USAID-Iraq HEAD
Higher Education and Development for Archaeology and Environmental Health Research
SUNY at Stony Brook
Semi-annual Report: November 2003–May, 2004
Background
· Iraq, or ancient Mesopotamia, has long been known as the cradle of civilization, where cities, writing, and the rule of law first developed. But the physical and intellectual infrastructure for the study and protection of this critical heritage have been severely damaged during the past fifteen years of war and embargo. Archaeology can play a profound role in shaping Iraq’s understanding of potentials for its civil future: its many pasts provide alternative visions to that of the rigid, hierarchical state system imposed during its recent history.
· Iraq also faces acute and chronic environmental health problems. These include contamination of its water supply and soils, severe resource inadequacies, and a lack of medical professionals trained in environmental health. These conditions have contributed to an increase in mortality and morbidity from malnourishment, infectious diseases, and many other conditions associated with a failing public health system: Under-five mortality rates in Iraq are now among the worst in the world.
· USAID’s “Higher Education and Development” (HEAD) program seeks to redress these and other sectoral development issues by supporting educational reform at Iraqi universities. Critical components of this effort, aimed at restoring Iraq’s capacity to conduct higher education in these fields, are (1) bringing libraries—including holdings, internet connectivity, and information technology management—up to current graduate standards; (2) bringing faculty up-to-date in their fields; (3) enhancing graduate education and (4) establishing IT capacity to support libraries, teaching and research.
History
· On Sept 30, 2003 USAID awarded Stony Brook University a 3-year HEAD program grant to improve higher education in archaeology and environmental health in Iraq.
· First-year funding of $4.1 million ($1.2 million for archaeology and $1.9 million for environmental health) was allocated from FY 2002 year-end funds, and released to SBU in November 2003. USAID then granted approval to begin work plan execution in Iraq in March 2004. The budget year was therefore extended to February 2005.
Importance to the Republic of Iraq
· Promotes long-term higher educational contact and exchange with the American middle class, strengthening pro-democracy elements in Iraq and creating pro-Iraq allies in the United States
· Promotes centers of teaching excellence in Near Eastern Archaeology within Iraq, and establishes a training ground for the next generation of the managers of Iraq’s cultural heritage.
· Brings Iraq’s archaeology libraries—including holdings, internet connectivity, and information technology management—up to current graduate standards
· First-year funding has already brought $1.6 million in direct funding for facilities and IT renovation at Iraqi universities. An additional $35,000 supports related facilities in Jordan that comprise a permanent resource for librarianship and archaeology program training and collaboration.
· First-year funding remunerates 88 Iraqis with direct employment, honoraria, travel funds, stipends, and tuition support totaling in near $600,000. Direct employment includes our Chiefs of Party, Program Coordinators at Baghdad and Mosul, and a General Contractor who employs or subcontracts four IT/telecommunications engineers, one facilities construction engineer, one electrician, four bricklayers/stonemasons/plasterers, two cleaners, two painters, two drivers, two bodyguards, one translator, one secretary, and other day laborers as needed.
· Promotes surveillance for pollution and identifies measures to be taken.
· Create The EHERC centers as resources centers for Environmental Health in Iraq and it will help in future planning for Environmental Health Services.
Importance to the United States of America
· Promotes long-term higher educational contact and exchange with the Iraqi middle class, strengthening pro-democracy elements and pro-U.S. teaching allies in Iraq
· Establishes SBU, already a national center of teaching excellence in Near Eastern Archaeology, as the training ground for the next generation of the managers of Iraq’s cultural heritage.
· Enhances U.S. libraries by creating and hosting significant new digital collections.
· First-year funding has brought roughly $540,000 in overhead to SBU and created five new skilled jobs here.
· Will help medical school in exchanging knowledge and information with different Iraqi Universities.
· Mutual benefit in teaching aspect and to have affiliation with Iraqi medical school. Strengthens the scope of learning process for medical students.
Summary of Accomplishments Year 1 (2003–04): Archaeology
· Facilities. Rehabilitation and installation of communications, computers, internet access, and office equipment at the Baghdad and Mosul Archaeology Departments and Libraries is under way, and will be completed in June. Facilities improvements at five medical universities in Iraq now agreed.
· Libraries. We have purchased over 3,000 recent, classic, and rare books to re-stock archaeology libraries; this summer they will pass through New York facilities en route to Iraq. Medical book selections for purchase are now complete. Computerized librarianship training begins this Fall.
· Faculty Studies. 56 Iraqi faculty, post-graduate students and members of the Department of Antiquities will attend 10-week workshops in Amman, Jordan this summer which will catch them up on developments in ancient and Islamic archaeology, cuneiform studies, art history, computing skills, and field techniques.
