Proceeds from the conference toward scholarships for AUD students
Dubai, April 4, 2012. The American University in Dubai (AUD) School of Engineering, the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), and the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (DTMFZA), jointly organized the 2012 Deep Foundations Institute Middle East Conference (DFIMEC 2012) at AUD.
Mr. Mohamed Al Bahri, Executive Director of the Zoning Authority Development Control at DTMFZA, who stressed the importance of the partnership between government, professional, and academic organizations, attended the conference opening ceremony. His speech was followed by welcoming remarks by Dr. Mamdouh Nasr, General Manager of Implenia UAE, who is also the current Chair of the DFI Middle East Committee.
During the inauguration ceremony, AUD and DFI announced that the net proceeds from the conference would be allocated toward scholarships for AUD students.
The conference, which was held on AUD's campus in Dubai Media City, boasted more than 150 researchers, professors, consultants, contractors, and students who shared their knowledge in the fields of deep foundations and geotechnical engineering. They discussed current developments and trends in areas such as design of piles for super tall buildings, innovative excavation and soil improvement methods, numerical analysis of foundations, and construction of underground structures and tunnels.
Keynote speakers included world-renowned experts such as Emeritus Professor Heinz Brandl of the Vienna University of Technology, Emeritus Professor Turan Durgunoglu of Bogazici University, and Mr. Serge Varaksin of Menard Geosystems in France. Speakers from more than 10 countries spanning across five continents presented their work in plenary and poster sessions, and a number of outstanding papers were selected for publication in the DFI Journal. Alongside the conference, an exhibition featuring major international consultants and contractors was organized to showcase the latest technologies. A three-day intensive course focusing on numerical analysis of earth systems preceded the conference. The short course was co-organized by Plaxis BV, a leading provider of software for civil engineering and earth structures applications.
Mr. Rudolph P. Frizzi, Immediate Past President of the DFI, commended AUD for "facilitating the DFI mission by creating a forum where practitioners, contractors, academicians, and students all came together to share ideas and exchanges their experiences." Mr. Frizzi, who was a keynote speaker at the conference, is a Senior Principal with Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, an international consulting firm headquartered in the USA.
The Conference Chairman, Dr. Alaa Ashmawy, Dean of the AUD School of Engineering, highlighted the importance of holding such an event at the university. "This conference provided undergraduate and graduate students with an opportunity to learn about real-world foundations from real-world experts. The co-organizers ensured that all students and faculty, not only from AUD but from all institutions in the region, were offered free registration to all conference events - technical and social," he said.
"This presentation was worthy of a whole conference," said Dr. Sahadat Hossain of the University of Texas, following the first keynote speech. "You can count on me attending next year's conference," he added. His opinion was echoed by other participants who praised the technical level of the presentations. "So pleased with the success of the conference, [with] professional topics presented by experts from numerous places," said Mr. Emad Sharif, UAE Branch Manager at the Arab Center for Engineering Studies.
During the conference, Mr. Rudy Frizzi met with AUD student leaders to discuss the activities of the newly established DFI Student Chapter at AUD. AUD recently became the first university outside the USA to have an official student chapter of the DFI. Following the event, the DFI Middle East Committee elected its new officers for the 2012-2013 cycle.
ABOUT DTMFZA
Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (DTMFZA) is the sole independent regulator of Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone.
Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone was established in 2000 to promote Dubai as a globally competitive hub for knowledge-based industries and thereby drive Dubai's sustainable growth by developing and operating free zone business parks dedicated to these industries.
The Free Zone includes a total of 9 business parks, owned and managed by TECOM Investments. Each operates as a distinct entity, covering four industry clusters - ICT, Media, Education and Sciences.
ABOUT DFI
Deep Foundations Institute was incorporated in 1976 in the State of New Jersey as a 501(c)(6) non-profit association. DFI can best be described as being a technical association of firms and individuals in the deep foundations and related industry. The Institute membership is worldwide.
Mission Statement: The Institute is organized to serve as a primary means through which members of the Institute may participate in improvement of the planning, design and construction aspects of deep foundations and deep excavations. The basic mission of the institute includes but is not limited to the following:
- To affiliate contractors, engineers, owners, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers and other persons concerned with the planning, design and construction of deep foundations and protection of deep excavations.
- To improve and extend knowledge of new ideas and practices of geotechnical design, construction and installation.
- To encourage and participate in the practical application of research related to deep foundations and deep excavations.
- To gather, catalog and disseminate information to effect the most economical design and construction for support of structures on deep strata and for protection of deep excavations.
- To improve understanding by the public and by government bodies of the deep foundation industry.
- To establish contacts with other groups working on related goals in the United States and abroad.
- To participate in or conduct such other activities as will best promote these foregoing purposes.
About AUD
The American University in Dubai (AUD) is a private, non-sectarian institution of higher learning founded in 1995. It serves UAE nationals and international students who seek world-class career-oriented education. AUD, as an international institution of higher education, encourages global understanding by providing an atmosphere of cultural diversity and opportunities for an international education.
AUD is accredited by the Commission on Colleges (COC) of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
AUD is officially licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the United Arab Emirates. The Ministry has accredited the university's programs in International Studies, Business Administration (both undergraduate and graduate), Communication and Information Studies, Engineering, Computer and Information Technology, Computer Science, Architecture, Visual Communication and Interior Design, Education (graduate), and Construction Management (graduate), in addition to a Certificate program in Middle Eastern Studies.
AUD is approved to operate by the State of Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (NPEC).
AUD has received specialized accreditation for its Bachelor's of Business Administration (B.B.A.), and Master's of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree programs in business through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). The university's undergraduate concentrations in Marketing Communications and Advertising (Creative) have been accredited by the International Advertising Association (IAA) in New York.
The Civil, Computer, and Electrical Engineering Programs of AUD's School of Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Technology (B.S.C.I.T.) program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
For more information, please visit www.aud.edu.
For more information, please contact
Ms. Rim Ibrahim
Marketing Communications Coordinator
American University in Dubai
T. +971 4 3183 139
E. ribrahim@aud.edu
© Press Release 2012
