Media Advisory
Leaving a war behind for 10 weeks,
two Afghan professors become students again
Cal State L.A.’s Professor Momand welcomes
Kabul University biochemists to high-tech labs
Los Angeles, CA – With war raging in their homeland, two biochemistry professors from Kabul University (KU) recently left Afghanistan to spend 10 weeks learning in the laboratories of Cal State L.A.
They were greeted by the familiar face of Cal State L.A. biochemistry Professor Jamil Momand, who arranged the trip for Shamsulrahim Rahim and Ziauddin Azimi. It is the first visit to the United States for each of the KU professors.
Rahim and Azimi said they are eager to take back knowledge and lab techniques learned at Cal State L.A. to Afghan students in KU’s reconstructed classrooms and outdated labs.
Their trip grew from Momand’s vision to help establish a highly-educated Afghanistan. Two years ago, Momand, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, abruptly ended his teaching trip in Afghanistan and returned home due to security issues. Although disappointed at the time, Momand changed course. Since it was difficult for him to travel to Afghanistan, he invited the KU professors to Cal State L.A. instead.
Thanks to Momand’s resourcefulness and funding by Koshland Foundation, Rahim and Azimi are at Cal State L.A. this spring quarter. Azimi teaches in KU’s pharmacy school and Rahim teaches in KU’s medical school.
Since arriving at Cal State L.A., the visiting professors embraced a rigorous educational training schedule. Besides taking beginner’s English, they are being introduced to advanced biotechnology techniques in four research labs at Cal State L.A.: Western blotting protocol in Momand’s lab, enzyme kinetic experimentation in Scott Grover’s lab, polymerase chain reaction technique in Robert Vellanoweth’s lab, and lipoprotein metabolism analysis in Raymond Garcia’s lab.
Note to editors and reporters: To schedule an interview with Cal State L.A.’s Professor Jamil Momand or the visiting professors from Afghanistan, please contact the CSULA Public Affairs office in advance at (323) 343-3050.
Momand’s research interests include tumor suppressor genes and redox regulation. He has published 27 journal articles. The National Cancer Institute and National Science Foundation have funded his research to determine how the p53 tumor suppressor protein is regulated by oxidation and reduction. Momand also directs the CSULA Southern California Bioinformatics Summer Institute, one of nine federally-funded programs throughout the United States.
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