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Khalifa University Student Receives UAE Student Award for the Advancement of Postgraduate Education 2020

January 20, 2020

Yusra Abdulrahman, recent PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering graduate from Khalifa University, was one of the four distinguished individuals who received the prestigious UAE Student Awards for the Advancement of Postgraduate Education 2020 during the Gulf Intelligence UAE Forum on 8 January 2020 at New York University, Abu Dhabi.

The UAE Student Awards for the Advancement of Postgraduate Education aims to promote the importance of research-focused education as a major component in building the knowledge capacity and talent required to deliver an innovative R&D ecosystem in the UAE. The award recognizes outstanding masters and PhD students in the country for their exceptional research achievements and celebrates the country’s future industry and academic leaders and role models who will grow the UAE’s R&D hub.

Yusra’s thesis project, which she was recognized for, aims to develop a non-destructive testing and thermal imaging system that tests carbon fiber reinforced plastic and low conductive materials using state-of-the-art techniques and artificial neural networks. It is a new testing technology to improve the testing methods currently used by many industries.

The project will help the manufacturing sector in Abu Dhabi adopt the latest technologies and inspection methods, improving the productivity and quality of the industry. Applying this technology will help Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, achieve sustainable manufacturing growth. Currently, similar technologies are being studied in the USA, Germany, and Canada. Applying this in the UAE will strengthen the country’s global competitiveness.

According to Yusra, she is thankful for the great leadership the UAE, which has provided numerous opportunities for its people to grow and learn. She said: “This alone should encourage everyone to always be concerned with helping the society with integrity and passion, find innovative solutions to advance the country in different fields and set themselves as examples for the coming generations.”

She added: “His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the father of the nation said, ‘Wealth is not money. Wealth lies in men. This is where true power lies, the power we value. This is what has convinced us to direct all our resources to building the individual, and to using the wealth which God has provided us in the service of the nation.’”

Yusra received her BSc in Engineering Management, minor in Systems and Industrial Engineering, from the University of Arizona, USA and her MSc in Engineering Systems Management from Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. She was also a member of the Young Future Energy Leadership program and has co-authored five research papers in scientific ranked journals.

Ara Cruz
News Writer
20 January 2020