Higher Colleges of Technology Center of Engineering Excellence inaugurated by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan
A Center of Engineering Excellence located among some of the most advanced and ambitious engineering projects in the world was inaugurated in Dubai yesterday (14 April 2008) by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The new center at the Dubai Men's College campus is one of several being set up through the Higher Colleges system of the United Arab Emirates to serve as focal points for best practices, Sheikh Nahayan said at the Dubai Engineering Challenges 2008 conference.
"More and more in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates today, cutting edge engineering projects are distinguishing our progress," he added. "Indeed, this Center of Engineering Excellence is located among some of the most advanced, cutting edge and ambitious engineering projects in the world."
He praised the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, the UAE President, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"Dubai is moving forward with clear and effective strategies for the future," Sheikh Nahayan said. "State of the art engineering projects demonstrate Dubai's aspiration for innovation and achievement and its leadership in developing modern, sustainable and responsible facilities."
The engineering challenges shaping the sustainable future of Dubai and the UAE came in focus at yesterday's conference, the first activity of the new center of excellence, attended by more than 1,000 delegates including industry leaders, engineering professionals, educators and engineering students.
Leading industry experts described the engineering challenges provided by the rapidly changing coastlines of the Middle East; the construction of Dubai's $4.5 billion Metro system; the challenge for women in engineering; the bringing together of investment and technology; and the technical innovation in constructing the tallest building in the world - the Burj Dubai tower.
"The intention was to bring together practising engineers and engineering students to hear about and discuss the challenges, the problems and the solutions that face us in the rapid and exciting development of Dubai," said Dr David Hall, chair of the conference and Dean of Engineering and Information Technology at Dubai Men's College. "The underlying theme has been sustainability - perhaps the greatest challenge of all."
In the past 20 years, the UAE Higher Colleges of Technology have graduated more than 2,300 engineering technology students, many of whom are involved in the transformations taking place in Dubai and the UAE.
Dubai Men's College, home of the new center, currently has 1,800 registered students, all of whom are UAE nationals, and offers 35 technical and professional programmes. Engineering programmes include aviation, civil, electrical and mechatronics.
Underscoring the importance of forging commercial and academic links between educational institutions and industry, Dubai Engineering Challenges 2008 received widespread industry support.
Key sponsors included 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 was 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 and the inauguration of the HCT Centre of Engineering Excellence was the Dubai Engineering Challenges exhibition and the Alfred Nobel: Networks of Innovation travelling museum.
For more details, please visit: www.dubaiengineeringchallenges.org
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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 enrols 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.
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© Press Release 2008
