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AUK hosted a two-day workshop under the title "Assessing and Communicating Library Contributions to Institutional Priorities" in January. The workshop was prepared by the American International Consortium of Academic Libraries (AMICAL), whose aim was to offer workable methods for effective, practical and sustainable assessment of libraries and to build and nurture a community of assessment within the consortium. The workshop, which was open to directors of libraries in AMICAL member institutions, was planned by the Institutional Research and Assessment committee at AMICAL and funded through the consortium's 2015-2018 grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Dr. Tim Sullivan, President of the American University of Kuwait, welcomed the speakers and the participating directors. "Libraries in the world of growing technologies will continue to grow rather than shrink; they are more important than less important," he said. "The learning and teaching that goes on in any institution is more than what happens in the classrooms, it's what happens in the halls, in conversations and in other things. Modern libraries support that in so many different ways –in so smooth and efficient way that many people around them are unaware of what they do," he added.
The workshop sessions were conducted by Dr. Kara Malenfant, Senior Strategist for Special Initiatives at the Association of College and Research Libraries, and Dr. Karen Brown, Professor at Dominican University (River Forest, Illinois), Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Participants shared challenges they faced and discussed opportunities for assessing libraries' impacts and contributions within the context of their institutions. They also developed strategies on how to communicate the values of libraries to stakeholders.
Ms. Asma Al-Kanan, AUK Library Director and Chair of the IR & Assessment Committee at AMICAL, explained that the theme of the workshop was inspired by the Value of Academic Libraries initiative from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). "Our goal was to help libraries implement assessment plans that demonstrate their worth and value to their institutional and community stakeholders in a compelling way, with a focus on student experience and engagement," she said.
The AMICAL Consortium's mission is to advance learning, teaching and research through the collaborative development of library and information services and curricular resources at member institutions.
Dr. Seyed Esmaeili of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the American University of Kuwait was awarded a silver medal for his invention at the 9th International Invention Fair of Middle East (IIFME) which took place in Kuwait from the 16th to 19th of January, 2017. Held Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, IIFME is the second largest international exhibition for inventions after the International Invention Exhibition of Geneva. Nearly 200 inventors from 36 countries across the globe participated with 150 inventions.
Dr. Esmaeili's invention, entitled: Reversible Adjustable Eyeglasses with Polarized and/or Prescription Lenses, basically consists of eyeglasses that can be adjusted to provide two different looks. Rotatable side arms and a rotatable secondary frame provide a mechanism to interchange the interior and exterior sides of the glasses which can differ in color, pattern, or both. A correct lens orientation indicator on the secondary frame ensures correct configuration of the glasses. The proposed mechanism is both easy to manufacture and user friendly.
Dr. Esmaeili received both US and European patents for his invention. He had also designed and modeled the glasses using a 3D printer. The invention was well received by the inventors, the judging committee, as well as the public at the IIFME.
The Center for Gulf Studies (CGS) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), in collaboration with the AUK Library, organized a book drive to support an initiative created by the Social Work Society (SWS) and the Human Line Organization (HLO) to collect books and donate them to local libraries. The initiative, called Raf (the Arabic word for "Shelf"): a Social Initiative to Enrich Libraries in Kuwait, was launched in May 2016 and managed to collect almost 7000 books by December 2016, which were delivered to four local prison libraries.
This was only the first phase of the Raf initiative; other phases include book donations to libraries of hospitals, correctional facilities, the local orphanage, and school libraries in need of resources. CGS will be involved in the initiative’s future stages and will continue to work with local NGOs to run national campaigns to spread awareness and implement change.
The American University of Kuwait contributed as a Gold Sponsor in the School Enrollment Project Exhibition, which took place at the Kuwait International Fair Grounds earlier in January. The exhibition provided an opportunity for educational institutes, ranging from nursery level to higher education, to promote themselves and provide information to the visitors about their institutions. AUK was among 75 participators present at the event and the Office of Admissions was available to answer questions from prospective students and their parents regarding the different academic programs offered at AUK, the IEP program, government Scholarships, and campus life. Prospective students were also offered the opportunity to start their application process and schedule campus tours.
During the exhibition, representatives from the Center for Continuing Education (CCE) were also available to promote their services, training programs and workshops.
Senior Graphic Design student Maryam Abu Talaf was chosen as one of the winners of a typography competition hosted by the Department of Integrated Design at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka.
The competition entitled, "Express Diversity in Typography" called for international students and professionals alike to design a poster using one letter, one word, many words, or even a paragraph composed of words.
Out of 600 entries, Maryam's poster was chosen by a blind jury, and is one of 36 winners that will be displayed in an exhibition during the Typography Workshop and Conference from 23-25 February, 2017 at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, in collaboration with IDC, IIT Bombay.
