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Dear All, I want to thank all who supported my decision to
run for president of the National AAAEA, I did
that with agenda to strengthen what brought us
together in the first place, our values, in addition
to growing our association’s membership,
exposure & visibility.
I want to take the opportunity to thank Rabih
Najib for his leadership as the National AAAEA
president for the past two years along with the
executive board, job well done.
I look forward to working with the newly elected
National Executive Board, Nader Abuhassan (VP),
Gus Nakhoul (Secretary), Jamal Grainawi
(Treasurer), Amro Kudssi (IT), Soliman Khudeira
(Education), Ammar Qashshu (Career) and Moe
Fridy (Publication) in addition to the Board of
Directors and the Chapter presidents moving us
ahead toward our common goal of serving our
members, our professional community and
strengthening our association.
I have a couple of items to report on:
Add hoc committees: By-Laws, Rabih Najib
was selected by the NEB to lead.
Outreach, Bilal Almasri was selected by
the NEB to lead. Other committees will
be formed in the near future.
National Conference 2016, location was
selected to be in Las Vegas. More
details to follow
GeoMEast 2017 International Conference,
the National AAAEA is cosponsoring
this highly anticipated conference
scheduled for July 15-19, 2017 in Sharm
El-Sheikh, Egypt (details to follow)
Outreach committees, 2016 started out with
Arizona forming a chapter and joining the
national, WELCOME, other outreach efforts are
ongoing with North Carolina and Ohio
I want to take a minute to thank our colleague,
Raed Milhem for his very generous donation of
$10,000 to the National scholarship fund in
addition to a pledge of $5000 annually. On
behalf of the National AAAEA, we thank you for
your trust in us and we hope this will be the
catalyst for other generous acts to follow. (See
full article).
I would like to close by inviting All our chapters
to actively participate in the AAAEA National
committees, the backbone of our association, it
would be great to have a representative from
each chapter on every one of the committees
listed above, the exchange of ideas benefit all
and participation is the best avenue for each
chapter to voice their opinion and be heard.
Hani AlMoghrabi
From the President’s Desk...
AlMuhandes F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
PUBLICATION
COMMITTEE:
Moe Fridy
(Chair)
Bilal Almasri
Amjad Obeid
A L M UH A NDE S
E - M A IL
almuhandes@naaaea.org
$ $ $
Monthly Publication of the National Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects
المهندس
CONTACT
AAAEA:
info@naaaea.org
www.naaaea.org
AAAEA-Texas News
P A G E 2 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
THIS ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS
Scholarship Donation
PAGE 11
GeoMEast International Conference
PAGE 3
Interview—Ahmad Omais
PAGE 21
International Conference
P A G E 3 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
GeoMEast 2017
Dear AAAEA Members and Friends,
The National Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects
is a proud co-sponsor of the GeoMEast 2017 Conference in Sharm El-
Sheikh, Egypt between July 15 and 19, 2017.
Additional Information about the conference can be found using the
following link:
Click Here for more Info.
A L M U H A N D E S
2016 Summer Internship
P A G E 4 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
Civil/Construction Engineering Shell-Houston, TX
Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemicals companies with over 90,000 employees in more than 70 countries and territories. In the US, we have operated for over a century and are a major oil and gas producer onshore and in the Gulf of Mexico, a recognized innovator in exploration and production technology, and a leading manufacturer and marketer of fuels, natural gas and petrochemicals.
We deliver energy responsibly; operate safely with respect to our neighbors and work to minimize our environmental impact. We are in search for remarkable students interested in a career in Civil/Construction Engineering. By creating advanced technology solutions and deploying them at scale, you'll help Shell be a thought leader in designing the energy systems of tomorrow.
Where You’ll Intern
Houston, Texas
New Orleans, Louisiana
Assessed Internship Program Shell’s Assessed Internships consist of well-defined projects with clear objectives and deliverables that will allow you to work with a number of interesting and stimulating colleagues on projects that have a real business impact. You will gain valuable experience and skills to equip you for your future working career.
