He may be an expert at analyzing food and studying it, but he prefers to leave the cooking for someone else. Professor Ammar Olabi, a new member of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, is an AUB alumnus who decided to come back and teach in his alma mater. He earned his PhD from Cornell University, after which he taught for several years at California Polytechnic State University. “I missed my country and my family,” said Olabi, on why he returned to his motherland. Perhaps he also missed the food. But it was his love of chemistry rather than love for his stomach that enticed him into the field of food science, which is why one is more likely to find him eating out or at the cafeteria, rather than cooking in. In fact, Olabi’s interest lies in studying what causes people to prefer one taste over another, a food science specialty known as food acceptability and perception. Olabi, who describes AUB as “the best educational institution in Lebanon,” said he has a strong sense of attachment to the University. “I was surprised at all the improvements that have been put in place since I was a student,” he said, noting the increased focus on research and the computerizing of many phases of the educational process, such as placing course material on the web. Professor Olabi, who is a member of the University Student Faculty Committee (USFC), is giving two courses in food science for graduate and undergraduate students during the fall semester.
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