Senior AUS engineering students harness technological innovations at Senior Design Projects Competition

In a creative display of innovation, technology and engineering, final year students in the American University of Sharjah (AUS) College of Engineering (CEN) presented an array of industry-based projects as part of the annual CEN Senior Design Projects Competition.

Sponsored by BEEAH, Emaar, Petrofac and the Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC), the competition featured the culmination of the academic and intellectual experience for engineering students in their final year at AUS. Students worked in groups under the guidance of their CEN academic advisors and industry mentors for a whole year to complete their projects and qualify for the competition.

One hundred fifteen student projects competed and the top three from each of the college’s six departments were announced as winners at the end of the competition.

“Our mission in CEN is to graduate students who have the most advanced technical skills, who are aware of the latest industry trends and demands and who possess strong transferable and soft skills that make them excel in any field they enter, and I can proudly say that we are on the right track in fulfilling our mission. I saw young professionals, scientists and innovators at the CEN Senior Design Projects Competition who are more than capable of making a difference in any career path they choose to follow. The projects we saw this year were industry-based with impressive topics that are trending globally and locally, particularly sustainability. They are ready to join their fellow alumni who themselves have been creating waves locally, regionally and internationally as ministers, entrepreneurs, industry experts and academics. The caliber of our students and alumni is the reason they are the top choice of employers in the UAE,” said Dr. Fadi Aloul, Dean of CEN.

Winning first place in chemical and biological engineering was the project “Carbon Dioxide Capture Using Algae with Innovative Bioreactor Technology” by students Fizza Shaheer, Kelly Percival, Maria Nassif, Rafia Talukder and Syed Talha Mukarram. The project was overseen by Dr. Zarook Shareefdeen, Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Dr. Ahmed Aidan, Senior Laboratory Instructor in Chemical and Biological Engineering.

The project aims to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the air and produce green fuel. Through this project, the student team focused on the absorption of carbon dioxide by algae and the extraction of biofuel from the aquatic plant.

In second place came the project “MXene-based Membranes for High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells” by students Asma Mohgoub, Bana Al Kurdi, Hafsah Khan and Rama Selo. The project was overseen by Dr. Amani Al-Othman, Associate Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Dr. Karnail Singh, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Biological Engineering. 

In third place came the project “Process and Product Design of Propylammonium Formate as Phase Change Materials for Solar Water Heating Systems.” Overseen by Dr. Paul Nancarrow, Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Dr. Singh; the project was by students Haya Hammoud, Nayla Aldoseri, Zeina Elshahawi and Zeina Yasin. 

In computer science and engineering, the winning project was “Brain Computer Interface (BCI)-Virtual Reality (VR)-based Rehabilitation System for Upper Limb Impairments” by students Reem Aldossary, Salma Hassan, Reda Mashood and Alvee Mir. The project was overseen by Dr. Hicham Hallal, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science and Engineering, and Dr. Assim Sagahyroon, Professor in Computer Science and Engineering and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs. 

Having spoken to physiotherapists prior to designing their model, the students employed virtual reality to help patients with upper limb impairment visualize themselves moving based on a brain computer interface system that reads the brain signals and the movements patients intend to make. Electrodes are also attached to patients’ muscles during the process to help physiotherapists measure their progress without the need to be present in-person with the patients.

Coming in second place were students Pierre Abdelsayed, Hamad Al Hammadi, Hamed Al Mulla and Louay Mohaisen for the project “Drone-based IoT Solution for Plant Monitoring in Greenhouses,” which was supervised by Dr. Hallal and Dr. Michel Pasquier, Associate Professor in Computer Science and Engineering. 

In third place came the project “IoT-based Black Box for Monitoring Delivery Motorcyclists” by students Mariam Elsayeh, Fatema Elwy, Alaa Takrek and Ameen Ayub. It was overseen by Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Ali, Professor in Computer Science and Engineering, and Dr. Ra’afat Abu-Rukba, Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Engineering. 

In civil engineering, and under the guidance of Dr. Tarig Ali, Professor in Civil Engineering, student  team of Nouf Alnaqbi, Ibrahim Alhammadi, Alya Alhammadi and Rashed Almarzooqi won first place for the project “Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Road Surface Condition Assessment Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Images and Deep Learning.” 

The project proposes the use of a drone to monitor cracks and defects in roads using a system developed by the student team based on deep learning and GIS to detect and determine the type, depth and number of cracks in roads leading to a more efficient and cost-effective approach to road maintenance.