· Graduate Studies. We have admitted four archaeology students (including two current members of the Department of Antiquities) to Stony Brook University for graduate study. They now have U.S. visas. They will begin Intensive English courses at SBU in July. Four more have begun intensive English instruction in Iraq, in preparation for next year’s admission cycle.
· Internationalization. In May, we launched an informational website in English and Arabic (see http://www.stonybrook.edu/usaidhead/). Five members of Baghdad and Mosul Universities attended the Fourth International Conference for Archaeology and Assyriology of the Near East in Berlin in April, where they opened research contacts with international colleagues.
Summary of Accomplishments Year 1 (2003-04): Environmental Health
· Visit to Iraq – Assessment and ground truthing.
Drs W Hailoo & S Marqus met with Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Environment. Coordinators for three EHERC in Baghdad, Mosul and Basrah were appointed.
· Established three National Environmental Health Education and Resource Centers (EHERC):
The Chief of Party (COP) was appointed for the Program Coordinating Office and support staff was hired. To carry the out the task, an orientation was given to the COP by the USAID officer in Baghdad. Supplies and equipment were purchased for COP office.
· Orientation for Center Directors and Coordinators
Center staff and coordinators, and the COP were invited to the Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York, USA for an extensive orientation course. The course began on May 5, 2004 and ended on June 4, 2004. They had the opportunity to meet with the President of the University along with Deans of Faculty and Staff in Stony Brook University. They attended advisory board meetings and exchanged knowledge and views on environmental health and sciences. The staff stayed for two weeks and the Coordinators and COP for one month.
· Program: Professional and Management Structure/USA
The Assistant Program Director was hired on April 1, 2004
Administrative Assistant April 12, 2004. Health Science Center
Library Director was hired on February 15, 2004 to help upgrade and modernize the library in the school of medicine in Iraq.
· Advisory Board
The Advisory Board was appointed and headed by the Dean of Engineering at Stony Brook University. The board gave guidance and advice to the program and they met regularly or on demand.
· Rebuilding and Modernizing Academic Libraries
Systems are ready to rebuild and modernize medical libraries in Iraq. Thorough studies have been done to assess the needs of the libraries in school of medicine. Books in field of health environment and sciences were greatly needed. Books lists were created and have been submitted to publishers. The first shipment is scheduled to ship to Iraq in July 2004.
· Mini-grants
The definition and numbers of mini-grants have been selected. The EHERC have posted the announcements for the grants at the medical schools in Iraq. Applications are being reviewed and the most qualified researchers will be selected. The proposals will be presented to Stony Brook University scientific committee for approval.
· Environmental Health Conference
The place of choice to hold the conference is Dohuk Administrative and scientific committees
Have been nominated. The second half of January, 05 is scheduled to hold the conference, taking in consideration the time needed for preparation for such conference, and papers with researches studies to be submitted and decide.
Summary of Planned activities Years 2 and 3 (2005–06): Archaeology
· Support post-graduate and undergraduate students from Iraq to attend summer archaeology field schools and projects elsewhere in the region, exposing them to practical skills for cultural heritage management efforts. Given permissions and an acceptable security situation, we would offer a one-semester long archaeological field school in Iraq in the third year of the project.
· Ensure that Iraqi students at Stony Brook can complete a full MA program in Near Eastern archaeology, enhancing their chances for admission to first rate PhD programs and providing a U.S.-friendly stream of well trained faculty for the Department of Antiquities and Universities in Iraq.
· Create Remote Sensing and GIS training centers at Baghdad and Mosul Universities, so that they may train future Dept. of Antiquities employees to monitor and track Iraq’s cultural heritage.
· Begin a second round of graduate study applications in 2006.
· Create a digital library of up to 6,000 Mesopotamian archaeological site reports and cuneiform text publications, giving all Iraqi museums and universities, and international scholars access to basic data on ancient Mesopotamia.
· Add key Mesopotamian archaeology and Cuneiform Studies journals to online resources.
Summary of Planned activities Years 2 and 3 (2005-06): Environmental Health
· The second year we will propose three additional EHERCs: Arbil in the north of Iraq, Babylon southwest of Iraq and Kurkuk north-central of Iraq. The centers will be equipped with same kind of equipment as the three centers in Bagdad, Basrah and Mosul.
· The third year we will propose three more EHERC: Sulmanyia in the north of Iraq, Kut east- central and Nasyria in the south of Iraq. The centers will be equipped with same kind of equipment as done for the first three centers.
· On the second and third year we will extend the training in environmental health for 10 MD candidates to Masters Program at Stony Brook University in specialty of Environmental Health, Public Health and Occupational Medicine. Five of them will be trained in the first year, and the rest on the third year. The eligible candidates will be selected from trained doctors in first year of program in the two-week training course which is equivalent to 6 US credits.
