the Language Bridges club, 50 students volunteered to teach English to migrant workers.

• The Carnegie Mellon Qatar and Northwestern Qatar combined Men’s Basketball team won the 2013 Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Basketball League and the HBKU Tournament.

• The Debate Club won numerous individual and team awards in the Qatar Universities Debate League, and two students competed in the World Finals in Chennai, India.

• The Biological Sciences Club produced a biology-themed play for the community.

• The Hackathon competition was a success for the second year running.

• Carnegie Mellon hosted its first Model United Nations conference.

• The Qatar Association for Information Systems student chapter hosted an Information Systems Appreciation Day.

• Qatari Day was popular with faculty, staff, and students.

• The Big Movement student club created an anti-bullying campaign.

Student Organizations• All Around student newspaper

• Basketball Team – Men's & Women’s

• Biological Sciences

• Carnegie Mellon Business Association (CMBA)

• Carnegie Mellon Finance Association (CMFA)

• Computing Club

• Cricket Club

• Cultural Exchange Club

• Debating Society

• Desi Club

• Football Club

• Gaming Club

• Hackathon

• Language Bridges

• Andrew MUN

• Music Club

• Photo Club

• Qatar Association of Information Systems

• Qatari Student Association

• Student Majlis

• Table Tennis Club

• Tarnival

• The Big Movement

• Volleyball Club


Health and Wellness The Office of Health and Wellness encourages and supports the physical health and wellbeing of students by developing educational programs and serving as the liaison between students and health-care resources in Qatar. The program encourages a balance in the areas of social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, environmental, and physical health. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their health and strive for balance in the various areas to achieve their full potential.

Individual wellness counseling continued to experience great success with students setting their own personal health goals. The office also collaborated with Qatar Diabetes Association to offer health screening to students, faculty, and staff. In November, the office organized a health information booth in which doctors from the Qatar Foundation Health Clinic answered questions on men’s health issues and dermatology.

Personal DevelopmentThe Office of Personal Development and Counseling Services supports and enhances student development and quality of life by attending to the personal, emotional, spiritual, interpersonal, developmental, and mental wellbeing of students.

Highlights this year included:

• Mental wellbeing workshops, which addressed depression awareness, happiness, self-esteem, positive psychology, and how gratitude can encourage mental wellness

• Stress Recess, which brought awareness about the physical and emotional effects of stress and focused

on stress-reducing activities, such as creating a stress ball, using art activities to de-stress, and listening to calming music

• De-stress Zones, which provided students with healthful food options and highlighted the importance of sleep and stress management during exam time

• Depression and eating disorder screenings• The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality

assessment

Women’s InitiativesThe university fosters the growth and development of women through educational sessions, one-on-one mentoring, networking opportunities, and leadership development. Students participated in the Women’s Book Club and were invited to join professional networks and meet with female alumnae who shared their professional experiences.

Women’s Leadership ProgramStudents spent six weeks in a lunchtime seminar series exploring the relationship between gender, culture, and leadership, and the changing role of women. Sessions were designed to stimulate critical thinking while providing opportunities for students to cultivate networks with other women on campus.

National Conference for College Women Student LeadersFemale students showing strong leadership potential were selected to attend the 2014 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders conference at the University of Maryland. The conference allowed students to reflect on ideas and beliefs about gender, leadership, and advocacy.


Women’s Personal Development Program and TravelA group of female students was selected to participate in a semester-long program that combined mental wellbeing and assertive behaviors, self-esteem, and intercultural exploration. The program included a trip to Holland, where students enjoyed cultural excursions and learned more about social issues such as homelessness and addiction.

International EducationThrough the Office of International Education (OIE), students develop the cultural competence to engage with people of diverse backgrounds. This leads to students who have a greater appreciation for diversity and are able to successfully adapt when working across cultures and disciplines.

Working with international students is a central function of the Office of International Education. This past year, the university welcomed 34 international students representing 11 different countries (Bangladesh, China, Georgia, India, Korea, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United States). The office greeted them on arrival, assisted with their transition to living away from home, and facilitated their immigration procedures.

Pizza & PoliticsThe Pizza & Politics program continues to be popular, attracting more students than ever. Topics this year ranged from why students decided to attend Carnegie Mellon Qatar to international intervention in Syria.

Campus ExchangeWe foster interactions between students in Qatar and Pittsburgh through a variety of exchange programs. The Doha to Pittsburgh campus exchange program continues to attract students eager to experience a semester at the home campus. During the 2013–14 academic year, 25 students participated during either the fall or spring semester. Carnegie Mellon Qatar also welcomed one student from Singapore Management University (SMU) and one student from the Pittsburgh campus during the fall semester.

The IMPAQT program, which stands for Initiating Meaningful Pittsburgh and Qatar Ties, exposes Qatar students to the Pittsburgh campus and Pittsburgh students to the Qatar campus in a way that strengthens the relationship between the two. This year, 10 students from each campus were selected for IMPAQT, which includes a year-long commitment to cross-campus collaborations as well as the weeklong exchange trips over spring break.

International DayInternational Day continues to be a hallmark program for the university, serving as a great celebration

of the campus community. This year, the event grew again, attracting more than 400 attendees. Highlights included performances from students, staff, and faculty; a community-wide potluck food festival; an invitation to wear cultural dress; and meaningful conversations with one another.

Career DevelopmentIn an increasingly competitive global market, today’s graduates must possess self-awareness, superior academic knowledge, and a desire to succeed. These attributes, in conjunction with gaining practical experience in business and industry, will assist them in achieving career success.

The Career Development Office at Carnegie Mellon provides self-assessments, educational programming, access to employers, and experiential learning opportunities for the entire student population.

Career Coaching and Programming/Instruction During the 2013–14 academic year, approximately 150 students met with career development staff. Topics of discussion included identifying career interests, résumé writing and interviewing, and internship/job search strategies. Students also participated in group instruction related to mock interviews, navigating a career fair,

67 percent of the class of 2014 studied abroad at some point during their academic careers.


and graduate school. Programming such as the mini-course “What Should I Do with My Life?,” Senior Scoop, and the Business Fashion Show sponsored in conjunction with cmBA business administration club also continued this year.

Additional programs offered throughout the year included the Career Connection series, where industry partners from the region offered presentations to students, faculty, and staff. This past year, RasGas, General Electric, Henkel, and PricewaterhouseCoopers were among the companies that shared their profiles and hiring needs.

Professional Day

Professional Day is a career and networking fair that provides an opportunity for students and employers to meet face-to-face. Highlights from this year include:

• More than 200 representatives from 50 organizations attended

• Nine organizations participated for the first time

• 20 Carnegie Mellon alumni attended as recruiters

IGNITEOctober 2013 marked the first IGNITE networking event. It gave employers from 15 companies a chance to interact with alumni and students in an informal setting.

Employment Internships The Career Development Office encourages students to apply their academic knowledge to real-world situations. During the 2013–14 academic year, students completed internships at both local and multinational companies, including Qatar National Bank, RasGas, Mathaf, Al Jazeera, Deloitte, Shell, General Electric, and KPMG.

Full-Time Last year, 45 graduates reported that they were employed (36 with full time offers and nine with internships) at companies such as Citibank London, Vodafone, Barclays, Siemens, and Microsoft. Nine graduates enrolled in graduate school at institutions such as the University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, Leipzig Graduate School of Management, and Weill Cornell.

Connecting with Alumni Over the past year, more than 40 Carnegie Mellon alumni have returned to campus to interact with students about topics such as the transition from student to employee, setting and achieving goals, and paths to graduate school.

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Employment Status of Graduates

H.E. Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts, and Heritage, tours the exhibition “Travelling through Art and Times” with H.E. Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman, Al Faisal Holding.

Government and Corporate Affairs


Government and Corporate Affairs Carnegie Mellon Qatar is committed to expanding its interactions with the business, governmental, and non-profit sectors to better serve students, alumni, and faculty, as well as the wider community. Since its inception three years ago, the Office of Government and Corporate Affairs (GCA) has been tasked with building strategic partnerships that will help Qatar realize the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2011–16.