Program Objectives Our internships are carefully framed to allow you to benefit from regular performance evaluation and feedback throughout your time with us. We believe that looking at past and present behavior is a useful tool in understanding and predicting an individual’s future performance.
Taking part in a Shell Internship is a way for you to discover what Shell has to offer as an employer, and for us to see if you have what it takes to become a part of Shell. You will benefit from regular performance reviews that will enable you to enhance your strengths, while continuously building upon your development areas.
Minority, Female, Disabled and Veteran EEO/AA Employer
To learn more and apply online, visit www.shell.us/students . When entering your contact details, select ‘Other’ in response to ‘Where you found out about this Shell opportunity’ . Click ‘Next’ , and then type in “Intern 2016”. Job Type: Internship
Required experience: Actively enrolled student; will complete at least one more semester following internship; 3.2 GPA: 1 year
Required education: Master's
Apply!! http://www.shell.us/careers/students-and-graduates/shell-graduate-program.html?cid=:Display:Indeed:Americas_Grads:US-H1150116-techJPTextOther-link
A L M U H A N D E S
2016 Summer Internship
P A G E 5 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
Lockheed Martin
Hanover, Maryland
Please see below and share it with students that you know may be interested in this opportunity.
N9064:College Student Tech Spec
Req ID : 342601BR
Job Code/Title : N9064:College Student Tech Spec
Job Description
This is a 2016 summer engineering internship position under the Partner Programs portfolio. The selected candidate will be assigned a mentor/buddy to help him/her learn about our processes, practices and policies, and to acquire needed domain knowledge. The candidate should have at least theoretical/classroom experience with the system lifecycle (e.g., requirements analysis, system design, implementation, integration and test, and deployment). The candidate should be able to work in a team environment to assist in the integration and test activities, as directed. The candidate may be asked to create new or update existing documentation used in the system lifecycle. Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Basic Qualifications
Knowledge of engineering practices Understands the system lifecycle Good communication skills Knowledge of
the Linux operating system.
Desired Skills
Programming experience Scripting experience. As a leading technology innovation company, Lockheed Martin's team of 113,000 people works with partners
around the world to bring proven performance to our customers' toughest challenges. Lockheed Martin has
employees based in all 50 states and more than 570 facilities that span 70 countries.
Join us at Lockheed Martin, where we're engineering a better tomorrow.
See more at:
http://search.lockheedmartinjobs.com/ShowJob/Id/47663/College%20Student%20Tech%20Spec
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA-Wisconsin News
P A G E 6 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
Board Members
Election Results
Dear Members,
I would like to announce that the AAAEA - WI had conducted the elections for the AAAEA-WI Boards members, below you will find the new Members of the Board:
Aziz Aleiow - President
Nader Jaber - Vice President
Wafa Elqaq - Treasurer
Eyad Omari - Secretary
Basel Shehadeh - IT
Please note that the new vote for the WI Board term extension to 2 years instead of only one year had passed, and the Bylaws had been amended to reflect the change.
Congratulations, and good luck to the new Board.
Regards,
--
AAAEA- Wisconsin
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA-California News
P A G E 7 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
First 2016 Networking Luncheon
Featuring Dr. Issa Nesnas
Program
11:30 Registration and Networking
11:45 Lunch and Networking
12:00 Opening Remarks by AAAEA-CA President, Adel Hagekhalil
12:15 Membership Contribution
12:30 Speaker Presentation, Dr. Issa Nesnas Dr. Issa Nesnas is a principal technologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and supervisor of the Ro-botic Mobility group. He leads research in extreme terrain and microgravity mobility. Prior to that, he led a multi-center project for developing robotic autonomy software. He also contributed to developments in autonomous rover navigation and visual target tracking and participated in the development of the Curi-osity rover. He received a B.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College in 1991, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in robotics from the Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Notre Dame in 1993 and 1995 respectively.