· The new Centers will be supplied with books in environmental health and public health. Journals with periodicals will be provided on the first year. The third year, online resources will be created for the Centers.
· Training inside Iraq for Lab Technicians, Hygienist and Junior MD’s in Environmental Health and Safety will be held in the second year.
· Additional Mini grants will be allocated for researchers and scientists in the field of environmental health and occupational medicine to highlight environmental pollutions and propose remedies solution
· GPS and Laptop with GIS software had been studied thoroughly with Iraqi Coordinators from the three Centers. The implementation of this system will be proposed in the third year with training courses on the system to be started in second year.
· The conference of Environmental Health will be proposed in the second year in Babylon province. The national and international scientists will be gathered in this conference.
· A field lab vehicle will be purchased in 2nd year to be located in Baghdad for field surveillance and research.
Detailed Accomplishments
Objective 1: Management and Administration
- Subsequent to the first USAID-Iraq HEAD Program meeting, held in Amman, Jordan 15–16 December 2003, a team from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, including the E. Christian Filstrup, Director of Libraries, Elizabeth Stone (Director) and Jennifer Pournelle (Asst. Director) of the Archaeology Project; and Wajdy Hailoo (Director) and Shawky Marcus (Asst. Director) of the Environmental Health Project visited Baghdad to inspect facilities, assess needs, and solicit bids toward execution of the Program.
- SBU submitted a complete Work Plan to Jessica Jordan on 2 FEB 04, for USAID review.
- On 10 March 2004, Prof. Elizabeth Stone, Prof. Paul Zimansky, and Dr. Jennifer Pournelle traveled to Amman, Baghdad, Erbil, Mosul, and Berlin in furtherance of program activities as outlined below. Following an entrance meeting 11 March 04, and immediate revisions delivered via CD, USAID General Development Officer Jessica Jordan approved SBU’s Archaeology Work Plan on 15 March 04.
- Subsequently, Prof Wajdy Hailoo presented three work plan and budget updates to USAID in Baghdad. On 9 April 2004, USAID General Development Officer Jessica Jordan approved SBU’s Environmental Health Research Work Plan.
A.5 Activity: Reporting and Evaluation
Stony Brook University’s English/Arabic USAID-Iraq HEAD Program website, at http://www.stonybrook.edu/udaidhead/
- In response to program officer requests, we submitted detailed end-of month reports for December through May, and an interim program summary 25 May 04.
- On 31 May, we launched a bi-lingual (English/Arabic) website that archives program reports, press releases, and other program materials. See http://www.stonybrook.edu/udaidhead/ .
1.1 Activity: Identify, Recruit, and Hire Program Staff:
- Task B: Hire Program Administrator: Following a search approved by the SBU offices of Human Resources and Diversity and Affirmative Action, in February 2004 Nancy Rifkind was hired as Program Administrator.
- Task C: Hire Program Translator/Administrative Assistant: An informal search was conducted for a Translator and Administrative Assistant to assist with activities involved in the administrational aspects of the program. A Syrian Ph.D. candidate in linguistics was identified and hired to work on the program.
1.2 Activity: Set up Administrative Offices (U.S.): Tasks A–D
By late January 2004, SBU had designated and refit Program Administration offices in the fifth floor of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, installed computers, phone and fax lines, furnishings, and office equipment, and stocked them with office supplies.
Objective 2: Archaeology Project
1.1.6 Activity: Identify, Recruit, and Hire Program Staff, Archaeology: Task: Hire GIS Lecturer (PI Replacement)
In January 2004, recruitment efforts resulted in the hire of Jason Ur as replacement lecturer for E. Stone while she is involved in the USAID program.
1.1.9: Activity: Identify, Recruit, and Hire Program Staff, Archaeology Task: Designate Institution Coordinators (Iraq)
Based on meetings while in Iraq in December 2003, G. Muhammad, in Baghdad, and Yasin al-Jaboori, in Mosul, were designated as Institution Coordinators. These coordinators will be instrumental in coordinating the activities directly related in working with the universities.
2.1.2 Activity: Refit Department Libraries
- Baghdad U. Archaeology Librarian Niran Muhy al-Din is proceeding with cleaning and inventorying the collection; thus far she has completed the Arabic holdings, representing approximately 2000 volumes.
- SBU Library Director Christian Filstrup reviewed other national postwar library reconstruction policies, and determined that the “shelf-ready” delivery model practiced in Bosnia is the most appropriate to this setting. Under this model, vendors from whom we purchase books will first ship them to the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC),[1] a world-wide library cooperative that publishes World Cat, an online, internationally-searchable listing of holdings. OCLC will provide three cataloging services: (1) labeling book spines with catalog data; (2) producing catalog records (cards); and (3) creating a searchable catalog records list within World Cat. OCLC will then send books on to our designated assembly point for shipment to Iraq. This method will give librarians in Iraq the capacity to immediately shelve and circulate books, without lengthy processing delays.
