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The College of Business and Economics at AUK organized the first Hydroponic Exhibition and Workshop in November 2016. The event, which was a collaboration between AUK, the Kuwait Environmental Protection Society (KEPS), and two hydroponic industry leaders—Smart Hydro Co. and Al-Shaheen Nurseries Co., was held at AUK. The objective of the event was to introduce students and faculty to alternative, environmentally-friendly, efficient and sustainable food production systems.
The Hydroponic Exhibition and Workshop featured displays of a number of different hydroponic systems, presentations, and workshops that focused on how to construct and operate hydroponic systems at home.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Ali Aljamal, Assistant Professor of Economics and the organizer of the workshop, explained the impact that cost-effective and environment-friendly hydroponic systems could have on Kuwait's future and how they could enable Kuwait to develop a sustainable food production system that is in line with Kuwait Vision 2035.
Smart Hydro Co. and Al-Shaheen Nurseries Co. displayed locally-developed hydroponic systems, equipment, and food production supplies that can be used to maintain and operate hydroponic systems. This exhibition presented the attending faculty and students with technology that can be used to contribute to the sustainability of Kuwait's water, food and energy economy.
A discussion was also held with experts and industry leaders, faculty, students and activists on how to advance understanding of the technical, economic and business aspects of this newly-emerging industry. At the discussion, Engineer Fawaz Alqeryan, Head of the Agriculture Unit of the Kuwait Environmental Protection Society (KEPS), explained that hydroponic systems are environmentally-friendly, given that they depend on far less water and sensible use of chemicals as plant feed compared to conventional agricultural practices.
Dean of the College of Business and Economics, Dr. Jin Wang, commended the event as a contribution to the advancement of Kuwait's agenda towards a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. "The College of Business and Economics at AUK is proud to be a participant contributing to the fulfillment of the ambitious and inspiring Kuwait Vision 2035 by promoting education, training, and research," he said.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 20th December 2016
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2016
In collaboration with the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), the American University of Kuwait (AUK), organized the Renewable Energy Symposium and Exhibition at the AUK premises. The event was co-sponsored by the AUK College of Business and Economics, and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Welcome remarks were given by AUK Assistant Professor of Economics, Dr. Ali Aljamal who highlighted the role of energy in our lives and debunked a popular theory that the world will suffer a shortage of energy once oil runs out. According to the laws of physics, this is simply not the case as energy is constantly being used and reused in different forms; as Dr. Ali explained, "Science tells us that our mother earth is constantly inundated with enormous amounts of energy, to the extent that we receive in one hour enough energy to sustain economic activities for a whole year."
AUK President, Professor Dr. Nizar Hamzeh followed with a speech, in which he stressed the importance of making a comprehensive change in our lifestyle, and the necessity of adopting renewable energy. "The world is inevitably shifting towards a renewable global energy system. It is believed that this transition is happening sooner than we think. Making this shift requires profound collaborative efforts between governments, educational institutes, and industries," said Hamzeh.
The symposium brought together experts from the industrial and academic sectors to discuss the prospects of renewable energy in Kuwait. Dr. Samira A. S. Omar, KISR's Director General, supported the mission of the symposium in her speech; she said "We support this activity by our presence in the symposium, and by exchanging the ideas and information that we develop." Dr. Omar also urged interested AUK students to join KISR's research activities, and encouraged them to consider working with KISR's renewable energy research and development team to enhance the development in renewable energy field.
The symposium featured discussions within three main tracks; the first track examined the technical, management, and economic challenges facing Kuwait to adopt renewable energy, and existing efforts to transfer Kuwait into a country using alternative energy. The second track tackled the vision of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), regarding producing and using renewable energy; while the third track highlighted the role of educational programs in the fields of economic and business markets, in providing an innovative environment for projects, and drafting a research plan to support Kuwait's 2035 sustainable economic development.
KISR's speakers included: Dr. Salem Alhajraf, Executive Director of the Energy and Building Research Center (EBRC), Dr. Osamah Alsayegh, Director of Science and Technology Division, Energy and Building Research Center, and Dr. Ayman Al-Qattan, Program Manager, Renewable Energy Program. Other speakers included Dr. Suad Radwan, Manager of the KNPC Research and Technology Department, and Dr. Mark Speece, an AUK Professor of Marketing.
At the sidelines of the symposium, an exhibition was held to showcase samples of renewable energy devices. Exhibitors included the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR); the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), Research and Technology Department; Siemens Kuwait, Kafaat Group, and the AUK IEEESB Sustainable Engineering Technical Team.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 20th November 2016
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2016
The Board of Trustees of the American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE) has renewed AUK's International Program accreditation for AUK's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) for its second consecutive five-year term; the first was in 2011.
Over the past academic year, CAS had conducted a comprehensive self-study to ensure best practices are maintained to achieve the liberal arts learning objectives. The AALE accreditation indicates that AUK is dedicated to sharing best practices for high student achievement of liberal arts learning objectives; promoting the importance of teaching and instructional practices suitable for liberal education; and developing innovative ways to foster life-long learning that prepares students for productive engagement with the world.
