Dr. Dymitr Ruta Chief Researcher at the Etisalat BT Innovation Center (EBTIC) which is operated in partnership with Khalifa University recently came in 2nd at the International AAIA’14 Data Mining Competition in Warsaw Poland. The competition was organised within the framework of the 9th International Symposium on Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Applications. Dr. Ruta competed against 116 teams of researchers from around the world who submitted a total 1300 competitive solutions in answer to the task posed by the judges.

The task involved the extraction of useful knowledge from fire incident reports obtained by the State Fire Service in Poland. Almost 12 000 risk factors extracted from nearly 260 000 fire reports from the city of Warsaw and its surroundings were provided to the contestants so that they could build a model that would predict the occurrence of serious injuries and casualties among civilians children and firefighters. The objective was to select several risk factors that would deliver the highest accuracy for detecting human injuries and casualties using the Naïve Bayes model. The Naive Bayes model is a popular method of text categorization which addresses the problem of judging documents as belonging to one category or the other (such as spam or legitimate sports or politics etc.) with word frequencies as one of the main features.

Dr. Ruta used his machine learning skills and his ability to process Big Data in order to deliver a very compact model using just 71 factors that achieved a predictive accuracy of 96% just 0.2% off the winning model.

“This is a great achievement for EBTIC and demonstrates its capabilities and expertise in predictive analytics using big data which can be reused for other similar cognitive tasks that require massive amounts of data ” said Prof. Nader Azarmi Director of EBTIC. “EBTIC researchers are world class in their fields and are responsible for filing a large number of patents filed in the UAE. Dr. Ruta’s 2nd place win in this highly contested international competition shows how dedicated our researchers are.”

Two students had an opportunity to visit the University of Tokyo and top companies

Two Khalifa University students had the opportunity to go on an 11-day trip to Japan as part of a field trip to visit the University of Tokyo and top Japanese companies focused on the development of solar and hydrogen energy such as INPEX Mitsubishi and Chiyoda. The students also met with the UAE Ambassador to Japan H.E. Saeed Ali Al-Nuwais.

Rauda Abdulla Al Muhairi an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student and Fatima Juma Al Musharrekh a first year undergraduate engineering student were the students who were selected to go on the trip. While in Japan they were able to tour industry facilities meet with top innovators and even conduct experiments with a University of Tokyo Professor.

Said Rauda “I liked this experience a lot the information I learned about different topics such as optical fibers solar cells and in the future I want to focus more on my lab work because it’s in the lab that we gain most of important information that we need for the rest of our careers.”

“I actually wanted to study Civil Engineering ” said Fatima ” and this experience really makes me want to focus on solar power and renewable energy which is so important to the future of the UAE and the world.”

“Opportunities like these are wonderful experiences not just for our students but for those that they get to interact with in Japan ” said Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla Senior Vice President for Research and Development at Khalifa University. “The ability to share ideas about areas of major international impact like renewable energy are vital to innovation and advancement. Moreover this was a priceless opportunity for two of our undergraduate students to get a taste of what their studies can achieve and where they might go in their careers. I’m thrilled that this trip has influenced what and how they will study in the future.”

 

Students looking forward to a year full of competitions conferences activities and learning.

Khalifa University students and faculty have returned to classes looking forward to an exciting new year of challenges and learning. With an influx of 270 new students and 13 new faculty members to be added to the University’s existing roster of over 160 highly qualified professors and doctors.

Many of the new students are taking advantage of Khalifa University’s new “Direct Entry” Scholarship which is available to UAE nationals who do not have to participate in the University’s Preparatory Program but rather start their freshman year immediately.

The new faculty will be working in a variety of disciplines including Biomedical Engineering Nuclear Engineering International and Civil Security Humanities and Social Sciences Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering Applied Mathematics and Sciences and Industrial and Systems Engineering.

In the coming weeks students will be participating in a special “Club Day” where they can learn about the various extracurricular pursuits that Khalifa University offers as well as special ceremonies recognizing exceptional students for non-academic achievements a ceremony to celebrate the ten winners of the Sheikh Hamdan Award for Distinguished Academic Performance.

