Student News
Malek's Global Journey: Bridging Borders Through Computing
June 23, 2025
When Malek Garrach boarded his flight from Tunisia to Grand Rapids, he wasn’t just pursuing research, he was chasing opportunity, connection, and innovation. With an academic background in Information and Communication Technologies from the Higher School of Communication of Tunis (Sup'Com), Malek brought with him a rich international perspective and a strong technical foundation.
His journey to Grand Valley State University (GVSU) began in early 2025 during a College of Computing admissions webinar. There, Malek connected with Dr. Samah Mansour, an assistant professor in the College of Computing, whose encouragement led Malek to pursue his journey as a J-1 visiting scholar. A J-1 scholar is an individual participating in an approved educational or cultural exchange program in the United States. The J-1 visa, administered by the U.S. Department of State, allows foreign nationals to come to the U.S. for various purposes, including teaching, research, training, and cultural exchange.
On March 3, 2025, Malek arrived in Grand Rapids and quickly immersed himself in campus life, seizing every opportunity to learn and grow. This initial interaction paved the way for Malek’s current role as a J-1 scholar. Since his arrival, Malek has immersed himself in the vibrant campus community and seized every opportunity to grow and develop.
Malek’s research background focuses on image classification, segmentation, and the application of AI agents and large language models to real-world challenges. At GVSU, he has collaborated closely with Dr. Rahat Rafiqand Dr. Hans Dulimarta on innovative projects in computer vision and machine learning.
With the support of Dr. Rahat Rafiq, Malek developed an edge-based system for plant disease classification using a Raspberry Pi 5 to process images from indoor farming environments and display results on a data visualization dashboard. This innovative tool allows for fast, accurate, and early detection of plant health issues by providing real-time feedback through mobile phones. The project not only addresses agricultural challenges but also leverages continuous learning techniques to enhance accuracy for crops, making it a powerful solution for modern, sustainable agriculture.
Malek is also working on a research project in collaboration with Dr. Hans Dulimarta to automateprecise refinement of complex metal components. The success of this project will lead to intelligent automation and data-driven manufacturing processes, to support industries like automotive where accuracy, durability, andconsistency are integral.
During his time at GVSU, Malek found the resources and faculty support offered by the College of Computing have made GVSU feel like home. "I feel comfortable and welcomed in the College of Computing. The faculty and staff here are friendly and understanding. Also, Dean Kessentini is like a mentor to me, and I'd like to follow in his footsteps," Malek stated. Inspired by the faculty mentorship, collaborative research opportunities, and inclusive environment, Malek decided to take the next step in his academic journey at GVSU. This strong sense of belonging made the decision easier to join as a full-time student in the Fall 2025 semester an easy one.
“I recently had the opportunity to meet GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella and the University of Carthage President Nadia Mzoughi Aguir,” said Malek. “This collaboration shows the College of Computing’s welcoming and inclusive spirit. I can fully engage in academic opportunities, research projects, and campus life thanks to the incredible team at the College of Computing.”
As he begins his graduate studies, Malek looks forward to deepening
his research and contributing to the growing computing community at GVSU.
Written by Valentine Zablon, GVSU master’s in communications student.