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Tarik Ghanim of Amman, Jordan, who graduated magna cum laude from Lafayette last May, has received a Fulbright Student Award to pursue graduate studies in electrical and computer engineering in the United States.
Ghanim, who earned a B.S. in electrical & computer engineering and will receive a B.A. in international studies this May, is the sixth Lafayette student to receive a Fulbright grant in the last five years.
Shara Gregory ’04 (Collegeville, Pa.) was recently awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for post-graduate study in Germany, and Michael Lestingi ’04 (Centerville, Ohio) received a Fulbright to research the privatization of Russia’s railroads.
Previous winners areJessica Coakley ’03 (international affairs /economics & business; Germany); Sarah Glacel ’01 (international affairs/Russian & East European studies; Russia), and Sarah Eremus ’00 (Spanish/Japanese Studies; Japan).
Spearheaded by Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright Program was established by Congress in 1946 to demonstrate U.S. commitment to democratic values worldwide. The program aims to increase mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchange, strengthen U.S. ties with other nations, and promote international cooperation.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Ghanim’s career goal is to develop cutting-edge ideas in the field of communications and computer networks and use them in entrepreneurial or consulting capacities.
“In selecting my undergraduate institution, Lafayette College was attractive because of its strong engineering program, coupled with its liberal arts atmosphere, where a multiplicity of other disciplines including international studies could be incorporated into the educational experience,” he says. “While completing my engineering courses, I also took courses in politics, government, and math, and developed a specific interest in French.
Ghanim gained intensive research experience at Lafayette through an EXCEL Scholars project in which he designed virtual computer circuits with power supplies in varying voltages for communications devices. In Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, students assist faculty with research while earning a stipend. The program has helped make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
“With its intellectually intense atmosphere, Lafayette College provided me with the challenge to attack real-world questions using the areas of expertise that I developed in my academic training,” he says. “Over my four years at Lafayette, I was involved in a place of multiculturalism, pluralism and individualism – all of which are important parts of life’s endeavorsMy Lafayette experience was enriching and rewarding in all aspects and has prepared me for any upcoming challenges that life has to offer. “
Ghanim was invited to join the Tau Beta Pi national engineering honor society and is a lifetime member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He served as president of Lafayette’s Muslim Students Association and was a member of International Affairs Club, International Students Association, and Asian Cultural Association. He was a computer science tutor and a Computing Services employee with responsibilities in hardware and software troubleshooting. He spent a summer helping to maintain the computer network for Royal Jordanian Airline at Queen Alia Airport in Jordan.
Ghanim says his interest in communication systems and networks was advanced at Lafayette by courses such as Network Analysis, Digital Signal Processing, and Communication Systems.
“Armed with signal analysis techniques, the level of my understanding vastly increased,” he says. “Communication systems started to make sense; the ins and outs, the reasons for and behind communications all came together.”
In graduate school, Ghanim will pursue interests introduced by hands-on, design-oriented courses in Lafayette’s electrical and computer engineering curriculum. One course that particularly engaged him was Senior Design Project, which involved design and implementation of both Token Ring and Ethernet computer networks.
“My group was able to write the assembly code needed to successfully implement the Token Ring and Ethernet protocols,” he says. “Termination of transmission lines was studied in detail as well to make sure that the reliability of the signal was not compromised in the applied network. The success of the design was proven with the highest efficiencies and the lowest delays possible throughout the nodes of the network. The opportunity to work on this design project provided a deeper understanding of the internal processes of the transfer of data.”
He built on that knowledge in a second design project that called for implementing a wireless transceiver communication system.
“This project vastly increased my knowledge and interest in communication systems, their proper design, and the workings of such systems,” he notes.
Engineering project such as these and an enriching liberal arts program made Lafayette the right fit for Ghanim.
“I needed an excellent education; both technical in the engineering field and comprehensive in the various disciplines offered,” he explains. “I did not want to be a mere programmer who codes C++ better than he speaks English, I wanted to study sciences, history, and politics. I needed to be well rounded and well educated in all fields of life to be as complete a person as my efforts and dedication would make me. I needed to be in touch with the latest developments in the ever-changing world of technology and computers. I need computer labs, resources, books, connections, and more resources. This continuous, never yielding, passion for knowledge is what I sought – and still seek.”
Ghanim says that his years at Lafayette and other experiences have enlightened him about global needs and those of Jordan in particular. Although relatively prosperous, the nation lacks engineering jobs that go beyond merely technical projects, he notes.
“My vision lies, after hopefully finishing my masters, in establishing an engineering consulting company that will lay the groundwork for engineering firms in Jordan. This in turn will provide job opportunities and inaugurate more into the market as the sector grows and starts attracting foreign investment into Jordan. It is then that I will be able to finally distinguish myself as someone who has benefited humanity and enriched his society.”
Ghanim’s graduate school placement will be determined by the America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc., a nonprofit organization that strengthens mutual understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. AMIDEAST administers the Fulbright Program for students from the Middle East and North Africa through a cooperative agreement with the United States State Department.