The office develops initiatives related to strategic studies, scientific research, student scholarships, and post-graduate employment and executive education. It also organizes seminars, workshops, and community service programs, and coordinates visits with senior officials and foreign dignitaries.

The objectives of the office are three-fold and carried out in close collaboration with the dean and CEO of Carnegie Mellon Qatar:

• Identify potential relationships between Carnegie Mellon Qatar and the broader Qatar community.

• Prioritize those opportunities that are most likely to be mutually beneficial.

• Take necessary steps to establish relationships, raising awareness about Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s educational and research programs within Qatar and the Gulf region.

The number of activities and programs has continued to grow over the 2013–14 academic year. Progress was made in developing contacts in Qatari government agencies, including the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy and Industry, and Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Relationships were also strengthened with leading Qatari corporations such as Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Airways, and Ooredoo, and multinational corporations such as ExxonMobil, General Electric, and Bechtel Corporation. Leaders from some of these organizations delivered lectures or participated in panels on campus.

Memoranda of Understanding

Commercial Bank of Qatar; Abdulla Saleh Al Raisi, CEO

Vodafone Qatar; Kyle Whitehall, CEO

Dean’s Lecture Series

Survey of Digital Attitudes and Aspirations of Middle East and North African Youth H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman, Ooredoo


Dean’s Panel Series

Dean’s Leadership Series

Energy in the 21st Century Barton P. Cahir, President & General Manager, ExxonMobil Qatar Inc.

Innovation and Capital Formation in Today’s Policy Environment H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Qatar Central Bank (QCB); Finn Kydland, Richard P. Simmons Distinguished Professorship, University Professor of Economics, Carnegie Mellon University, Nobel Laureate (2004)

The Role of Women’s Leadership in Aviation Elizabeth Johnston, Chief Human Resources Officer, Qatar Airways

The Importance of Qatari Culture, Heritage, and Identity in the Country's DevelopmentH.E. Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts, and Heritage; H.E. Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman, Al Faisal Holding

Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani Museum Exhibition: “Travelling through Arts and Times”Under the patronage of His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, “Travelling through Art and Times,” a collection of more than 160 rare artifacts from the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani Museum, had its first public showing at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. The exhibition was held for two weeks in the Carnegie Mellon building to coincide with the university’s 10th anniversary celebrations on March 18.

Executive and Professional EducationCarnegie Mellon Qatar continued to enhance its ties with government and industry through a series of executive education courses delivered by faculty to partner organizations. During the 2013–14 academic year, 185 professionals from government agencies and 155 professional from corporations in Qatar attended executive educations courses on campus.

Dynamic Organizational Leadership Instructors: Drs. Tom Emerson and Starling D. Hunter

Dynamic Organizational Leadership for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Staff Instructors: Drs. Tom Emerson and Starling D. Hunter

E-Business Strategies Instructor: Dr. Tridas Mukhopadhyay

Negotiation & Conflict Resolution Instructors: Drs. Ben Collier and David Emmanuel Gray

Web Security Instructor: Dr. Thierry Sans

Quality: Innovation, Service, and Leadership Instructor: Dr. Sham Kekre

Participating Organizations• Al Faisal Holding

• Al Jazeera Media Network

• Commercial Bank of Qatar

• Council of Ministers

• Ezdan Holding

• Internal Security Force (Lakhwiya)

• Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage

• Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Ministry of Interior

• Ministry of State for Cabinet Affairs

• Ooredoo

• Permanent Committee for Drug/Alcohol Affairs, Ministry of Interior

• Qatar Airways

• Qatar Central Bank

• Qatar Finance and Business Academy

• Qatar Foundation

• RasGas Company Ltd.

• Supreme Committee for Delivery

• Supreme Education Council and Legacy

Admission

New students enrolled by major in August 2013

Students Recruitment (First-time, first-year students)Applications

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AdmissionCarnegie Mellon University applies a holistic approach to the admission process, in which all facets of an applicant are considered by counselors. The university considers many factors when making admission decisions, including academic performance, exam scores, and extracurricular activities. Great care is taken to make admission decisions fair, thorough, and sensitive.

Carnegie Mellon seeks students who best embody the university’s core values of dedication, collaboration, entrepreneurship, compassion, diversity, and integrity.

Student RecruitmentQatar is our primary geographic focus for student recruitment. We held two major recruitment events in Doha during October 2013: the Local Counselor Visitation Day and Discover Education City event, both held at Education City. More than 2,000 people were in attendance.

Carnegie Mellon Qatar also cooperated with the other Education City branch campuses to reach out to prospective students in Qatar’s secondary schools. The universities took

a different approach this year by inviting secondary schools to visit Education City and encouraging them to explore the options available. Approximately 35 secondary schools visited Education City. Other schools held separate fairs or programs in addition to the school visits, bringing the total number of visits and events to 53. Additionally, 13 schools were invited for special campus visits that included student panels, an admission presentation, and tours of the building. Residents of Qatar remained the largest group of applicants.

Internationally, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is defined as the secondary recruitment market. Between September and November 2013, Carnegie Mellon interviewed students in Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.

In January 2014, the university participated in the annual Education City Regional Counselor Program, which aims to showcase the universities to high school counselors and advisors throughout the Middle East. Approximately 25 counselors from countries such as Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Kenya, Iraq, and Lebanon attended the three-day program.

• Academic Bridge Program

• Aitchison College

• Al Arqam Academy

• Al Bayan Secondary School

• Al Eman Independent School

• American Academy in Tbilisi

• American School of Doha

• American School of Kuwait

• Amna Bint Wahab School

• Bal Bharati Public School

• Bangladesh M.H.M. High School

• Beaconhouse School System

• Birla Public School

• Bloomfield Hall School

• Cairo American College

• Doha College

• Dubai American Academy

• El Araki School

• English Modern School

• Generation’s School

• Global Academy International

• Greenherald International School

• Gulf English School

• Ideal Indian School

• International School Choueifat–Doha

• Iranian School for Girls

• Jining Yucai High School

• Karachi Grammar School

• Lahore Grammar School

• Lahore Learning Campus

• Lyceum School

• M.E.S. Indian School

• Maple Leaf International School

• Mesaieed International School

• Moonlight High School

• Navrachana School

• Omar Bin Al Khattab

• Oxford International School

• Pakistan Education Centre

• Park House English School

• Qatar Academy

• Qatar Independent Secondary School

• Qatar International School

• Roots School System–Islamabad

• Sri Lankan School

• The Cambridge School

• The Tunisian School

Schools Represented in the Fall 2013 Freshman Class

Dual Enrollment with the Academic Bridge ProgramIn 2011, the university established a joint program between Carnegie Mellon and the Academic Bridge Program. Two Qatari students participated in the program, taking classes in the Academic Bridge Program and freshman-level courses at Carnegie Mellon during the 2013–14 academic year. Upon successful completion, they will be eligible to enroll at Carnegie Mellon in one of the university’s degree programs.

Financial AidSix types of financial aid options are available to students who enroll at Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

• Emiri Scholarship from the Qatari Supreme Education Council

• H.E. Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani Scholarship

• Sponsorship from a national company

• Qatar Foundation loan

• Qatar Foundation scholarship

• Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar scholarship

During the 2013–14 academic year, 335 Carnegie Mellon Qatar students received financial aid or sponsorship to pay their tuition and fees, of whom 28 students received money from both Carnegie Mellon and Qatar Foundation.

Pre-College Programs Carnegie Mellon Qatar reaches out into the community through Pre-College Programs that help bridge the gap between secondary school and university life. The programs inform students about the five majors offered at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, the admissions process, and careers paths available to graduates.