These ceremonies are the last ones celebrating last year’s huge achievements wherein students won the top four places at the Higher Education and Scientific Research Smart Applications Award’s; Three best paper wins at the 2014 BCS International Conference; first second and third place wins at Emirates Skills; first and second at the Engineering Students Ethics Competition 2014. Perhaps the biggest achievements of the year were the two teams awarded a million dirhams each as part of the Best m-Government Service Awards for their innovative mobile applications and the accomplishment of the University’s Design/Build/Fly team who placed 7th out of 66 international entries at the AIAA Cessna/Raytheon Missile Systems Student Design/Build/Fly competition held in Wichita Kansas.

Recently six Emirati students and one faculty member received generous awards from the National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The award of 50 000 AED each will fund their innovative research endeavors.

Many of Khalifa University’s returning students were busy over the summer taking part in internships with major companies like Lockheed Martin Boeing and Dassault Aviation and special field trips.

Two students also had the opportunity to go on an 11-day trip to Japan as part of a field trip to visit the University of Tokyo and top Japanese companies focused on the development of solar and hydrogen energy such as INPEX Mitsubishi and Chiyoda.

Many students helped in outreach programs designed to inspire high school students to pursue careers in science and technology including two Med-Camps and a special STEM Camp.

“We are very proud of our student and faculty achievements last semester and their achievements over the course of the summer ” said Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi Khalifa University’s Executive Vice President. “We’re eager to see what the new academic year brings what awards they will bring home what patents they will be granted what discoveries they will make. Every achievement inspires more and every success is a testament to the excellent education that we offer here at Khalifa University.”

Khalifa University offers its students with an exceptional education in a variety of science technology and engineering disciplines as well as a state of the art campus that boasts several high tech labs food outlets and a student hub. In addition students can benefit from the University’s off campus housing and transportation services.

In addition to its facilities Khalifa University also has an active Alumni Association which added 350 members in April after the University’s graduation ceremony. Alumni are invited to speak and mentor current students as many are industry leaders in the region.

The mock drill was part of a wider plan that will include carrying out Fire Drills on a regular basis in all of KU’s buildings

Khalifa University recently held a successful fire drill at its Abu Dhabi campus as part of an overall safety and emergency preparedness plan that seeks to ensure the health and safety of the University’s students faculty staff and visitors.

The thirty-minute fire drill included a fire evacuation exercise and demo about 1000 employees students contractors and visitors were all safely evacuated from the campus.

The mock drill was conducted in order to assess KU’s disaster management skills during an emergency. It was carried out with the objective of creating awareness of fire prevention and to facilitate the efficient evacuation of students and employees from the premises. KU’s health and safety department set up fire prevention equipment for the exercise and the fire safety team took part in the exercise.

Annual Clubs Day aim at exposing new students to the exciting clubs that KU has to offer

Khalifa University held its annual Clubs Day on September 30th 2014 at its Abu Dhabi Campus. The University’s extracurricular and academic clubs gathered to showcase their activities and aims to new and returning students.  

Clubs that were present included: the Art Club ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) Student Organization the MedClub (medicine related) the Game Development Club the Math Club the Chess Club the Media Club the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) Student Chapter the Photography Club the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Student Section the EMBS (IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society) Student Chapter the Nippon (Japanese) Club the Programming Club the Theatre and Talent Club the Emiraiti Club and the Han (Korean) Club. 

Khalifa University also boasts an active sports community organizing men and women’s basketball swimming cycling and badminton tournaments as well as a men’s football tournament that includes teams made up of faculty staff and students.

Dr. Kinda Khalaf Associate Chair for Biomedical Engineering at Khalifa University delivered the keynote address at the recent 2014 Khalifa Award for Education’s International Conference she spoke about Technological Multimedia in the Educational Process.

The conference was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs Chairman of the Council of Trustees of the Khalifa Award for Education with the aim of encouraging educational professionals to excel and to launch innovative educational projects and initiatives. It was held at the Dusit Thani Hotel Abu Dhabi on September 16th-17th.

