High school students build water rockets and design water filters in fun civil engineering competitions

American University of Sharjah (AUS) welcomed more than 160 high school students from 12 schools from across the UAE for an exciting civil engineering competitions day on campus.

Students participated in four competitions, explored the different specializations within the civil engineering discipline, experienced campus life at AUS, and much more.

Sponsored by Emaar, the event was organized by the Department of Civil Engineering  in collaboration with AUS student clubs, including American Concrete Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers and Civil Engineering Honor Society.

“The Department of Civil Engineering is keen on maintaining strong relationships with high schools in the UAE. These competitions provided a great opportunity for high school students to spend a day at our beautiful campus, apply their knowledge in solving civil engineering problems, and sharpen their teamwork and leadership skills. We are grateful to Emaar for their support,” said Dr. Sameh El-Sayegh, Professor and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at AUS.

The first contest saw students competing to design and build a water rocket out of plastic bottles, scotch tape, glue, staples, plastic sheets, straws, paper or cardboard and strings with the winner being   the team whose rocket traveled the longest horizontal distance. Competition winners were the St. Mary's Catholic High School Dubai team in first place, Al Maaref Private School team in second, and Dubai National School Al Barsha in third.

Students also competed in the design and construction of a dome-like structure that can hold five packs of paper, with each pack weighing 2.6kg, while keeping the  structure lightweight. Winning teams were Dubai Modern Education School in first place, Emirates National School Al Ain in second, and St. Mary's Catholic High School Dubai in third.

The third competition tasked the students with designing and constructing a water filter that can significantly and quickly reduce the turbidity of water.  The Dubai National School Al Barsha team achieved the highest turbidity reduction percentage and the highest filtration rate, followed by Al Maaref Private School and St. Mary's Catholic High School Dubai.

The final competition consisted of two rounds of questions and answers where students competed to answer civil engineering questions with the help of a team. Two teams from St. Mary's Catholic High School came in first and second, with a team from American School of Creative Science coming in third.

“The main aim of this competition was to introduce high school students to the civil engineering program and engage them with our students, faculty and staff. The students competed in a fun and interactive manner and acquired many skills. The competitions were engaging, and we saw strong attendance and active participation beyond expectations,” said Dr. Rami Hawileh, Professor in Civil Engineering and chair of the organizing committee. 

Speaking about his experience, student Syed Mohammed Ahmed Mehdi from Our Own High School, said: “The competitions were enjoyable, and we had a lot of fun even though we didn’t win. I enjoyed the venue and the carefully picked activities for the competitions.”

The Department of Civil Engineering is recognized throughout the region for the exceptional education it offers through its undergraduate and graduate programs. AUS is ranked number one in the UAE and among the top ​150 universities globally for civil and structural engineering, according to QS World University Subject Rankings (202​2​). 

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