Planetary Robotic Exploration: Mobility and Autonomy The success of the Mars rovers has provided a wealth of information leading to major scientific discoveries. Planetary mobility has proved to be an invaluable tool of surface exploration, complementing orbital observations. In this talk, Dr. Nesnas will provide an overview of robotic mobility for a range of planetary bodies such as the Moon, Mars, aster-oids and comets. He will highlight advances in robotic autonomy that have contributed to the success of the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers. Advances in robotic mobility and sampling would enable fu-ture access to extreme terrains such as crater walls, gullies, and skylights as well as provide mobility on small bodies. He will share results from recent rover field tests and flight experiments toward such future exploration.
A L M U H A N D E S
Saturday, February 27 11:30AM - 1:30PM
Arab American Community Center 907 S Beach Blvd, Anaheim CA 92804
Tickets: $25 Non-Member / $20 Member / $15 Student Free ticket with on-site membership registration
http://aaaea.org/sc/
AAAEA-Capital Area News
P A G E 8 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
General Brainstorming Meeting
Under the leadership of the 2016 Executive Board, the AAAEA Capital Chapter held two strategy meetings on January 30 and
February 18, in Maryland and Virginia, respectively, to kick-off 2016 with a great program of technical and social events. Our
members were spoiled by the hospitality of our Virginia hosts and were offered an excellent lunch and Kanafie. Several new
Committee Chairs were selected to lead the Membership, Education, By Laws, Social, Financial Review, and Election Com-
mittees. Our members are very excited this year to jump starts our Student Chapters in Maryland and Virginia. Also, the ma-
jority of the members expressed interest in providing educational seminars on non-technical topics to benefit start-up busi-
nesses with activities such as risk assessment, taxation planning, retirement planning, healthcare benefits, financial planning,
business insurance, stress management, and the like
Our By Laws Committee will review the current By Laws and attempt to streamline some of the provisions to be more in line
with how our Board of Trustees believes that we should operate. Practicality and simplicity will drive most of the proposed
changes. Our Social Committee has started to plan our picnic sometimes in June. If you are planning to be in the Washington
Metropolitan areas please visit our website so that view upcoming events. We are poised this year to seek students for the
scholarship awards. The Capital Chapter awarded five scholarships last year to students in the Maryland-Virginia-DC regions.
Ziad A. Sabra Ph.D
President- AAAEA Capital Area
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA-Chicago News
P A G E 9 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
2016 Haflah March 12, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Belvedere Chateau
A L M U
AAAEA-Houston News
P A G E 1 0 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
Networking and Social Events
Dear all,
AAAEA Houston would like to announce and invite all of you to attend our networking & social event : on Saturday March, 5th., 2016 in la Madeleine @ 10:30 AM
Address: 770 West Sam Houston Pkwy N, Houston, TX 77024
Phone:(713) 465-7370
Menu: viewmenu.com
Our second event will be on Saturday April, 2nd., 2016. The place will be announced later. A presenta-
tion/lecture will be made by Engineer Helmi Al-Jamal
(Owner of Center of Numerical Analysis Technology). More detailed information about Mr. Al-Jamal is available
https://www.linkedin.com/in/helmi-al-jamal-07508ba These events are for all of us. Please, please lets all attend and participate. Please feel free to distribute to others. Engineering and Information Technology Students are very welcomed and encouraged to attend . Professionals and members are expected to attend. This e mail is for AAAEA-Houston distribution list, if you would like NOT to receive future e mails, please reply back to : houston@aaaea.org with remove in the subject line.
Thanks,
Shareef M. Abushaban
Houston@aaaea.org
A L M U H A N D E S
NAAAEA
P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
New scholarship to our students
IN MEMORY OF MOHAMMAD AYYASH
MILHEM (1927-2015)
FIRST STANDING DONATION TO
THE NAAAEA's SCHOLORSHIP
FUND
Raed Milhem, has chosen to honor his father, Mr. Mohammad
Ayyash Milhem, through a donation to the National Arab American
Association of Engineers and Architects' Scholarship Fund. This
generous gift is the first such that we have received.
