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As part of a retreat held by the Center for Continuing Education (CCE) in May to celebrate the conclusion of a successful year, CCE contacted Blank Hunts, an experiential entertainment company, and asked them to create a team-strengthening activity for the staff to participate in. This came in the form of treasure hunt that incorporated several challenges in which the participants had the opportunity to practice and apply their skills in leadership, trust, communication, decision making and teamwork.

The treasure hunt took place in and around 360 Mall. At each location, the participants performed challenges, such as playing a round of dominos while blindfolded, and were put in situations that required them to depend on each other to complete certain tasks. There were a total of nine challenges prepared by Blank Hunts that the participants found to be interactive, educational and entertaining. "I had a blast! I have learned so much about my colleagues, and above all, I have learned that no single person is as smart/strong as a group of people working together," said Nour S. Jaibat, Customer Service Representative at CCE.

Buthaina Alkhubaizi, Director of CCE, explained that such activities help improve productivity and enhance the relationships between the coworkers, helping them create strong cooperative bonds. CCE plans to hold more staff retreats in the future that incorporate different themes while keeping staff members engaged through educational and entertaining activities.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 3rd June 2015

The Drama Program at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) selected All in the Timing, by David Ives, as this year's play for the annual Spring theatre production. The production was held at the Black Box Theatre in AUK and was directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre/Drama, Dr. Kathleen R. Downs, under the auspice of the Music and Drama Department.

The performance featured veteran AUK actors Omar Al-Farsi, Abdulmajid El-Kassem, Yousef Nayef and Sundes Al Blushi, as well as newcomers Rama Sabbagh, Maryam Hassanein, Raghda Rustom, Nezar Al Tabaa and Tariq Al-Haji. Heya Al Jouda and Renad Al Roudham, who usually assume behind-the-scenes roles in previous productions, returned to the Black Box as actors, yet still maintained their previous responsibilities by furnishing the production with props and costumes. The production crew also included Ken Downs, who managed sound, lights and set design, and Sundes Al Blushi who was responsible for the poster design and PR.

The production was done in repertory; a performance method in which the actors played multiple roles in a series of seven one-act plays. "The ensemble of thirteen players immersed themselves in the characters they portrayed and helped each other with their various duties as they worked together to produce the show," explained Dr. Downs

Ives' play uses verbal interplay, ineffective communication and slapstick humor to shine a light on the absurdity of the human condition. The play balances comedic timing and genuine pathos as the characters confront issues such as death, identity and dating. Throughout the four sold-out performances, lighting techniques, costume changes, sound editing and props set-up, the ensemble was able to transform the stage quickly after each scene to set up for the scenes that followed.

The Department of Music and Drama offers a wide range of opportunities for both, beginning and advanced students, within the context of a liberal arts education. The Music and Drama faculty of talented professionals work closely with students to prepare them for campus concerts and plays, and to academically challenge them in the performing arts courses. The department fosters artistic proficiency, cultural appreciation, a sense of community, and a lifelong commitment to the Arts.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 1st June 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) commemorated International Labor Day by taking the opportunity to show appreciation to the campus' subcontracted workers for their commitment and dedication in maintaining University's facilities and security in an event that brought together the entire AUK community. At the event, faculty members and members of the administrative staff volunteered to assume some of the responsibilities of housekeeping, security, maintenance, landscaping, office facilitation, as well as those of the employees of some of the campus' vendors.

The day was officially inaugurated by Shirley Fox, Administrative Programs Officer at AUK, who organized the event and noted how much she loves Labor Day because it offers the chance for the community to acknowledge the sacrifices, hardships and the efforts invested by the staff to keep AUK safe and clean.

Hala Al-Abdulrazzaq, Assistant Director of the Academic Advising Center (AAC), was among the staff members who volunteered to cover a shift. Her duty was to be stationed at one of the campus' gates and spend a few hours as a member of AUK's security team. She explained that the experience made her realize the extent of the responsibilities faced by AUK's security teams on a daily basis. "During my two hour shift stationed at one of the campus gates, I realized the amount of patience the security team requires to manage their daily duties and the weight of their responsibilities. It is definitely not an easy job," she said.

