A team from American University of Sharjah (AUS) was ranked among the top three teams globally in the Accenture Global Hackathon. The event, which challenged participants to develop innovative digital solutions that improve urban living conditions, support more inclusive populations, and promote sustainable urban practices, took place simultaneously in Dubai and 10 other cities across four continents on November 11 and 12.  

The AUS team, which was called Oasis and comprised College of Engineering students Taha Ameen, Wasif Kiyani, Usama Iqbal, Saad Bashar and Jayroop Ramesh, had earlier defeated eight teams to emerge victorious in the local round of the competition. Subsequently, it won the regional round, defeating teams from Istanbul, London and Rome, to earn its place in the finals of the global round.

Team Oasis had won the Dubai challenge with a prototype of an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that can help conserve water. Their designed system, entitled Hardware to Optimize (H2O), helps conserve water by analyzing water consumption on a daily basis. Each project entered into the Hackathon was assessed by a jury according to the strength of its concept, design, and development.

AUS was the only university associated as a partner in the regional event held in the UAE.