2.2 Activity: Equipment and Facilities Rehabilitation to support libraries, teaching and research
(Left, Clockwise from left) W. Hindo, J. Pournelle, E. Stone, and A. Nazar review provision of communications, computers and furniture for Baghdad and Mosul Universities (Right) Professors Elizabeth Stone and Paul Zimansky review graduate admissions and work plans with B.K. Abdullatif, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Baghdad University. (Center) Some offices have been renovated, but donations to the Archaeology Department will free scarce furnishings for other Arts faculties, who have no outside assistance. Photos: (L) P. Zimansky, (R.) J. Pournelle, March 2004
- In December 2003, Assistant Director for Archaeology Dr. Jennifer Pournelle solicited bids from Near East Resources, the Khattouah group, and two other contractors for networking, computers, and other IT elements.
- In March 2004, Pournelle conducted a comprehensive walk-through of Baghdad U. Dept. of Archaeology facilities with Prof. Dr. B.K. Abdullatif, Dean, College of Arts, department faculty, and a senior engineer from Neareast Resources, in order to confirm construction requirements and draft schematics designating the exact location for each one of 50 network connections and over 200 items of computing and office equipment to be installed. This exercise informed a note of understanding with the department Chair, whereby Neareast resources will now proceed with joint technical inspections with facilities engineers for refit of walls and installation of electrical and internet wiring.
The Baghdad U. Department of Archaeology proceeds with cleanup and preparations to accommodate a student computer lab. Since December 2003 (top), a temporary store-room (left) has been cleared and plaster teaching casts re-mounted in a refurbished corridor (right). In May 2003, these spaces were stripped bare and choked with ash, litter, and soot.
Photos: Top, C. Filstrup, Dec 2003. Bottom, J. Pournelle, 14 March 2004.
- Using its own resources, Baghdad U.’s Department of Archaeology has completed clearing space for a student computer lab, and preparing a temporary reading room outside the Departmental library.
- Pournelle conducted a similar walk-through at Mosul U., where another 45 internet connections and over 100 items of computing and office equipment are slated for installation (Encl 3). She met withKhaleel Ibrahim, Chair, Mosul University Dept of Cuneiform Studies, heads of the Departments of Archaeology and Sumerology, and Drs. Mahmood J. Mohammad and Nasser A. Jaseem, in the “Assurbanipal Library” (Archaeological/Assyriological section) of the Mosul U. Central Library. Our summary agreement is at Encl 4.
- On 15 May 04, Neareast Resources began refitting the library stacks, library reading room, four classrooms, seven faculty and staff offices, and outfitting the computer lab in the department of Archaeology at Baghdad University.
- On 25 May 04, Neareast Resources began refitting the library reading room, six classrooms, twelve faculty and staff offices, and outfitting the computer lab in the departments of Archaeology and Assyriology at Mosul University. However, following subcontractor meetings with the University President, all parties agreed that it would be best to defer work until October, as the current offices are now condemned and the department is scheduled to move to a new facility.
2.3 Activity: Instruction in Iraq: Task A: Summer Workshops
The American Center for Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan. (L) With USAID assistance, ACOR is expanding. Renovations include the addition of a third floor. (R) Hostel rooms overlook ruins of a late Roman villa. Photos: C. Filstrup, J. Pournelle
- Over the weekend of 17–18 April, Summer Workshop faculty Elizabeth Stone (Stony Brook U.), Paul Zimansky (Boston U.), Daniel Snell (U. of Oklahoma), Marian Feldman (UC Berkeley), Alan Walmsley (U. of Copenhagen ), and Jeremy Black (Oxford U.) met at Stony Brook University to coordinate pedagogy for the 10-week program, which will provide 50 graduate students and faculty from Baghdad and Mosul University with intensive updates in archaeology, Assyriology, and related information technologies. Not two weeks later, all were shocked to learn of Black’s sudden and unexpected death. Program Director E. Stone engaged in the difficult search for his replacement.
- In conferral with USAID program officers, we made the final selection for our Summer Workshop venue: the American Center for Oriental Research in Amman Jordan. ACOR’s proximity to university, archaeological, and informatics resources will afford participants numerous opportunities for hands-on engagement with techniques and resources unavailable to them since 1990.
- Director Stone traveled to Amman to make final arrangements for program support, and in early May concluded agreements and arrangements for hotel rooms, classrooms, IT, and local transportation.
- Eight US and European faculty will lead the workshops. 57 faculty and graduate students from Baghdad, Mosul and Qadasiyah Universities will attend.
