First Row from Left to Right
Dr. Maya Samaha Rupert (INTA Vice-Chair)
Associate Professor of Computer Science at Notre Dame University - Louaize. Dr. Smaha Rupert holds a Ph.D. from the University of Lyon, France. Since giving up her full tenured position after 12 years at Thompson Rivers University in Canada and moving back to Lebanon, she has been working with passion doing research on Internet and Technology Addiction and spreading awareness in the Lebanese community. She succeeded after a short period of time with over dozens scientific research publications in prestigious journals in the field, 4 grants from CNRS-Lebanon, and has volunteered with over 50 awareness sessions and workshops in schools and in civic and religious organizations. Dr. Samaha Rupert is also the co-founder and Vice President of the NGO LARAA.
With their persistence and strong belief in the cause, both Dr. Samaha Rupert and Dr. Nazir Hawi have been foundational members of of INTA.
Dr. Nazir Hawi (INTA Chair)
Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science – Faculty of Natural and Applied Science at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) since 2000. Dr. Hawi has an Ed.D. from the University of Leicester, and thirty-five years of teaching experience. He has interdisciplinary research interests that include addictions to internet and technology, computers in human behavior, and computer science education. Much of his work has been on raising awareness about the risks of internet and technology addiction. He is the author and co-author of many research papers published in international prestigious academic journals. As a prominent thought leader on digital addiction, he has appeared on many local as well as regional radio and television programs, and was invited as a speaker at many esteemed educational institutions. Dr. Hawi is the chair of the INTA board at NDU.
Dr. Yara Mansour (INTA Board Member)
Dr. Doris Jaalouk (INTA Board Member)
Professor at the Faculty of Nursing & Health Sciences at NDU since 2009. Dr. Jaalouk teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in health sciences, and co-supervises graduate theses. Dr. Jaalouk has begun exploring the relationship between an array of individual factors (socio-demographics, academics, lifestyle habits, personality trait, mental health, and smartphone use-related variables) and the severity of smartphone addiction among university students, with her findings published in reputable journals. Dr. Jaalouk is currently working on a project to investigate the gravity and health effects of excessive video gaming among schoolchildren (grades 6-11), from children’s and parents’ perspectives.
Second Row from Left to Right
Dr. Christine Sabieh (INTA Board Member)
Professor at the NDU Department of Psychology Education and Physical Education – Faculty of Humanities. Dr. Sabieh is the MA Education Advisor overseeing the concentrations of Educational Technology, Special Education, and School Management & Educational Leadership and teaching graduate courses in Educational Psychology, Technology and Education, and Instructional Design through Multimedia Production at NDU. An advocate of Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) and a Certified Online Instructor/Trainer, Dr. Sabieh does education consultancy, conducts workshops, publishes, and participates in conferences on a national, regional and international level. She is a member of TESOL International, serving as CALL-IS Chair, a former President of ASICALL, and a Founding member and former President of the Lebanese Psychological Association. Dr. Sabieh has given workshops to educators across Lebanon to use student motivation to use technology as a means to enhance learning. At INTA, Dr. Sabieh serves on the Board as a member of the Outreach and Awards Committee.
Dr. Chady Rahme (INTA Board Member)
Assistant Professor at the NDU Faculty of Humanities. Dr. Rahme holds a Ph.D. in epistemology, with a focus on Symbolism, from the University of the Holy Spirit, Kaslik. He has studied Philosophy, Psychology and Computer Science. Dr. Rahme works on relational enrichment programs, leading Ithraa center in Lebanon, where he conducts training sessions on counseling for parents, young students, couples and other people seeking individual growth. He boasts more than 15 years of experience in working with youth on Leadership programs, healthy relationships and career counseling. Dr. Rahme also participated in many programs on conflict transformation in areas of violent clashes, like Syria and the Western Sahara.
Father Boulos Wehbe (INTA Board Member)
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Religious, Cultural and Philosophical Studies – Faculty of Humanities at NDU. Fr. Wehbe plays an active role in Ecumenical Dialogue & Muslim-Christian Dialogue. Fr. Wehbe is a founding member of the Lebanese Association of Sociology, and serves as a member of the Arab Association of Sociology, the World Council of Churches, and the Middle East Council of Churches. He also serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of World Vision, Lebanon, along with many other NGOs. He has been a member of the INTA board since spring 2019.
Dr. Ghazi Asmar (INTA Board Member)
Assistant Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies (AVPRGS) at NDU since 2013. Dr. Asmar has also served as Acting Director of International Relations position during the 2017-2018 academic year. Dr. Asmar is Professor of Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Solid and Structural Mechanics, and Vibrations. As part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NDU, which he chaired in 2012-2013, he has developed and taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses. He has several international journal and conference publications in the areas of stress analysis of metal and composite plates, and gears. Dr. Asmar has a PhD and an MS degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Missouri (USA), and a BS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington (USA). In June 2018, Dr. Asmar was appointed by the President as Chair of the committee which developed the proposal establishing INTA, and is currently member of the INTA board representing the Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Dany Ghsoub (INTA Board Member, absent from photograph)
Assistant Professor, Chairperson of the Department of Government and International Relations at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Notre Dame University (NDU). He is interested in studying the impact of corruption and the lack of transparency on the effectiveness and efficiency of Public Administration, in addition to the implication of the Lebanese confessional system on the Lebanese institutions and the preoccupation of good governance. The articulation between political responsiveness and administrative effectiveness is central in this perspective.