Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ruler of Sharjah and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS), Ankabut, the UAE's Advanced Network for Research and Education, kicked off its Ninth Users' Meeting today at AUS.

The meeting, which is being attended by representatives from 50 educational and higher education institutions, brought Ankabut's users together to discuss the latest updates in education, technology and research.

AUS Acting Chancellor Dr. Thomas Hochstettler welcomed the audience to AUS. In his opening remarks, Dr. Hochstettler emphasized the importance of such conferences, which enhance collaboration among the UAE's educational institutions.

Fahem Al Nuaimi, Chief Executive Officer of Ankabut, announced during the opening speech that several new initiatives will be offered by Ankabut to its members including unified communications and Eduroam.

"Ankabut's users' meeting, which takes place twice a year, creates an opportunity for Ankabut to announce its latest services to the users in addition to creating a platform to share knowledge through renowned speakers and notable researchers in the fields of education and technology," said Al Nuaimi.

The two-day event featured on its first day speakers such as Dr. Stephen Wolff, Chief Technology Officer of Internet2, who discussed the history and development of national research networks internationally. Also present was Dr. David Keyes, Dean of the Division of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, who spoke about the importance of high performance computing in the GCC for developing today's and tomorrow's research agendas.

Present as a second keynote speaker was Marci Powell, Global Director for Higher Education for Polycom, who spoke on the growing emergence of educational technology and distance education throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world.

The meeting's breakout sessions also featured other speakers from the UAE higher education and technology community who discussed current activities in the fields of teaching, applications and research.

Breakout sessions include important topics such as mobile learning in higher education, using the cloud for teaching and research, the importance and impact of a digital hub for the economic growth of the UAE, a disaster recovery plan over Ankabut, and research and graduate studies, among other topics that will benefit professionals and students alike. The second day of the event will also witness student research presentations.