Companies Sponsoring Carnegie Mellon Students• Alfardan Group

• Ali Bin Ali Group

• Dolphin Energy

• Emiri Diwan

• Her Highness' Office

• Higher Education Institute (HEI)

• ictQATAR

• ITOCHU Corporation

• Maersk Oil Qatar A/S

• Ooredoo

• Qatar Airways

• Qatar Building Company

• Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO)

• Qatar Foundation

• Qatar National Bank

• Qatar Olympic Committee

• Qatar Petroleum

• Qatari Diar

• RasGas

• Sidra Medical & Research Center

• Woqod

Summer College Preview Program (SCPP)Modeled after Carnegie Mellon’s Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS), the Summer College Preview Program (SCPP) introduces academically motivated students to the demanding curriculum of select American universities such as the ones in Education City. Historically, approximately 25 percent of participants enroll in Carnegie Mellon in Qatar.

Ibtikar Qatar Ibtikar (“Innovation” in Arabic) is an information systems competition for high school juniors and seniors. Students are challenged to solve a real-world problem using information technology while learning about the field of information systems. This year, students competed by designing a mobile application that would enhance the lives of senior citizens.

CS4Qatar and CS4Qatar for WomenCS4Qatar is a developmental workshop designed to teach high school students about computer science. Workshops in cryptology and robot programming introduced students to the field of computer science during this past year’s event. The CS4Qatar for Women program offered a similar hands-on experience to female students in Qatar.

Botball Botball is a U.S.-based organization that introduces robotics to high school students. Teams are equipped with a Lego® Mindstorm robot and instructions on how to design and program it to move through a course to complete a specific task. After working on their robots for eight weeks, teams compete to see which robot scores the most points. In 2014, 23 schools from six countries in the Middle East and North Africa region participated. The winning team from DPS Modern Indian School traveled to the United States to participate in the Botball world finals and attend the Global Conference on Educational Robotics in Los Angeles.

Biotechnology Explorers Program

The Biotechnology Explorers Program is designed to provide secondary school students with a first-hand lab experience as they use scientific methodologies to solve a mystery or puzzle. In this year’s scenario, students were scientists investigating the cause of a food poisoning outbreak on a plane. Two workshops were held during the 2013–14 academic year.

Tajer DayTajer Day was introduced this year as the first Business Administration outreach event. Participants gained insights into financial markets in two simulated live-trading scenarios. They learned how markets discover prices and how technology has dramatically transformed and extended the application of markets to everyday life. Al Faisal Holding sponsored the event.

The university welcomed honored guests to its 10-Year Anniversary Celebration, including Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser; government and corporate dignitaries; Qatar Foundation leadership; deans from partner universities in Education City; former CMU-Q deans; and the executive administration and academic leadership from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Marketing and Public Relations


The goal of the Office of Marketing and Public Relations is to extend Carnegie Mellon’s global brand throughout the region by developing creative integrated communication strategies, working with the media, planning large-scale external events and supporting alumni engagement. The office works closely with the Pittsburgh campus, other Education City branch campuses and Qatar Foundation to promote Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

The office supports various departments on campus, including the Dean’s Office, Office of Admission, and the academic and co-curricular programs to effectively promote all aspects of the university while maintaining brand consistency and integrity ensuring that all university messaging reinforces each other.

10-Year Anniversary Celebration CampaignA major focus during the 2013-14 academic year was to highlight the university’s 10th anniversary in Qatar.

Marketing and Public Relations

An 18-month campaign began in July 2013, and will conclude in December 2014. In addition to incorporating the 10-year anniversary into all existing events and communications, the office also developed new creative collateral, media campaigns and events to promote the 10-year anniversary:

• A 10-year logo was designed and used on stationery, advertisements, publications and selected branded items.

• 10-year banners were designed and installed on the exterior and interior of the building.

• The university boilerplate was updated to include a reference to the 10-year anniversary.

• A press release at the beginning of the academic year highlighted the 10th incoming class.

• A kickoff event was held on campus to launch the 10-year celebrations among students, faculty and staff.

• A website was developed to feature milestones achieved during the first 10 years: www.qatar.cmu.edu/10

• A press conference was held with Carnegie Mellon and Qatar Foundation leadership.

• The 10-year anniversary celebration took place on March 18, 2014.


• A commemorative book was developed and distributed at the 10-year event.

• Both issues of On-Q magazine focused on the university’s achievements over the past 10 years.

10-Year Anniversary EventOn March 18, 2014, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Throughout the evening, videos and speeches featuring alumni and students transported the audience from Andrew Carnegie’s humble beginnings in Scotland to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established Carnegie Mellon University in 1900.

The evening also reflected on the growth of Carnegie Mellon’s branch campus in Qatar and highlighted milestone achievements throughout the last decade. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, attended the celebration, alongside leadership from Carnegie Mellon, Qatar Foundation, and members of the university, alumni and community leaders.

A moving highlight of the evening was when President Suresh invited the alumni to the stage. More than 120 alumni responded, and Sheikha Moza joined them on stage and greeted them personally.

Advertising The office has developed an advertising strategy to increase awareness of the university in Qatar and the region. A list of publications the university advertised in can be found in Appendix H.

This year, the office continued its award-winning “Andy” ad series, which features the university’s founder, Andrew Carnegie and showcases ground breaking technologies that were developed at Carnegie Mellon. A large-scale version of an Andy ad continued to raise awareness of the university at the Arrivals Terminal of Doha International Airport, which is the only international port of entry for passengers traveling by air into Qatar.

In addition to the general advertising campaign, the university developed and created newspaper advertisements to commemorate:

• Qatar National Day

• The 10-year celebration

• Class of 2014 graduation

Facebook Campaign During the 2013−14 academic year, the university continued its Facebook advertising campaign, which generated impressive results. The overall campaign included four sub campaigns: general awareness; biological sciences; computer science; and information systems. The campaign ran from November 2013 through March 2014 (to coincide with the admission cycle) and was concentrated geographically according to the university’s target recruitment markets.

The overall campaign generated a total of 1.4 billion impressions (views on a screen) yielding 645,431 clicks, with users younger than 21 being directed to Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s admission website and users older than 21 being directed to www.qatar.cmu.edu or given an opportunity to like the university’s Facebook page. In Qatar, the overall campaign generated almost 238 million impressions and 83,000 clicks.

Publications

MagazineThe office published two editions of the official university magazine, On-Q. Since many members of our primary audience—including alumni, students, parents and community leaders—are non-native English speakers, the magazine is image-heavy and the feature stories tend to be shorter than those found in traditional alumni magazines. As in past years, selected stories that were of particular interest to the local community were translated into Arabic. Altogether, each issue of the magazine was distributed to approximately 4,500 people.

Feature stories in 2013–14 highlighted Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 10th anniversary:

• “8 from ’08” highlighted eight students from Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s first graduating class

• “Greater than the Sum” reflected on Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s place in Education City

• “History in the Making” featured faculty and staff who have been at Carnegie Mellon Qatar since 2004

• “A Decade in Doha” showcased the 10-year celebration on campus

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Facebook Advertising 2013-14

Facebook Advertising in Qatar (Impressions)

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Other Printed PublicationsOther major undertakings were the editing and design of a 10-year report for Her Highness’ Office and a commemorative book distributed at the 10-year event. The university also edited and designed the 2012-13 annual report.

The department also supported the creation of various publications for other offices, including the view book, a general brochure and program handouts for admission; outreach brochures; and an information systems departmental brochure.

Qview NewsletterThe office continued to create and distribute the Qview electronic newsletter, which serves as a hub for the university to use in sharing news and events with the community in a timely fashion. This year, the template was redesigned to give it a fresh look. During Fall 2013 and Spring 2014, Qview went out on a biweekly basis to the university’s mailing lists of approximately 10,000 people, including prospective students. Average open rates were 36 percent for the university’s internal community and 22 percent for the external community.

WebsiteThe Marketing and Public Relations Office continued to maintain the qatar.cmu.edu website, including keeping content up to date, managing the events calendar, and highlighting newsworthy and useful information on the homepage. This year, a calendar was developed to enable the office to present timely information on the homepage.