In addition the conference reviewed scientific research and experiments in the field of education and showcased the UAE’s experience in launching a modern educational system that promotes the national identity and meets the requirements of a knowledge-based society. It also provided a communication platform for experts and educators in education in the UAE.

With high quality programs in Engineering Science and Technology Khalifa University is an incubator for innovation and research

Following the announcement by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President of the UAE Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai of an ambitious “National Strategy for Innovation ” which aims to introduce 30 new national initiatives that will be implemented over the next three years in seven major sectors: Energy Transportation Health Education Technology Water and Aerospace with an investment of  7 billion AED earmarked for research and development Khalifa University has expressed its support and reiterated its commitment to innovation research and development and the education of the youth of the UAE.

“We are very pleased to hear about His Highness’s impressive plan for the future of science technology and innovation in the UAE ” said Dr. Arif Al Hammadi Executive Vice President of Khalifa University. “Khalifa University is already a hub and in many ways a pioneer and driving force for innovation and creativity in the region so we embrace this initiative with open arms.” 

With undergraduate and graduate programs in several key engineering disciplines such as BioMedical Engineering Aerospace Engineering Civil Engineering Industrial and Systems Engineering Mechanical Engineering Electrical and Electronic Engineering Computer Engineering Nuclear Engineering and Communications Engineering Khalifa University directly supports and supplies the human capital for the seven major sectors outlined in His Highnesses initiative.  

Khalifa University also boasts several dedicated research centers which are focused on driving forward development in seven sectors including the Etisalat-BT Innovation Center (EBTIC) which has filed or is in the process of filing 28 patents five of which have been granted.  EBTIC is a specialized research center and the first of its kind in the region that aims to advance intelligent systems technologies for the Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and NGN-enabled ICT applications and services in order to put in place the support infrastructure to facilitate develop and enable the Digital Networked Economy in the UAE and beyond.

Other key research institutes are The Aerospace Research and Innovation Center (ARIC) which undertakes cutting-edge research in aerospace engineering. The center focuses on manufacturing and characterizing the properties of new and novel lightweight materials and structures for use in advanced aerospace applications and the Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) which is designed to be a strategic partnership with the long-term vision of developing a responsible and informed nuclear nonproliferation energy safety safeguards and security culture in individuals who will be making decisions within Middle Eastern nuclear energy programs. 

Khalifa University also boasts one of the top researchers in Type II Diabetes Dr. Habiba Al Safar an Emirati Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor and Researcher at Khalifa University who was recently awarded the first Emirates International Award of Genetic Diseases Prevention in the category of Best Scientific Researcher in the field of Genetic Diseases Prevention. 

“Khalifa University its faculty students and researchers have gone a long way in putting the UAE on the map as a research and innovation hub in the region ” continued Dr. Al Hammadi. “Not only do our students routinely grab the top places in competitions and prizes both nationally and internationally but our faculty are well recognized and respected around the world.  We couldn’t do this without the support of the government and government agencies and we look forward to working with them even more closely in the future as the fruits of this initiative start to grow.  This really is a wonderful proposal to drive advancement in these key sectors and I thank His Highness for his ambition and forward thinking.”

Khalifa University will hold first workshop under its new initiative Reyada- “The Abu Dhabi Innovation Series ” on Monday October 27th at the Fairmont Hotel Abu Dhabi. The workshop entitled “Intellectual property protection and commercialization” will focus on providing guests with the fundamental tools for the protection and commercialization of their inventions and technology in the UAE.  The Abu Dhabi Innovation Series is sponsored by Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). 

Morning sessions will cover the basics of patent and patenting with presentations from Andrew Serafini and Roger Wylie from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton and Ahmed Saleh from Al Tamimi & Co.  The afternoon sessions will share examples from some of the best centers of innovation in the world. Presenters include Dr. Keith Jones from Khalifa University Dr. Lim Jui CEO of NTU Innovation in Singapore and Ben Shaw of CIC in the USA.  The day will wrap up with a panel discussion on what “Innovation Abu Dhabi” might look like. 

