From Innovative Teaching Methods and Student and Faculty work displays to many activities and competitions

As part of the UAE’s National Innovation Strategy launched in October last year by H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad launched the Innovation Week to be held from November 22-28 this year. The American University in Dubai has answered the call to celebrate innovation by organizing a week’s worth of activities on campus, which will be open to the public.

President Dr. Lance de Masi comments, "New ideas, new solutions and new perspectives deserve consideration by a world in search of betterment of the human condition. Innovation is alive at AUD, and I'm pleased that Innovation Week is providing us with a framework for celebrating innovative thinking and doing among the members of our community. Three years ago at Commencement, I said, 'Innovate or die.' I meant it then. And I mean it now."

The highlights of Innovation Week at AUD activities include a conference on Innovation in Architecture with star Japanese Architect Sou Fujimoto held on November 22, 2015 in the auditorium. Sou Fujimoto is the rising star of Architecture worldwide, selected by the Wall Street Journal as Innovator of the year 2014.

The School of Arts and Sciences at AUD is organizing a Life Science Education Day, where booth zones will have educational posters, props, quizzes and prizes, some experiments and displays.

As for the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication, they are launching “Make your Ideas Visible”, a student competition where participants will have to pitch on Instagram an original story idea in 15 seconds while including three prompts that they select randomly from three pre-determined categories. The posted Instagram video will be shared online to boost its spread and encourage people to vote selecting the “people’s choice” for original idea.

Another event title “Recycling Innovations for Creativity” will have a Studio Art professor work with students to create large-scale artworks using various materials they will have collected for recycling in their creative project. It will include recycled bottles, cans, bottle tops, coffee pods, paper, containers, and other suitable up-cycled or waste materials. The images they will create could potentially be of the Dubai Royal Family and may also be relevant to the upcoming ‘National Day’ celebrations.  The completed work from this project will be put on display within AUD’s School of Architecture, Art and Design.

Senior students in civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering will display their design projects, and will be available to interact with the public and answer questions. Inventions include a solar energy machine that generates water from the atmosphere, a solar-powered electric car, a foldable solar charging mat, an intelligent fire suppression system, a hydrofoil assisted unmanned surface vehicle, and a 3D mobile phone image display.

The School of Engineering is also organizing a wooden bridge competition for students as well as movie nights throughout the week.

On display throughout the week will also be the students’ completed projects in Digital Media, from the International Intermedia Workshop on ‘Augmented Reality and User Experience - New Possibilities of REAL Driving’ as well as Architecture and Interior Design works from the “First Architecture and Interior Design Awards” and “Swedish Wood Meets Arabia Design and Build” Competition Winners.

An innovative art exhibition by a professor entitled ‘Drinkable’ will also be on display. Another Architecture professor will hold a workshop on Innovation in Recycling.

Seminars on innovative teaching methods include ‘Cultures of the Middle East’ Culinary Festival where the professor will explain her Diplomacy of the Dish teaching method. There will also be a talk on ‘Engaging Students in and out of the Classroom’ using technology, and another on ‘Innovative Development of Dubai Design Culture Using Pecha Kucha Presentation Format’. Finally, professors in Engineering accompanied by industry professionals will hold seminars and workshops throughout the week.

Further information can be found on the university’s website www.aud.edu