HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan to deliver opening address at conference to promote academic-industry partnership for sustainable engineering excellence & innovation
The Dubai Engineering Challenges 2008 conference opens today (Monday 14 April) at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) Dubai Men's College campus. Coming under the spotlight will be the engineering challenges shaping the sustainable future of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
More than 1,000 delegates consisting of industry leaders, engineering professionals, educators and engineering students will provide a stimulating forum to debate industry best practice, solutions to the impending skills shortage and ways in which innovation can overcome the unique challenges facing the region's engineering projects.
HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research will deliver the opening address, no doubt impressing upon delegates the role that industry can play in producing world class graduates with the skills to find solutions to tomorrow's engineering challenges.
Also on the conference programme is an impressive line-up of leading industry experts who will be speaking about the specific challenges that they face with their own iconic projects. Dr Gary Mocke, Coastal & Oceans Manager at Worley Parsons Infrastructure will be explaining the effects of the rapidly changing coastlines of the Middle East and the unique engineering problems they create.
"The scale and nature of coastal developments in the UAE have increased markedly over the last five years. The reclamation of massive offshore island projects are without precedent globally," said Dr Mocke.
In addition, the substantial challenges presented by the construction of Dubai's $4.5 billion Metro - the most ambitious transportation project in the Middle East, will be presented by Dan Savage, Design Manager for the above-ground stations of the Dubai Metro for Atkins & Partners Overseas.
Elsewhere on the agenda, Angus McFarlane, Technical Director of Hyder Consulting Middle East will present the technical innovation necessary to complete the tallest building in the world: The Burj Dubai tower.
Two further topics which are bound to motivate healthy debate will be 'Women in Engineering - Challenges of the 21st Century' to be presented by Engineer Nazek Hussain Al Sabbagh, and 'Investing in Innovation: Bringing together Technology & Investors in The Clean Tech Space', a presentation which will be made by another female engineer, Andrea Gysin.
Dr Philip Hicks, Director, Dubai Men's College, commented, "With so many unique engineering projects going on all around us both in Dubai and in the UAE as a whole, it is imperative that higher educational institutions such as the Higher Colleges of Technology produce suitably trained and highly-qualified graduates who are adequately prepared to cope with the challenges that will face them in the workplace. The skills needed to complete these innovative projects are in short supply and the only effective way to address that issue is through education with industry taking an important partnership role."
Underscoring the importance of forging commercial and academic links between educational institutions and industry, Dubai Engineering Challenges 2008 is receiving widespread industry support. Key sponsors include Emaar Industries & Investments, Khansaheb Civil Engineering, ESR Technology, Otis, UNIMIX,
Hyder Consulting Middle East, Mouchel and China State Construction Engineering Corp Middle East. The conference is being held in association with the Society of Engineers - UAE, and in partnership with ITP Publishing Group for media and StudioArt for creative production.
Running in conjunction with the conference will be the inauguration of the HCT Centre of Engineering Excellence, the Dubai Engineering Challenges exhibition, and the Alfred Nobel: Networks of Innovation travelling museum.
For more details, please visit: www.dubaiengineeringchallenges.org
-Ends-
About Dubai Men's College:
Dubai Men's College, one of the 16 colleges of the Higher Colleges of Technology, was established in 1989 to offer high quality education to the Emirate of Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The College offers programs in Business, Information Technology, Communication Technology and Engineering and awards Diploma, Higher Diploma and Bachelors degrees. More than 2000 students have graduated from the college and it currently enrolls approximately 2000 students and employs 250 faculty and staff. The College relocated to its permanent new campus in the Academic City - Al Rauwayya, four years ago. In addition to state-of-art technologies, this new campus incorporates first-class sports, educational and recreational facilities. For more information please visit Dubai Men's College website at: www.dbm.hct.ac.ae for the latest news about college life.
For media enquiries
Nathalie Visele
Director
Shamal Marketing Communications
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel.: +9714 365 2713
Fax: +9714 427 8703
Cell: +9715 0 457 6525
E-mail: nathalie@theshamalgroup.com
Web: www.smc-pr.com
Manal Emam
Media & Public Relations Coordinator
Dubai Men's College
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: 04-4038309
Fax: 04-3260303
Mobile: 050-4599241
Email: manal.emam@hct.ac.ae
Web: http://dbm.hct.ac.ae
© Press Release 2008
