Two computer science and engineering students at American University of Sharjah (AUS) were part of the teams that won first place and second place in the Sixth NYU Abu Dhabi Hackathon, an annual three-day programming competition where renowned international computer science professors, founders of successful startups, and technology professionals, come together at New York University in Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) to lead teams of talented computer science students from all over the world.

AUS student Amro Alabsi Aljundi won first place for the project: Hiat (Life), an application designed to connect skilled refugees and the local community. Second place went to Khaled Abul Borghol for his project 3ndi Headache (I have a Headache), an application designed to automate triage nursing, thereby reducing response time and improving efficiency of patient handling.

NYUAD Hackathon aims to promote innovation in computer science, tech startups, and developing innovative technology for the public interest. The goal of the event is to provide an opportunity for students in the Arab world to experience the full cycle of creating a tech startup such as sharing and generating ideas, pitching ideas, learning new platforms and programming languages, designing and developing mobile and web applications, and working with a team.