DNO Training for Oil and Gas Business Students

The American University of Kurdistan continues its fruitful relationship with DNO, an oil and gas MNC. Immediately upon the conclusion of Eid al-Adha, DNO started two consecutive weeks of trainings for students enrolled in the AUK College of Business’ Oil and Gas Management Program.

On the fourth day of training, July 5, a representative of DNO spoke to students on the technical matters of “two-phase separators,” “three-phase separators,” and “foam breakers.” Students were advised on “immiscible liquids,” including the most famous example thereof, oil and water. The presenter contrasted “free water” (removable from oil with minimal human effort, through the fundamental force of gravity) with “emulsion water” (removable from oil with technical skill) and “sodium water” (not removable from oil at all).

The DNO trainings included plenty of diagrams, both on the whiteboard and in easy-to-read presentation slides. The presenter spoke in both Kurdish and English, consistent with DNO’s policy of making its field workers carry multilingual safety procedure cards on them, on the grounds that even a slight misunderstanding could lead to the loss of life or millions of petrodollars. Also, the students routinely switched from listening to an in-person instructor to interfacing with a remote one online, allowing for exposure to different perspectives and types of expertise.

The experience is part of a two-week internship. Most of the internship involved DNO personnel visiting the AUK campus, physically or virtually. Two days involved AUK College of Business students visiting DNO jobsites throughout Kurdistan. These two days epitomized the hands-on, close-up instruction being integrated into all of AUK’s bachelor’s programs.

On July 13, the internship formally came to a close with a recognition ceremony. College of Business students were recognized by DNO for their efforts, and the College of Business recognized two DNO employees for their major contributions to the internship experience.

For a detailed explanation of the Oil and Gas Management internship with DNO, please click here.

Engineering Workshop for the Wider Community

On June 20, the AUK Auditorium hosted “Workshop for the Public and Private Construction Sectors with the Goal of Benefiting the Community.” The workshop, featuring four seminars, was the fruit of collaboration between the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Kurdistan Chapter of the American Concrete Institute. The Dean of the AUK College of Engineering, Dr. Razaq Ferhadi, is a founding member of that Kurdistan Chapter, and also served as one of the seminar speakers. The three seminar leaders were professors from nearby institutions. The seminars included content on the technical aspects of the engineering of roads, bridges, and housing, and the related social dimensions, too.

For more about this AUK-hosted workshop, please click here.

Members of the AUK Department of Design Publish Research

Students and faculty collaborated on research that was recently presented at the 6^th International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism, held at Alanya University in Istanbul from the 14^th to the 16^th of June. The first item of research, relating to the food and beverage (F & B) industry and titled “Arguing Faux Biophilia Concepts in F & B Interior Design: A Case Study Applied in Duhok City,” was produced by Department Chair Dr. Mustafa Amen, Lecturers Ahmad Afara and Maysan El-Ayoubi, and students Dana Ramadhan and Jalal Al-Ani. Ahmad Afara presented the research at the Conference. The topic focused on the impact of indoor plants on psychological comfort and well-being, using the WELL Building Standard, MIND.      

Dr. Mustafa Amen and Ahmad Afara also collaborated with Dr. Hourakhsh Ahmad Nia of Alayna Hep University on research titled “Exploring the Link between Street Layout Centrality and Walkability for Sustainable Tourism in Historical Urban Areas.” It has been published in the MDPI journal Urban Science. Addressing issues of sustainable tourism, the research concerned the tourist density in historical areas and the urban layout’s centrality values. It is the expectation of the researchers that their work will contribute to healthier and more socially sustainable environments which foster pedestrian walking and community connection.   

For the full text of the latter research article, please click here.

Debates in Arabic

The American University of Kurdistan (AUK) students won the top honor at The Kurdistan Region – Iraq Universities Debate Championship (KRIUDC), organized by The International Academy for Leadership & Development (IALD) and The Rwanga Foundation. The competition involved teams from AUK, the University of Duhok, the University of Zakho, Duhok Polytechnic University, and Nawroz University. AUK students, including Dalal Basharm, Zahraa Mohammed, Maeam Riadth, and Aesha Taha, lost against Duhok Polytechnic University in the first round but bounced back with a comeback in the second round. They also competed against their Zakho counterparts on the second day, discussing whether or not academic programs should be canceled based on local labor market demands. This triumph qualifies our students to compete in an October national debate against winners from other governorates in Iraq. Winners of that round will represent Iraq in the finals against other Arabic-speaking nations in Qatar in early 2024.

For even more information and photographs about this triumph, please click here.

Internal Promotions

The AUK Board of Trustees recently approved a number of promotions for the 2023-2024 academic year, which starts August 1. Dr. Khedir Ramazan, of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Omar Abdulghafoor, of the College of Engineering, were both promoted in rank, to Associate Professor. Omed Zawity, known for his service as Director of the Office of Grants Management, was chosen to take up the posts of Vice President for Administration and Finance and CFO. The AUK community congratulates these professionals for their promotions and looks forward to continuing to benefit from their continued service to the University.

New AUK Call Center

On July 10, AUK’s IT Department announced the implementation of a new call center. In the words of IT Department Manager Syamed Agly: “The call center’s primary goal is to improve communication and accessibility for all stakeholders. By utilizing this service, callers can receive prompt assistance, [avoid] busy signal[s], and be easily directed to the departments they need.”

