April 7, 2022,

​Four Emirati alumni from the Department of Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) have won the “Seeds for Future 2021”  competing against teams from 15 universities in the UAE. The competition was organized by Huawei and Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).

AURAK electronics and communications engineering graduates, Maryam Al Ali, Naema Alharmi, Ghaya Alhebsi and Reem Alnuaimi, were awarded a trophy and prizes for their project titled “Photovoltaic System Efficiency Improvement Using Machine Learning,” during the awarding ceremony held by Huawei on the 29th of March, 2022.

The team aimed from their project to improve electric power generation from solar panels using artificial intelligence. Thus, they applied various methods for supervised and unsupervised machine learning to enhance Photovoltaic System electricity generation efficiency and made recommendations for future improvements.

The group was mentored by Dr. Maen Takruri, Director of ICONET and Associate Professor of Electronics and Communications Engineering, and Dr. Maissa Farhat, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering.

Dr. Takruri expressed during the ceremony his gratitude for the opportunity given to his students by saying that this program equipped his engineering graduates with essential skills that complemented the academic knowledge obtained during their university studies. He added that the program sharpened the students technical expertise and provided them with entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

“Our students received eight-day training by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts in Huawei headquarter and entrepreneurship trainings delivered by IN5 training center, where they were given a better understanding of the future of ICT trends as well as pushed one step ahead towards successful careers,” said Dr. Takruri.

The Seeds for the Future Competition is a learning and training initiative that provides students with a competitive platform to bring their innovative, technological ideas and projects to the forefront and allow them to transform their ideas into effective products and tangible realities through support from program partners.

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah is a globally accredited university by the Ministry of Education in the UAE and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in the USA. It is also rated five-star by the QS international star rating system, while ranking as a Top 50 university in the MENA region. AURAK offers a total of 28 unique programs at both the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels across its three schools; the School of Arts and Science, the School of Business and the School of Engineering.