News
AUK Computer Engineering Student, Fatma Qatan, has a full paper accepted for publication at the International Conference on Computer Systems and Industrial Informatics (ICCSII), American University of Sharjah, UAE, December 18-20, 2012. The ICCSII focuses on the state of the art in computing, networking, and software development and their synergetic integration to explore theoretical engineering venues and solve practical industrial problems.
Qatan's paper is titled "High-speed KATAN Ciphers on-a-Chip", and was coauthored by her supervisor from AUK - Dr. Issam Damaj, an Associate Professor of Computer Engineering and the department chair. The accepted paper presents the analysis and evaluation of cheap and relatively fast hardware implementations of the KATAN family of block ciphers. The paper proposed a pipelined decomposition of KATAN ciphers. VHDL under Altera Quartus is used in conjunction with ModelSim to implement and analyze the hardware designs. The developed designs are mapped onto high-performance Field Programmable Gate Arrays, namely Stratix II and IV from Altera. The findings are compared with similar hardware implementations and C software versions of the algorithms. The performance analysis of the C implementations is done using Intel Vtune Amplifier running on a Dell precision T7500 machine with its dual quad-core Xeon processor and 24 GB of RAM. The obtained results show better performance when compared with existing hardware and software implementations.
Qatan's achievement comes after her participation last year in an undergraduate conference with a published abstract and a poster presentation. She is expected to travel to present her paper in the conference in UAE this coming December. For more information on the conference please visit the website at : www.aus.edu/info/200169/college_of_engineering/460/iccsii12/1#.ULmz0oOsiSo
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 6th December 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The Writing Center at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), participated in the Middle East and North Africa Writing Center Alliance (MENAWCA) Conference in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 15 - 17, which was hosted by the College of the North Atlantic in Doha, Qatar.
Dr. Mary Queen, Writing Center Director, Hanouf Al-Juhail, Senior Staff & Academic Liaison Officer, and Dilara Hafiz, Staff Writing Consultant represented the AUK Writing Center at the conference. Their presentation, entitled "De-Centering Writing at the University," focused on strategies for developing the Writing Center's services to the University community and featured video clips of AUK faculty & staff, which encouraged lively audience participation.
The MENAWCA annual conference attracts representatives from the leading Writing Centers around the world. The 2012 Doha Conference registered over 400 attendees, mainly from the MENA region, but also from as far away as Australia, Sri Lanka, and England. This year's theme was 'Creating a Culture of Writing' - a topic which the AUK Writing Center expanded upon in their presentation.
The AUK Writing Center opened its doors on October 10, 2005. Staffed by a full-time Director, both full-time and part-time writing specialists, and AUK student consultants selected for their outstanding language abilities, the Writing Center offers 30-minute one-to-one consulting sessions as well as classroom workshops and faculty outreach. The Writing Center is a place where students, staff, and faculty explore ideas through the written word. In 2009, the Center expanded its services to include Arabic-language writing support.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 5th December 2012
The Arabic Literature Club at AUK presented its monodrama play 'Suffocation', earlier this week at the AUK Auditorium. The play was performed in Arabic, and was followed by a poem recited in English.
The guest speaker of the evening was Dr. Haifa Al Sanoosi, writer of the play and Kuwait University Professor, who shared with the students her experience with writing monodrama. Dr. Al Sanoosi also discussed her different works in Kuwait and other countries.
'Suffocation' is portrayed within a social context, touching upon social and psychological issues associated with loss of a mother and hardheartedness of step-mothers. During the play, the main character took the audience through the sad and miserable feelings and thoughts associated with the loss of a family member. The finale of the play delivered the message that one should "stop being negative and keep moving forward".
The main character was played by Dalal Al Hebaishi, while the poem was recited by Razan Al Oda. Both students are Kuwait University students trained by Dr. Al Sanoosi.