- Dr. Fawwaz al-Kraysheh, the Director-General of Antiquities of Jordan has offered all cooperation with the workshops and will lead off our lecture series.
- The online journal/bibliography search services JSTOR, Anthropology Plus, and RLG are all providing us with trial memberships in Jordan for the period of the workshops, so that we can train participants in their use.
- The Glen Dash Foundation is lending a magnetic gradiometer and buying a Total Station, while ESRI and Leica Geosystems are loaning software, so that we may conduct orientation training in electronic survey, remote sensing, and GIS applications in archaeology during the workshops.
- Workshops will include trips to Jordanian sites to learn site management, visits to museums to learn museology and a lecture series with both Jordanian and Iraqi presenters.
2.3 Activity: Instruction in Iraq: Task B: 4ICAANE
Some of the nearly 650 participants in the Fourth International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (4ICAANE), on the steps of the main gallery of the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. Among them are three senior faculty members from the Department of Archaeology, Baghdad University, one from the Department of Assyriology, Mosul U., and a recent Archaeology graduate of Mosul U., now documenting post-war reconstruction for Reuters.
- The 4th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (4ICAANE), held in Berlin 29 March–3 April 2004, hosted the world’s most prominent scholars in the field of Near East archaeology. This was the first opportunity for faculty and senior graduate students from Iraq to hear papers that reflect the advances of the past fifteen years. Arrangements were made for 17 participants, including registration, travel and transportation.
- Shortly before applicants’ anticipated departure, German immigration authorities made a national decision not to recognize interim travel documents granted by the CPA in Iraq. As a result, and despite assiduous intervention with German consular officials by the German Foreign Ministry, as well as close coordination with the German consulates in Amman and Baghdad by the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) and our agents in Iraq, of 17 applicants, only 5 personnel—those already holding pre-war passports—were granted visas to travel to Berlin.
- Nevertheless, Zuhair Rijab al-Samarrae, Baghdad U., delivered a paper on excavations at Sippar, conducted by the U. of Baghdad for 17 years, through 2002. Three other archaeology/Assyriology faculty members from Baghdad and Mosul Universities served as discussants for a panel on the state of archaeology in Iraq. Similar panels reviewed archaeological progress in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. Participants chose from over 500 workshops, posters, and papers on current techniques for archaeological investigation, preservation, curation, and presentation, which they discussed with dozens of the nearly 650 conference participants.
(Left) Zuhair Rijab al-Samarrae (U. of Baghdad), with colleague at the Pergamon Museum. For many Iraqis, this was their first opportunity to visit and study antiquities excavated in Iraq by the German Archaeological Institute over the past century, such as the reconstructed Ishtar Gate of Babylon (Right).
2.4 Activity: Intensive M.A. Program in Archaeology
- In November 2003, E. Stone met with SBU organizations to secure support and determine needs for coordinating meals, dormitories and campus logistics for the students who will participate in the M.A. Program in Archaeology starting in the summer of 2004.
(Left)
A Baghdad U. graduate, now employed at the National Museum, receives letters of
recommendation for graduate admission. (Right) E. Stone and P. Zimansky
interview an applicant from Mosul. U. Of 26 applicants, eight were admitted,
promised full support, and pledged to participant in intensive English
instruction to prepare them for graduate training.
Photos: (L) J. Pournelle, (R) P. Zimansky, March 2004.
- The primary purpose and major accomplishment of the March 2004 trip was selection of eight candidates for intensive graduate training in Archaeology at Stony Brook University . Profs. Elizabeth Stone and Paul Zimansky interviewed 26 applicants, 11 of whom were graduates of Baghdad University, and 15 of whom were graduates of Mosul University. Eight candidates—four from each university—were chosen. Of five female applicants (all from Baghdad), three made the final cut. A detailed summary of the selection process and candidates chosen is at Encl. 5.
- Stone and Zimansky provided those admitted with letters of acceptance, proof of support, and visa application materials. With the assistance of COP Donny George and Neareast Resources, those admitted began the tedious travel document and visa application process.
- SBU support activities included generating federally-mandated U.S. visa application support materials, paying deposits for Fall housing and placing all eight students on campus housing list, and generating student identification numbers.
- In Baghdad, we met with Abdul Sabbar Jawad, Chair of the English Department at Baghdad University, to discuss intensive ESL prep in Iraq for admittees in preparation for their visa interviews. Both Baghdad and Mosul U. English faculties agreed to appoint ESL tutors for M.A. program candidates, in order to prepare them for arrival in New York this summer. At the 4ICAANE conference, we delivered SBU ESL curricula to faculty attendees, to carry back to students in Iraq.