In addition to the faculty and administrative staff volunteering to cover various duties across the campus, various activities were organized throughout the day that brought levity to the occasion and encouraged the workers from different areas to work together in teams. After the activities, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar, Dean of Student Affairs, distributed certificates of appreciation to the workers. AUKause and the Finance Club supported the event by supplying goodie bags to each participant, and the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs provided lunch for the workers and offered refreshments and snacks throughout the day. A raffle draw was also held for the workers, in which prizes such as 100 KD vouchers from the AUK Bookstore, tablets, DVD players, and more, were won. A movie night, sponsored by AUK's Writing Center, concluded the activity-filled day. Ms. Fox thanked the organizers and volunteers for making the day a success. "The Labor Day celebration would not have been possible without the help of all the volunteers who were extremely committed to the success of the Labor Day celebration," she said.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 31st May 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

Two teams of students from the American University of Kuwait (AUK) won Best Poster Presentation Awards at the 7th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference on Applied Computing (URC) held at Zayed University in Dubai, UAE from April 22nd to 23rd, 2015. AUK participated in the Conference with nine projects from the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Capstone Design courses. Dr. Mohammed El Abd of ECE supervised the AUK teams in presenting their projects, entitled: Project Leap, All-in-One Pass NFC Wallet, Vehicle Detection System, The Smart Meter Tracker, Robo-Waiter, MTripleS: A Multipurpose Secure Smartcard System, iPlant: The Intelligent Farming System, An Autonomous Firefighting Robot and Mine-Sweeper Robot.

The objective of the URC is to promote undergraduate research activity at educational institutions in the UAE and across the Arab world by providing a forum for students to present their work and interact with other young researchers, faculty, and industrial leaders. The conference featured 156 participating projects from nine countries including Kuwait, Malaysia, UAE, KSA, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Oman, and Qatar. In addition to student presentations and posters, the conference program included talks by prominent speakers in academia and relevant industries.

The senior design capstone courses (CPEG475 and CPEG480) at AUK are courses, in which students deliver a product that has passed through planning, design, implementation, analysis, testing, evaluation and documentation stages; the work requires creative thinking and problem solving and is important for students' academic, personal and professional growth. The capstone project must satisfy a number of requirements by the department and is an extensive piece of work. The ECE holds an exhibition of the capstone projects every year, but this year's participation in the URC and resulting awards is a marker of especially high quality work.

The two winners of the Best Poster Presentation Award at URC were the projects "All-in-One Pass NFC Wallet" and "iPlant: The Intelligent Farming System." The NFC Wallet is technology with the ability to combine multiple accounts into one safe, convenient and wearable pass for a variety of consumers. The product aims to eliminate the need for many smartcards and includes three main elements: wearable technology with an embedded smart chip, a web-based phone app and a smart reader to recognize the chip and provide security for the owner. This approach to integration of smart ID in wearable technology is relatively new and consequently few solutions exist, providing a prime market for the NFC Wallet, with a focus on payment transaction and building management systems.

The team was composed of Alaa Eddin Al-Chalabi, Samer Essa, Haseeb Shahzad and supervised by Dr. Issam Damaj

The project "iPlant: The Intelligent Farming System" also won Best Poster Presentation Award at the conference. iPlant is a system for the agricultural sector in Kuwait that is self-sustaining through environmental interaction: its robotic system monitors and broadcasts plants' vital information and can dispense water, nutrients and care based on this data, thereby reducing usage of natural and financial resources. The iPlant team developed the system with Kuwait's weather in mind and the subsequent need for non-traditional agricultural systems. iPlant is designed to be used in greenhouses and it includes two parts: one, an environment controlling system to stabilize temperature and humidity, send the user climate reports and detect smoke; and two, a line following robot that plants and waters the soil.

The team was composed of Bashayer Al-Beeshi, Bashayer Al-Mesbah, Sara Al-Dousari, and supervised by Dr. Mohammed El-Abd.

In addition to these achievements, many engineering students have published the work developed in their capstone projects in both regional and international conferences over the last three years. These accolades include 11 referenced conference publications; 12 short papers, abstracts in conference proceedings and posters; and 13 exhibition participations.

The mission of the ECE department is to provide high-quality engineering education centered on the key principles of liberal arts; specifically, lifelong-learning, critical thinking, and effective communication. The department prepares students to become successful engineers and to contribute effectively to their profession and community.  


