USAID-Iraq HEAD
Higher Education and Development for Archaeology and Environmental Health Research
SUNY at Stony Brook
Monthly Report: April, 2004
Objective 1: Management and Administration
- On 9 April 2004, USAID General Development Officer Jessica Jordan approved SBU’s Environmental Health Research Work Plan.
Objective 2: Archaeology Project
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 is 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 is currently in Amman, making final arrangements for program support.
2.4 Activity: Intensive M.A. Program in Archaeology
- Selectees received SBU ESL curricula[1]and began intensive English preparation in order to prepare them for their visa application interviews in May 2004. Baghdad and Mosul U. English faculties appointed ESL tutors for the eight M.A. program candidates.
- 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.
- With SBU assistance, four candidates (from the U. of Baghdad) obtained Iraq travel documents and submitted U.S. visa application paperwork. They are now in Amman awaiting visa interviews. Due to unsafe travel conditions in April, the four Mosul candidates were unable to travel to Baghdad to obtain travel documents for Amman.
4.5 Activity: Archaeology Library: Task B: Purchase and ship books
International Freight forwarder Aramex will handle load consolidation and freight forwarding. Photos: J. Pournelle.
- Selection and purchase is complete of 1,840 specialized archaeology and Assyriology books from Eisenbraun’s and the David Brown Book Company, for delivery to the Baghdad and Mosul University archaeology libraries, including supplemental donations from the University of Chicago press.
- Vendors have begun shipping orders to the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)[2] for cataloguing, so that books may be shipped onward “shelf-ready” with spine labels, catalogue cards, and electronic catalogue entries.
- 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.
Objective 3: Environmental Health Project
3.3.1 Task: Establish Program Coordinating Office, Iraq
- Prepared job description for Chief of Party (COP). See Enclosure 2.
3.3.2 Task: Assemble Program Team, U.S.
- D.2: Assistant Program Coordinator Dr. Shawky Marqus successfully obtained a U.S. visa and joined our team on 1 April.
- D.4: Administrative Staff Assistant Rita Simonetti began work on 12 April.
- On 12 April, they met with Dr. Hailoo to review administrative issues and office work flow
- D.3: They then prepared a job description for Education Specialist. See Enclosure 2.
3.3.3 Task: Advisory Board
- An Advisory Committee Meeting was held 15 April 2004. See Enclosure 1.
3.4.5 Activity: Mini-Grants
- Prepared application format for mini grant.
4.5 Activity: Library, Environmental Health
- In New York, Drs. Hailoo and Marqus met with SBU Medical Library Spencer Marsh regarding selection and purchase of books by EH centers.
3.4.3 Task C: Orientation and training for Centers leadership and staff, U.S.
3.4.1 Activity: Workshops for Deans, Coordinators and PCO Staff
- A significant portion of staff time was dedicated to preparations for the May 2004 orientation and training program, to be held at SBU.
- Deans and professors from seven medical colleges in Iraq will attend.
- Preparations included formulating the agenda and educational program, assisting with travel arrangements, securing lodging and transportation; programming specific subject lecturers, and preparation of visitors packets (including cover letters, executive summaries, visit objectives, and photos).