The overall Reyada series aims to introduce tools and best practices for the development of the knowledge economy. Outcomes of the series which will feature a number of workshops seminars and events will include an understanding of global best practices and how to shape a framework for innovation that is matched to the opportunities available in the Abu Dhabi. 

The series is open to students university researchers and administrators IP professionals investors entrepreneurs small medium and large enterprises including government agencies and customers for technology products and anybody who wishes to learn more about and to improve their IP processes.

 

Khalifa University launched its new initiative “The Abu Dhabi Innovation Series ” (Reyada). Under this series a number of workshops seminars and events will be organized to introduce the tools and best practices of the knowledge economy. Outcomes will include an understanding of global best practices and how to shape a framework for innovation that is matched to the opportunities available in Abu Dhabi.

The first workshop in the series sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) featured discussions centering on intellectual property protection and commercialization. In particular it focused on the fundamental tools that can be used for protection and commercialization of inventions and technology in the UAE.

The event was opened by Khalifa University senior management President Dr. Tod Laursen and Senior Vice President of Research and Development Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla. The event was also attended by Dr. Amr Elchouemi Research Promotion Manager Higher Education Sector Abu Dhabi Education Council.

The morning sessions covered the basics of patent and patenting with presentations from Andrew Serafini and Roger Wylie from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton and Ahmed Saleh from Al Tamimi & Co. The afternoon sessions shared examples from some of the best centers of innovation in the world. Presenters included Dr. Keith Jones from Khalifa University Dr. Lim Jui CEO of NTU Innovation in Singapore Ben Shaw of CIC in the USA and Dr Ivan Boyd and Dr. Fabrice Saffre from British Telecom. The day wrapped up with a panel discussion on what “Innovation Abu Dhabi” might look like.

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi Executive Director of Higher Education Sector ADEC said: “Organizing technical workshops that tackle research and innovation core-related subjects such as Intellectual Property (IP) and Copyright Protection is part of ADEC’s commitment to establish the research and innovation ecosystem as well as capitalizing on the investment that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi had made in science and technology sectors.”

“There is a lot of discussion about the creation of the knowledge economy and how to put knowledge to work in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Especially following the recent announcement by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai of the ambitious “National Innovation Strategy ” said Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla Senior Vice President for Research and Development. “Diversification of the economy will increase opportunities for Emirati’s at all education levels and strengthen the country which is why Khalifa University has chosen to initiate this series. Our hope is that Reyada can further define the path that the knowledge economy can take and provide local researchers and entrepreneurs with the tools and tactics they need in order to thrive in this exciting new economy. Khalifa University was created with the goal of supporting the knowledge economy and in addition to providing the human capital that will fuel it we believe it is our responsibility to help light the way and provide the knowledge needed to create it.”

Khalifa University and ECSSR to host innovation pioneer Dr. Leroy Hood for inspiring talk

Khalifa University in collaboration with the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) will host world-renowned scientist and biotech innovator Dr. Leroy Hood at ECSSR on Wednesday November 5th at 7:15 pm. Dr. Hood who was elected to the Inventors Hall of Fame for creating the automated DNA sequencer will discuss successful strategies to transfer knowledge into the market.

Dr. Hood will talk about how every scientist has an obligation to transfer their useful knowledge to society and that by using a “Big Science” approach which is a cross-disciplinary systems-driven innovative integrative and milestone-driven approach many problems facing contemporary biological science can be resolved.

In addition to his place in the Inventors Hall of Fame Dr. Hood is a recipient of the National Medal of Science (USA); the IEEE Medal for pioneering innovations in technology; the 2006 Heinz Award in Technology the Economy and Employment; the 2004 Biotechnology Heritage Award; the 2003 Lemelson-MIT Prize for Innovation and Invention; the 2002 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology and the 1987 Lasker Prize for his studies on the mechanism of immune diversity. He has also published more than 750 peer-reviewed papers received 36 patents and has played a role in the founding of 15 biotechnology companies.