Also this year, the office developed an online version of the 2012-13 annual report (www.qatar.cmu.edu/ar/) and a 10-year anniversary website, which included alumni profiles and a timeline showcasing major milestones and achievements.

Social MediaThe office continues to use a variety of social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr, to interact and engage with target audiences. This year, the used the micro-blogging site Tumblr as a platform for community members to share their memories of Carnegie Mellon’s first decade in Doha.

According to the website StarCount, an independent data collection agency, the university’s social media sites placed 15th overall in Qatar.

Video Development• 10-Year Celebration• Alumni 5-year reunion• Botball• Dean’s Lectures• Graduation• Hackathon• International Day • Professional Day • Summer College Preview Program

The videos may be watched at www.youtube.com/CarnegieMellonQatar

Carnegie Mellon Qatar Website

Unique Visitors 192,694

Visits 349,616

Media RelationsThe university continues to have an outstanding relationship with the local and regional media. Our events were well-attended by representatives from both Arabic and English media.

This year, the office organized a press conference to mark the university’s 10th anniversary in Qatar, which included students, alumni and Carnegie Mellon and Qatar Foundation leadership. The office also conveyed new initiatives and major events and achievements to the local and media through press releases and media advisories. All releases were distributed in both English and Arabic. Please see Appendix I for a list of press releases and Appendix J for press clippings.

Special EventsSpecial Events focuses on the planning and implementation of standard-setting events that connect the public and key constituents with the university. Along with the coordination of logistics, graphic and multimedia design, the Carnegie Mellon brand is tied to all aspects of special events and its integrity and consistency is a priority for the office. Special Events works closely with campus departments to provide guidance and resources through set processes as they plan their respective events.

The university hosted more than 7,500 guests on campus this year. To reach a variety of audiences, the university hosted a special museum exhibit showcasing Qatar’s history, Carnegie Mellon University’s honor string quartet, general interest and academic lectures by prominent speakers related to our programs, the Class of 2008’s five-year reunion, alumni gatherings and a large-scale 10-year anniversary event celebrating a decade of achievements. For a list of special events, please see Appendix K.

Facebook “Likes”2008–09: 900 fans2009–10: 61,000 fans2010–11: 186,000 fans 2011–12: 358,300 fans 2012–13: 496,264 fans2013-14: 510,502 fans

Instagram Followers2013-14: 560

Twitter Followers2010–11 4002011–12 1,2002012–13 2,300 2013-14 3,884

YouTube Views2009–10 8,4002010–11 17,0002011–12 23,0002012–13 31,450 2013-14 29,055

Social Media qatar.cmu.edu/socialmedia


Highlights The Distinguished Lecture Series presented Carnegie Mellon University professors Kannan Srinivasan, the Rohet Tolani Distinguished Professor of International Business and H.J. Heinz II Professor of Management, Marketing and Business; Tom M. Mitchell, the E. Fredkin University Professor and head of the Machine Learning Department; and Jaime Carbonell, the director of the Language Technologies Institute and University professor in Language Technologies and Computer Science.

The Dean’s Lecture Series featured H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, chairman of Ooredoo. Nobel Peace prize recipient and Carnegie Mellon professor Dr. Finn Kydland and H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Sin Saoud Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Central Bank, discussed the latest trends and developments in the banking sector as part of the Dean’s Panel Series. Established in 2012 to connect students and recent graduates with senior executives, the Dean’s Leadership Series included Bart Cahir, CEO of ExxonMobil Qatar and Elizabeth Johnson, Chief Human Resources Officer of Qatar Airways.

Eighty students representing 24 different countries celebrated their graduation on May 5, 2014. The ceremony took place at Qatar Foundation’s Qatar National Convention Centre with more than 1,200 guests in attendance. Carnegie Mellon’s ninth president, Dr. Subra Suresh, delivered the keynote address.

Alumni RelationsAlumni Relations at Carnegie Mellon Qatar aims to support the advancement of the university by building an alumni culture in the region and connecting and reconnecting alumni, students and university friends. This year, 90 different alumni attended five events hosted by the

office: Tarnival, 5-Year Reunion for the class of 2008, an evening by the pool at the W Hotel, 10-year Anniversary Celebration and the annual alumni-senior beach party at the InterContinental Hotel.

Carnegie Mellon alumni also assisted the university this year. More than 40 CMU-Q alumni returned to campus to talk to students about topics including life after university, the transition from student to employee, setting and achieving goals, and paths to graduate school. Approximately 15 alumni attended the inaugural IGNITE Networking Conference and more than 20 alumni came to campus on Professional Day to serve as resources and recruiters for the companies in which they currently work.

Looking AheadMajor initiatives planned for the 2014–15 fiscal year include:

• A redesign of the qatar.cmu.edu homepage

• The creation of a series of videos to promote the university to external audiences

• The development of a new general advertising campaign to enhance brand awareness in Qatar and the region

• Enhancing the digital marketing campaign to include new platforms

Operations and Administration


Operations and Administrations at Carnegie Mellon Qatar is dedicated to supporting the university's core mission of education and research by overseeing the day-to-day business, finance and operations of the university.

Human ResourcesThe Carnegie Mellon Qatar Human Resources Department supports faculty and staff in the areas of employment, immigration services, benefits and allowance administration, employee relations, and staff development. The department also assists employees and their families before and upon arrival, as well as with day-to-day work-life matters. Service areas include:

• Hiring and contract renewal

• Recruitment and staffing assistance

• Compensation and job classification administration • Policy and procedure development and interpretation • Visa, resident permit, exit permit, and driver’s license

services • International benefits management • Dependent schooling and tuition benefits administration • Pre-employment and new employee orientation • Relocation and repatriation arrangements • Emergency calling tree, phone directory, and distribution

list maintenance • Allowance reimbursement administration

• Employee events management

Information TechnologyInformation Technology provides the computing, communications, and educational technology environment and services that supports education, research and administration at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. The department delivers services that are consistent with the Pittsburgh campus and customized to meet the needs of our local campus community. Our focus is on end-user computing support, technology for teaching and collaboration, and the systems and networks required to deliver reliable enterprise services.

Information Technology Services include:

• Defining and delivering the Windows and Macintosh end-user and computing lab environment.

• Classroom and conference room services, including wireless network connectivity, projection and audio systems, IPTV, multi-point video communication, student response systems, and sophisticated high-definition telepresence.

• Key enterprise applications such as Blackboard, e-mail and calendar, and SharePoint for collaboration.

• IT Service Desk operations to help understand constituent requirements and provide timely problem resolution.

• Virtualized Windows and Linux servers, network-accessible storage, and information security monitoring and response.

• Support for academic and research programs through our research data center service offerings and participation in the cloud computing program.

• Support for faculty and staff hardware and software acquisition.

• Audio/visual planning and support for CMU-Q events.

Charles E. Thorpe Award RecipientsNamed after Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s founding dean, the Charles E. Thorpe Awards are presented each year to staff members who display exceptional teamwork and dedication to the university. Awards were given in five categories in 2014:

Outstanding Newcomer

Aliesha JonesAcademic assistant

for writing

Outstanding Commitment to the Community

Tariq RafiqDirector, Project

Management Office, IT

Outstanding Innovation

Sindu VelsarLibrary associate and textbooks coordinator

Outstanding Service to Students

Syed Faizan NihalSenior systems

engineer, IT

Outstanding Dedication to

CMU

Damian DouradoManager of

pre-college programs

Operations and Administration


In the last year IT has completed projects related to upgrade of audiovisual systems, deployment of mobile technology to students, and deployment of new email system.

FacilitiesFacilities Management serves the needs of our ever-evolving education and research activities through responsive and efficient delivery of day-to-day maintenance and repair. The department aims to provide a safe and secure environment in which effective teaching, research, working, residential, and recreational activities can take place. Over the past 12 months, Facilities successfully supported all staff and faculty operational needs for the delivery of all campus teaching and learning requirements.

