Culture & Education | Sunday 29 March, 2015 1:11 am |

Student researchers at American University of Sharjah (AUS) were honored at the Annual Student Research Award Ceremony held at the AUS Main Building this week. The annual awards organized by the AUS Office of Research and Graduate Studies and sponsored by Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) and British Petroleum (BP), at AUS.
The 27 winners of the 2014–2015 academic year awards were chosen by a faculty committee, from a pool of nominees presented by the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Engineering; and the School of Business Administration. An AUS selection committee evaluated each project according to communication and presentation, completeness of application, depth of research and investigation, and innovation as well as creativity.
Attending the ceremony were Kevin Mitchell, AUS Interim Provost; Dr. Khaled Assaleh, Interim Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies; Khalad Abdalla, Head of Internal Division at SIB; Mohammad AlNakhi, Technical Adviser in BP UAE; and other AUS senior officials, parents and students.
Dr. Assaleh explained the selection process of the winning students. “A committee of faculty members selects a group of projects from the applications by students and the selected projects get sent forth to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, which acts as a facilitator. The university-level committee then selects and evaluates all the projects recommended by the colleges and selects a subset of these projects.”
“Many of the undergraduate students we honor at this ceremony end up continuing their graduate studies on the same winning topics,” said Dr. Assaleh.
Mitchell then welcomed representatives, students and parents to the ceremony and thanked the sponsor representatives for their support in advancing students’ research. “AUS benefits from extensive collaborations with external partners who support faculty and student research. Sharjah Islamic Bank and BP have contributed immensely to advancing student research through their generous, and long-standing, support of the Student Research Awards program,” he said.
“AUS is committed to educating lifelong learners who display mastery in the core competencies of their areas of specialization, and who communicate clearly, think critically and solve problems creatively. The students receiving awards for their research represent a variety of modes of intellectual inquiry that reflect the strength and diversity of disciplines at AUS,” added Mitchell.
AlNakhi from BP spoke next and thanked the AUS faculty and students for their hard work. “It was very interesting to go through the projects from the different colleges at AUS, see the different teams and their efforts. It gives us a chance to stay up-to-date with new initiatives and projects,” he said.

–Ends–
For more information, please contact:

Miriam Kiwan, Director of Strategic Communications and Media, mkiwan@aus.edu

Nazzal Yousef, Director of Media Relations +971 6 515 2157, nyousuf@aus.edu


About AUS

American University of Sharjah (AUS) was founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The university was envisaged by His Highness as a leading educational institution in the Gulf region. Located in University City, Sharjah, AUS is a not-for-profit, independent, institution of higher education formed on the American model.

It offers 26 majors and 52 minors at the undergraduate level, and 14 master’s degrees through the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Engineering; and the School of Business Administration. These programs are designed to meet the challenges of a competitive and dynamic business and industrial environment.

As a provider of quality higher education in the Gulf, AUS is licensed and its programs are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the United Arab Emirates. AUS is accredited in the United States of America by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

The bachelor of science degree programs in chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering offered by the College of Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org). The bachelor of science degree program in computer science offered by the College of Engineering is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org). The Bachelor of Architecture program of the College of Architecture, Art and Design is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) of the United States. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) as well as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degrees offered by the School of Business Administration are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).