The Arabic Literature Club at the American University of Kuwait, currently led by Enjood Al-Hassawi, is a student organization interested in different aspects of the Arabic language and culture such as Arabic poetry and literature. The main purpose of the Club is to reveal the Arab identity and practice Arabic language at AUK. Most of the club events currently focus on Arabic literature and poetry. The Arabic Club aims to host more cultural events that would include Arabic music and hosting of famous experts in the Arabic language to share their experience and thoughts with the students. All events hosted by the Arabic Club are being done in association with the Arabic Department at AUK.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 3rd December 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The American University of Kuwait played host to the first ever Kuwait Freestyle Football Talent Quest earlier this month. Sponsored by Tonino Lamborghini and supported by The Freestyle Football Federation, this four day event promoted freestyle football around Kuwait, offering audience members a chance to learn new freestyle skills from professional freestylers and the opportunity to compete in a freestyle football competition were the winner received a fully paid trip to London to watch a Chelsea FC game, as well as VIP treatment and Chelsea FC souvenirs. The event was held in a different location each day, taking place in three select universities and at the 360 Mall.
Throughout the day Andrew Henderson, the current World Freestyle Football Champion, showcased his amazing talent, displaying tricks that seemed near impossible to perform. When he wasn't performing, Mr. Henderson was out meeting the AUK community, personally giving freestyle pointers and teaching the crowd crazy tricks. Also giving freestyle tips were some of the top freestylers in Kuwait. In the evening there was a freestyle football competition, were people could display their freestyle skills. Participants had one minute to show-off their skills in front of a panel of professional judges, which included Andrew Henderson himself and Dan Wood, CEO and President of the Freestyle Football Federation.
At the end of the day, the judges picked the top 3 freestylers from AUK. Third place went to Ahmed Mustafa. Second place was awarded to Hovig Mouradian. First place, including a fully paid trip to London to watch a Chelsea game, was given to Amr Abdulraheem.
Freestyle Football Judges
The World Champion, Andrew Henderson and AUK Sports Coordinator, Trevor Taylor
The World Champion, Andrew Henderson and AUK Sports Coordinator, Trevor Taylor
The World Champion, Andrew Henderson
AUK Contestant
First Place Winner, Amr Abdulraheem
Second Place Winner, Hovig Mouradian
AUK Contestant
Third Place Winner, Ahmed Mustafa
From left: Third Place Winner, Ahmed Mustafa and World Champion Andrew Henderson
CEO Dan Wood awarding Second Place Winner, Hovig Mouradian
First Place Winner, Amr Abdulraheem
The World Champion, Andrew Henderson and the winning contestants
The Judges and the Host
Elizabeth "Beth" Hindmarsh, Program Manager for AUK-Dartmouth, joined the program in October 2011. She worked previously at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. This earlier job provided her with occasional opportunities to work on international projects. As Beth says, "The AUK-Dartmouth Program allows me to contribute full time to one of Dartmouth's major international commitments."
Her work involves regular contact with students, faculty, and administrators on both the Dartmouth and AUK campuses. "I especially like the Dartmouth-to-AUK and AUK-to-Dartmouth student exchanges," Beth says. "It's exciting to see the students explore new environments and meet new people."
When asked what she likes to do when not working with the AUK-Dartmouth Program, she replied, "In Winter I like to ice skate on frozen lakes. After the ice melts, I enjoy canoeing." She hopes that her involvement with AUK will allow her to visit the Salmiya campus soon.
Beth will be working closely with Dale F. Eickelman, Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and International Relations at Dartmouth College, and Relationship Coordinator of the American University of Kuwait-Dartmouth College Program.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 28th November 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
AUK anthropology professor Marjorie Kelly has recently completed a three-year project titled "Kuwait at 50". It consists of almost 800 photos of contemporary Kuwait, organized into four programs: clothing, food, leisure activities, and architecture. AUK students were instrumental in developing the project. They posed for photos, took pictures, organized traditional Kuwaiti meals so they could be photographed, suggested topics, and reviewed the presentation for accuracy as it developed.
The project was initiated when a student gave Dr. Kelly the clothing that was used in the first student exhibition held at AUK in 2006. This sparked Dr. Kelly's interest and she eventually wrote an article on contemporary clothing choices in Kuwait which was published in Fashion Theory. While selecting photos for the article Dr. Kelly realized that the real impact of her findings was not in the text but in the photos. She said, "I thought someone ought to do a full visual ethnography of clothing in Kuwait so that is what I did." As the project progressed, the three other topics were added to provide a fuller picture of life in modern Kuwait.