Alaa Eddin Al-Chalabi Receiving Award


Bashayer Al-Beeshi and Mohammed El-Abd Receiving Award


Alaa Eddin Al-Chalabi Poster Presentation


Asayel Al-Mutawa and Jumana Al-Jaber Poster Presentation


Bashayer Al-Beeshi Poster Presentation


Hessa Al-Hasan and Reem Al-Sane Poster Presentation


Salma Chiko Poster Presentation


Shahad Al-Mourad Poster Presentation

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) held its Academic Showcase in April 2015. This annual event highlights the achievements of AUK faculty and students across varying disciplines through presentations, performances and displays. The Academic Showcase, which has been a tradition since 2005, offers a unique opportunity for members of the AUK community to share their accomplishments and come together to celebrate learning and collaboration.

Dr. Rawda Awaad, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, welcomed the attendees to the Showcase and thanked all of those involved in organizing it and noted the extraordinary growth of the event since its inception 10 years ago. She also praised the students who participated, and thanked them for continually reminding the community that sometimes learning goes beyond the classroom.

The Showcase covered a variety of presentations, ranging from visual artwork, foreign language trips, and recitals of prose and poetry. Additionally, the Showcase featured academic presentations by members of the faculty of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, as well as a short play entitled "A Singular Kind of Guy" performed by the Drama Department, and a musical recital. The Intensive English Program concluded the two-day event with a dramatic rendition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which included an unexpected dance number.

The Academic Showcase is held annually as a celebration of AUK's mission to "foster an environment encouraging critical thinking, effective communication, personal growth, service, and leadership."

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 4th May 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) sponsored the Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Award for Journalistic Excellence in 2015. This marked the third consecutive year for AUK to sponsor this initiative, which is organized annually by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) with the aim of encouraging journalists in Kuwait to observe best practices in delivering news to the public. AUK supported the initiative by offering a venue for a media workshop held by the Thomson Foundation; the world's longest established international media development organization. AUK's contribution comes as part of the institution's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives that supports maintaining professional standards in journalism across the Arab world and encouraging young journalists to achieve their career objectives.

"AUK has consistently been supportive of this competition, which aims to promote best practices within the different fields in journalism and to develop the skills of young Kuwaiti journalists," explained Mr. Ayman Al-Ali, Chairman of KUNA Labor Syndicate and the Award Organizing Committee. "After a third successful year of AUK's sponsorship of our winners, we look forward to further collaboration opportunities with AUK this year and in the years to come," he added.

The Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Rawda Awwad, expressed that AUK always is eager to sponsor such initiatives that help in the development of professional integrity. "At AUK, we pride ourselves in the quality of education we offer our students and we are committed to initiatives that give us opportunities to share our knowledge and skills with our community," she said.

The 5-day workshop, themed "Investigative Journalism", was delivered by the renowned investigative journalist Yosri Fouda, and it covered a wide range of topics including the use of research methods in investigative reporting, verifying credibility of sources, tools and techniques in conducting interviews, and risk calculation among others. The workshop included interactive exercises where participants had the opportunity to practice some of the techniques they learned and received feedback on their performance.

The workshop, which was specifically designed for professional journalists, took a holistic approach to journalism by displaying how different components of a news item could come together to create a comprehensive story. According to Fouda, investigative journalists must possess not only a high level of inquisitiveness, but also a passion for the story they are investigating, and the vigilance to deliver it with integrity. Although it may involve time, effort, and risk, investigative reporting offers journalists a rewarding sense of accomplishment as it contributes to societal well-being, Fouda explained.

In addition to the workshop, Fouda conducted a lecture to AUK students entitled "Arab Media in a Changing Arab World". AUK students took the opportunity to attend and express their views about the political climate in the Arab world and how it influences current media practices. This talk was co-organized by the AUK Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences, and Engineering (RISE), along with the PR & Marketing Department and REACH Club.

Following the workshop, a ceremony was held for participants to receive their Certificates of Completion from the Thomson Foundation. The closing ceremony was attended by Yosri Fouda on behalf of Thomson Foundation, along with Ms. Amal Al Binali, AUK Vice President of Public Affairs, Dr. Ali Charara, Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Mr. Ayman Al Ali, Chairman of the Journalistic Awards Committee.