- Baghdad and Mosul U. English faculties appointed ESL tutors for the eight M.A. program candidates. Selectees received SBU ESL curricula and began intensive English preparation in order to prepare them for their visa application interviews..
- The American schools of Oriental Research in Amman (ACOR) arranged for travel between Baghdad and Amman for Iraqi students and faculty, provide them hostel services, aided those seeking to apply for US visas in Amman, and purchased air tickets for those traveling from Amman to Europe or the United States.
- With SBU assistance, four candidates (from the U. of Baghdad) obtained Iraq travel documents, submitted U.S. visa application paperwork, successfully traveled to Amman for visa interviews, and returned to Baghdad to await results.
- The Mosul selectees continued intensive English preparation for their visa application interviews and travel to Stony Brook. However, due to unsafe travel conditions, these candidates were unable to travel to Baghdad to obtain travel documents for Amman until late May.
4.3 Activity: Teaching and research labs, Archaeology; Task A: Field Equipment, Baghdad and Mosul
- The Glen Dash Foundation is purchasing a Total Station for Baghdad University.
4.4 Activity: Remote Sensing and GIS, Archaeology
Donations have been made by Environmental Research Systems, Inc. in support of the USAID-Iraq HEAD program of ArcView 3.3 software plus extensions for 60 computers and manuals We also received a donation of ArcGIS software.
4.5.1 Activity: Archaeology Library: Task B: Purchase and ship books (April)
International Freight forwarder Aramex will handle load consolidation and freight forwarding. Photos: J. Pournelle.
- Dr. Pournelle researched shipping requirements, including load consolidation, transoceanic freight, and local freight. Only ARAMEX can handle all door-to-door services. While FEDEX and DHL do supply transoceanic freight, they do not supply load consolidation services. Neareast Resources can handle local freight within Iraq.
- In New York, Pournelle inspected loading bays and inventory control facilities at Aramex, who will handle library load consolidation in preparation for Denton Program shipping applications.
- Vendors have begun shipping orders to the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) for cataloguing, so that books may be shipped onward “shelf-ready” with spine labels, catalogue cards, and electronic catalogue entries.
- During May we concluded the purchase of nearly 2,000 post-1990 scholarly books on near eastern archaeology from distributors Jim Brown and Eisenbraun’s, including supplemental donations from the University of Chicago press. One set of 1,000 will go to the department of archaeology library at Baghdad, and the second set will go to the Assurbanipal (archaeology and Assyriology) library within the Central library at Mosul.
- Venders shipped all books to OCLC for cataloguing and spine marking. OCLC has completed cataloguing of the nearly 1,000 volumes purchased from Eisenbraun’s.
- During May we also negotiated the purchase of over 1,000 volumes of classic, rare, out-of-print, and out-of-copyright books from retiring Professor of Assyriology A. Kirk Grayson in Toronto, Canada.
- As the Grayson library includes many works destined for our digitization program, and will be divided between Mosul and Baghdad universities based on their current holdings and the works’ appropriateness and match to campus research interests, we will initially bring it to Stony Brook University for sorting and packing by final destination.
- To that end, we also obtained packing, sipping, and customs clearance bids from three vendors.
4.5.3 Task: Digitize Out-of-Print Books and Journals
- A presentation to the archeology staff based on research by Jason Torre and Richard Feinberg from the library team concluded in the selection of two resources for the digitization of printed material. Northern Micrographics, Inc. will complete the digital image production. For the back end Digital collection management software entitled CONTENTdm, designed by DiMeMa, Inc. was determined to be the most flexible user interface.
Objective 3: Environmental Health Project
3.3.2 Activity: Program Professional and Management Structure
The organization for Environmental Health project was completed in Februry, 04. With all lines of authorities, activities and communications are clearly pointed out as illustrated below.
The SBU/USAIUD Environmental Health program received an overwhelming support form the Iraqi higher education and government leadership.
The Iraqi Minister of the Environment during his visit to Stony Brook University, Minister Abdul Rahman Kareem, Dr. W. Hailoo, Project Director, Dr. Norman Edelman, Vice President and Dean of the School of Medicine, Stony Brook University
Wajdy Hailoo, MD, MSc, DIH
Professor and Division Head
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
School of Medicine, State University of New York
Stony Brook, New York
Assistant Program Director, Coordinator
Shawqy Marqus, MD, MPH, DPH
Senior Research Scientist
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
School of Medicine, State University of New York
Stony Brook, New York
Health Education Specialist
Will be hired in August, 04.
The candidate will be in charge of organizing educational activities according to the work plan. She will have appropriate environmental and/or public health background and relevant academic experience. She will preferably hold a degree in medical education and is bilingual. She will be responsible for coordinating, producing and following up on all the educational aspects of the program in the U.S. as well as in Iraq
Library Support
Spencer Marsh, PhD
Director of Health Science Library
Stony Brook University
Dr. Marsh is a senior librarian and well familiar with medical publications, publishers and all management aspects of library needs. He will be responsible for managing and supporting all the program library needs and efforts.
