AUS honors students for excellence in graduate studies

American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently honored five graduate students at the University Awards for Excellence in Graduate Studies for the Academic Year 2021–2022.

Students receiving the Graduate Student Research, Scholarly and Creative Work Excellence Award were honored for their outstanding contribution to research, scholarly and creative work at the university and contributions to the advancement of knowledge in their respective fields. Winners were Sara Saboor, who will graduate this spring with a PhD in Engineering Systems Management; Ali R. Sajun, a student in the Master of Science in Computer Engineering program and Reem Elfatih Salman, a Master of Science in Mathematics program.

During her PhD studies, Sara Saboor worked as a teaching and research assistant at the College of Engineering (CEN), allowing her to conduct research in areas including organizational behavioral management, construction management, and smart and green management. She has published five peer-reviewed journal articles, 10 conference papers and four book chapters.

“The support of my advisor, program and the college provided me with opportunities to work on research and get published. I was highly grateful to the university to recognize my efforts with this award,” said Saboor.

Winning the award was a momentous occasion for Ali Sajun, who considered it an acknowledgment of his diverse research efforts. As a research assistant, Sajun published his research on the AUS Solar Farm project, which involved setting up an automated monitoring system for the protection of solar panels while employing technologies such as deep learning and Internet of Things. He also published his research on designing an autonomous animal monitoring system to be used by ecologists to identify the presence of endangered species in their areas of study, and on using semi-supervised deep learning to detect the presence of COVID-19 in chest x-rays.

“I feel elated at having won, as it means my efforts in the field of research have been recognized university-wide. I'm honored to have won this prestigious award and would like to thank Dr. Fadi Aloul, Dean of CEN, for having nurtured an environment that encourages research; my advisor, Dr. Imran Zualkernan, for introducing me to research and mentoring me throughout my years at AUS; and all my team members and co-authors across my different projects,” said Sajun.

Reem Salman’s work in the growing field of data science won her the award. Her research contributions include the design and implementation of robust feature selection ensembles for general practitioners, and the utilization of statistical and machine learning tools in different areas of practice such as Market Basket Analysis in the investigation of crash data, identifying notable biomarkers for asthma diagnosis in the UAE, and analyzing the impact of the transition to Emergency Remote Teaching on college students at AUS. She is currently working on a review paper presenting the current advances in feature selection that she became familiar with throughout her years of study.

“By receiving this award, I was inspired to see my work highlighted alongside other incredible researchers addressing the most critical issues and difficulties in many fields of study at AUS. It helped me see the value of my work and pushed me to continue towards further research with renewed enthusiasm and dedication. I owe this win to the incredible support of the faculty at AUS and its Office of Graduate Studies. Now that I'm nearing the end of my master's degree, I find myself getting even more excited about the prospect of applying the talents I've been honing under their guidance into new areas of practice,” said Salman.

Lien Sulaiman, a graduate of the Master of Arts in English/Arabic/English Translation and Interpreting (MATI) in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Nada Abdalgawad, a Master of Science in Computer Engineering graduate in CEN, were presented with the Graduate Student Academic and Leadership Excellence Award. This award recognizes overall performance as indicated by academic accomplishment and leadership as demonstrated through contributions to the program, university, community and/or profession. 

Soon after joining the MATI program, Sulaiman started working as a freelance translator with multiple clients, including Diriyah Biennale, which is the first Art Biennale in Saudi Arabia; MORROW Collective; YBK Group; Gulf Photo Plus;, and many more. In 2021, she co-translated and managed the translation production of the book 50U, which was written on the occasion of UAE's Golden Jubilee. She also worked as a research coordinator at the Sharjah Art Foundation, where she collected art archives, organized research-based events, and built partnerships with arts and education institutions. She also initiated and planned the project Wikimedian In Residence in partnership with the College of Architecture, Art and Design at AUS. The project was successfully integrated into the college’s Design Practicum course in Fall 2021. Active member of the AUS Alumni Association, Sulaiman represents the Sharjah Chapter, brainstorming ideas to empower AUS students and alumni. As a Graduate Research Assistant, she worked on many research papers on contemporary issues, including the paper “COVID-19 Metaphors in the Arab World,” which she presented at the UAE Graduate Research Conference in 2022.

“I have gained many leadership, management and creativity skills through my educational journey at AUS, which has inspired me to establish my own jewelry brand, Holeï, this year. Because education has opened a world of opportunities for me, I have made the purpose of my brand to create a platform of resources to empower and support women in education all over the world,” said Sulaiman.

Winner Nada Abdalgawad has a long list of leadership achievements. During her graduate studies, she established and led the Google Developer Student Clubs at AUS. Google supports Google Developer Student Clubs around the world and selects its leads after an application and interview. The club won the Most Active Club in the United Arab Emirates Award by Google. She was invited by Google to a virtual panel discussion to share her experience as a female lead. Abdalgawad was also a Graduate Teaching Assistant during her graduate studies, earning the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant award 2020. . She was also selected to be part of a judging committee for a high school competition organized by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. 

“I feel I am blessed to have received this award. It is a great feeling to have my accomplishments recognized by my university and to finally graduate not only with a master's degree but also with a University Excellence Award. I am glad that I have been active during my years at AUS and I did not just focus only on my coursework but went beyond that,” she said. 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mohammed El-Tarhui, Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies, said: “These awards recognize the achievements of master's and doctoral students at AUS and create a culture of excellence among graduate students. We are very pleased to see the continuous success of these awards in motivating students and promoting their contribution in research, scholarly work, academia and leadership. This cycle we received very high-quality nominations by the programs, which resulted in having co-recipients for two of the awards. Congratulations to all the nominees and the winners for their achievements."

AUS offers a range of graduate programs that provide opportunities for professional and personal development. Graduate students at AUS benefit from experienced full-time faculty members, state-of-the-art facilities and a vibrant multicultural campus. AUS offers 15 master’s degrees and three PhD programs through the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Engineering; and the School of Business Administration. For more information about graduate studies and research at AUS, visit www.aus.edu/orgs.