"I've had a most pleasant experience on AUK campus. It's not every day that one feels that young and cheerful coming across students, faculty and staff who take education seriously but not forget to have fun in the process. With my best wishes to all, I'll be looking forward to visiting AUK once more, hopefully in the near future", Fouda said of his experience.

Yosri Fouda is an award winning pioneer of Arab TV investigative journalism and author of a number of books, including Top Secret and In Harm's Way. Previously, Fouda held the positions of Editor/Presenter at the Egyptian TV network, ONTV; Senior Investigative Correspondent and London Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera; Middle East Deputy Editor at APTV; and Senior Roving Reporter at BBC. He is also a visiting professor at The American University in Cairo(AUC).

The Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Award for Journalistic Excellence was founded in 2008 and was named after the late Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, Prime Minister, who has spared no effort in developing this award. Last year, AUK offered a 3-day workshop to contest winners conducted by AUK professors of communications, Dr. Mohamed Satti and Dr. Mohammad Akbar. The workshop covered Broadcast Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 4th May 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015

Yasir Tineh and Batul K. Sadliwala, students from the American University of Kuwait (AUK), were selected by the College of Arts and Sciences to represent the University at the 55th Annual Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD from April 13th-15th, 2015. Batul was awarded the prize for best international essay for her paper "Energy Security and the US Pivot to Asia: The Caveats of Energy 'Independence.'" Dr. Roman Kulchitsky, who read and commented on the winning paper, acknowledged Batul's "amazing capacity to understand and analyze global events and issues."

Founded in 1961, the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference brings together undergraduate students from around the world for three days of critical discussions, lectures, informal exchanges, and social events surrounding foreign affairs. This year's conference theme was "Sustainability and Sovereignty: Global Security in a Resource-Strained World" and explored global resource challenges and natural resource conservation strategies as relation to foreign policy. The conference is very prestigious and can be intimidating, noted Dr. DeAngelis who nominated the students; however, both students approached it with grace and confidence.

The roundtable discussions of the conference allowed Batul and Yasir to interact and debate with collegiate peers from over a dozen different countries. The conference included keynote lectures by prominent foreign policy leaders, such as Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, USN (Ret.), Assistant Secretary of the Navy Energy, Installations and Environment, Mr. Robert J. Duncan II, Senior Vice President of Nuclear Operations Duke Energy Corporation and Mr. Kurt Campbell, Chairman and CEO of The Asia Group. There was a panel each day on a different topic: Food and Water Security, Energy Security and Resource Conflict.

Additionally, the conference required submission of a thematically relevant research paper, which both Yasir and Batul created and revised under the guidance of various professors and colleagues. Yasir's paper discussed United States resource security as related to past foreign policy, specifically with countries in the Middle East. Batul wrote about the relationship between energy and national security and viable foreign policy strategies regarding natural resources for the United States. Dr. DeAngelis describes Batul and Yasir as "amazing young scholars" and notes how pleased and proud she is to have been a mentor to the two. She thanks everyone involved for their support and AUK for making the trip possible.

Two AUK teams won the Kuwait finals for Microsoft Imagine Cup 2015 competition and qualified for the Pan Arab Semifinals coming up in June 2015 in Bahrain. This year's competition was held at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) under the sponsorship of the Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences and Engineering (RISE). The Imagine Cup, in its 9th year in the Gulf, is Microsoft's initiative to encourage young people to apply their imagination and creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference and address pressing world issues.

The 2015 Kuwait Imagine Cup began with a series of keynote addresses by Dr. Ali Charara, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at AUK; Charles Nahas, General Manager, Microsoft Kuwait; Bashar Atout, CEO of Al Diyar United Co.; and Fahad Mohammad Al Menayes, Group Chief Information Officer of Burgan Bank. The student presentations followed, where students explained their creative technological innovations, including motion-based educational tools and games to support mental health research. The competition brought together teams from AUK, American University of the Middle East (AUM), and Gulf University for Science & Technology (GUST). Each team was given ten minutes to present their project and perform a live demo, followed by a five minute Q&A session with the judging panel.

