RISE Center Hosts NASA Space Apps Challenge
01st Nov 2018 | by the Department of PR & Marketing
The Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences, and Engineering (RISE) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) concluded Kuwait’s first local edition of the NASA Space Apps Challenge in collaboration with its strategic partner, Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO). Attended by a wide audience from all walks of life, the closing ceremony of NASA Space Apps announced the two winning teams from Kuwait who qualified to join the international round of the competition.
The NASA Space Apps challenge is the world’s largest hackathon introduced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The international competition occurred over the span of 48 hours in 200 cities around the world. The Kuwait competition took place at Marina Hotel, Salmiya and brought together 70 people from around Kuwait—ranging from high school students to professors—to solve problems related to Earth and space. Each team had 48 hours to create an app, game, or website that addressed one of the problems posted on NASA’s website. The challenges teams tackled included creating a website to track displaced people and show the best locations on Earth for them to go, a videogame to educate people about nebulae in space, and creating a small rover to help scientists collect information about Mars.
There were 12 teams consisting of 4-7 participants. Participants made their teams on the first night of the event and were encouraged to include members with a variety of talents and backgrounds. Team leaders (Commanders) chose the challenges for teams to address and helped delegate tasks so that the teams worked efficiently. The teams quickly grew close as they worked together through challenges and celebrated successes. The atmosphere throughout the event was focused, but fun, with team members jumping up and shouting when a program worked. All teams felt an immense sense of accomplishment about the amount they were able to accomplish during the weekend.
Reflecting on his experience, Islam Rezk, an AUK student and first-time hackathon participant said, “The team was welcoming, but I was worried about the number of things I would have to do in a small amount of time. After the challenge finished I realized that it was a learning race, not a coding race. I helped in coding a game or a simulation using a program that I never heard of, using a language I never knew anything about. The experience taught me to never back out of anything because you may be capable of more than you thought.”
AUK alumna and staff member Sally Saleh was also a first-time participant. Speaking about the weekend she said, “I had a wonderful experience. As a novice participant, I was blessed to have had such a professional and well-organized event be my very first hackathon. It was a delight working in a talented team from different backgrounds and age groups, while being surrounded by friends, mentors, and experts. The atmosphere of learning and collaboration was very enlightening—I personally got to read and learn a lot more about our universe than I would have on my own. It was a weekend of challenges, learning, having fun with friends, and making new ones!”
Subject matter experts Dr. Peter Petrov, Consultant of Space Research at KISR; Dr. Fahad Alawadi, Associate Professor of physics at PAAET; and Dr. Bassem Alfeeli, Director of Innovation and Enterprise at KFAS, were available throughout the event to help participants with questions related to space exploration and environmental issues to help them focus their projects.
The closing ceremony commenced with opening remarks by Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE Center, in which he highlighted the importance of establishing links with international technology events of high relevance and benefit to the local community. “The idea of hackathons (programing marathons) is not new to Kuwait. It is increasingly becoming an effective developmental platform to generate young innovations and new business ideas of local and international significance. In the previous years, RISE-AUK hosted international hackathons aiming to solve marine problems. This year, we are expanding to Earth, outer space and beyond,” said Dr. Zeid. “We are pleased to have today a very diverse group of participants from multiple disciplines, ages, and professional levels. Participants range from high school students all the way to managers and professors from different companies and universities. We hope to continue this tradition of contributing to the world through utilizing innovative local brains and talents. We treasure KIPCO’s strategic partnership on this year’s event, and we hope to continue working with them on more youth empowerment initiatives in the future,” he added.
Teams did not just think about creating projects that would win the competition. Instead, they also thought about the social and ethical impacts that their projects might have. Commenting on this, AUK Provost and Acting President Dr. Rawda Awwad said in her closing remarks, “The fact that moral culpability and accountability in the act of research and creation is part of this conversation is testimony to the fact that we as an institution have been successful in harnessing talent, inquisitiveness and creation within an unspoken but absolutely given moral consciousness that is ‘not for sale’. We know who we are, we know what to do, and we know how to do it when it comes to education and praxis.”
Four judges convened to select first and second place teams, who will move on to compete globally against other winners. The judges, Mr. Mazen Hawwa, KIPCO Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations; Mr. Yacoub Yousef Al-Bash, Team Leader of Information Technology Services at Kuwait Oil Company (KOC); Dr. Hussein Mouftah, Canada Research Chair and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Ottawa; and Dr. Bassem Alfeeli, Director of Innovation and Enterprise at KFAS, represented a variety of expertise and provided a balanced perspective. Each team had 5 minutes to explain and demonstrate their projects to the judges.
The presentations were attended by His Excellency, the American Ambassador to Kuwait Mr. Lawrence Silverman; KIPCO Corporate Social Responsibility Director Ms. Abeer Al Omar; Director General, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, Dr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin; Acting President of AUK Dr. Rawda H. Awwad; and AUK Vice President for Admissions & Public Affairs Ms. Amal Al-Binali.
The winning team, Tempest, led by Omar Khalil, created a game that allows people to manipulate time and decision-making to solve challenges related to changes in Earth’s environment. The second place team, FireWatch, was led by Ali Kelkawi. They created an app to help people report wildfires around the world to authorities and to the general public. These two teams have one more week to create 30-second videos to send to the international round of judging. In addition to having the opportunity to compete at the international level, each member of the first place team received an Apple Watch, and each member of the second place team received a Nintendo Switch.
About RISE
The AUK Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences, and Engineering (RISE) serves as AUK's primary source for multidisciplinary research and development (R&D) activities. The Center employs a holistic approach to R&D by integrating academic disciplines, and forging connections between local & international innovators, academia & industry, and technology & society.
About KIPCO
Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) is an investment holding company with operations that extend across the Middle East and North African region, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea. With holdings in sectors such as financial services, media, manufacturing and real estate, KIPCO Group comprises over 60 companies and employs over 12,000 people in 24 countries. Founded in 1975, KIPCO has since become one of the MENA region’s most successful companies.
Click on the Image to view the Photo Gallery