Notes in Brief

AUS takes part in Kuwait’s model UN meeting

Sharjah: Five American University of Sharjah (AUS) students recently returned from participating in the American University of Kuwait’s Model United Nations conference in Kuwait. Max Hayward Stanton, Saeed Hussain Maseeh, Hanan Hassan Al Balooshi, Karen Lynn Sa’ab and Raghad Tayeh comprised the student team headed by Munketh Taha, director of student activities. Max Stanton was presented the Diplomacy Award for Outstanding Performance in the First University Level Model United Nations Conference in Kuwait 2009.

AUD hosts Road Safety Workshop

Dubai: The American University in Dubai (AUD) held a Road Safety Workshop on campus last week with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The RTA integrated its ‘Traffic Awareness Ambassador’ initiative within the workshop, assigning Formula-3 driver Basil Shaaban — the first Arab to win a Formula Ford 1800 race in Europe — the task of showing students the risks of speeding. Eighteen students signed up for the ‘Traffic Awareness Ambassador’ project to represent the RTA in internal and external road safety awareness programmes and traffic campaigns.

AUS business faculty appointed to accountancy panel

Sharjah: Jeannette Vinke, senior lecturer in accounts and finance, School of Business and Administration, American University of Sharjah (AUS), has been named a selected as a member of the recently-established Members Advisory Board (MAB) of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). MAB consists of prominent chartered accountants from the Middle East. The board will meet regularly to identify and discuss issues faced by the accountancy and finance professions and to provide advice to ICAEW Middle East operations.

AUS holds arts and crafts festival

Sharjah: Students from the Department of Mass Communication (MCM), American University of Sharjah (AUS), showcased their artistic talents at the first MCM Arts and Crafts Festival held on campus last week. Items on display included drawings, cartoons, oil/acrylic paintings, ceramics, marble art, knitting, origami, jewellery, and T-shirt designs. Many of the works were on sale. The festival was organised by Anna Milena Gavassa, instructor, MCM.

UOWD’s Faculty Research Corner inaugurated

Dubai: A new Faculty Research Corner (FRC) in the library of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) was recently inaugurated by Douglas Trappett, the new Australian Ambassador to the UAE. The FRC will showcase the books authored by faculty and their research papers published in international journals. To mark the occasion, Trappett launched a new book Coverage Strategies in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Rigourous Analysis by Dr Mohammad Khalil Watfa, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, UOWD. The book offers ideas applicable in traffic management, undersea monitoring and the medical field.

AUST wins Estidama Fareej Design contest

Abu Dhabi: Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST) has won the Estidama Fareej Design contest, a joint programme introduced by Estidama (‘sustainability’ in Arabic), an initiative introduced by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council and private property developer Aldar. The winner was announced at the Greenbuild International Conference held recently at Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The contest challenged participants to design a sustainable Emirati house within a traditional neighbourhood concept known in Arabic as Al Fareej. AUST’s winning project, titled ‘Wind Catcher’, was a modern interpretation of a local design element, the ‘wind tower’.

Flight academy to offer more training programmes

Al Ain: Horizon International Flight Academy (HIFA) is planning to expand its training programmes to meet the demands of the local and regional aviation industry. The academy’s general manager Mohammad Humaidan Al Za’abi said recently: “… by 2016, we aim to offer undergraduate degree programmes in the field of aviation, to offer internationally-certified qualifications in the UAE to ensure that we develop a pipeline of local talent to support the region’s rapidly-growing aviation industry.”

Professor’s work on display at Abu Dhabi Art 2009

Sharjah: A work of art by Tarek Al Ghoussein, associate professor of photography at the American University of Sharjah, is the only exclusively-commissioned artwork to be included in an exhibition that opened recently at the Arts Abu Dhabi Gallery on Sadiyat Island. The exhibition titled ‘Disorientation II: The Rise and Fall of Arab Cities’, is part of Abu Dhabi Art 2009, one of the largest art fairs in the region. Al Ghoussein was commissioned to produce work specifically for the exhibition, a joint project between the Tourism Development and Investment Company and the Sharjah Art Foundation. The exhibition runs until February 20, 2010.

21 trainees complete young entrepreneurs’ programme

Dubai: Twenty-one trainees from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the UAE have completed a one-week training programme by the Regional Academy for Young Entrepreneurs (RAYE), a joint initiative of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and the Beirut-based Berytech Technological Pole. Adel Al Sharid, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the foundation, and Maroun Chammas, president of Berytech, awarded certificates to the participants at a ceremony in Beirut recently. The training programme comprised workshops that helped participants gain insights into turning their entrepreneurial ideas into sustainable business ventures.

Engineers and technicians graduate from oil and gas programme

Abu Dhabi: Twenty-three engineers and technicians graduated from the second Middle East intake of GE’s Oil and Gas University Programme, an initiative aimed at providing leadership and technology training for oil and gas professionals in Abu Dhabi. GE experts and professional associates covered various aspects of the energy industry during the course, designed for employees of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and its group of companies. Core modules included leadership skills, energy and oil and gas processes and rotating equipment.