Facilities Management services include:

• Conference and event support

• Building and space maintenance

• Service attendants

• Transportation services

• Mailing and shipping services

• Catering

• Building security and access control

• Faculty and staff housing

Global SecurityA core component of Global Security at Carnegie Mellon Qatar is the Qatar Crisis Preparedness Plan, which ensures that trained professionals are prepared to act decisively in the event of a disaster. This year, the plan was reviewed and revised, which involved consulting with several external entities, including Qatar Foundation, other Education City universities, the U.S. Embassy, and global security contractors.

The university continuously monitors global security, including Middle East security, and conducts regular risk and threat assessments. Carnegie Mellon Qatar has a robust SMS emergency messaging program, allowing almost instantaneous communication with faculty, staff, and students.

The director also oversaw the handling of waste materials, proper laboratory conditions, and other critical components of the lab safety program. Certifications were obtained for the opening of new labs in the Carnegie Mellon Qatar building.

FinanceThe Finance Office supports Carnegie Mellon Qatar in the areas of accounting and finance, and is a central resource/liaison for these departments in Pittsburgh and Qatar. The Qatar Finance Office maintains close coordination with Qatar Foundation’s Finance Department and plays a vital role in the process of decision-making, budget control, reporting, and planning.

The Qatar Finance Office also is actively involved with Qatar Foundation’s Finance Committee and in providing information for Carnegie Mellon Management and the Joint Advisory Board.

Appendices


Appendix A

Joint Advisory Board (JAB) Members, 2013-2014

Chair

Mark Kamlet, Ph.D.Executive Vice President and ProvostCarnegie Mellon University

Members

H.E. Abdullah Al Kubaisi, Ph.D.Executive Director Her Highness’ Office

Faisal AlsuwaidiVice President for Research Qatar Foundation

Mary Jo DivelyVice President and General CounselCarnegie Mellon University

Ahmed Hasnah, Ph.D.Associate Vice President of Higher Education Qatar Foundation

William Scherlis, Ph.D.Professor and DirectorInstitute for Software ResearchCarnegie Mellon University

Duane Seppi, Ph.D.BNY Mellon Professor of Finance Tepper School of BusinessCarnegie Mellon University

Ilker Baybars, Ph.D.Dean and CEO;George Leland Bach Chair;Professor of Operations ManagementCarnegie Mellon University Qatar (Ex officio)

Dr. David PriorProvost and Executive Vice PresidentHamad bin Khalifa University(Ex-officio)

Independent Joint Advisory Board Members

N. Balakrishnan, Ph.D.Associate Director, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Gabriel Hawawini, Ph.D.Henry Grunfield Chaired Professor of Investment BankingINSEADFontainebleau, France

Kurt Mehlhorn, Ph.D.Max Planck Institute Saarbrücken, Germany

Appendix B

Senior Management Team 2013-2014

Ilker Baybars, Ph.D.Dean and CEO

Patrick Sileo, Ph.D.Associate Dean

Gordon Rule, Ph.D.Associate Dean, Research

Mark StehlikAssociate Dean, Education

Richard MundyChief Operating Officer

Fadhel AnnanAssistant Dean of Government Initiatives and Corporate Affairs

Murry EvansExecutive Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Khalid WarraichChief Information Officer

Appendix C

Senior Staff Council 2013-2014

Ilker Baybars, Ph.D.Dean and CEO




Richard MundyChief Operating Officer

Fadhel AnnanAssistant Dean of Government Initiatives and Corporate Affairs

Lisa CilettiDirector of Operations

Murry EvansExecutive Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Gloria KhouryAssistant Dean of Student Affairs

Freida KinneyDirector of Human Resources

Aaron LyversDirector of Finance

Teresa MacGregorDirector of the Library

Jarrod MockDirector of Admission

Paul ReadDirector of Facilities Management

Meg RogersDirector, Research Office

John SeawrightDirector of Safety and Security

Amy Walker, Ph.D.Director of Career Development

Khalid WarraichChief Information Officer

Appendix D

Dean’s Academic Council 2013-2014




Selma Limam Mansar, Ph.D.Associate Teaching Professor, Information Systems

Sham Kekre, Ph.D.Distinguished Career Professor, Business Administration

Kemal Oflazer, Ph.D.Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Marion Oliver, Ph.D.Teaching Professor, Mathematics

Dudley Reynolds, Ph.D.Teaching Professor, English

Appendix E

Faculty Members Fall and/or Spring Semester 2013-2014

Snejana Abarji, Ph.D. Visiting Professor, Physics and MathematicsAmal Al-Malki, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, English Ilker Baybars, Ph.D. Dean and CEO; George Leland Bach Chair; Professor of Operations ManagementAmy Bickerton, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, DesignMohamed Bouaouina, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Biological ScienceSteven Calabrese, Ph.D. Visiting Associate Professor, Economics


Iliano Cervesato, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Emin Civi, Ph.D. Visiting Associate Professor, International Management

Benjamin Collier, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Organizational Behavior

Crista Crittenden, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Psychology

Hasan Demirkoparan, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Mathematics

Rami El Samahy Assistant Teaching Professor, Architecture

S. Thomas Emerson, Ph.D. Distinguished Career Professor, Entrepreneurship

Mohammed Fuad Farooqi, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Finance

Jonathan Finkel, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Biological Sciences

Davide Fossati, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Computer Science

John Gasper, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Business Administration and Political Economy

David Gray, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Philosophy

Susan Hagan, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, English

Maher Hakim, Ph.D. Visiting Associate Teaching Professor, Information Systems

Mohammad Hammoud, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Khaled Harras, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Erik Helin Special Lecturer, Spanish

Adam Hodges, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, English

Ken Hovis, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Biological Sciences

Starling Hunter, Ph.D. Visiting Associate Teaching Professor, Business Administration

Kelly Hutzell Associate Teaching Professor, Architecture

Ludmila Hyman, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, English

Zeinab Ibrahim, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Arabic

Valentin Ilyin, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Computational Biology

Lansiné Kaba, Ph.D. Distinguished Visiting Professor, History

Takeo Kanade, Ph.D. U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics

Christos Kapoutsis, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Sham Kekre, Ph.D. Distinguished Career Professor, Production and Operations Management

Finn Kydland, Ph.D. Richard P. Simmons Distinguished Professorship; University Professor, Economics

Divakaran Liginlal, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Information Systems

Selma Limam Mansar, Ph.D. Director, Qatar Information Systems Program; Associate Teaching Professor, Information Systems

J. Patrick McGinnis Director, Qatar Business Administration Program; Assistant Teaching Professor, Business Communication

Teresa MacGregor Director, Library; Librarian, Reference and Instruction

Thomas Mitchell, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, English

Behrang Mohit, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Tridas Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D. Deloitte Consulting Professor of Business Technologies; Professor of Information Systems

Terrance Murphy, Ph.D. Teaching Professor, Chemistry

John O'Brien, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Accounting

Kemal Oflazer, Ph.D. Director, CMU-Q Computer Science Program; Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Marion Oliver, Ph.D. Teaching Professor, Mathematics

Silvia Pessoa, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, English

Daniel Phelps, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Information Systems

Srinivasa Prakhya, Ph.D. Visiting Associate Professor, Marketing

Saquib Razak, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Benjamin Reilly, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, History

Dudley Reynolds, Ph.D. Teaching Professor, English

Alex Rojas, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Statistics

Gordon Rule, Ph.D. Associate Dean, Research; Director, CMU-Q Biological Sciences Program; Professor, Biological Sciences

Majd Sakr, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Alicia Salaz Librarian, Reference and Instruction

Thierry Sans, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Yaser Sheikh, Ph.D. Assistant Research Professor, Computer Science

Patrick Sileo, Ph.D. Associate Dean; Associate Teaching Professor, Economics and Finance

Mark Stehlik Associate Dean, Education; Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Peter Stuettgen, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Marketing

Matthew Szudzik, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Mathematics

Juiming Ray Tsai, Ph.D. Professor of Practice, Information Systems

Stephen Vargo, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Business Administration