After dialing (0751) 741 0000, callers will be prompted to choose among any of three languages (English, Kurdish, or Arabic), and will thereafter hear a list of AUK departments available with by entering an extension. For the implementation of this efficiency measure, Syamed Agly particularly thanks his colleagues in the IT Department, AUK President Randall Rhodes for general support, the Office of Communications for translation aid and audio processing, and Nishtiman Asem for lending her voice to the automated system.

 Farewell Interview with Content Writer Michael Collins

Content Writer Michael Collins will leave the American University of Kurdistan amicably upon the completion of his contract on July 31. He conducted regular interviews at AUK, but this time the tables were turned, as he had to answer four questions himself.

What brought you to AUK?

Michael Collins: “I had spent the summer of 2022 in Armenia volunteering. I conscientiously discharged my duties writing for an organization’s website there, not thinking I was auditioning for a future paid position elsewhere. The director at the organization there told me I reminded her of her friend in certain ways and she thought I would work well under him. That friend ended up being Dr. Randall Rhodes, President of the American University of Kurdistan. I reached out to the Armenian director and asked her to put me in touch with her friend at AUK. She did. Dr. Rhodes and others at AUK were able to interview me on short notice and agreed to let me start less than 2 weeks after that interview.” 

What were you aiming to accomplish as Content Writer for AUK?

Michael Collins: “I have always enjoyed writing, and I wanted to produce a steady stream of high-quality content of various forms and for various purposes, in advancement of the University’s mission. I knew before I even arrived that I would be responsible for reporting on AUK events, and I tried to do that in a thoroughgoing fashion throughout my tenure. It was my idea to do poems periodically, and I was gratified the university was willing to publish them on their website. I am proud of the interview series I started, but it would be improper for me to take full credit. Obviously, I needed the cooperation of other parties to carry out the interviews, and it was Dr. Rhodes who gave me the germ of the idea, when he told me I should try to ‘interview’ attendees of the MEPS Forum. I found one attendee willing to grant me an impromptu interview, and, after my write-up of that interview was well-received, I determined I should interview members of the AUK community moving forward.” 

How did life in Kurdistan match your expectations?

Michael Collins: “Life was better than I expected. I knew before coming here that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was quite peaceful, and living here has confirmed that viewpoint. The crime statistics that consist mainly of pages of ‘0’ written over and over again are not fiction; this is a tranquil area populated by those who have seen conflict in the past and are committed to safeguarding the stability they now possess. On the negative side, food was more expensive than I thought it would be, but I found that, as elsewhere, if I just bought what was produced locally or at least regionally I could keep costs down.” 

What do you think you will remember most about your time at AUK?

Michael Collins: “I believe I will remember the MEPS Forum best. The event was so large, but it was managed so smoothly, apart from some of the panels going a little bit over the scheduled time. Had someone told me just a few months prior to the MEPS Forum that I would be in the same room as the United States Ambassador to Iraq, the United Kingdom Ambassador to Iraq, the President of Iraq, and the Prime Minister of Kurdistan, all in one day, I would not have believed it. But Day 3 of MEPS 2022 turned the ‘unbelievable’ into reality for me.”

Meet Nareen Ramadhan

Staff, College of Business

Nareen Ramadhan is an Administrative Assistant in the AUK College of Business. She has been serving in this capacity for nearly two years. Along with her fellow Administrative Assistant (and office mate) Daniz Amadi, she contributes to the smooth operation of the College of Business. Her direct supervisor, Acting Dean Uzair Bhatti, has high praise for her reliability: “She is very dependable and energetic. Even if I have a last-minute request, I can count on her to take care of it in time.” In short, she gets the job done.

She studied English and Linguistics in university. She credits her formal study of these topics for much of her demonstrable effectiveness as an Administrative Assistant. In her own words: “[A] deep understanding of language and communication patterns, acquired through linguistic studies, facilitates effective liaison between different stakeholders and efficient management of administrative tasks. Additionally, the analytical and problem-solving skills that I acquired through my courses have been significant in addressing challenges in an organized and systematic manner.” Given her studies, she must have at least a smattering of several languages; she could be heard, for instance, uttering some Türkçe to the recent Turkish visitor to the College of Business sitting on the committee for its Academic Program Review.  

As part of her professional development and to prepare her for her duties in respect to accreditation efforts, she went on a training visit for U.S. accreditation at James Madison University, one of AUK’s partner institutions. There, she claims to have been exposed to “innovative administrative practices broaden[ing her] global perspective.”

Nareen Ramadhan is extremely proud of her affiliation with the AUK College of Business. She wrote: "The American University of Kurdistan's College of Business is a beacon of academic excellence and innovation. Its rigorous curriculum, coupled with an unwavering commitment to nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset, creates an environment conducive to the growth and success of students, faculty, and staff. In every interaction, the College's commitment to its mission is evident, making it an honor to be a member of this community. The pursuit of knowledge at this institution is not merely an academic exercise, but also a commitment to developing the business leaders of the future." In light of such commentary, her College should be extremely proud of its affiliation with her.