Staff Support, Secretarial
Patricia Bailey
Senior Staff Assistant
Environmental Sciences
Martin Schoonen, PhD
Richard Reeder, PhD
Henry Herbouitz, PhD
The mission of the Advisory Board for the Environmental Health HEAD Program in Iraq is to advise and help direct the Program leadership in its efforts to structure, implement and evaluate a successful program while assuring its highest quality to the benefit and educate specific to the Iraqi people’s needs. To achieve this mission, the Board play a significant role in advising and helping with the objectives listed below:
- During their visit to the US for their training orientation the Iraqi Center staff and Coordinators met with the Environmental Health Advisory Committee on May 7, 2004.
- The chairman of committee Dean Y. Shamash welcomed them and highlighted the importance of such visits, meeting and talks to exchange views and knowledge between SBU and the Iraqi faculty. He highlighted on the importance of the program to upgrade teaching process in the Medical school in field of Environment Health and to create national staff oriented to the goals and objectives of this program. The Iraqi group also stressed on the importance of meetings with the Stony Brook staff and exchanging knowledge and views on how the program will be fruitful for Iraqis. They agreed on the importance of the Environmental Program in rebuilding and upgrading Iraqi Universities.
Objectives
- Assist with planning and setting priorities
- Identification of participants from within and outside SBU
- Interacting with State and other officials
- Board membership, staffing and program consultants
- Structuring the educational program
- Setting the criteria and awarding mini-grants
- Program evaluation
Lung Chi Chen, PhD, CIH
Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine
New York University
Hikmat Jamil, MD, PhD
Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Department of Preventive and Family Medicine
Wayne State University, Michigan
Phillip Landrigan, MD, MSc, DIH
Chairman of Community Medicine
Head, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Mount Sinai Medical center, New York
b. Coordinators (Senior Public Health faculty)
Each center assigned a coordinator with public health background. Under the director, the coordinator will be responsible for the daily operation of the Centers, coordinating educational and research activities, training and all other related activities.
c. Support staff
A secretary and a guard for each center had been appointed.
d. Laboratories
The hire of an Environmental hygienist and a laboratory supervisor for each center is in review for each of the centers. Mosul and Baghdad have submitted CVs for the lab supervisors.
Capacity Building Measures:
a. Staff Training
An Environmental health specialty does not exist in Iraq and therefore there is currently no sufficient expertise to run such programs or to help train and prepare the Centers. Initial training of the staff will take place in the US and Iraq. Training 30Doctors will start on last week of November- first week of December, 04.They will get two weeks training in Iraq which will equivalent to 6 US credit
b. Environmental Laboratories
A full range of environmental lab equipment with diagnostic and analytical capabilities are being studied and discussed .The most urgent equipment for Lead detecting in Blood sample for each center has been ordered and will be ship to Iraq in August.
c. Environmental Library
Each center is to receive a specialty collection of books, which has been selected and are being procured.The first portion of books had been send to Mosul on 1st July. Further shipments will follow once the books have been received.
d. Communication Tools
Bids were submitted in early July by the COP in Iraq to Program Director for approval to provide each center with an effective access to the internet, telephones, fax and other means for communication and learning for the Centers’ staff, students, and researchers. After review procurement of the systems will be put into place.
e. Facilities
Each Center provided with office technology, tools, and furniture. Space has been identified and committed by the medical colleges to accommodate the entire Centers’ staff and operational needs. They strtaed renovation on july to renovate centers
3.4.4. Activity: Training of Environmental Health Specialists in Iraq
- The U.S. staff in coordination with the Iraqi faculty will organize and conduct a training course in Iraq allowing 30 participants to earn equivalent to 6 U.S. credits. The activity will be in the form of an intensive 20hrs/week course lasting for two weeks emphasizing environmental health sciences. The short term goal is to increase the knowledge and experience in the field of environmental health, while the long term goal is to prepare the faculty to expand the program and train the next generation, establish on going research efforts, and act as a specialized core for other agencies in need for experts in the field of environmental health. Participants will receive a participation stipend to help offset any lost wages and a travel expenses.
- This program will prepare 10 prominent MDs for a 4 month in-depth training curriculum in (second years, if program will be extended) This course, equivalent to U.S. graduate 24 credits, will be offered in the U.S. The training program will leverage the existing Advanced Graduate Certificate Program in Environmental Health and Safety, Directed by Dr. Wajdy Hailoo, as well as existing environmental science courses in Geosciences and Hydrogeology taught by Drs. Schoonen, Bokuniewicz, and Reeder.
