• SBU submitted its first semi-annual program report on 7 Jul 04.
• SBU submitted an interim program update on 27 Jul 04.

Objective 2: Archaeology Project

2.1.2 Activity: Refit Department Libraries

• On 31 July 04, Asst. Dir. Pournelle completed an inspection walk-through at the Dept. of Archaeology with Neareast Resources civil engineers. Baghdad U. was represented by Prof. Jaber Kalil Ibrahim, Asst. Prof. Mohammed T. Mohammed al-Adami, and librarian Niran Muhy al-Din. Niran is transitioning books from old to new shelving.

2.2 Activity: Equipment and Facilities Rehabilitation to Support Instruction

• Task A: Upgrade Dept. of Archaeology Facilities, Baghdad. Pournelle’s inspection revealed that overall contractors had exceeded specified requirements.
• On testing, Neareast’s civil engineers found that the initially installed emergency power generator, located inside the walled, gated, guarded university compound, had insufficient engine capacity for rated power output, which fluctuated outside allowable tolerances. They therefore replaced the generator with a larger unit, bolted it to the concrete pad, covered it with a tempered steel anti-theft shroud, and supplied case-hardened steel locks.
• We approved in principle three additional air conditioning units for shared faculty offices, as office/computing equipment to be installed in those offices will not function at current ambient temperatures. Also remote control units for the (ceiling-mounted) air conditioners, insulating curtains for the upstairs computer lab, and washbasin connections to the installed hot water heater. However, installation must wait for completion of work at Mosul.
• Task B: Establish IT capacity to support libraries, teaching and research, Baghdad. During July, Neareast twice attempted to deliver and complete installation of IT equipment, but the university ws unexpectedly closed. We delivered to IT engineers MS Windows XP enterprise server and desktop OS, MS Office Pro, and Symantec network and workstation virus protection software and licenses to complete set-up of the 25 “Made in Iraq” Pentium 4 desktop computers purchased last month.
• Task C: Establish IT capacity to support libraries, teaching and research, Mosul. The Dean, Faculty of Arts rescinded the decision to move the Department. Work is scheduled to re-start 2 August, with completion scheduled within 30 days. We delivered to IT engineers MS Windows XP enterprise server and desktop OS, MS Office Pro, and Symantec network and workstation virus protection software and licenses to complete set-up of the 27 “Made in Iraq” Pentium 4 desktop computers to be installed there.

2.3 Activity: Instruction in Iraq; Task A: Summer Workshops

 

• The Summer Workshop in Amman Jordan is currently in its second session. Some of the participants were delayed in their arrival, but the number of participants has now reached 55. Daniel Snell and Alan Walmsley have completed their instruction term and returned to the U.S. Professors Marian Feldman from Berkeley and Kathryn Slanski and Eckard Frahm from Yale University have joined the team as workshop leaders. Professor Roger Matthews from London University will also arrive for one week in August. The Dean of the Faculty of Arts of Mosul University is planning to visit in early August. There has been marked progress in the participants’ willingness to engage in discussion in a public forum, and in their computer and internet skills. Informal discussions are a continuing process.
• The Iraqi participants are spending most of their free time combing the ACOR library for relevant references for their research. Discussions have been initiated with the Chairs of the respective departments regarding the implementation of the workshop material into their curricula. It has been agreed to prepare Arabic versions of our PowerPoint presentations so that they can used for teaching in Iraq. High points for the participants so far have been a one-day seminar led by Alan Walmsley at Jerash, where he is currently excavating an early Islamic Mosque, and a trip to Petra. Many of the participants have organized a trip to Aqaba on their day off.

• Session I of the ten-week summer workshop concluded on schedule on 22 Jul 04.

2.4 Activity: Intensive M.A. Program in Archaeology

(L, C) M.A. students with English teacher. (R) Prof. P. Zimansky (center) meeting with M.A. students at SBU’s USAID-Iraq program office.