Mr. Raed Milhem has, through the Center for Arab American Phi-
lanthropy (CAAP), established a Donor Advised Account, to the benefit of our National Scholar-
ship Fund. Raed Milhem has donated an initial ten-thousand dollars ($10,000) to fund the Na-
tional Scholarship Fund, and has pledged five-thousand dollars annually.
This commitment is the first of its kind in the relatively short history of the National Arab Ameri-
can Association of Engineers and Architects. It reflects well upon our organization’s credibility.
And upon the quality and dedication of our members. Most importantly, this donation will help
educate qualified engineering, IT, and architecture students across the nation who apply for our
assistance. .
The late Mohammad Ayyash Milhem was born in Halloul, Palestine, in 1927. He was an attor-
ney and writer. Throughout his adult life, Mr. Milhem was civic minded leader and a champion
of human rights.
He will be missed and long remembered.
Bilal Almasri
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 2 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA –Business Directory
The National Arab American Association of Engineers & Architects is working on publishing its First Business Directory.
If you would like to be included in our first Business Directory, email us the following by September 30, 2015:
· Business Name
· Business Address (Street, City, State, Zip Code)
· Business Website
· Business Telephone
· Description of Your Business
· Business Category
· Your contact information
· Business Logo in High resolution Image Format
The directory will be published by the end of the year.
Cost: FREE to AAAEA members. $50 for non-members.
Email National Career Committee : career.center@naaaea.org
AlMuhandes Upcoming Deadlines
ARTICLES DEADLINE DATE PUBLICATION DATE
Thursday, March 24, 2016 Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Thursday, April 21, 2016 Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016 Tuesday, May 31, 2016
P A G E 1 3 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA Online EIT/FE Review Course
Are you planning to take the EIT Exam?
AAAEA-Chicago offers online EIT/FE Preparation Videos.
The videos were previously recorded at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) campus. The lectures
taught by highly knowledgeable professionals and experts in their fields. These classes are designed
to help you prepare for the EIT/FE Exam and concentrate on in depth reviews and problem solving of
each of the topics listed below.
The videos are streamed online and can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
Study, learn, and review at your own pace around your own schedule.
The EIT (or FE) Exam is offered six times a year . Registration for the EIT exam is done through NCEES.
Please referrer to ncees.org for exam dates and registration methods.
Price:
Members: $100
Non-Members: $200
For More Information Email: education@aaaea.org
Video Topics: Instructor
Mechanics of Materials I Dr. Khudeira, PE, SE
Mechanics of Materials II Dr. Khudeira, PE, SE
Mathematics I Dr. Shuaibi
Mathematics II Dr. Shuaibi
Thermodynamics Mr. Ashraf Al Hayek
Probability & Statistics Dr. Shuaibi
Chemistry Dr. Aheda Saber
Statics Mr. Grainawi, PE, SE
Engineering Economics Mr. Bou-Saab, PE
Computer Science & Mr. Baha Al-Abed
Electrical Engineering Dr. Elqaq, PE
Dynamics- I Dr. Mahamid, PE
Dynamics- II Dr. Mahamid, PE
Fluid Mech. Dr. Mahmoud Issa, PE
P A G E 1 4 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
Click to download your PDF copy
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National AAAEA - Identity Brochure 2016
AAAEA COMMUNITY IMPACT
Scholarship Program
P A G E 1 5 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
AAAEA Has contributed more than
$259,000
in Scholarships Nationwide to Arab American
Students between 2000-2015
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 6 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
SUPPORT AAAEA
Support AAAEA by shopping on Amazon
If you already shop on Amazon, we invite you to use smile.amazon.com and choose "Arab Americans Associ-ation for Engineers & Architects" as your charity of choice. The shopping experience is identical to Amazon.com with the added benefit that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to AAAEA once selected as the charity of choice. Below are the steps to do that:
1- Visit smile.amazon.com
The entire shopping experience is the same and most products available on amazon.com are available at Ama-
zonSmile
2- Sign in and choose your charity
The screen will look slightly different depending on whether your not you’re already signed into Amazon. If you’re already signed in, Simply search for "Arab Americans Association for Engineers & Architects", and then proceed to step 3
You can also click on the following link to search for charitable organizations:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/charity/change.html/ref=smi_se_abtpo_change_cycsc
f you’re not signed, enter your regular Amazon email address and password. Then do the above step, and then
proceed to step 3.