Annette Vincent, Ph.D. Assistant Teaching Professor, Biological Sciences

George White, Ph.D. Distinguished Career Professor, Entrepreneurship


Appendix F

Meeting of the Minds, 2014

Biological Science Posters

❚ Adherence of Pathogenic Fungi Isolated in the Qatari Clinical Setting

❚ Morphology of Pathogenic Fungi in the Qatari Clinical Setting

Business Administration Posters

❚ Value Premium in the GCC Markets

❚ Factors Affecting LNG Prices for Qatar: A Study Using Past Data

❚ Ambiguity in Choices and the Reflection Effect

❚ Automated Course Scheduling

Computational Biology Poster

❚ SNV-check: A Quality Control Tool for Familiar Exome Sequencing Data Based on the Sharing of Rare Genetic Mutations

Computer Science Posters

❚ Twitter Sentiment Analysis

❚ Using Technology to Help People Save Food Effortlessly

❚ SmartPC: Adding 4th Dimension to Computer Input

❚ Contextual Spellchecker to Improve Human Robot Interaction

❚ Enhancing Agent Gaze in Uncontrolled Environments

❚ Seeing is Learning: Accessible Technologies for Universal Learning

❚ Supercharging Hadoop for Efficient Big Data Analytics

❚ Descriptive Minicomplexity

Information Systems Posters

❚ Is an Accessible Website a More Usable One?

❚ Effect of Website Localization on Impulse Buying Behavior of Arab Shoppers

❚ On the Relevance of Cultural Intelligence for Technology Acceptance

❚ Flipped Learning for Educational Content Delivery: The Case of Introductory Programming Courses

❚ Evaluating the Use of Emerging Technologies in Education

❚ Studying the Sociotechnical Barriers to Using Augmented Reality Technologies for E-commerce

❚ Teaching / Learning with iPads

Post-Graduate Poster

❚ DREAM: Distributed RDF Engine with Adaptive Query Optimization & Minimal Communication


Cycle 1 Lead PI in Qatar NPRP Title

Amal Al-Malki, Ph.D. NPRP 29-6-7-9 Images of Muslim Women in Translated Mideast Media Sources: A Content and Discourse Analysis

Majd Sakr, Ph.D. NPRP 29-6-7-24 Human-Robot Interaction in an Arabic Social and Cultural Setting

M. Bernardine Dias, Ph.D. NPRP 1-7-7-5 Automated Tools for Effective Team Coordination in Emergency Response

M. Bernardine Dias, Ph.D. NPRP 30-6-7-91 Enhanced Education for the Visually and Aurally Impaired Using Automated Tutors and Interactive Computer Games

Jonathan Caulkins, Ph.D. NPRP 20-6-7-6 Modeling Control of Infectious Disease

Charles Thorpe, Ph.D. NPRP 29-6-7-43 Intelligent Diabetes Assistant: Predicting and Optimizing Blood Glucose

Aziz Lookman, Ph.D. NPRP 30-6-7-28 Are Banks Better at Managing Their Borrower’s Risks than Non-Banks

Cycle 2

Alex Rojas Pena, Ph.D. NPRP 08-643-1-112 Automated Measurement of Galaxy Morphology

Brett Browning, Ph.D. NPRP 08-589-2-245 Non-Destructive Gas Pipeline Inspection Using Computer Vision

Khaled Harras, Ph.D. NPRP 08-562-1-095 CameraNets: Coverage, Networking, and Storage Problems in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

Kemal Oflazer, Ph.D. NPRP 08-485-1-083 Improved Arabic Natural Language Processing through Semi supervised and Cross-Lingual Learning

Cycle 3

Silvia Pessoa, Ph.D. NPRP 09-857-5-123 Transnational Labor Migration in Qatar: An Empirical Sociological Analysis

Kemal Oflazer, Ph.D. NPRP 09-1140-1-177 Learning from Comparable Corpora for Improved English-Arabic Statistical Machine Translation

Brett Browning, Ph.D. NPRP 09-980-2-380 Robust Localization and Mapping for Autonomous Gas Inspection Vehicles

Majd Sakr, Ph.D. NPRP 09-1116-1-172 Qloud: Towards a Cloud Computing Infrastructure in Qatar to Target Regional Scientific Applications

Majd Sakr, Ph.D. NPRP 09-1113-1-171 Towards Natural Multi-Cultural Human-Robot Interaction

Kemal Oflazer, Ph.D. NPRP 09-873-1-129 A Natural Language Processing-based Active and Interactive Platform for Accessing English Language Content and Advanced Language Learning

Iliano Cervesato, Ph.D. NPRP 09-1107-1-168 Formal Reasoning about Language for Distributed Computation

Iliano Cervesato, Ph.D. NPRP 09-667-1-100 Effective Programming for Large Distributed Ensembles

Appendix G

National Research Priorities Program Grants Awarded to Carnegie Mellon Qatar Faculty


Cycle 4Lead PI in Qatar NPRP Title

M. Bernardine Dias, Ph.D. NPRP 4-439-1-071 Innovative Computing and Mobile Technology for Improving English Literacy Skills for Children and for Adults

M. Bernardine Dias, Ph.D. NPRP 4-1330-1-213 Cooperative Robotic Boats for Monitoring Coastal and Flooded Areas

Andreas Karatsolis, Ph.D. NPRP4-1538-6-048 Improving Professional Communication Skills through an Online Tutorial

Iliano Cervesato, Ph.D. NPRP4-341-1-059 Usable Automated Data Inference for End-users

Dudley Reynolds, Ph.D. NPRP4-1172-5-172 Improving Reading Skills in the Middle School Science Classroom

Majd Sakr, Ph.D. NPRP4-1058-1-168 Automatic Correction of Standard Arabic Text: Resource and System Development

Hasan Demirkoparan, Ph.D. NPRP4-1138-1-178 New Mathematical Models for the Large Strain Swelling Response of Biological Tissues

Hasan Demirkoparan, Ph.D. NPRP4-1333-1-214 Complex Material Response Described by Continuum Mechanics with a Deformation Gradient Product Decomposition that has Novel Hyperelastic Implications

Zeinab Ibrahim, Ph.D. NPRP4-1074-5-164 Advancing Arabic Language Learning in Qatar

Vinay Kolar, Ph.D. NPRP 4-1620-1-266 Large-scale, Personal and Mobile Sensor Networks and their Applications in Qatar

Krishnapuram Karthikeyan, Ph.D. NPRP 4-783-1-119 Plant Uptake of Pollutants of Emerging Concern During Use of Reclaimed Water in Greenhouse Hydroponic Systems

Krishnapuram Karthikeyan, Ph.D. NPRP 4-718-2-268 Use of Novel Water Treatment Methods for Desalination of Brackish Groundwater in Qatar

Cycle 5

David Fossati, Ph.D. NPRP 5-939-1-155 Intelligent Learning Environments for Computer Science Undergraduate Education

Zeinab Ibrahim, Ph.D. NPRP 5-1393-6-044 Raising Language Effectiveness in Arabic Ecommerce Websites

Yonina Cooper, Ph.D. NPRP 5-1070-2-451 Alice for Middle East - Alice ME

Silvia Pessoa, Ph.D. NPRP 5-1320-6-040 Undergraduate Discipline-Specific Writing: Expectations, Demands, & Development

Cycle 6

Kemal Oflazer, Ph.D. NPRP 6-1020-1-199 OPTDIAC: An Optimal Diacritization Scheme for Arabic Orthographic Representation

Jonathan Finkel, Ph.D. NPRP 6-1130-3-267 Adherence and biofilm formation of pathogenic yeast and yeast-like fungi from the Qatari clinical setting

Cycle 7

Mohamed Bouaouina, Ph.D. NPRP 7-1872-1-331 Role of the PDZ and LIM containing protein Zasp in integrin-mediated cell adhesion

Iliano Cervasato, Ph.D. NPRP 7-988-1-178 Automated verification of properties of concurrent, distributed and parallel specifications with applications to computer security

