AUS industrial engineering boot camp offers hands-on experience to high school students

High school students enjoyed a fun-filled, hands-on industrial engineering boot camp at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) College of Engineering (CEN), where they learned about facility design, smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence and data analytics, and built and programmed their own robots.

Almost 30 students from 19 different schools in the UAE participated in the camp.

“Our boot camp is an invitation for students to explore the exciting field of industrial engineering. It helps us connect with students and assist them in charting their future career path. By engaging in hands-on activities in our state-of-the-art laboratories, students learned about the latest technologies and enhanced their skills,” said Dr. Abdulrahim Shamayleh, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering.

In the section on facility design and smart manufacturing, students were asked to produce at least four wall-mounted coat hangers within five minutes, and were introduced to modern manufacturing using robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer numerically-controlled machines that respond in real-time to meet changing conditions. Students were able to program a computerized numerical control to mill a smiley face on a workpiece using a simple code. They also used imaging to collect measurements, and collected data using different types of sensors and an Arduino board, which is a physical programmable circuit board and a piece of software that runs on the computer and is used to write and upload computer code to the physical board.

Students also used a Google Teachable Machines platform to build image classification models. They also built an x-ray machine prototype.

Towards the end of the boot camp, students were introduced to custom-built industrial manufacturing and supply chain demo models. They were challenged to build their own LEGO robots, use controllers and program them using Mindstorms EV3 / MATLAB software.

Student Slim Fahed from the American School of Creative Science said the boot camp presented him with new career options.. “I had a lot of fun attending the boot camp and I learned many new things. I also developed new skills. I discovered that a career in industrial engineering could be really interesting, and I will really consider it in the future,” he said.

Industrial engineering is considered one of the fastest-growing professions in the world. AUS offers a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering known for its application-oriented and industry-driven curriculum. The Department of Industrial Engineering at AUS is committed to promoting and maintaining excellence in teaching and learning to equip students with strong core competencies in industrial engineering and empower them with the skills required for successful professional careers.

For more information about the Department of Industrial Engineering and what it offers, visit www.aus.edu/cen/bsie.