The Independent Consultant Agreements of the students whose research proposals on water in Lebanon, organized by the USAID Funded Lebanon Water Project (LWP), received funding were signed.
In June 2018, USAID issued a call inviting students and faculty to submit research proposals as a means of promoting awareness and engagement with water sustainability in Lebanon. Students at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) rose magnificently to the challenge, putting forward seven different proposals ranging from wastewater treatment and water pollution control to the development of models to assess and manage groundwater contamination across the country. Of the seven submitted proposals, six of them were awarded funding by the LWP.
Proposals were assessed by two separate panels: one at NDU, and one with the LWP.
NDU’s panel consisted of:
- Dr. Ghazi Asmar, Assistant Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, Office of Research and Graduate Studies.
- Dr. Hanna Fares, Director, International Relations, Office of International Relations - Office of Grants.
- Dr. Jacques Harb, Director, Centre for Research on Sustainable Development.
- Emma Shaffu Chakar, Director, Communications, Office of Communications.
The Lebanese Water Project’s panel consisted of:
- George Akl, Deputy Chief of Party
- Jessy Feghali, Civil Society Advisor
- Imad El Khazen, Water Resources Management Team Lead
- Charbel Rizk, Civic Engagement Team Lead
- Maha AlAza, Strategic Communication Team Lead
The selected proposals along with their advisors are as follows:
- Meli-Joe Abou Chedid, advised by Dr. Maya Atieh, with her proposal titled: “Barriers, challenges and opportunities of wastewater treatment systems in Lebanon”.
- Jeffrey Fadlallah, Stephanie Sarrouf, and Fadi Saliba, advised by Dr. Naji Khoury, with their proposal titled: “Development of a Sustainable Groundwater Quality Management for Accessing Safe Water in Lebanon”.
- Jovi Kassab and Charbel Tannous, advised by Drs. Sophia Ghanimeh and Dima Jawad, with their proposal titled: “Feasibility Of Wetland Treatment In Lebanon”.
- Tommy Waked, advised by Dr. Sophia Ghanimeh, with his proposal titled: “Home-Scale Wastewater Treatment: Is it a feasible approach in rural areas of Lebanon?”
- Daniel Seif, advised by Dr. Jessica R. El-Khoury, with their proposal titled: “Preserving the Water of Lebanon: A Mass Media Flow of Awareness and Action”.
- Samar Yammine, advised by Dr. Elias Feghaly, with her proposal titled: “Feasibility Of Wastewater Treatments In Lebanon: Social, Economic And Legislative Approach”.
Proposals were awarded $5,000 for proposals submitted by one student; $8,000 for proposals submitted by two students; and $10,000 for proposals submitted by three students.
The next steps for the winning proposals are to draft and submit a working research paper on their topic.
Congratulations to our students, and best of luck with the rest of the project!