Mohammad Hammoud, Ph.D. NPRP 7-1330-2-483 Scalable Analytics Engine for Big Graphs on the Cloud

Dudley Reynolds, Ph.D. NPRP 7-1393-5-209 Learning4Teaching-Qatar: Examining Qatari teachers’ experiences of professional development in English language teaching

Snezhana Abarzhi, Ph.D. NPRP 7-1785-1-321 Numerical and theoretical modeling of complex fluid flows

Kemal Oflazer, Ph.D. NPRP 7-290-1-047 MADAR: Multi-Arabic Dialect Applications and Resources


Abu Dhabi Resident’s GuideAl Arab NewspaperAl Raya NewspaperAl Sharq NewspaperAl Watan NewspaperArabian Business QatarBloomberg Businessweek-Qatar EditionDoha Events GuideDoha NewsDubai ExplorerDubai Resident’s GuideEducation TodayFacebook Forbes Magazine Middle EastGulf TimesGulf Times Special Supplement on Education

Record numbers get a taste of student life at Carnegie Mellon Qatar

Carnegie Mellon students travel to India, develop technology for the blind

Carnegie Mellon student plans to make a world of difference with road safety campaign

Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 10th year opens with record enrollment of 400 students

Carnegie Mellon ranks among top American universities

CMU-Q kick off 10-year celebration

Commercial Bank and Carnegie Mellon sign MoU

CMU President Subra Suresh elected to Institute of Medicine

Qatari student wins top award at computer science conference

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar builds links with local business community

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar simplified Qatari law for new businesses

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar ignites student job search efforts

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar students triumph at the Enterprise Challenge Qatar 2013

Google executive chairman acclaims progressive Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar celebrates third annual Tartan Carnival

Appendix H

Advertising Campaign during the 2013-2014 Academic Year

Appendix I

Press releases 2013-2014

Gulf News Annual Country Report - QatarIB World Schools YearbookICT (Information and Communication Technology) TodayIEEE (Online)Khaleej TimesMarhaba Education SectionMEED Education QuarterlyMEED MagazineMEED Special Report for QatarMEED Supplement Economic ReviewMEED Supplement Qatar GuideMEED Technology QuarterlyMEED YearbookQatar International Airport arrivals terminal

Eighty high school students experience Carnegie Mellon’s CS4Qatar for Women Program

Carnegie Mellon enhances lives of Qatar’s elderly through technology

CMU-Q graduate to develop OpenCurriculum for MENA region

Carnegie Mellon’s new technology teaches children fus-ha

Carnegie Mellon Qatar students hold second “Hackathon”

Distinguished professors from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh present public lectures on cutting-edge research

Digital attitudes of Arab youth to be revealed as part of Dean’s Lecture Series at Carnegie Mellon Qatar

CMU-Q hosts first Business Administration outreach program, Tajer-Investment for Qatar

Carnegie Mellon Qatar connects students with top employers

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar helps local organizations apply e-business strategies

135 top ranking students recognized on Dean’s list at CMU

Carnegie Mellon celebrates decade of world-class education in Qatar

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser commemorates Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 10-year anniversary

Oman Resident’s GuideORYX (Qatar Airways In-flight magazine)Peninsula Newspaper Progress QatarQatar Education GuideQatar Educational DirectoryQatar Explorer and Resident’s GuideQatar Online DirectoryQatar TodayQatar TribuneSociety Magazine The Economist DigitalThe Edge Magazine

Students compete in Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 3-day entrepreneurship program

Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s robotics tournament creates pathways for students to enter computer science and related fields

Carnegie Mellon celebrates diverse student body at International Day

Oil, gas and coal still to make up bulk of energy sources by 2040: ExxonMobil President

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar co-hosts international conference in the United States

2014 Carnegie Mellon Qatar applicant pool represents 58 nationalities

DPS-Modern Indian School, Doha finish 1st in Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s international robotics tournament

Carnegie Mellon in Qatar graduates 80 students

Carnegie Mellon Qatar bridges gap between industry and student researchers

Carnegie Mellon helps Qatari organizations secure online businesses

Learning4Teaching project an educational boost


Appendix J

Select Press Clippings, 2013-2014

Date: 12/15/2013

Subject: Carnegie Mellon University Qatar Celebrates Qatari Culture

Source: Al-Rayah

Source: Al Watan

Date: 10/13/2013

Subject: 10-Year Celebrations Kick-off

Source: Gulf Times

Date: 10/31/2013

Subject: Qatari student wins top award at US computer science meeting

Source: Qatar Tribune

Date: 10/31/2013

Subject: Qatari student wins top award at US computer science meeting

Source: Al-Sharq

Date: 09/18/2013

Subject: Carnegie Mellon student plans to make a World of Difference with road safety campaign

Date: 11/17/2013

Subject: Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar ignites student job search efforts

Source: Al Arab

Date: 12/15/2013

Subject: Carnegie Mellon University Qatar celebrates Qatari Culture



Date: 01/26/2014

Subject: Carnegie Mellon’s new technology teaches kids fus-ha

Source: The Peninsula

Date: 03/19/2014

Subject: Her Highness Sheikha Moza Commemorates Carnegie Mellon Qatar's 10-year anniversary

Source: Al-Sharq

Date: 03/19/2014

Subject: Carnegie Mellon University Qatar welcomes 104 new students

Source: Gulf Times

Date: 03/19/2014



Date: 01/29/2014

Subject: CMU-Q hosts second Hackathon contest


Date: 01/29/2014

Subject: CMU-Q hosts second Hackathon contest

Source: Al Arab


Date: 04/17/2014

Subject: Oil, gas and coal still to make up bulk of energy sources by 2040: ExxonMobil President

Source: Gulf Times

Date: 05/19/2014

Subject: Carnegie Mellon helps Qatari organizations secure online businesses

Source: Al-Sharq

Date: 05/19/2014

Subject: Carnegie Mellon helps Qatari organizations secure online businesses

Source: Al-Sharq

Date: 03/24/2014

Subject: Students compete in Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 3-day entrepreneurship program

Source: Al Sharq

Date: 03/19/2014



Date: 04/13/2014

Subject: Carnegie Mellon celebrates diverse student body at International Day



Appendix K

Special Events 2013-14

July, 2013Summer College Preview Program (SCPP)The SCPP gives the opportunity for students from Qatar and the surrounding region to visit our campus and put their skills and abilities to the test within a community of other bright young scholars.

August 21, 2013Freshman ConvocationThe freshman students were officially welcomed into the Carnegie Mellon family during the university’s annual convocation ceremony.

October 9, 201310-Year Anniversary Cake DayThe CMU-Q community celebrated the university's 10th anniversary.

October 26, 2013Ibtikar Qatar workshopAn information systems program workshop designed for teams to learn rules of the competition and learn how to deliver a video illustrating their designs and ideas.

October 29, 2013Gloriana St. Clair Lecture Series on 21st Century Librarianship“The Next Generation Library,” by Keith Webster, dean of the libraries of Carnegie Mellon University.

October 30, 2013IgniteCarnegie Mellon Qatar's first fall semester career and networking fair.

Nov 9 & Dec 7, 2013, Jan 25, 2014Biotechnology Explorer ProgramA Biological Sciences outreach program where students learn lab techniques and more about the biological sciences program.

November 11, 14, 21 & 27, 2013Qatari Law Lecture SeriesAssociates of AlMisnad & Rifaat Law Firm explained through a series of lectures how the Qatari legal system works, equipping the community with vital knowledge required to successfully set-up a business in Qatar.

November 14, 2013TarnivalA student-organized evening of games, prizes and student club acitivites for the CMU-Q community.

November 19, 2013Dr. Suresh Investiture ScreeningCMU-Q celebrated the inauguration of the ninth president, Dr. Subra Suresh, during a screening of the main campus ceremony. Google Executive Chairman Dr. Eric Schmidt was the keynote speaker.

November 21, 2013Class of 2008 Five Year ReunionThe class of 2008 reunited with faculty and staff to mark five years as CMU-Q alumni.

