Although scholars from Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Saudi Arabia are nearly 7,000 miles from Ohio University, the distance does not stop them from getting support from professors in Athens.
Starting this past summer, OU professors have guided researchers across different academic fields at PNU to help them get published and “improve their scholarship,” Greg Kessler, director of the program, said.
Women from the university came to Athens in the summer and participated in courses about research methods and writing for research publication, Kessler, an associate professor of linguistics and an instructional technology faculty member, said. OU faculty have also partnered with the Saudi Arabians based on similar research interests and have mentored them. The mentorship has continued online and will last through the academic year.
“(The scholars) were all very enthusiastic when they left and are working on getting published over the next year,” Kessler said. “I think it’s great for us. I think it’s been great for them. I hope we can get more faculty here involved in these kind of projects. It's one of the best ways we can interact with other people in the world.”
Fatima Alshehri, the vice dean of scientific research at PNU, was one of the eight women selected for the program. She said she has been working with Kessler on research concerning linguistics and translation.
Some of the other researchers are working on projects about communication in the U.S. presidential election and the way finance is conducted within an Islamic context, Kessler said.
“One gets to see different perspectives, share ideas, mix with scholars from different parts of the world, discuss major concerns in one’s field and make connections with different international researchers and scholars,” Alshehri said in an email. “I did not have the chance to study abroad, so this was a marvelous opportunity for me to be in a different academic environment and to meet great international researchers.”
She added she hopes the partnership will continue in the future.
Krisanna Machtmes, an OU associate professor of educational studies, said she hopes OU will reach out to other countries and universities. During the summer, she taught the Saudi Arabian scholars about research methods and has since been mentoring two of the women. She is helping them publish research findings in mathematics and special education, she said.
“I always think the exchange of ideas, and looking at the lens that somebody has to use to view data in their country is always fantastic,” Machtmes said. “I think it’s been a win-win for both sides.”