This marks the fourth year that students in the GDES 421 - Typography III class have participated in this poster competition and have made it onto the winners list. Maryam's work can be viewed here:
http://typoday.in/poster_result-17.html
The Art and Graphic Design Department degree program offers a balance of theory and practice in the art and science of visual communication. The program cultivates cultural and aesthetic sensibilities while emphasizing critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving through the teaching of design history, methodology and technologies in order to produce designers capable of meaningful design in a diverse global community.
Maryam Abu Talaf's work
The Department of Arabic and Foreign Languages commemorated the International Day for the Arabic Language with a student award ceremony that was held on the 18th of December.
The department had organized a writing competition in November for the best essay, best short story, and best poem. Committees made up of Arabic faculty reviewed the submissions and ranked three compositions in each category.
The awards for each category were as follows- 1st prize: Apple iPhone 7 Plus; 2nd prize: 35 KD voucher at the AUK Bookstore; 3rd prize: 20 KD voucher at the AUK Bookstore. In addition, winning submissions will be published in the spring edition of the AUK Review.
As the judges noted, the competition was intense, with some 30 highly creative submissions received across all three categories. The winners of each category are:
Best Essay:
- Jaber Al-Shamry
- Shoug Al-Mutairi
- Nasser Al-Mutairi
Best Short Story:
- Zahraa AsadAllah
- Asma Lulu
- Asrar Al-Fatli
Best Poem:
- Abdulaziz Al-Mahmeed
- Ghazi Al-Sharaf
- Yousef Nayef
As Dr. Raymond Farrin, Chair of the Department of Arabic and Foreign Languages, noted during the ceremony, the purpose of the competition was to spur interest and creative expression in the Arabic language. It is hoped that this will be an annual event at AUK.
The Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences and Engineering at the American University of Kuwait presented a lecture entitled, "Mobile, VR & AI - the Future of Disruption in Media" presented by the renowned Glen Mulcahy, Head of Innovation at RTE, Irish national broadcaster, and founder of the "MOJOCON" conference for mobile journalism. The lecture gave a fresh perspective on how technology is incorporated in media, journalism and news reporting. The lecture has been facilitated by the Organizing Committee of Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad Journalistic Award.
RISE Director Dr. Amir Zeid gave his welcoming remarks noting that nowadays, technology is finding its way into everything, with media and news reporting being no different. Taking over, Mulcahy began to clarify that broadcasters in most places are not catching up fast enough with new trends; they not only tend to ignore them, but they are in denial, taking no effective action to address them. Mulcahy aims to empower journalists to be complete storytellers on their own, as opposed to relying on a full crew. Technology has advanced to the level that regular consumer products are competent enough to produce broadcast-quality reports. This not only saves money, but even the paperwork required for authorizations and permits are drastically reduced from a broadcaster’s perspective.
Moving on to newer and more futuristic technologies, the speaker then discussed 360 recording cameras and the impact of VR (Virtual Reality). Viewers are no longer bound by the fixed angle that the producers want them to see, but through 360 technologies, the experience is extensively more immersive- especially if seen through a VR headset. Drones are also being used to provide coverage for news reporting, which not only catches hard-to-reach angles but is four times cheaper than sending a professional camera man on a helicopter.
While technology has contributed to the advancement of many professions, Mulcahy warned that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is reaching worrying levels. Big conglomerates are using the data collected from us to provide media tailored around our interests and online activities which could be thought of as a borderline impeachment of privacy. It also predicted that by 2029, AI will pass the Turin test; this essentially means that we will not be capable of differentiating between a human and an AI computer.
Bringing the lecture to an end, the speaker wanted to remind the audience that broadcasting networks need to up their game and start incorporating methods and technologies of this new era for news reporting, agreeing with Einstein that, "We cannot solve a problem by using the same thinking that created the problem in the first place."
The AUK Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences, and Engineering (RISE) serves as AUK's primary source for research and development activities, a bridge to industry, and an important venue for community outreach. RISE adapts an integrative model by forging connections between academic disciplines, local & international innovators, academia & industry, as well as technology & society.
Chair of the Department of Marketing at AUK, Dr. Mohsen Bagnied discussed Egypt’s economic progression in 2017 in an interview that aired on Nile TV International. Dr. Mohsen described a study he conducted in which he explored economic integration between the Nile valley and Gulf States as a possible path for economic growth. He explained the concept would result in food security and increased productivity if all Arab states would integrate their resources. Dr. Mohsen also stressed the importance of education and the need to improve current curriculums in order to educate future generations on the importance of finding innovative solutions to solve economic problems.
Please check the following link for the full interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB5e6PEujRw&feature=youtu.be
Three AUK teams from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department were declared winners of the first, second, and third place in the Smart Kuwait Competition organized by the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). The competition was held for the first time in Kuwait-as part of the Heading Global Conference–whereby students from universities around the GCC presented projects in the categories of Smart Design, Smart City, Smart Learning, Smart Manufacture, and Smart Agriculture, to a panel of judges that comprised of faculty members from different institutions. The winning projects were announced at the Heading Global Conference in November and received prizes that totaled KD10,000 in value.