November 23, 2013CS For Qatar For WomenEighty female high school students participated in a special workshop showcasing computer science.

November 25, 2013Andrew Carnegie's BirthdayCMU-Q celebrated the 178th birthday of its founder Andrew Carnegie.

November 30, 2013Ibtikar Qatar CompetitionA panel composed of Information Systems professors, designers and senior level students review the developed videos and elect the top three winning teams

December 4, 2013Alumni Get TogetherAlumni enjoyed an evening catching up and meeting with members of the Career Development Office to learn more about the services they provide.

January 24 - 25, 2014HackathonUniversity students in Doha participated in hackathon, a 24-hour event where students can work individually or in teams to build a cool application—be it a game, a mobile application or a web application.

January 31 - February 1, 2014Botball WorkshopThe Botball Educational Robotics Program engaged secondary students in a team-oriented robotics competition. By designing, building, programming and documenting robots, students use science, engineering, technology, math and writing skills in a hands-on project that reinforces learning

February 3, 2014Richard M Cyert Distinguished Lecture in Business Administration“Business Insights from Big-Data,” by Kannan Srinivasan, Rohet Tolani Distinguished Professor in International Business and H.J. Heinz II Professor of Management, Marketing and Information Systems, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University.

February 4, 2014A. Nico Habermann Distinguished Lecture in Computer Science“How the Brain Represents Word Meanings,” by Tom M. Mitchell, E. Fredkin University Professor and Department Head, Machine Learning Department, Carnegie Mellon University.

February 8, 2014CS4Qatar for StudentsCS4Qatar featured workshops for students who want to broaden their horizons in the ever-expanding and broad-reaching field of computer science. February 10, 2014Dean's Lecture Series“Survey of Digital Attitudes and Aspirations of MENA Youth,” by H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of Ooredoo.


February 15, 2014Tajer - Investment for QatarFifty secondary schools students experienced life on the trading floor and gained insight into financial markets at Tajer Day.

February 19, 2014Professional DayCMU-Q's annual career fair.

February 28 - March 1, 2014UCIS Undergraduate Conference in Information SystemsCMU-Q co-hosted the fourth annual Undergraduate Conference in Information Systems alongside Carnegie Mellon University and the Qatar Association for Information Systems (AIS) chapter.

March 13-15, 2014Quick StartupTwenty students from universities across Doha competed in Quick Startup 2014, a business-training program launched this year by Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. The program coaches budding entrepreneurs as they develop a concept into a business plan and present an investor pitch to a panel of industry experts in just 72 hours.

March 13, 2014“Travelling Through Arts and Times” Exhibit OpeningUnder the patronage of His Highness the Father Emir, an exclusive exhibition – Travelling Through Arts and Times – was shown publicly for the first time with more than 160 rare artifacts from Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani’s private collection. The exhibition was a collaboration between the world-renowned Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani’s Museum and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar to mark the 10-year anniversary of its campus in Education City.

March 18, 201410-Year Anniversary CelebrationHer Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, attended Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar’s 10th anniversary celebrations alongside leadership from Carnegie Mellon, Qatar Foundation, and members of the university and community.

March 31, 2014Dean's Panel"Innovation and Capital Formation in Today's Policy Environment" with panelists: H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Saoud Al-Thani, Governer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Qatar Central Bank, and Dr. Finn Kydland, The Richard P. Simmons Distinguished Professorship and University Professor of Economics at Carnegie Mellon University.

April 4, 2014Botball CompetitionThe 10th annual Botball competition is a robotics competition for secondary school students across the region that develops knowledge and practical understanding through hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering and math.

April 10, 2014International DayCarnegie Mellon Qatar celebrated its diverse student population with performances from the many countries and cultures represented at the university.

April 13, 2014Closing Reception of “Travelling Through Arts and Times”H.E. Sheikh Faisal delivered closing remarks on the role of private museums in the development of culture and national heritage.

April 15, 2014Dean's Leadership Series"Energy in the 21st Century" by Bart Cahir, President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar.

April 22, 2014A. Nico Habermann Distinguished Lecture in Computer Science“Machine Learning, Optimization and Useful Applications" by Jaime Carbonell, Director of the Language Technologies Institute and University Professor in Language Technologies and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon.

April 22, 2014Dean's Leadership SeriesElizabeth H. Johnston, Chief Human Resources Officer at Qatar Airways, spoke about the role of women's leadership in Aviation.

April 23, 2014Alumni & Senior Beach PartyThe class of 2014 and CMU-Q alumni met at the beach for a relaxed social evening at the beach.

April 25, 2014Marhaba TartansCMU-Q's annual Marhaba Tartans event welcomed new students and their families to campus to meet faculty, staff and learn more about life at the university.

April 29, 2014Meeting of the MindsCarnegie Mellon University in Qatar recognized the work of its students to create knowledge and tackle real world problems at its annual ‘Meeting of the Minds’ research symposium, which brought together aspiring researchers with experts in their fields.

May 5, 2014Graduation CeremonyBefore an audience of over 1,200 dignitaries, family and friends, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar celebrated its seventh graduating class. The keynote speech was delivered by CMU's new president, Subra Suresh.


Hamad Medical Corporation

Hewlett Packard

Henkel

Higher Education Institute

Hill+Knowlton

HSBC

Huawei Tech Investments

ictQATAR

iHorizons

ILoveQatar.Net

International Bank of Qatar

ITOCHU Corporation

JP Morgan

KPMG

Maendeleo Ventures

Malomatia

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

Maersk Oil

Masraf Al Rayan

Mashreq Bank

Michael Page

Microsoft

Musheireb Properties

Nakilat

Nestlé

Occidental Petroleum

Ooredoo

Oryx GTL

PricewaterhouseCoopers

QAPCO

Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee

Qatar Airways

Qatar Building Company

Qatar Chemical Company (QChem)

Qatar Computing Research Institute

Qatar Development Bank

Qatari Diar

Qatar Exchange

Qatar Fertilizer Company

Qatar Finance and Business Academy

Qatar Financial Centre

Qatar Foundation

Qatar Fuel Additives Co.

Qatar Gas

Qatar Insurance Company

Qatar Investment Authority

Qatar Islamic Bank

Qatarlyst

Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Qatar Ministry of Interior

Qatar Mobility Innovation Center

Qatar Museums Authority

Qatar National Bank

Qatar National Olympic Committee

Qatar National Research Fund

Qatar Petroleum

Qatar Olympic Committee

Qatar Rail

Qatar Science Leadership Program

Qatar Statistics Authority

QMedia

QSTP

RasGas

Reach Out to Asia

Reed

Regency Group

Shell

Sidra Medical and Research Center

Siemens

Silatech

Standard Chartered Bank

Supreme Education Council

Tasweeq

Total

United Development Company

Vodafone

Williams Technology

Woqod

Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Co. W.L.L.

Accenture

AKTOR

Al Faisal Holding

Al Fardan Group

Ali Bin Ali Group

Al Jazeera

Amana Steel Building and Contracting

Arqaam Capital

Aspire

Baker & Hughes

Bank International–Indonesia

Barclays

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing

Brown Harriman

Brown Lloyd James

Citi

Commercial Bank

ConocoPhillips

Credit Suisse

Deloitte & Touche Consulting

Doha Bank

Doha Film Institute

Dohaland

Doha News

Dolphin Energy

Dossary Trading Enterprises

Emiri Diwan

Enterprise Qatar

Ernst & Young

Exxon Mobil

Ezdan Holding

Forbes Associates

Fuego Digital Media

General Electric

General Secretariat for Development Planning

Google

GulfTalent

Our PartnersCarnegie Mellon has built relationships with companies and organizations across various sectors. Many attend Professional Day or speak in the “Making the Connection” lecture series, while others offer internships and jobs to students and graduates. We appreciate their support and involvement.


P.O. Box 24866, Education City, Doha, Qatar

Phone: +974 4454 8400 | www.qatar.cmu.edu

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