The widening horizons of mobile communication technology were discussed at a recent workshop hosted by the Centre of Excellence for Innovation and Creativity (CEIC) and the Canadian University Dubai (CUD) School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The Centre of Excellence and CUD, both subsidiaries of Dubai Education LLC, jointly organized the unique event that brought together practitioners from different dimensions of the communications arena to discuss how mobile technology in particular has transformed practices in the field.
Opening the debate was Mr. Morrad Irsane, Co-Founder of the community trading and networking app Meltoo Marketplace, and Ms. Soukaina Rachidi, the organization's Media Relations Coordinator. As a serial entrepreneur, Morrad has always had an eye for an opportunity, but it was the growing prevalence of affordable mobile technology that led to the creation of his latest venture.
"The mobile communication platform is a quick, simple and cost-effective way to start an enterprise, and Dubai is one of the best places to do it," he revealed. "We are in the age of the app, and the UAE, with its relatively small marketplace and multinational population, is a 'digital silk route', offering great potential for market entry and huge scope to reach a global audience."
Film veteran and Emmy Award winner, Mr. Allan Nicholls, went on to give an entertaining and enlightening insight into the evolution of the movie industry, reflecting on the marriage of audio and visual technology that formed the foundations of modern cinematic entertainment.
Inspiring women entrepreneurs, Ms. Mai Medhat and Dr. Shereen Ahmed, revealed how they had each taken advantage of mobile technologies, in two very different ventures.
Tech enthusiast Mai described how she transformed the complex process of events management through her integrated organizational app, Eventtus, while 'Women in STEM' award winner Shereen explained how she set out to make shopping trips safe and fun with her family-focused app, Mall Hunt.
Academic insights into the subject were provided by Dr. John Kanyaru, who spoke about the curriculum content and teaching techniques involved in mobile application development programs, and Dr. Wided Dafri who gave an overview, in Arabic, of the historical developments of the Smartphone.
Concluding the workshop program were CUD engineering students Mohammed Baziyad, Ahmed Farrag, and Moad Kawan, who have applied their own education and experience of mobile communication technologies to develop an application that is currently in the running for the 1 million AED prize in the UAE m-Government Awards.
Delivering a vote of thanks, Dr. Franziska Apprich, Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, encouraged everyone to embrace the opportunities offered by mobile communication technologies and to continually explore and innovate.
The event attracted an audience of faculty members and students from across the University's Schools of Business Administration, Environment and Health, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Sciences, alongside business professional and practitioners in the field.
Dr. Kiran Tangri, Director of CEIC said, "The diverse range of speakers and participants we saw at this workshop demonstrates how far mobile communication technology has gone to transform our daily lives.
"From the way we learn, network, conduct business, socialize, and even access entertainment, mobile communication tools have become fundamental to the functioning of society, and our aim is to facilitate dialogue and inspire innovation and creativity that will support the continued evolution of these technologies."
For further information, please contact:
Naheed Maalik, Senior Manager,
Marketing & Communication, Canadian University Dubai.
P.O.Box 117781, Dubai,
United Arab Emirates.
Phone: +971 4 7096801,
+971 50 2277301
Email: Naheed@cud.ac.ae
Website: www.cud.ac.ae
© Press Release 2015
