CEN launches NextGen Innovators Hub to foster student-led interdisciplinary engineering projects to serve local community

The American University of Sharjah (AUS) College of Engineering (CEN) is launching a NextGen Innovators Hub, a student-led center for interdisciplinary innovation that will empower students from all CEN majors to collaborate to developing novel ideas, processes, products and business models to address  real-life challenges encountered by the local community. 

Led by Dr. Noha Hussein, Professor in Industrial Engineering, the NextGen Innovators Hub is part of the CEN Innovation Program launched by Dr. Fadi Aloul, Dean of CEN, in Fall 2023 to enhance engineering students’ educational experience and strengthen CEN's community engagement.  

“Run by third-year students, the center’s mission is to facilitate meaningful interactions among students, creating an atmosphere conducive for students to collaborate. We put a lot of emphasis on fostering innovation and cultivating creative thinking as well as supporting students to build a comprehensive portfolio that documents their innovative solutions and research projects. Students will work collaboratively with faculty mentors to bring their innovative ideas to life and address the community challenges at hand.,” said Dr. Hussein.

This initiative also draws on the college’s state-of-the art facilities and resources, including two other Innovation Program initiatives, which are the makerspace and the Technology and Engineering Product Design Program. 

Dr. Hussein encourages all  CEN third-year  students to apply for one of the many volunteer positions available in the hub.

“What we want is to empower student leadership roles, help students engage with the community and teach them essential skills like team management and decision-making. This collaboration will result in  projects that will be extended into interdisciplinary senior design initiatives. We are looking forward to seeing our students present their findings  at international conferences  and disseminate their work in top journal publications, which further enriches their overall learning experience,” said Dr. Hussein.   

CEN emphasizes hands-on experiences as part of its education process, preparing students to make significant contributions to the field and community. To learn more about CEN, visit www.aus.edu/cen.