Nasser Alaraje Receives Fulbright to Teach in Qatar

Nasser Alaraje will be spending the spring semester halfway around the world. He is bringing his expertise in reconfigurable computing to Qatar University as a Fulbright Scholar.

Alaraje is an associate professor in the School of Technology and program chair of electrical engineering technology.

“Qatar is a technology hub, and despite its small size it has become a major player in the Middle East,” Alaraje said, in large part because it actively promotes higher education. Qatar University is the country’s only national university, but in its Education City, Qatar also hosts branch campuses of eight universities from the US, the UK, and France.

This will be Alaraje’s first trip to Qatar, where he will teach reconfigurable computing (in English) both to students and to educators. Reconfigurable computing, a computer architecture combining the flexibility of software with the high performance of hardware, is essential for designing and building high-end electronics.

“I will be training them in the latest technology,” he said, “but the way I see the Fulbright, it’s not only about the impact I can make on the host country, it’s also about what I’ll be able to bring back here.” Ultimately, he hopes to promote faculty and student exchanges and research cooperation between Michigan Tech and Qatar.

Alaraje will be blogging about his trip while he is visiting Qatar. “I expect it will be a remarkable experience,” he said.

The Fulbright US Scholar Program sends approximately 1,100 American scholars and professionals per year to approximately 125 countries, where they lecture and/or conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. It was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The program's purpose is to build mutual understanding between people of the United States and the rest of the world.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.