In second place came students Abdallah Rabah, Yousef Milhem, Zaid Basalat and Mohamed Alsaddik for their project “The Use of HSS Bars in RC Structures; Design and Experimental Testing.” The project was supervised by Dr. Farid Abed, Professor in Civil Engineering. 

In third place came the team Lilian Firas Alawar, Anas Mohamed Saber, Mohamed Sherif Said and Sara Nezar Al Armouti for their project “Rubble Mound Breakwater Design Using Rocks and Accropode in Dubai Coast.” The project was overseen by professors in civil engineering Dr. Serter Atabay and Dr. Maruf Mortula.   

In electrical engineering, the project “Microwave-based Vibration Monitoring Smart Robot” came in first. Designed by students Tala Al-Abweh, Yasser Juran, Zaineh Al Nasser and Ramzi Al-Sharawi, the project aimed to achieve predictive maintenance of machines through a microwave sensor installed in a robotic system that can detect changes in vibrations in machinery, which indicate problems that require immediate attention. The project was supervised by Dr. Nasser Qaddoumi, Professor in Electrical Engineering; and associate professors in electrical engineering Dr. Shayok Mukhopadhyay and Dr. Amer Zakaria.

Achieving second place was the project “IoT Water Pollution Monitoring System” for students Muath Mohammed and Mahmoud Hudaib, who were overseen by Dr. Mahmoud Ibrahim, Professor in Electrical Engineering, and Dr. Zakaria. In third place came the project “Smart Solar Electric Car” by students Maryam AlMalik, Mira Almualla and Osama Alalawi, under the supervision of Dr. Mostafa Shaaban, Associate Professor and Interim Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Dr. Ibrahim. 

In industrial engineering, student team Marwa Saadat, Adel AlOmar, Noura Al Ali and Omar AlNimer won first place for the project “General Electric (GE) Operation Cost Reduction.” The project was overseen by Dr. Zied Bahroun, Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering. 

The focus of the project was on tools and consumables used to repair gas turbine components as they made up 10 percent of GE’s total quarterly cost. The team implemented a shadow board system to make it easier for operators to find the tools they require, Kanban and Andon systems to avoid stock-outs and tool coating to increase the lifespan of carbide burrs. The project saved GE a potential of $4,700 per month.

In second place came students Lara Abdelsamad, Yusur Al Mnaseer, Yaser Akailla and Sara Abu Iktish for their project “Barriers to Primary Healthcare Access in the UAE,” followed by students Anas Barakji, Aya Al Shair, Mohammad Samha and Youmna Enein in third place for their project “Artificial Intelligence for Enhanced Drilling Defects Prediction in Manufactured AlSiC.” The second project was supervised by Dr. Hussam Alshraideh, Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering. The third project was supervised by Dr. Noha Hassan, Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering. 

In mechanical engineering, the project “Designing and Manufacturing a Solar-Water Electrolyzer to Reduce Fuel Consumption in Natural Gas Vehicles” by students Kareem Morsi, Hadj Babouhoun Kerrouchi, Murtaza Hasan and Abdeali Kapadia won first place. The project was supervised by Dr. Mohammad Hamdan, Professor in Mechanical Engineering. 

The project proposes installing solar panels on the surface of a vehicle’s trunk, hood and roof  to absorb sunlight and store it in a special battery. The energy will be used to power an electrolytic cell that will break water into hydrogen and oxygen, and then pump the hydrogen into the engine with the fuel to reduce emissions by producing water vapor.

Winning second place was the project “Oil Spill Cleaning Autonomous Robot (OSCAR)” by students Vishwesh Kumar Maheshwari, Muhammad Mubeen, Shaikha Al Zarroni and Hassan Sajid under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad Jaradat, Professor in Mechanical Engineering.

In third place came the project “Turbocharger-based Turbojet Engine” by students Ali Younes, Majed Wardeh, Walid Elmeshad and Motasem Ghanem who were supervised by Dr. Hamdan. 

The College of Engineering at American University of Sharjah is a leader in engineering education in the UAE and region. It boasts state-of-the-art facilities and faculty members who are internationally recognized for their research. CEN is committed to providing quality education through its undergraduate and graduate programs.

For more information about the College of Engineering at AUS, please visit www.aus.edu/cen.