3- Select "Arab American Association For Engineers & Architects" in Chicago, IL
4- Start shopping, and share with your friends and relatives!
Once you've selected your charity everything else functions the same. Shop for your favorite products. Most
products are eligible on Amazon Smile–if not, you’ll be notified. You can checkout normally as well. No extra cost
is passed onto you–Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to AAAEA!
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 7 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
METLIFE National Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects
Association Discount Program
MetLife’s Disability Insurance Association Discount Program offers you an opportunity to receive
high-quality coverage at discounted rates.
The program offers:
• 10% premium discount with gender-distinct rates1 and full underwriting.
• Noncancelable and Guaranteed Renewable coverage available. This means MetLife cannot cancel your coverage or in-
crease your premium before age 65 or 67, or five policy years if later, as long as your premiums are paid on time.2
• Opportunity to customize coverage with optional riders,3 such as:
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ular occupation, you could receive your full benefit even if you are able to work in another occupation.
> Residual Disability Rider – You can receive a partial disability benefit, under certain conditions, if a partial disability causes
you to lose a portion of your earnings (as specified in the rider).
> Catastrophic Disability Rider – Provides an additional monthly benefit if your condition meets the criteria of a cata-
strophic disability as set forth in the rider.4
> Guaranteed Insurability Benefit – Allows you to increase your coverage as your income increases over time, without any
medical underwriting at the time of increase. Financial underwriting is required to determine eligibility for an increase in
coverage.
> Life Event Rider – Allows you to apply for a one-time increase in coverage following a qualifying life event such as a pro-
motion from your employer; increase in the number of family members; or graduation from an accredited post-secondary
educational institution.5
> Cost of Living Adjustment Rider – Helps your benefits keep pace with inflation when a disability lasts more than one year.
For more information, contact :
Hussam Zayyad CFP® , MBA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner Financial Services Representative
Metlife 2650 Warrenville Road, Suite 100 Downers Grove, IL 60515
Phone (630) 441-1268 Fax (630)725-1240
hzayyad@metlife.com
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A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 8 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
METLIFE Guaranteed Level Term
Designed to Deliver Financial Protection When It’s Needed Most
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 9 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
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Scholarship Program – Our scholarship program is growing and we have so far awarded over $259,000 of scholarship money to students all over the United States.
P A G E 2 0 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
National AAAEA (NAAAEA) is the publishing organization of AlMuhandes; NAAAEA is a non-profit organization working to help its members as well as the community as a whole.
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AlMuhandes Notes
P A G E 2 1
Interview of the Month– Ahmad Omais
1- Please introduce yourself: education, background and family......
I was born in Lebanon. I have a masters degree from Marquette University and a Bachelors from University of Toledo. I have been in the transportation field for the past 30 years. I have worked for Wisconsin DOT, Arizona DOT and currently for Kimley -Horn for the past 20 years.
I am married and have two girls and a boy (18, 15, and 11)
2-Briefly,please share with us the history of the efforts to form a chapter in Arizona?
The journey started about a year ago when Marwan Tamimi was trying to find a venue for getting the Arab community together. While talking to one of his friends, he ran across the AAAEA and Marwan thought that it was the ideal opportunity. He connected with Bilal Almasri and started discussing starting a chapter in Arizona. Bilal then recruited Ahmad Omais who in turn recruited Lina Bearat and the steering team started working on getting the chapter going. The group had several discussions and set a goal for a kick-off in January.
3- As the first president of AAAEA -Arizona ,what is the latest their and what are the plans for the future.