Recent AUK graduate Dana Al-Failakawi narrated all four programs and assisted in writing the thirty-three page Teacher's Guide. In addition to a printed version of the script, the Teacher's Guide contains some background notes on Kuwait, a glossary, and suggested readings. The DVD and Guide are being distributed without charge for use in American and British classrooms to give the students in those countries a more accurate view of life in Kuwait.
The first presentation of the material for the general public was at the March meeting of the Kuwait Textile Arts Association at Sadu House. The clothing section of the DVD was introduced and shown by Dr. Kelly, then former students Dana Al-Failakawi and Dalal Al-Sharhan modeled several dara'as for an enthusiastic audience.
The entire project - research, production, and distribution of materials - was underwritten by a grant from Wataniya Telecom. Thanks to Wataniya's generosity, all those attending this year's Gulf Studies Conference at the University of Exeter received a copy of the DVD to share with their students. DVDs will also be made available for members of the Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies at the Middle East Studies Associationâs annual meeting to be held in November in Denver. For further information about the project and the availability of the DVD and/or the Guide, please contact Dr. Kelly at mkelly@auk.edu.kw.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 28th November 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The Arts and Graphic Design Department at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) hosted the Artist & Designer, Salman Alhajri to conduct class visits, lectures and workshops on Arabic Calligraphy. He also displayed some of his artwork at the AUK Auditorium.
In his lecture, Alhajri discussed the elements that constitute contemporary Arabic calligraphy and graphic art. He also provided a comparison between classical and contemporary forms of Arabic calligraphy.
According to Alhajiri, contemporary Arabic calligraphy, is a form of art where artists can reflect their own identity and cultural background. As for graphic art, it reflects the artists' feelings and state of mind. When filling the white canvas, the artist can subconsciously and for a specific period of time, use or add the same set of colors in his work, based on his current environment.
Comparing between classical and contemporary Arabic calligraphy, Alhajri pointed out that the main difference lies in the degree of freedom allowed within each form. In classical form, there is less freedom to interpret art work, which limits creativity, due to the standards required, such as mathematical measures. With contemporary forms, there is more freedom to use different compositions and create new formats with letters.
Speaking about his design techniques, Alhajri demonstrated some of his artwork and explained the different compositions used and the value of each design. The use of different elements and the value of contrast between colors add to an artist's style and give a unique identity. Alhajri also pointed out the importance of experimenting with new forms of art, using new techniques and different compositions. He emphasized how he experiments with the use of laser in printing letters on glass, and how he is always seeking new ways of experimenting with art.
Alhajri concluded his lecture by urging students to research and learn the different elements of design, as it is important for artists and graphic designers to practice with an extensive knowledge. He also encouraged students to follow their intuitions and look for main shapes repeated in their artwork as a starting point to define their style.
Salman Alhajri, Omani artist and designer, is also a lecturer at the Department of Art Education at Sultan Qaboos University and, currently, a PhD candidate in Loughborough University, UK. He was invited to AUK through Dr. Marcella Kulchitsky, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, who heard about his work from Dr. Raymond Farrin, Associate Professor, and Department Chair of the Arabic Department at AUK. Alhajri is also the designer of Dr. Farrin's latest book "Abundance from the Desert".
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 28th November 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
Kuwait 25th November, 2012: In collaboration with the office of Public Affairs at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), Managing Editor of Al Anbaa Newspaper, Mr. Mohamed Al-Husinni, presented a lecture titled "Social Media and their Impact on Print Media".
In his speech, Al-Husinni addressed the concept of New Media, and how its emergence is affecting the traditional media of newspaper, radio, television and cinema. Al-Husinni explained the main four stages involved with news and information, which are: news gathering, selecting medium of transfer, disseminating the news, then public reaction monitoring.
He continued that Traditional media were in total control of one of the main stages, disseminating the news. Nowadays, with the advent of New Media, everyone has the ability to control the different stages of information and become a medium capable of spreading ideas in an open global space.
Al-Husinni stressed that the evolution of new media did not devaluate the role of the traditional media as a complementary partner that needs to exist and continue production. On the contrary, competition between traditional and new media had helped liberate traditional media from some of the constraints faced in the past.