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Rawda Awwad, thanked all those who have contributed to the AALE Self-Study, and in particular members of the AALE Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. Nicholas Scull, Assistant Dean for General Education and Student Academic Support. Dean Awwad also thanked the student council of AY 2015-2016 and the student body "whose perspective was invaluable."
She added, "The critical involvement and support of the university community in these processes, underscore all of our program accreditation initiatives- collaboration strengthens the college and institution, and places the "student" at the center of any conversation."
"The accreditation and re-accreditation processes highlight the importance of student learning and program development, which is, and will continue to be, a priority for CAS," concluded Dean Awwad.
About AALE
American higher education accreditation is a voluntary peer-review process designed to ensure the educational quality of a program or institution. Accreditation provides public recognition that a program or institution has met accepted standards devised by experienced specialists in an area of education. The American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE) is constituted to serve as a specialized accrediting body utilizing a peer-review process to evaluate the educational quality of liberal arts programming and to advance excellence in liberal arts learning worldwide. At the core of the review process is the AALE Program Standards of Excellence in Liberal Education.
Dr. Rawda Awwad, Dean of the Collage of Arts and Sciences, AUK
The Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences and Engineering (RISE) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), in collaboration with the Australian Embassy in Kuwait, held a lecture entitled "Women In Male-Dominated Industries: Gender and Engineering. "The lecture was conducted by Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Gender Ambassador at the Inter-American Development Bank and Founder and Chair of Youth Without Borders. The lecture focused on gender issues in the field of engineering and the importance of diversity and mutual respect.
Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE, in his introduction to the lecture, said that the subject of the lecture comes at a time when the world is struggling with interminable issues. He explained that diversity and gender concerns in the field of engineering are prominent issues that are faced in many countries around the world, but in Kuwait, however, almost 60% of engineering students are female, while the percentage in western countries is much lower.
In her personal introduction, Yassmin described to the attendees how she became interested in the field of engineering because of her passion for "Formula 1" cars. She explained that while growing up, she imagined herself as a race-car driver. When she saw she did not meet the necessary requirements to become a driver, she shifted her attention towards the designs of the cars instead; this prompted her to pursue a career in mechanical engineer.
At the University of Queensland, where Yassmin studied, she said there were 300 male students and only 7 female students who were studying mechanical engineering. This, along with her work experience later, made her aware of an unconscious bias that exists; one that was influenced by one's culture and environment. She explained that regardless of where a person was brought up, they must try to shatter the glass ceilings set by society and pursue their goals in life, no matter how against the norm they may seem.
The lecturer also covered key points regarding gender issues that women face as engineers. Yassmin explained that one of the obstacles faced by women in the field of engineering is that male engineers are generally deemed competent until proven otherwise, while female engineers are deemed incompetent until proven otherwise.
The speaker concluded by stating that diversity in the workplace is important, and introducing new patterns of thinking enhances the work environment and yields better results. "We may not be able to change the entire world, but we can change the world around us," she added.
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.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 23rd November 2016
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2016
Dr Hesham Al-Awadi, Professor of History and International Relations at the American University of Kuwait, shares tips on how to achieve success in life in his new book. Published in Arabic by the Madarek Publishing House, "Kayf?" serves as a guide for surviving today’s world. The book covers over seventy personal and interpersonal communication skills that can be applied at the university, the workplace and in life, and addresses key questions, such as "How to generate new ideas?", "How to determine personal talent?", "How to love math?", "How to give presentations?", and "How to deal with difficult people?"
"Most self-development books tend to focus on a set of skills in a certain area, but no one book in Arabic comprehensively encompasses the basic skills one needs in the aspects of thinking, communication and performing," explained Al-Awadi, who views "Kayf?" as being an important source for students, or any passionate learner, who aspire to succeed and prosper twenty-first century.
Dr. Hesham Al-Awadi is a Professor of International Relations and History at the American University of Kuwait. Before joining AUK, he was lecturer in Modern Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter and Visiting Professor at George Washington University. Al-Awadi has a number of research publications and books. His research interests include gulf affairs, Islamism, and self-development.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 21st November 2016
Fulbright scholar Magda El-Sherbini has recently joined the AUK community where she plans to conduct research at the library to study the impact that the new cataloging standard (RDA) can have on improving access to multi-lingual, multi-script materials, particularly involving Arabic language materials.
In conjunction with this research, she would like to offer a series of workshops and presentations on certain technical services/trends.