We are orienting ourselves and forming the team. We had our first meeting last month and decide d to meet monthly for now. We are planning a spring picnic and our focus is on recruiting additional members.
4- It is a continued struggle to keep members involved and connected, what ideas you can propose to deal with this continued challenge.
I think we need to find activities that people would be interested in and attract their attention. We are brainstorming the kind of things we can do and will be see eying members along with other chapters to find out what works best.
A L M U H A N D E S
Ah
mad
Om
ais
P A G E 2 2
Interview of the Month– Continued
5- Do you read ALMUHANDES, what do you think of it. Can you contribute to it in the future?
I have read one issue and a bit early to formulate an opinion. I will look at future issues and see how I can contribute.
A L M U H A N D E S
Ah
mad
Om
ais
P A G E 2 3 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
With the erratic fluctuation of the market at the tail end of
2015 and the first few weeks of 2016, the vivid memory of
what happened in the second half of 2007 and 2008 when
the market went south close to 50 percent. Investors are
becoming jittery. The question that comes to mind how are
we building our nest egg, our retirement? Is it on a solid
financial foundation?
The Financial Foundation is very simple and made up of
four building blocks that are very-interconnected and starts
from the grounds up similar to building a good home on a
solid foundation.
Block I: Insurance (various types). In our society we got accustomed to insure anything
and everything. We insure a car (it’s the law) just in case we get into an accident so we could
repair it or replace it. We insure our smart phones just in case it gets dropped and need a fix or a
replacement. The big one and the most outrageous is when we insure our mortgage (a
requirement to secure a loan), whose benefit are we insuring here? The bank or the lender just in
case we default so that they could secure their money.
So every Monday morning, most of people hit the freeways to work, what happen if you get in a
car accident and heaven forbid the accident was fatal. Now tell me which is the most valuable
investment to your family and loved ones? The “expensive” wrinkled car, the smart phone that
broke into pieces that both could be replaced or fixed or is it the income that you brought home
every two weeks and provided a life style to your family that paid their basic necessity of life?
Can you replace a human being once he or she is gone? The bread winner in the family is the
ultimate investment and should be protected or insured to provide an income replacement to the
family just in case the bread winner and the income are both gone.
Block II: Debt management and elimination. We live in a society that taught us to buy now
and worry later. Every holiday season people get their plastic cards and go shopping with deep
hunger not worrying about the hefty interest rates that these credit card companies charge. The
old saying still applies “live within your mean” is long forgotten. The “bargains” of black Friday
wind up costing us double or triple the prices once we factor all the interests we paid. It does not
make sense to start a saving plan earning few percent when the credit card companies are
charging you 19, 21, 25 percent. Mathematically it does not make any sense. You are better off
paying down your debt and then start saving because “plastic money” will cost you dearly if you
just make the minimum payment.
Building for your future on a solid Financial Foundation !
P A G E 2 4 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
Block III: Short term savings or Emergency Fund is basically liquid money you could
access it on instant notice. At a minimum, a household should have six (6) months its monthly
expenses saved (i.e. rent, mortgage, food, utilities etc.). Why six months? Just in case you lose
your job or you are transitioning between jobs. Does life stop when you cease to draw an
income? Of course not! What happened in 2008, people were living beyond their means, using
their homes as an ATM to draw equity for new purchases, vacations, no saving whatsoever.
Then the inevitable happened, got the pink slip, the following week the mortgage came due, no
short term savings or what we call emergency fund, 90- days behind on mortgage payments and
the bank foreclosed. This is was not a soap opera; it happened not too long ago and contributed
to the Housing Market crash. Too many foreclosures were on the market not too many takers, a
textbook of supply and demands in free market economy that brought the price of homes
tumbling down.
