AUS students win undergraduate student research awards

American University of Sharjah (AUS) honored the achievements of 40 students at the Annual Student Research Award Ceremony held yesterday, February 28, at the university's main building.

Sponsored by Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) and British Petroleum (BP), the annual awards recognize the best undergraduate student research projects. Winners of the 2010-2011 academic year awards were chosen by a faculty committee from a pool of nominees presented by the four colleges and school at AUS. The screening committee evaluated each project according to completeness of application, depth of research and investigation, communication and presentation, creativity as well as innovation.

"The students are being rewarded for applying themselves to serious investigation in their chosen fields. The skills they have gained, such as critical thinking and creative problem-solving, will serve them well, whether they choose to enter graduate studies or make their way in industry," said Dr. Peter Heath, Chancellor of AUS, on the occasion. "As part of our mandate here at American University of Sharjah, we encourage all undergraduates to become involved in research, which is essential to a well-rounded education," he added.  

Dr. Heath also thanked the 17 faculty advisors who guided the winning students through their research projects.

"Whenever we can collaborate with active partnerships, we are immeasurably enriched. It's appropriate that we gather tonight to honor some of our finest students," said Dr. Thomas Hochstettler, AUS Provost. "AUS faculty work extraordinarily hard to educate our students. I, for one, am extremely grateful for their commitment to their student's research," he added. He also thanked the faculty committee for its work in choosing the winning projects.

The four projects selected for BP awards are those that best exemplify BP's four brand values. The Performance Award was won by Sahar F. Zaidi, Raa'na Qazi, Sophie Soubra, Al Basha N. Zaiba and Mohammed A. Bin Kuwair from the College of Engineering. The Innovative Award was given to Naser Al Zayani from the College of Art, Architecture and Design. The Progressive Award was given to Anam Shahid, Maryam Minhas and Michelle Rebeiro from the School of Business and Management. The Responsible Award was given to Kainat Abbasi from the College of Arts and Sciences. Mohammed Al Nakhi from BP Sharjah represented his company at the ceremony.

SIB awarded four prizes as well as two honorable mentions. The first place award was given to Muaz Salah Mohamed, Tamer Al Diek and Abdulmajeed G. Eftekhariyan from the College of Engineering. The second place award went to Aarthi Hariharan, Amna Abdalla and Orubah A. Khan from the College of Engineering.

The third place award was given to Zeeshan Rasool from the School of Business and Management. The fourth place award was given to Hend Al Falasi, Jasem Bani Hammad, Heba Hussein and Bessan Abed from the College of Engineering. A group of 14 students from the College of Architecture, Arts and Design and two students from the College of Arts and Sciences received honorable mentions. Rahma Al Shamsi, Head of Corporate Banking at SIB, represented his company at the ceremony.

Winners received a range of rewards including cash prizes for SIB winners and iPads for BP winners.
"I'm extremely pleased to have won and am really grateful to BP. The awards really encourage students to apply their skills," said Kainat Abbasi, winner of BP's Responsible Award.

The event was also attended by Salem Al Qaseer, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs; Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; vice provosts, deans and other senior university officials; faculty members; students and their family members.