Al-Husinni ended his speech by outlining some of the hitches the New Media encounter, which include: misuse and easy spread of rumors, through fake accounts and false users who impersonate others. This puts societies in a challenge between freedom of expression and legal regulations to reserve people's rights.
In the question and answer session following Al-Husinni's speech, many questions were raised concerning the future of traditional media, future of journalism as a profession and effects of social media on the nature of news.
Al-Husinni responded that traditional media, mainly newspapers, will continue to exist as long as there are subscribers, points of selling and advertisements, as a resource of income to the newspaper, and a form of subsidy. However, the industry of paper making and the environmental risks associated with it, may affect newspaper production in the future.
Responding to a question about the threats to journalism as a profession, Al-Husinni said that journalism is based on main elements including: verification, objectivity, fairness and distinction between opinions and fact. New Media does not function with those elements, making journalism as a profession indispensable. He also added that with increasing freedom of expression, journalists are still bound with those elements of the profession to clarify whether their writing is based on their personal opinion or on existing facts.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 26th November 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
Kuwait--Nov.21, 2012: After a few initial meetings, the new Student Government Association (SGA) at AUK is ready and fuelled with the motivation and enthusiasm needed to adequately represent the AUK student body. The members have begun formulating an action plan for the year with three main goals in mind; to find solutions to student issues and advocate student needs, to promote active student involvement in activities and events to foster a sense of community on campus, and to ensure that SGA and the AUK administration cooperate on every level in an effort to implement positive changes to AUK.
The new SGA has been elected last October to represent the AUK student body for the academic year 2012-2013. Voter turn-out this year was the highest in AUK history, reaching 35.5% of the students participating in this year's election.
At AUK, the SGA is the voice of the students. Composed of elected representatives from the student population, SGA is responsible for representing the opinions, concerns and recommended resolutions of the student body to other constituencies of the AUK community. In addition, to serving as the student voice, SGA works with other student organizations to sponsor events that promote the academic and social lives of students at AUK. Students can get involved with SGA by running for an elected position in SGA, participation in a General Assembly, SGA committees or as an SGA volunteer. Participation and representation in student government is open to all registered students of the University.
The new SGA members 2012-2013
Mohammad Al Abdulrazzaq - President
Fajer Al Sabah - Vice President
Mohammad Al Mousawi - Treasurer
Fouz Al Khonaini - Secretary
Fadwa Al Ajeel - Community Liaison Officer
Eshraka Sumrain - Communications Officer
Yousef Al Qenaie - Productions Officer
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 22nd November 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is pleased to announce its contribution to the Grand Map project "Kuwait: More than a Home", launched last week at the Avenues Mall. The project is a creation of Universal Watch Advertising under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Information and major Kuwait organizations, including AUK. The project, which is taking place for the first time in the Middle East, comes as part of the celebrations of Kuwait's constitution 50th Anniversary. It is expected to run until the end of November.
The Grand Map is a 680 square meter map of Kuwait constructed on the floor of The Avenues (Phase 2) with special symbols scattered all around the map. Through a special smart phone application (Treek), visitors will be able to view a digital archive of Kuwait's' history and achievements by scanning certain spots on the map. This 300 year narrative of Kuwait's history is presented through the latest picture recognition technology and interactive marketing.
The opening ceremony of the Grand Map was attended by key figures from the Ministry of Information, Touristic Enterprise Company (TEC), as well as, Mabanee, the mall management company of The Avenues. Representatives from the sponsoring companies, including, Zain, IKEA, and Kuwait Food Company (Americana), were also present. The huge glass map has attracted many of The Avenues visitors, who were particularly impressed by the technological aspect of the project.
"Participation in this project comes as part of AUK's efforts to support profound initiatives of national and cultural significance" commented Dr. Carol Scott-Ross, Vice President for Administrative & Student Affairs at AUK "We appreciate this innovative way of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Kuwait's constitution", she continued.
On the Grand Map, AUK has been associated with locations of culture, art, and history, among others. The most significant historical site AUK has been linked to is Al Seif Palace, which is also depicted in the AUK official logo.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 22nd November 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