• All four Baghdad University graduate admittees into Stony Brook University’s MA Program in Mesopotamian Archaeology arrived as scheduled in New York on July 9^th. After settling into their dormitories and campus life over the weekend, they began their summer intensive English program on July 12. Within two weeks, their English comprehension has improved markedly.
• Their fall semester academic schedule is now being prepared. In addition to their English instruction it will focus on a daily seminar with Paul Zimansky and Elizabeth Stone, where they learn to read, discuss, and critique current research in Mesopotamian archaeology. Depending on their language abilities, they will also attend a class on Landscape Archaeology, which focuses on work in the Near East.

4.5.1 Activity: Library, Archaeology; Task B: Purchase and Ship Books

• OCLC has received all but a handful of the nearly 2,000 post-1990 scholarly books on near eastern archaeology purchased from David Brown and Eisenbrauns distributors, and has completed cataloguing and shipping (via UPS) a second tranche to ARAMEX (near JFK airport) for load consolidation and DENTON (military space-available shipment) inspection.
• After being held up for a week by U.S. customs at the Canadian border, 1,200 volumes of classic, rare, out-of-print, and out-of-copyright archaeological and Assyriological books purchased from retiring Professor of Assyriology A. Kirk Grayson in Toronto, Canada arrived 28 July 04 at Stony Brook University for sorting and packing. Some books will be retained for digitization, while the bulk of the library will be sent to the Baghdad and Mosul university libraries.

 

 A. Kirk Grayson library being prepped for shipping to Iraq by Archaeology graduate student Brian Bingham. Photo: C. Filstrup.

Objective 3: Environmental Health Project

• On 28 July 04 Drs. Hailoo and Marqus met with Iraqi ambassador, Rend Al Rahim, to hear her perspective on Environmental Health issues in Iraq. This interaction also enabled the program leaders to gauge how well the program’s intentions would serve their needs.
• Program updates were reviewed at a meeting in Washington D.C on 28 July 04 with USAID’s Norman Rifkin and Nuzhat Ahmad.
• A Stony Brook University IT specialist is preparing a website for the USAID Environmental Health Project at Stony Brook University. The site will be on line in August.

 

(L) Left to Right: W. Hailoo, N. Ahmad (USAID), M. Segall (USAID), S. Marqus. (R) Left to Right: M. Al-Muhmaidi, W. Hailoo, Ambassador R. Al Rahim, S. Marqus, F. Al-Guylanni

3.3.2 Activity: Dean and Coordinators’ Visit

• Stony Brook University is preparing a comprehensive booklet of information based materials presented at the Stony Brook University workshop in May. When complete it will be sent to all three EHERC in August. This material will be key in the disbursement of information on critical Environmental Health practices to environment health professionals in Iraq.

3.4.1     Activity: Building the Centers’ Infrastructure

• The assignment of office space has been concluded at the three EHERCs. In July rehabilitation began for space to house the laboratory equipment and Center activities (i.e.; walls, floors, air conditioning, plumbing).

3.4.5 Activity: Deliver Environmental Lab Equipment

• On 12 July 04 a meeting was attended by Dr. Hailoo, Martin Schoonen, Maureen Kotlas, Dr. Marqus and Bruce Weiner of ESA, inc. regarding the procurement of blood lead testing detecting equipment. Decisions were made to finalize the equipment’s specifications.
• The procurement of 4 hand-held blood lead testing devices has since been completed. The equipment will be sent to Iraq in August.
• Lab supplies and equipment specifications are under final development and will be supplied for use in laboratories when the renovation of the lab space has been completed.

3.4.6 Activity: Environmental Health Conference

• On 28 July 04 discussion with Nuzhat Ahmad in Washington, D.C. Dr. Hailoo and Dr. Marqus led to an agreement on two options for the site of the conference.

3.4.7 Activity: Mini-Grants

• The disbursement of grant applications to Iraqi University, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment was completed in Jun-July, 04, and four proposals were received in July. EHERC The Mosul Coordinator is handling this activity and reporting to Stony Brook program staff.

4.5 Activity: Library—Environmental Health

• Book selections have been concluded. The acquisition of books was completed in mid July. The first orders sent to Iraq were received on 12 July 04. The remainder of the orders are with vendors to be sent NY for consolidation and subsequent shipment to Iraq in August.