Listed below are the categories and projects of the three winning teams:
1st Place Winner of the Smart City Category
Project Name: Sun Chaser Robot
Description: This project aims to increase the efficiency and usability of solar energy. It is a tracker system that can detect the best position of the sun in order to extract the maximum amount of sunlight using four sensors. It rotates the solar panels toward the angle of the maximum sunlight using servomotors and generates power to charge batteries to be used for different applications.
Team: Manal Al-Enezi and Esraa Al-Qattan
Supervisor: Dr. Seyed E. Esmaeili
2nd Place Winner of the Smart Industry Category
Project Name: Giving Hands
Description: The idea behind this project is to solve two problems using one solution, the Smart Refrigerator. The project aims to reduce food waste by donating it to the needy, while at the same time provide a smart and accessible solution for those who need food supplies. People can donate certain types of food items and keep them in a smart refrigerator available to the public. The Smart Refrigerator will then send an SMS message for the users in the database informing them of the available items. The Smart Refrigerator is equipped with a temperature sensor to get rid of items in case of a malfunction and is also provided with a mechanism to discard expired items.
Team: Maha Al-Mari, Anwar Al-Khalaf, and Wed Al-Smiran
Supervisor: Dr. Seyed E. Esmaeili
3rd Place Winner of the Smart Home category
Project Name: NOAH
Description: NOAH (NOA's house) is a modernized smart house that will solve multiple problems and make life easier and more luxurious. NOAH –just like the human sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems– can detect both dangerous and peaceful situations. NOAH approaches safety by detecting dangerous behaviors and symptoms. So, it can detect the elder's emergency behaviors such as falling or calling out for help, or observe the movements of a child if it comes near any of the house's hazardous locations such as electric plugs or windows. In addition, it can detect fire or smoke, call the fire department and notify other residents to evacuate the place. Moreover, NOAH can recognize faces for security issues to distinguish between residents and outsiders.
Team: Omar Abbas, Amr Lotfy, and Ahmed Abdel-Basset
Supervisor: Dr. Mohammed El-Abd
About the 2016 Heading Global Conference
The 2016 Heading Global Conference has the vision of organizing and delivering a dynamic conference contributing effectively to the advancement of the Kuwaiti Knowledge Economy and Society including theories, policies and practices promoting smart sustainable and inclusive growth. Its mission is to harness the knowledge, experience, expertise and talent of key Knowledge Economy and Society stakeholders to address critical challenges, identify emerging opportunities and help formulate and implement successful smart sustainable and inclusive growth strategies, policies and practices. More information about the event could be found in:
http://heading-global-paaet.org/smart-kuwait-competition/
Heading Global Conference
Manal Al-Enezi displaying her project, "Sun Chase Robot"
The "Giving Hands" Team
Photo Courtesy of the Heading Global Conference
Seven AUK students received awards at the Model United Nations Annual Conference in Bahrain on the 26th and 27th of November, 2016. The students were among 200 participants from 33 universities- 13 local and 20 regional.
Members of the Model United Nations (MUN) club and the Progressive International Club of Kuwait (PICK) represented the university where they served as delegates for assigned countries in multiple councils; their role in the conference was to present their country's position on topics that ranged from cyber warfare, female empowerment, bioterrorism, to threats on international peace and security.
Distinguished guest speakers were also among the participants in the conference, which included representatives from the International Peace Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shura Council, Supreme Council for Women, and Supreme Council for Environment.
The awards earned by AUK's delegates were presented based on their exceptional skill in leadership, public speaking, and diplomatic spirit. This marks the most amount of awards received by a university in a single year. The winners are:
|
Diplomatic Award |
Noura Al-Khalifa |
|
Anjan Seth |
|
|
Rashed Al-Suleiman |
|
Honorable Mention |
Sabah Al-Sabah |
|
Ali Al-Qallaf |
|
|
Danah Al-Bader |
|
|
Mohammad Abbas |
Chair of the International Relations Department and academic advisor for both the MUN club and PICK, Professor Gholamreza Vatandoust remarked on both clubs' societal contributions and their performance at the MUN conference- saying, "The Bahrain MUN was one of the many successful collaborative ventures of these two clubs. Although over half the participants in Bahrain were novices, the AUKMUN team performed remarkably well, winning more medals and accolades than any single group of participants. These two clubs have also sponsored other activities in recent months, such as a university-wide debate on the US presidential elections, beach cleanups, and an on-campus miniature EXPO representing Kuwait as the Capital of Islamic Culture, 2016."
AUKMUN is now preparing itself to compete in another regional and international conference during the spring, 2017 semester.
A group photo featuring the AUK MUN Delegation in Bahrain
