More than 100 students from five UAE universities participated in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) AUS Chapter Annual Competition held recently at the ESB Building.

Twenty teams from Manipal Academy for Higher Education (MAHE); University of Sharjah (Uos); American University of Ras Al-Khaimah (AURAK); Abu Dhabi University (ADU) in Al-Ain; and AUS competed in four categories: concrete crushing, hydraulic lift, Spaghetti Bridge, and water rocket.

AUS won top honors in the concrete crushing category, with UoS and MAHE coming second and third respectively. Speaking about the win, AUS student Mohamed Aboel Yousr said: “For me personally, the ultimate victory in any competition is the inner satisfaction you get from knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.”

The Spaghetti Bridge Category saw ADU coming first and second with MAHE winning third place. It also won the Hydraulic Lift category. AURAK, AUS and MAHE won first, second and third place in the Water Rocket category. All entries were evaluated by a panel of AUS professors.

The ASCE competition, which attracts university students from across the country, is seen as an exciting extracurricular activity that has a bearing on the students’ academic work as well as their future careers.

Ahmed Zakariya, a civil engineering student and a member of the ASCE chapter at AURAK, said: “Given the knowledge and skills we gain from our education, I believe competitions like these are a great way to put it into practice what we learn in the classroom.”

All the winning teams received awards, which were sponsored by Emirates Beton. The annual ASCE competition also highlights the diverse programs and events at held at AUS.