AUS honors top undergraduate student research projects

American University of Sharjah (AUS) honored its student researchers at the Annual Student Research Award Ceremony held at the AUS Main Building yesterday, April 12, 2016. Organized by the AUS Office of Research and Graduate Studies and sponsored by Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) and BP UAE, the annual awards recognize the top undergraduate student research projects at AUS.

The 31 winners of the 2015-2016 academic year awards were chosen by a faculty committee, from a pool of nominees presented by the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Engineering; and the School of Business Administration. An AUS selection committee evaluated each project according to communication and presentation, completeness of application, depth of research and investigation, and innovation as well as creativity.

SIB awarded three prizes and one honorable mention. These are: 

• First place for the project entitled Modified Cellulose Based Material for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Water, conducted by CAS student Nada Al Haj As'ad
• Second place for the project A Reading Aid for the Visually Impaired conducted by Anza Shaikh, Heba Saleous, Ragini Gupta from CEN
• Third Place for the project The Role of Monuments in the Construction of an Indian National Identity, conducted by Sonali Oshin Chopra from CAS
• Honorable Mention went to the project Comparison of Different Hilbert Fractal Antennas for PD Detection and Classification conducted by Abdalmonam Zahed from CEN.

The projects selected for BP UAE awards are those that best exemplify BP's brand values. These are:

• Respect Award for the project Treatment of Produced Water from SNOC, by Dina Elbaba, Rasha Alsaleh, Wael Assaad, Taha Afyouni, Shahd Nazzal, Shadi Hamati from CEN.
• Courage Award for the project Increasing Customer Value for the Services of the Wellness Program by Haya Massoud from CAAD.
• Excellence Award for the project SBA MMC (Marketing and MIS Community) Website by Faisal Abdul Malak and Alia Mohamed from SBA
• The One Team Award for the project AVM Pavilion, by Sara Aleem, Anaisabel Olvera Alacio, Donna Ashraf, Fay ElMutwalli, Noor AbuShammalah, Arwa AlNasser, Forough Abadian, Yara Gamal, Sally Mekhaeil, Mai ElHossiny, Petra Aji, Rahil Gupta, Rita Isshak, Nasser AlZayani, Mehdi Jandaghi, and Nada Abushaqra from CAAD.

Attending the ceremony were Dr. Björn Kjerfve, AUS Chancellor; Kevin Mitchell, AUS Interim Provost; Dr. Khaled Assaleh, Interim Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies; Jassem Al Baloushi, Head of Organizational Excellence, SIB; AbdulKarim AlMazmi, Chief Representative and General Manager, BP UAE; Mohammed AlNakhi, Technical Adviser, BP; and other AUS senior officials, parents and students.

Chancellor Kjerfve thanked the sponsor representatives for their support in advancing students' research. "Since our very inception, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, UAE Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of AUS, has envisaged the university as one of the leading research centers in the region. Equipped with one of the premier libraries in the Gulf, modern laboratories and teaching aids, and a highly qualified and dedicated faculty, AUS has moved steadfastly towards making this vision a reality," he said.

Chancellor Kjerfve added, "The experiences, knowledge and skills that you have gained in the course of working on your projects will be of immense value to you no matter what future path you wish to pursue in your lives, whether graduate study or work in industry. The tools of critical thinking, analysis and team work, which play an important part in research, will stand you in good stead as you move along your academic career."

Speaking on the occasion, Jassim Al Baloushi, Head of Organizational Excellence at Sharjah Islamic Bank, said: "Our sponsorship of this scientific gathering comes in line with the UAE Vision 2021-an ambitious vision that aims to build a competitive and knowledge-based economy by increasing the R&D expenditure from its current rate of 0.5% of the GDP to 1.5%". He added: "We are proud of this group of outstanding students who represent a model of excellence. Our collaboration with AUS over the past few years comes as part of our corporate social responsibility efforts at SIB, which are in line with the directions of the Executive Management and the vision of the members of the Board of Directors. This move is based on our commitment at SIB to human capital and to nurturing and developing young talents, enabling them to contribute to the sustainable development process in Sharjah and the UAE. We are keen to promote and recognise excellence in scientific research and to encourage students' creativity, so that they are able to live up to the expectations of the patron of science and culture His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah".

Speaking on behalf of BP UAE, Mohammed AlNakhi, Technical Adviser, thanked the AUS faculty and students for their hard work. "It is great to see the different projects and the great work that has been achieved by the students and the faculty members. We are very impressed with the level of research. BP is always committed in supporting these local activities, as it provides critical skills that you will need after you graduate," he said.