Block IV: Long term savings (Long Term is defined 15+ years) should serve two purposes,
first one if you have kids, 18 years later they will be going to college. To that end I suggest you
do your own research on the cost of higher education on an average figure out $25,000 per year
(NOT a private or an Ivy League school). The second purpose for long term savings is
RETIREMENT. A simple scenario, you retire at age 65 and you live to be 85 years old. The
big question, do you have enough cash to sustain your life style for 20 years? If the answer is
negative, then you need to rethink your retirement strategy. For some who are banking on Social
Security to contribute or supplement their retirement, they are in for a big surprise. In a free
society government is not responsible for one’s retirement, WE ARE At a minimum, 10 -15
percent of the household earnings should be set aside for long term savings. Most individuals do
not plan to fail but they fail the plan. We spend week planning a vacation, months preparing for a
wedding. How about planning for your life, have you consulted with a financial professional lately
to make sure your numbers add up? We all have busy, days, busy weekends, do not let life goes
by you not knowing the outcome of your retirement. Take a breather sit with financial consultant
and device a financial roadmap for you and your family. The Financial Foundation starts from the
ground up with the Insurance (Income Replacement) first all the way to Investments. Most people
starts at the top which odd you never build your home from the top down rather than starting with
a solid rock foundation first
Gus Nakhoul
Investment Advisor Representative
714-249-8100
Building for your future—Continued
P A G E 2 5 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
Do you need to evaluate your degree? Why? How much does it cost?
http://ncees.org/credentials-evaluations/
What is the NCEES Engineering Education Standard that is used to evaluate your
credential?
http://ncees.org/credentials-evaluations/ncees-engineering-education-standard/
Step by step instructions for the process:
http://ncees.org/credentials-evaluations/the-evaluation-process/
I got my degree evaluated. Now what?
It is important to note that NCEES does not make decisions regarding licensure. The appropriate licensing
board will make any decision regarding your eligibility to sit for a licensing exam.
You can send your evaluation results to a licensing board of a specific state (or more) in order to proceed
with the application for sitting for an exam, such as FE or PE. Not every state requires a degree evaluation
PRIOR to taking the exam, (i.e. you can sit for the exam before the degree evaluation), but they might/will
require it to issue the license, along with other requirements for each license (EIT, PE).
How can I contact the licensing board in my state?
http://ncees.org/licensing-boards/
Notes:
The requirements from a state to another are different. Some states are not as stringent as other,
particularly in deciding when you can sit for an exam.
The NCEES evaluation might state that you have a deficit in the credit hours in a certain area
(Mathematics, Humanitarian, Science,… etc.), but the licensing board of your state might decide
that the deficit is more, according to the state’s rules and regulations of licensure. For example, the
professional engineering rules and regulations for the state of Illinois can be found at this link:
http://www.idfpr.com/profs/ProfEngineer.asp
Good Luck,
Fadi Alsharif
Fadisharif@yahoo.com
Engineering Degrees Evaluations
P A G E 2 6 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
Kuwait Prize 2016
P A G E 2 7 V O L U M E X I S S U E I I
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA is going to North Carolina
You can help by providing contact information of engineers who may be relatives, colleagues,
or friends.
Forward to Mr. Bilal Almasri
National Outreach Committee
Chairman
Outreach@naaaea.org
AAAEA Mission Statement
AAAEA is a professional Arab American association dedicated to help, strengthen, empower and inspire its
members for excellence. AAAEA promotes and advocates the Arab American Engineers, Architects and Computer
Science professionals in North America, by providing career and educational enhancement programs, technical
exchange, fellowship, and community service. AAAEA is a non-profit, non-political and non-religious Professional
Association. Membership is open to corporations, academic, professional institutions, and qualified individuals.
Ferdinand Cheval Palace a.k.a Ideal Palace (France)
Cheval began the building in April 1879. He claimed that he had tripped on a stone and was inspired by its shape. He re-turned to the same spot the next day and started collecting stones.
For the next 33 years, during his daily mail route, Cheval carried stones from his delivery rounds and at home used them to build his Palais idéal, the Ideal Palace. First he carried the stones in his pockets, then a basket and eventually a wheelbarrow. He often worked at night, by the light of an oil lamp.
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