Magda El-Sherbini is a professor and Head of Collection Description and Access at the Ohio State University Libraries and adjunct professor at the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science in the United States. She has over 30 years of library experience, especially in cataloging and access services. Her book "RDA: strategies for implementation" which was published by the American Library Association (ALA) is now going into its second edition. She also published dozens of scholarly articles devoted to the technical aspects of librarianship.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 20th November 2016
Members of the AUK community bid farewell to the undergraduate major checklist in an event held by the Academic Advising Center (AAC) on 11th and 12th October, 2016. With the encouragement of AAC staff and student workers, students and faculty wrote bittersweet farewell messages on the last hardcopy checklists and pegged them on a clothesline for display.
Going paperless has been AAC's dream for years, and incorporating DegreeWorks into the advising process efficiently saves paper resources. After months of intensive training, scribing, testing, troubleshooting, and re-testing, DegreeWorks finally came to life at AUK, with the involvement of several departments. Best described as a comprehensive web-based academic advising, transfer articulation and degree audit solution, DegreeWorks promises to streamline the advising experience, and help students graduate on time.
AAC's next mission will be to train all potential users on how to make full use of the different features the program has to offer. These include student planning tools, what-if and look-ahead analyses, advising notes and user-friendly GPA calculators.
Group and individual faculty training are already underway, and students have started signing up for upcoming training sessions at AAC.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 3rd November 2016
Dr. George Irani, Associate Professor of International Relations at the AUK, was invited by Dr. Abdallah Al Shayji, host of the KTV show The Road to the White House, to join him in an episode and share his opinions on the results of the recent US presidential elections and to discuss the cabinet appointments made so far by President-Elect Donald Trump. This was Irani's third visit to the show, and in this episode (aired on 19th November) he was interviewed on how he had correctly predicted Trump winning the elections during his previous visits and discussed the impact the election results could mean to the United States and the world as a whole.
The Road to the White House was aired in Arabic and can be viewed in the link below:
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 20th November 2016
The International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) hosted its 2016 annual conference in Denver, Colorado, where professionals from writing centers around the world exchanged knowledge and experiences in writing center theories and practices. This year's conference, entitled "Writing Center Frontiers," called on the attendees and presenters to challenge writing centers' traditional practices and boundaries and explore new frontiers. AUK's Hanouf Aljuhail, Assistant Director of Learning Support Services, and Hala Botros, Writing Center Academic Support Specialist, attended the conference and conducted a workshop entitled "(Re) Crossing the Virtual Frontier: OWLs Redefined."
The workshop promoted the use of digital platforms for conducting online, real-time sessions with students that expand access and enhance interaction. Through a live demonstration using Zoom, one such digital platform, the presenters encouraged workshop participants to test the possibilities of adding digital platforms to their existing traditional, face-to-face writing center practice. As one more "tool" in their pedagogical "toolbox," the presenters suggested, digital platforms may reduce time and space limitations for many writing centers while simultaneously enhancing the students' experience with the collaborative nature of writing and revision. The workshop also focused on the importance of identifying the specific digital capacities and needs of each writing center, researching various platforms to match needs with platform features, and selecting the appropriate platform for individual writing centers' contexts.
Overall, 527 presenters participated in 315 sessions, covering a wide range of topics in writing center theory and practice. Hanouf described the workshop she and Hala conducted as successful: "Most attendees come from institutions where online learning support doesn't exist or is still in development. Many said they benefited from our thorough research in finding the suitable online educational platform. They also enjoyed the interactive nature of our workshop, where they participated as active users in a ZOOM live session with attendees from Kuwait and the US. They were able to test first-hand the features offered by ZOOM."
AUK ZOOM will launch Writing Center services in Spring 2017. It will enable AUK students to find extended availabilities for sessions with writing consultants during weekdays, evenings, and weekends, from anywhere they have an internet connection. This innovative online learning support service will expand to include Tutoring Center services in Fall 2017.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 17th November 2016
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2016
AUK participated in the 4th Kuwait Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-KCPC 2016), which was held at Arab Open University (AOU) - Kuwait, on October 13th and 15th, 2016. The contest provides an excellent opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills in programming and problem-solving, in addition to meeting fellow students from other academic institutions. The contest fosters creativity, teamwork, and enables students to test their ability to perform under pressure.
This year, 24 teams coming from the American University of Kuwait, Australian College of Kuwait, Gulf University for Science & Technology, Arab Open University, and Kuwait University, participated in the contest. Two teams from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at AUK won the fourth and fifth places, which qualified them to go for the next regional round of the Arab Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ACPC 2016) that will be hosted by the Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST) which will be held at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from 11th to 14th November, 2016.
"Innovation" team, the 4th place winner, consisted of engineering students - Omar Khalil, Marwa Kandil, and Shahad Al-Mousa; while "Syndicate" team, that placed 5th consisted of engineering students - Ali Kelkawi, Batool Hasan, and Yara Al-Quorashy. AUK will sponsor the two teams during the ACM-ACPC.
The teams were supervised and coached by AUK Electrical and Computer Engineering professors Mounib Khanafer and Mohammed El-Abd, who were also chosen to be members of the Steering Committee for future KCPCs.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 10th November 2016
