Pittsburgh Middle East Institute is working to forge ties across the globe

Having spent part of her childhood in Iran, Simin Yazgerdi Curtis has always had an affinity for the Middle East. After moving to the United States and settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it didn’t take long for Curtis to realize there was very little to link the vibrant American city and the Middle East.

“The Middle East is not on the mind of the general public in Pittsburgh. I looked for resources on the Middle East and couldn’t even find a place to study Farsi,” she says.

Curtis started talking to people in education and various industry sectors, and soon it became apparent that there needed to be a strong connection between Pittsburgh and the Middle East, specifically the Gulf Region. Carnegie Mellon University, which is based in Pittsburgh, is one of the few ties that bind the “Steel City” and the Gulf Region.

Curtis’ passion to bring together the two sides of the world led her to found the Pittsburgh Middle East Institute, a non-profit consortium of prominent civic institutions and corporations in Pittsburgh with a mission of promoting business, educational and cultural ties between Pittsburgh and the countries of the Middle East.

“Qatar and the entire Middle East are moving into a new era of economic growth that requires huge investments in education, health care, infrastructure, technology, the environment and sustainable energy,” Curtis says. “Pittsburgh has so much to offer in education, health care, technology and advanced manufacturing. We have a unique opportunity to partner with the Middle East to meet 21st century challenges.”

PMEI launched in September 2008 in partnership with the Allegheny Conference and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Chuck Thorpe, dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar, was on the panel at the opening event.

The goal of PMEI is to foster a greater understanding between the United States and the Middle East and advance a new generation of forward-thinking global leaders and visionary business partners. PMEI also seeks to brand Pittsburgh in the Middle East.

“Pittsburgh is recognized worldwide for its great universities – including Carnegie Mellon – and as a leading center of high technology, life sciences and green innovation. All of these things should be promoted in the Middle East,” says Curtis.

PMEI holds conferences, hosts immersion programs and is developing a network of contacts that could be linked up with entities in the Gulf Region to forge mutually-beneficial partnerships.

Curtis visited Carnegie Mellon Qatar after taking a delegation to Oman to explore partnerships in renewable energy. The visit to campus was to identify ways in which Carnegie Mellon can work with PMEI to deepen the ties between the university’s home city and the State of Qatar.