Students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) and Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU) collaborated during a workshop on engineering concept development and prototyping ideas, held September 24-25 at AUS.

The workshop was developed to strengthen knowledge exchange between students, promote collaboration between Japanese and UAE universities, and enhance cultural and scientific bridges. A delegation of 18 members including faculty and students arrived from Japan for the Kaden Workshop, which focused on electronic, electrical and industrial systems engineering.

During the opening ceremony, Dr. Naif Darwish, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering, and Dr. Nasser Qaddoumi, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at AUS, welcomed the participants, giving them an overview of the College of Engineering along and an introduction to Sharjah and its cultural heritage.

In preparation for the workshop, students attended sessions on active learning and idea creation, concept planning, design and prototyping. On the first day, students focused on theory, and then built a robot on the second day.

“My undergraduate degree is focused on robotics, and I am very interested to find out through this workshop how we can tackle some of the issues I found challenging while working on my project. Japan is a center for innovation, and this workshop is a great opportunity for AUS students to mingle with students from there and learn from one another,” said senior AUS electrical engineering student Taha A. Rahman.

Ding Minzhi, a graduate student of design at TMU, saw the workshop as an opportunity to gain to new perspectives on design challenges. She said, “I wanted to look at design applications and work with engineering students to see where design and engineering can meet.”

The students also showcased a number of design projects in microelectronics, Internet of Things (IoT), a pipe robot and drones.

“TMU is a leading university in Japan and is known for pioneering engineering work in electronics and system engineering, and for working with the industry to develop innovations. They want to exchange this knowledge with AUS students and encourage students to talk to each other,” said Dr. Lutfi Albasha, Professor of Electrical Engineering at AUS and an organizer of the event.

The workshop is part of the Japanese government’s initiatives in the Arab World and part of its preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics games.

For more information about the AUS College of Engineering, visit www.aus.edu/cen.