3.4.6. Activity: Organize an Environmental Health Conference in Iraq
100-150 Faculty attending this conference in Iraq will have the opportunity to bring the knowledge and the skills gained to their colleagues, classrooms and students. In summary, the conference will provide an excellent forum for Iraqis scientists to present and discuss their research work, network with other researchers, foster collaborative work and share knowledge gained at the parent institutions. Officials will have the chance to understand health issues related to the environment and to connect with Iraqi experts to help with environmental health problems Additionally, the conference will provide the opportunity to familiarize the audience, and officials attending the conference with the EHERC and their availability to address any environmental health needs.
3.4.7. Activity: Mini-Grants
- The goal of these mini-grants is to initiate research in Environmental Health and Science, foster SBU-Iraq collaborations, strengthen educational resources and promote Environmental Health and Science as a field of study among students. All research will be conducted in Iraq on topics related to the environment and health issues specific to Iraq. And all will be lead and conducted by Iraqi individuals. The summer projects for students may not necessarily be research in nature. Examples would be training/mentoring by a faculty, helping with a surveillance program, or working on an article or a book. The expectation is that mini-grants will seed long term research projects. Some of these projects will likely involve collaborations with SBU faculty.
- Mini-grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. The three EHERC already announced and communicated all medical school in Iraq and ministries concerned. Applications will be made to the regional EHERC where by an initial screening by the Center leadership would determine the nature and the quality of the project. All eligible applications selected based on the initial competitive assessment, will be forwarded to and handled by the COP office in Iraq. The mini-grant committee in SBU will review and approve the award.
Types of activities that will be supported include:
- Seed grants to support environmental health research and publishing by Iraqi faculty
- Translating text books into Arabic language, or other activity that strengthens education in environmental health/science in Iraq
- Collaborative research with SBU faculty.
- Support to attend international conferences in environmental health/sciences in order to present results of research work conducted in Iraq.
- Support for summer project for students from Iraqi colleges to introduce them to the field and give them basic research experience.
Value and number of the grants:
- up to $4,000 2 grants
- up to $2,000 2 grants
- up to $8,000 1 grant
- up to $3,000 2 grants
- up to $1, 000 4 grants
Specific fields within the environmental health & science:
All fields focusing on environmental pollution, basic environmental sciences health effects, prevention programs, protection, interventions, remediation and management.
Time Frame:
Applicants invited to apply on a competitive basis though the regional Centers by Early Aug. review of applications completed by End of Aug., 2004, wining projects will have eight months to complete their approved project. Timeline of Grant runs from September 2004 – February 2005
Targeted beneficiaries:
Medical faculty, personnel and students, health professional from institutions other than medical schools, environmental engineers, chemists and professionals from other disciplines environmental Researchers and teachers.
4.1 Activity: Information and Communication Tools, Environmental Health
COMMUNICATIONS
The COP and centers coordinator solicited proposals and have made recommendations for communication packages for the universities including internet access and telephones. They submitted his recommendations on July, 04. The proposal are being reviewed at SBU for approval, at end of July, 2004
4.3 Activity: Teaching and Research Labs, Environmental Health
Determination of the specifics of equipment to purchase was thoroughly discussed during the Director's/Coordinator’s visit to the US. Recommendations are in review. The decision made on 12 July, 2004 to buy hand held lead blood level analyzer for each center. It was determined that it is critical to conduct a study to measure lead among children. The other equipment will be ordered as soos as the Lab experts finalizes studying specification in August, 2004:
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Environmental Health Laboratory Equipment: Current recommendations |
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Instrument |
Use |
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Ion Chromatograph with autosampler |
Routine anion and cation analyses in water and wastewater |
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Gas Chromatograph with TCD, FID detectors, columns and autosampler |
Routine analyses of organic volatiles in air and water samples |
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Equipment for Total Colliform determinations |
Standard water-quality test for bacterial contamination. Microscope and incubator |
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Standard small equipment and supplies, refrigerators, lab benches, hood |
Handling and storage of samples. Balances, pH meter, reagents, and He gas. |
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Handheld XRF environmental analyzer |
Chemical analyses of soils, air filters for major and minor elements between Na and U. Can be used in field and lab. |
4.5 Activity: Library, Environmental Health
Books focusing on environmental, public health, sciences and related disciplines have been selected in July, 2004. with average 520 books for each EHERC centers has been ordered from Publishers .It will be paid by program .Donated books had been received also and the first portion of donated books had been send to Iraq on 1st July, and received on 13 July,004
Description:
Progress:
Archaeology Components:
Affiliates:
Officers:
Archaeology
Environmental Health
This site last updated on 10/13/2004 by J. Pournelle