Conference explored advances in technology and improvements to modern laboratories

Khalifa University held the 2nd annual conference on “New Dimensions for Modern Laboratories” in collaboration with Cytomed Middle East LLC on November 25th 2014 at the Jumeriah Hotel in Etihad Towers. The conference was opened with a speech from Khalifa University President Dr. Tod Laursen.

The conference looked at many aspects of the management of modern day laboratories including new dimensions in material testing and surface analysis with confocal and interference microscopy proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTRMS) technology and applications fume cupboards importance of high purity gases control equipment’s in complex analysis the art of geological sciences in analytical laboratories and innovations in cold chain management to meet the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) requirements of modern laboratories.

The conference’s speakers came from a variety of international companies associated with the creation and maintenance of laboratories including Dr. A. Paul Ioannidis Vice President International Business for RJ Lee Group International who spoke on “Laboratory Accreditation Types and Requirements ” Tariq Shamsi Area Sales Director Middle East for Koettermann GmbH & Co KG Germany who gave insight into safety aspects in laboratory design Danilo Parlatano Sales Director Leica Microsystems High Growth Markets for Leica Microsystems Italy and Thomas Lingenberg Managing Director of GCE Gas Control Equipment GmbH Germany

“We are very pleased to have held this interesting and informative event for the second year ” said Dr. Tod Laursen President of Khalifa University. “As a leading technology and research driven educational institution Khalifa University possesses many state-of-the-art labs that are dedicated to exploring everything from robotics to nuclear energy and finding ways to improve and update these labs is among one of our highest priorities. By regularly updating our labs with the latest technological advances we ensure that we provide world-class facilities to our students and faculty to pursue their research and obtain the highest quality of education possible.”

Mr. Heballah Habib Director of Cytomed said “It is indeed our pleasure to organize this scientific event for the second consecutive year with Khalifa University. This event embodies the government and private sector partnership that aims to contribute in developing the scientific laboratory practices in various industry sectors by addressing laboratory challenges in ever demanding quality and high international standards. Scientific and technical solutions are presented by highly respected international experts this event is part of our social responsibility activities towards our society.”

 

Agreement to drive Emiratization of key jobs

Khalifa University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) on Wednesday November 12th 2014. Dr. Arif Al Hammadi Executive Vice President of Khalifa University and Mohammed Al Qubaisi Human Resources Director at ADNOC were on hand to sign the agreement which will see ADNOC sponsor a minimum of 150 students a year in addition to providing internships and assistance with mutually beneficial projects.

As per the agreement ADNOC will provide full sponsorship to a minimum of 150 students participating in Chemical Engineering Applied Mathematics and Statistics and Mechanical Engineering. Full sponsorship includes the cost of tuition transport and accommodation as well as conference attendance fees the cost of equipment and software that the students may need in addition to those provided by the university and a monthly stipend. Students sponsored by ADNOC will also have the opportunity to intern with the oil and gas leader and ADNOC even agrees to help students identify worthwhile research projects.

“We are thrilled and honored to collaborating with an esteemed national pioneer such as ADNOC to provide support to our students ” said Dr. Arif Al Hammadi. “This agreement demonstrates the level of collaboration that organizations at the UAE are undertaking to support the Emiratization of the jobs that are key to the UAE’s economy both currently and in the future. This partnership is an important addition to the list of other strategic partnerships with local regional and international leading organizations. The agreement also shows the level of excellence our students enjoy and the importance the diversity and the high-level of our academic and research programs which lead to graduating generations of engineers and future leaders in all key sectors in the UAE.”

Dr. Arif also said: “ADNOC is considered a strategic partner to Khalifa University as is the oil and gas sector which the University strives to support. It’s because of that Khalifa University has made new academic programs available which meet the needs of the UAE’s economy and the sectors that support it. The agreement we are signing today is an example of how the University along with its partners support Emiratization. Khalifa University will continue to support all that maintains the UAE’s positioning and excellence of its citizens.”