August 28^th. The Engineering Communication Center (ECC) at An-Najah University concluded a training course on American architecture which was organized earlier at the Faculty of Engineering under the title “Learn the American Architectural Engineering”. More than 130 students applied to participate in the workshop, most of whom were architectural engineering majors; seventy were accepted and were divided into two classes. Coordinators and organizers of the course included Yazan Arafat, Wadee’ Sulaiman and Ruba Daraghma who are also volunteers at the ECC.

The two-week course addressed a number of subjects including: Contemporary American Architecture, architectural educational methods at the American universities, techniques of architectural production, in addition to computer software used in architectural modeling such as (Rhinoceros 3D modeling).

Trainers included Eric Lihai, an Architectural Engineer from the United States, who has visited Nablus previously where he worked as a volunteer in the field of cultural exchange, teaching English and photography. His Master Thesis addressed the architecture of control and dominance that the Israelis used in Palestine. Lihai also brought a collection of books on architecture which he used as reference for his training material.

Engineer Mohammad Dwaikat, Director of the Engineering Communication Center at An-Najah, said the number of students who applied to the course was large indicating the great interest that those students had in the workshop and its subject. He added that a group of American engineering students are planning a visit to the Faculty during the new academic year.

On the last day of the course, Mr. Jacob Irban from Czechoslovakia presented a short lecture on civil engineering in his country. He also spoke about his training at An-Najah Teaching Hospital as part of the activities carried out by the Office of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) at the University.

At the end of the course, Dr. Nabil Dmaidi, Former Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at An-Najah, and Dr. Haitham Ratrout, Head of the Architectural Engineering Department at the University, presented certificates of appreciation to the participants and the organizers of the training course.