First PhD Graduate Leads Engineering Breakthrough

BY FARAH TAHA

Yosra El Maghraby has the distinction of being the first Construction Engineering PhD Alumna from AUC, but if she isn’t working on new methods to insulate concrete form, you’ll likely find her passionately working out at her local gym.

But AUC’s most distinguished graduate has already won accolades for her research in sustainable building systems for the hot climates of the Middle East.

She designed a wall utilizing a system called insulating concrete foam, which uses insulating foam to reduce the amount of concrete in a structure.

“The wall looks like a sandwich,” said El Maghraby, adding, “there is a foam wall on both sides and concrete in the middle.”

“It is also suitable for compounds but not high rise buildings, and that is why it will be very effective here in Egypt,” said El Maghraby.

El Maghraby added that while the construction system she is pursuing is not prevalent in Egypt, it is already implemented in the US and the United Arab Emirates.

She added that her project would generate great rewards if it is implemented in Egypt because it would act as a heat insulator inside buildings, which would lead to less use of air conditioning, and ultimately conserving energy.

“Until now, no [local] factory is manufacturing this new kind of concrete, and that’s why it will be costly at the beginning, but once it is manufactured, it will be cheaper,” said Maghraby.

With the limited awareness and production of the insulating concrete foam in Egypt, El Maghraby and her team had to manufacture the foam themselves in the Construction Engineering lab on campus.

She said that this specific type of concrete is manufactured from construction wastes resulting in a decrease in cement factories and the overall pollution of the country.

But she fears that her project and hard work runs the risk of being hijacked by another person.

“The project needs further research; however, there’s already a strong base. If anyone builds on my research, he will do limited work and get the credit,” said Maghraby.

El Maghraby added that she would have never reached this great achievement without the assistance of AUC and her advisors.

“I owe a lot to AUC and to my advisors Dr. Medhat Haroun and Dr. Ezzat Fahmy,” said El Maghraby.

“Dr. Haroun encouraged me and Dr. Fahmy believed in my abilities and helped me tremendously. They were very supportive,” she added.

But it’s in her young daughter that El Maghraby finds the greatest inspiration.

When the pressures of her research work became too demanding, she would spend time with her daughter first and foremost, but also with her supportive family and neighbors.