University Libraries is hosting its annual Graduate Research Series for Spring 2023

The annual Graduate Research Series (GRS) held by Ohio University Libraries will be occurring on Monday, April 10 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 11 at 10 a.m. in Alden Library’s third-floor Friends of the Libraries room 319 and online on Microsoft Teams. The GRS is an annual event that allows selected graduate students each semester to present to both the OHIO and Athens community on their research process and experience.
 
For the spring 2023 GRS, Mohammad Hashim Pashtun, a doctoral candidate in civil engineering, and Ayman Elbarbary, a master’s candidate in linguistics, will be the presenters. Pashtun’s presentation on April 10 will be available to view here, and Elbarbary’s presentation on April 11 can be viewed here.

Mohammad Hashim Pashtun is presenting his research Monday, April 10 at 3 p.m. entitled, “Integrated Model for Infrastructure planning: The Appalachia Community Grant Program.” The program provides planning and development grants to communities in Ohio’s Appalachia region, and Pashtun has been creating a model rubric based on economic, social and political factors in order to assess the effectiveness of the program. 

Originally from Afghanistan, Pashtun has been living in Athens since 2012. His first introduction and connection to Appalachia began with Alden Library, as he attended the Wealth & Poverty in Appalachia Week in the spring of 2015. 
 
“I was able to understand the importance of Appalachia, its assets and potentials and how much it needs attention to be socially and economically developed,” Pashtun wrote in an email. 
 
Pashtun mentioned that he grew up in an environment where even the basic services and necessities were not available, so he can connect those personal experiences to the work that he does in Appalachia. 
 
“One trait/habit that I learned in Afghanistan that I also witnessed in Appalachia, is that no matter your social/economic status, the sense of inclusivity is phenomenal and keeps the community together and happy,” Pashtun wrote. “I can certainly connect Afghan life with Appalachian life, and maybe that is why it has been more than a decade, and I am still enjoying in Appalachia and found my second home here.” 

On Tuesday, April 11 at 10 a.m., Ayman Elbarbary will be presenting his work, “Othering and Ideology in Travel Writing.” The premise of his research is examining the ways travel writing can serve as a means of bridging different cultures and nations, serve as a platform for ideologies that can lead to otherization, and how this can be detected and challenged.  Elbarbary also analyses linguistic choices in travel writing literature to make the messages conveyed by the writers clearer. 
 
In his most recent stylistic analysis, he examines the books “Resala” (922) by Ahmad Ibn Fadlan and “Travels in Arabia” (1889) by Bayard Taylor. Elbarbary specifically focuses on how othering and ideology are linguistically manifested in both texts. He used many resources of the Libraries for support and assistance through his research process such as collecting bibliographic sources due to the old and obscure nature of Elbarbary’s texts and authors. 
 
“I received a great deal of help from Dr. Jeffrey Shane, the subject librarian for the linguistics department,” Elbarbary wrote. “He assisted me in finding several resources I needed to start my literature review. He also introduced me to [the] Libraries’ tools where I was able to deepen my breadth of sources for the research, including ArticlesPlus. In addition, I used OhioLINK to get many of the books unavailable at the Ohio University Libraries thanks to the Libraries assistance.” 
 
Elbarbary’s time on his research has been exciting, challenging and rewarding, especially because it encompasses his interests of linguistics, literature and translation, and he appreciates the help he has received throughout the process. 
 
“Taylor and Ibn Fadlan, the two writers my research examines, both exemplify the act of traveling and learning about new cultures, something I’ve enjoyed my entire life,” Elbarbary wrote. “Throughout the project, the support I have received from my advisor, committee and academic colleagues have been incalculably helpful, and I am greatly indebted to them.” 

Both presentations are held inside Alden Library room 319, or view Mohammad Hashim Pashtun’s presentation online Monday, April 10 at 3 p.m. and view Ayman Elbarbary’s presentation on Teams Tuesday, April 11 at 10 a.m. 

For more information about the Graduate Research Series, or to request accessibility accommodations, contact Jen Harvey, library events coordinator. 

Graphic by Charlie Nick/Ohio University Libraries