Background The Arab region comprises 22 countries located in the Middle East and North Africa, sharing cultural and linguistic ties. Arab countries have continued to lag in terms of biomedical research compared to other nations for several past decades. Cancer is a major public health concern, being the second leading cause of death globally. Given that high research activity on cancer reflects positively on screening programs, awareness, and clinical practice, this article aimed to examine the activity and trend of cancer research in the Arab world between 2005 and 2019. Methods Between 2005 and 2019, the number of cancer-related articles published by each Arab country, and regarding 27 different types, was assessed using the PubMed database. Numbers were normalized with respect to each country’s average population and average Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Results Arab countries contributed to 1.52% of total cancer publications. The number of cancer publications has steadily grown since 2005, with the last 7 years alone witnessing 75.69% of the total Arab cancer-related publications. In terms of publications per million persons, Qatar ranked first (393.74 per million persons), while in terms of publications per national GDP, Egypt ranked first (464.27 per billion US dollars). Breast, liver, and colorectal cancers had the highest numbers of all Arab cancer-related publications, while testicular, vulvar, and gallbladder cancers had the least. Conclusions This paper pools information and insight for scientists, clinicians, funders, and decision-makers on the actualities and developments of cancer research in the Arab world. Addressing the barriers facing cancer research remains a cornerstone in the plan to improve the Arab world’s output and contribution to the field of oncology.

The METS project-Maricopa Engineering Transition Scholars -is a two-year pilot collaboration between Arizona State University (ASU) and MaricopaCounty Community College District (MCCCD) funded by the National Science Foundation. The project is designed to 1) recruit, 2) retain and 3) graduate engineering transfer students. The project targets MCCCD women and underrepresented minority students.The research-grounded project activities were designed based on analysis of best practices piloted over many years at both MCCCD and ASU. Three of the METS activities include: Be an Engineer event designed to interest students in engineering by allowing them to participate in "hands-on" engineering activities at local community colleges, Pizza with a Professor to allow students to interact with an ASU professor, and METS workshops on survival strategies for students who have transferred from a community college to the ASU Fulton School of Engineering.The paper discusses what we have learned to date about the METS activities which are the most effective to assist community college students who transition into engineering.METS activities also assist community college students transferring from a two-year community college to a 4-year engineering program at ASU. In addition, the paper provides an analysis of community college students seeking engineering degrees by demographics, motivation, and needs and provides trends in enrollment, retention, and graduation.

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Purpose The Arab region comprises 22 countries located in the Middle East and North Africa, sharing cultural and linguistic ties. Arab countries have continued to lag in terms of biomedical research compared to other nations for the several past decades. Cancer is a major public health concern, being the second leading cause of death globally. Given that high research activity on cancer reflects positively onto screening programs, awareness, and clinical practice, this article aimed to examine the activity and trend of cancer research in the Arab world between 2005 and 2019. Methods Between 2005 and 2019, the number of cancer-related articles published by each Arab country, and regarding 27 different types, was assessed using PubMed database. Numbers were normalized with respect to each country’s average population and average Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Results Arab countries contributed to 1.52% of total cancer publications. The number of cancer publications has steadily grown since 2005, with the last 7 years alone witnessing 75.69% of the total Arab cancer-related publications. In terms of publications per million persons, Qatar ranked first while in terms of publications per national GDP, Egypt ranked first. Breast, liver, and colorectal cancers had the highest numbers of all Arab cancer-related publications, while testicular, vulvar, and gallbladder cancers had the least. Conclusion This paper pools information and insight for scientists, clinicians, funders, and decision-makers on the actualities and developments of cancer research in the Arab world. Addressing the barriers facing cancer research remains a cornerstone in the plan to improve the Arab world’s output and contribution to the field of oncology.

The award focused on expanding outreach activities to increase the awareness of potential college students about career opportunities in electronics technologies. Dr. Alaraje is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), a member of the ASEE Electrical and Computer Engineering Division, a member of the ASEE Engineering Technology Division, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Department Heads Association (ECETDHA).