The winning teams were announced during the awards ceremony: The Innovation category winners were the Geeksters from AUK for their application LinkGo, augmented reality software for smartphones that brings reading to life for a variety of learning styles. The World Citizenship category winners were the Skywalkers from AUK for their system PostFix, a wearable pad and a software solution that alerts users of poor posture and provides monitoring tools to improve health. The Geeksters comprises Hala Al-Faisal and Fatemah W Malallah and the Skywalkers are Aya K Al Toukhy, Darin H Kablaoui and Hala Al Faisal - both groups worked under the mentorship of Dr. Amir Zeid who expressed delight that "all AUK participating teams this year were females, which I consider a very positive phenomenon", explaining that computer studies are usually male-dominated fields in the United States and many other parts of the world. The winners of the computer gaming category came from GUST for their RPG style educational game "Hover Knight - the Quest for Graduation," a program to improve students' decision making and problem solving in an engaging way.

During the entertainment hour of the event, judges convened to determine the competition winners and the audience enjoyed a surprise hip-hop dance performance. This year's judges were: Bashar Atout, Ghada Y. Al-Amer, Technical Support Manager of KUFPEC, Jamal Raja Al-Enezi, Information Technology Planning Team Leader of KOC, Fahad Mahammad Al Menayes, and Maytham Safar from the Computer Engineering College at Kuwait University. The 2015 Microsoft Kuwait Imagine Cup at AUK was also made possible by Burgan Bank and Al Diyar United Company.

The Imagine Cup 2015 allows students to bring their technological ambitions to fruition with the help of Microsoft resources and guidance. The competition is broken into three tiers of competition: Games, Innovation and World Citizenship. The Games tier invites creative students to produce a game on the following platforms: Windows (PC or touchscreen), Windows Phone, Xbox Indie Games or Kinect SDK. The Innovation tier includes innovative, ground-breaking and appealing software engineered by students using Microsoft tools and technology. Lastly, the World Citizenship tier is built for solutions to global challenges - apps to help reduce world hunger, raise environmental awareness or provide better access to education, for example. This year's winners brought a variety of technological innovation to the competition, impressing both the judges and the audience.

AUK has been involved with the Imagine Cup for the last six years, but 2015 marks the first year that the competition was held on campus. Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE, has mentored 5 different winning AUK teams in past years. This year, eight teams from Kuwait participated, and three of the top five groups came from AUK. Dr. Zeid noted that this year's sponsorship by RISE aimed to support AUK student innovation, and will continue to promote creative learning outside of the classroom. AUK teams have won regional titles in the Imagine Cup for many years: 1st Place Mobile Award in 2009, 1st Place Software Design Award in 2010, and 2nd Place Software Design Award in 2011. In addition, three AUK teams qualified for the world Finals in Poland in 2010, New York in 2011 and Sydney 2012.

The Geeksters and Skywalkers of AUK will represent Kuwait in Bahrain in the Pan-Arab Semi finals where they are going to compete against teams from 13 different countries. The winners of the Pan-Arab semi-finals will have the chance to move on to the Imagine Cup World finals in Seattle, Washington in July 2015.

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.  


Opening remarks by Dr. Ali Charara, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences


Opening Remarks by Mr. Charles Nahas, General Manager of Microsoft Kuwait


The Judges Committee


AUK team - Skywalkers- from left Aya Al Toukhy; Darin Kablaoui; and Hala Al-Faisal


AUK Team - Geeksters - From Left, Fatemah Malallah and Hala Al-Faisal


Eman Karam representing AUK Team- Novators


Audience including AUK administrators, students, parents, and external visitors


Team Mentors, from left, Dr. Israa Omran, GUST University; Dr. Amir Zeid, AUK; and Dr. Seifedine Kadry, AUM

AUK Winning Team - Geeksters - Innovation Category


AUK Winning Team - Skywalkers - World Citizenship Category


GUST Winning Team - Keybladers - Gaming Category


From Left Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE Center receiving Sponsors Award from Mr. Charles Nahas General Manager of Microsoft Kuwait


The three winning teams with the judges committee holding boarding passes to Bahrain


AUK Imagine Cup teams from previous years with Dr. Amir Zeid


From Left Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE Center; Mr. Charles Nahas General Manager of Microsoft Kuwait


Mr. Munawar Mullaji, AUK Multimedia Equipment Technician, discussing Imagine Cup team technical support prior to the event