Industry professionals, experts, academics and students attended the opening of the First Annual Engineering Design and Innovation Competition and Exposition (EDICE) on May 1. The event was organized by the College of Engineering (CEN) at American University of Sharjah (AUS), with the support of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry which hosted the gathering. Showcasing 29 senior projects with real industrial applications – including prototypes – done by CEN students, the competition encouraged students to adopt innovative, sustainable and entrepreneurial approaches in their capstone design projects. The opening ceremony was attended by His Excellency Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and senior officials from AUS.

As the largest academic unit at AUS, CEN is known throughout the region for the high quality of its students and faculty members, as well as for building an environment that fosters innovation and research. The competition was yet another proof of CEN’s well-earned reputation, serving as a platform to display a variety of inventive and exciting projects encompassing the six engineering disciplines offered at the university, including chemical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical.

From “IoT-based Environmentally Friendly Bus Stops” and a “Duct Inspection Robot” to a “Tiny House Initiative” and the “Design of a Dairy Waste Water Treatment Plant with Energy Generation from Solid Wastes,” the projects provided innovative solutions to a wide range of challenges. The winners of the competition were selected by a panel comprising leading UAE-based industry experts from across engineering disciplines. Prizes for the competition were supported by CEN graduates Hind Al Mutwaa, Chief Innovation Officer, Ministry of Energy; Mohammad Al Shehhi, CEO, Dubai Design District; Sachin Gadoya, Co-Founder, Musafir.com; Akbar Thumbay, VP of Healthcare, Thumbay Group; and Eissa Al Ali, Deputy CEO, Etihad Rail Operation.

Speaking at the inaugural event, Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, Dean of CEN, said:
“We are very pleased and proud to hold this annual event as it showcases the fantastic work done by our senior students. The projects in this competition are innovative and inventive and present exciting solutions to challenges faced by industry in various fields of engineering. At CEN, we are dedicated to providing our students with a research environment that is stimulating and inspiring. The talent on display at this exhibition reaffirms our commitment to becoming the leading research university in the Middle East.”

The Grand Prize this year went to a project entitled “Improving Drivers' Safety by Using Vehicle to Vehicle Communication, by Computer Science and Engineering students Abdalla AlShamsi, Abdulla Alhi, Saud AlQasimi and Mohammad AlMarashda, and advised by Dr. Fadi Aloul, Dr. Imran Zulkernan

Projects that received top honors at EDICE were:

• Department: Chemical Engineering

Project: Treatment of Wastewater Contaminated with Chromium

Students: Rayan Ahmad, Aya Anis, Noora Almuhairi, Sireen Khouri, Meera Alshamsi

Advisors: Dr. Taleb Ibrahim, Dr. Mustafa Khamis

• Department: Civil Engineering

Project: Design and Evaluation of Robotic 3D Printing Concrete in the UAE

Students: Abdalla Ghoneim, Ali Mokhtar, Mohammad Al Hafiz

Advisors: Dr. Adil Tamimi

• Department: Electrical Engineering

Project: Patient Fall Detection in Hospitals

Students: Sarah Khan, Syeda Ramsha, Rahma Zaheen

Advisors: Dr. Hasan Al-Nashash, Dr. Abdul-Rahman Al-Ali

• Department: Industrial Engineering

Project: Scheduling Preventive Maintenance Tasks in Oil Refineries

Students: M. Azmi Abdalnour, Majd Alfar, Zenah Alzubaidi, Raed Naser

Advisor: Dr. Rami As'ad

• Department: Mechanical Engineering

Project: Hybrid Autonomous-RC Drone for Inspection of Industrial HVAC Ducts

Students: Arwa Abougharib, Alif Kallangodan, Wisaam Farhat

Advisors: Dr. Mohammad Jaradat, Dr. Mamoun Abdel-Hafez, Dr. Shayok Mukhopadhyay

Speaking on the occasion, Al Ghurair he said:

“We are proud to support this prestigious competition as it serves as an important platform to showcase innovative and impressive concepts presented by AUS students. Dubai Chamber’s entrepreneurial strategy places a major focus on encouraging, nurturing and recognizing business-minded and talented youth who stand to play an important role in reshaping the UAE’s economy and society.”

Al Ghurair noted that the projects presented during the competition reflected the entrepreneurial and creative spirit of the UAE’s youth, adding that such smart solutions support the UAE’s transition to become a global innovation hub and knowledge-based economy.

Charles A. Diab, Executive Director of the AUS Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs, said:

“The talent and work rate of our students is already well-known throughout the region. The contributions towards their success by our alumni and our partner, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, show AUS at its best – as a community that supports its members in all their endeavors.”

Talking about the competition, Dr. Salwa Beheiry, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs and Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, CEN, and organizer of the event, said:

“EDICE will be an annual event aimed at showcasing CEN’s senior design projects, with innovative applications. Through this event, we hope to share the work and potential of our students with industry and the community.”

EDICE projects will be on display at the Rotunda in the AUS Main Building on campus on May 2 and 3.