There were dishes of homemade falafel, baba ghanoush and kofta (meatballs); pita, grape leaves, hummus, dates and baklava. Posters were on display and presentations given about life at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q). And, a few reminiscences and words of wisdom were offered by former WCMC-Q Associate Dean David Robertshaw.

But mostly, there was greeting and mingling, chatting and celebrating growing friendships.

Qatari Night 2010 was presented July 27 by the IthaQatar Ambassadors, a group of students from Cornell's Ithaca and Doha campuses working together since 2008 to bridge the distance between them.

Students from WCMC-Q have been coming to Ithaca for research experience through the Hughes Scholars program every summer since 2003. This year, 11 WCMC-Q second-year pre-meds came to Ithaca for research (nine through the Hughes Scholars program), with another seven here for regular summer courses and eight incoming first-year pre-meds in WCMC-Q's Foundations Program enrolled in Cornell's Summer College.

When they arrived in June, they were welcomed by 19 Ithaca ambassadors who introduced them to the area, took them strawberry picking and canoeing, and arranged weekend trips to Boston and New York.

Speaking to the Ithaca students, faculty and administrators at Qatari Night, Emad Mansoor Alam, an incoming first-year medical student at WCMC-Q, extended an open invitation to Doha.

"We look forward to reciprocating the love we have had here back in Qatar," he said.

"We are two different campuses," Alam added, "but one student body."