Public Affairs

Technology is growing exponentially and advancing at an unprecedented rate. This warrants a generation of young innovators ready to keep up with the increasing pace of technological advancement; a generation that has been cultivated at the American University of Kuwait (AUK). 
 
AUK students develop their capacity to apply technical and non-technical knowledge and skills in engineering, computer science, and information systems through the exceptional education the University offers.  
 
Not only are the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) programs accredited by ABET, but the numbers also speak for themselves. Publishing nearly 96 scholarly articles, issuing 16 registered books, presenting in 277 conferences, and registering 8 patents and designs in the last 5 years, the CEAS faculty achievements reflect the high standard of education that AUK students receive.  
 
Yousef AlHamad is one such student, having secured third place in the 10th Kuwait Collegiate Programming Contest (KCPC), he discussed how AUK has developed his understanding of the technologies he’s most passionate about which include computer hardware and software, game development, and coding. “AUK has aided me through its extracurricular activities and clubs, such as the KCPC event. There are also the electives that offer students other forms of programming and system architecture design,” he said.  
 
The NASA Space Apps Challenge, the world’s largest hackathon introduced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is also another event that AUK students participated in. Reflecting on his experience and achievement of his team winning first place, Mustafa Ali Karkour said, “In 48 hours, AUK has held an amazing event to inspire space enthusiasts like us. My team and I competed in the NASA Space Apps Challenge and won 1st place at AUK! During the event, we touched on different challenges to explore the beauty of space before settling on the ‘On the Way to the Sun’ challenge. The challenge made us realize the difficulties NASA's astronauts/spacecraft face and how curiosity-driven they are. I had a great team with a diverse set of skills and with their contributions, we made it happen!” 
 
The effects of the University’s progressive education remain with its students even after they graduate. Alumnus Ali Dashti ‘10 majored in information systems and won first place in the Microsoft competition, Imagine Cup 2009 in Dubai, which was the first title for AUK and Kuwait on a regional level. He reaffirmed that AUK, to him, is “more than an educational organization” and that the student life activities and events were an added value to his life and personal skills.  
 
On the other hand, alumnus Nasser Bader Al-Ostath ’13 majored in computer engineering and obtained the CEH v9 certificate (Certified Ethical Hacker). He applied his advanced skills in hypnosis and conversational hypnosis to the field of social engineering, which is an essential field of security. 
 
It is worth mentioning that the percentage of females in CEAS exceeds international rates. Alumna Yara AlQuorashy ’19 reflects AUK’s continuous advocacy for the inclusion of female engineers. AlQuorashy majored in computer engineering and minored in computer science. She competed in several programming competitions and earned various awards and certifications. Upon graduating, she went on to complete an internship at an international organization that focuses on “integrating innovative technological solutions to drive impact across the different divisions of the organization.” 
 
AUK is dedicated to providing the necessary education that encourages the growth and knowledge of the next generation of pioneers and technologists.  
 

 

NASA Space Apps Challenge participants
  

KCPC participants
  

NASA Space Apps Challenge first-place winners