Issue 6, February 2020
32 Teams Vie for Honors at US$5 Million Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020 Khalifa University Welcomes New Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students KU Students Develop Airline Chatbot for Travelers EBTIC Researchers Win Best Application Paper at SGAI Conference for AI Solutions
Khalifa University’s 2019 YFEL Members Honored for Successfully Completing YearLong Program
Experts from Khalifa University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences Discuss Key Topics at Arab Health Congress 2020
The Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) outreach program is one of the most dynamic platforms in the UAE for fostering tomorrow’s leaders.
Talks Covered Simulation in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radiology, and Management of Mullerian Anomalies 1 KU TIMES
ABOUT KU TIMES KU TIMES IS A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE KHALIFA UNIVERSITY MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT. IT AIMS TO KEEP OUR STAKEHOLDERS INFORMED AND UPDATED ABOUT KHALIFA UNIVERSITY’S LATEST BREAKTHROUGHS, CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH, COLLABORATIONS, INITIATIVES, STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND NEWS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT AN IDEA FOR AN ARTICLE, NOMINATE STUDENTS OR OTHERS TO BE INTERVIEWED, PROVIDE SUGGESTIONS ON TOPICS YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ ABOUT, OR SIMPLY WANT TO LEAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE EMAIL US AT COMMUNICATIONS@ KU.AC.AE.
Contents
Khalifa Universit Masdar Institute WFES 2020
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Vip Visit Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, visited the main campus of Khalifa University on 6 January 2020. It was a great honor for KU to welcome Her Excellency to the campus.
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The Impact of PV Shades in Reducing Heat Stress in Oil and Gas Industry
ty’s e at
KU Professor wins Scientific Medal from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid
46 Khalifa University’s Masdar Institute Showcases Latest Research Innovations in Advanced Sustainable Technologies and Clean Energy at WFES 2020
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KU Research Develops Novel Drug Delivery System Using White Blood Cells to Target Atherosclerosis
KU Students Develop Airline Chatbot for Travelers
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32 Teams Vie for Honors at US$5 Million Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020 TEAMS REPRESENTING EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA, ASIA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE UAE COMPETE IN FOUR ICONIC UAV AND UGV-RELATED CHALLENGES.
Student and faculty, achievements, campus activities, & student activities
The Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC), a US$5-million biennial international robotics competition organized by Khalifa University, brought together 32 teams from 19 countries to participate in a series of challenges designed to push the boundaries of robotics and drive the development of autonomous solutions to address some of the most pressing societal challenges. The competition was held from 23–25 February 2020 in Abu Dhabi, in parallel with the Unmanned System Exhibition (UMEX) and Simulation & Training Exhibition and Conference (SIMTEX) 2020. Around 400 top robotics experts from 32 international teams from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and the UAE took part in MBZIRC 2020. The competition, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), included three challenges and a triathlon type Grand Challenge. The challenges proved to be exceptionally difficult. While teams were encouraged to carry out each challenge autonomously, sometimes they would choose to switch to manual mode, and control the unmanned aerial vehicles and ground vehicles remotely, in order to complete the challenge. However, completing the challenge in manual mode would garner less points. Each team got two attempts at every challenge.
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Dr. Lakmal Seneviratne, Technical Chair, MBZIRC 2020 Organizing Committee, Director, Center for Autonomous Robotic Systems, Khalifa University, and Professor, Mechanical Engineering, explained why the teams are given two chances at each challenge: “We’re aware that the teams have to compete at different times of the day and things like the sunshine and shadows and lighting conditions and wind speeds all affect how the drones
manage their tasks. This is why we give the teams two attempts at each challenge, but it’s also important for future applications of robotics. As humans, we’re not affected by sun or shadows or a bit of rain, so our robots need to be unaffected too—it’s all about pushing the boundaries and we expect our competitors to be able to handle different conditions.”
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Challenge 1
Capture flying objects Drones and airports or restricted areas have been a very expensive problem and one that will increase. In addition to risking safety and security, the associated disruption can be devastatingly expensive. This challenge required a team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to track and detain their rogue targets autonomously.
Challenge 1 Winner The Beijing Institute of Technology
Challenge 2
Construct a structure Search and rescue operations can be as dangerous for the rescuer as the people they are trying to save. Autonomous vehicles can be a massive boon in these rescue attempts, going where it’s unsafe for people to go, or doing things humans aren’t physically capable of. The second challenge required the unmanned vehicles to locate, collect, transport, and assemble different objects into a pre-defined shape, in an environment that simulates a realworld disaster.
Challenge 2 Winner The Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU KU TIMES 6
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Challenge 3
Firefighting in a high-rise building
As more people move to cities, the demand on housing increases and space has become a premium. High rises are a natural solution, but they come with their challenges. House fires are devastating in traditional low-rise housing, but when an apartment or office is 50 stories up, how are the authorities meant to effectively fight fire? This challenge requires unmanned drones to identify threats and put a stop to them.
Challenge 3 Winner University of Seville-Tecnico Lisboa-CATEC
The Grand Challenge Triathlon
In the final challenge, the unmanned vehicles are put through their paces in an arduous triathlon, which combines elements of the first three challenges. The winners of the Grand Challenge will have proven their expertise in engineering, machine learning, robotics, and AI – and proven that they’re deserving of the $500k prize.
Grand Challenge Winner The Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU
These challenges required participating teams to display their skills and technical advances in fast autonomous navigation in semi-structured, complex, and dynamic environments, with reduced visibility (smoke or hazy conditions) and minimal prior knowledge. They were also challenged in robust perception and tracking dynamic objects in 3D, sensing and avoiding obstacles, GPS-denied navigation in indoor-outdoor environments, physical interactions, complex mobile manipulations, and air-surface collaboration. The largest event of its kind, MBZIRC aims to inspire future robotics development in areas that are critical for human progress and prosperity. The reputation of MBZIRC has reached that of global competitions such as DARPA, which is considered as one of the strongest competitions at the international level in terms of difficulty and the value of the awards.
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Globally-Renowned Robotics Experts on MBZIRC 2020 Jury Panel There were 10 international judges in addition to 10 judges from among Khalifa University faculty to ensure that the finalists comply with all MBZIRC 2020 evaluation criteria. They certified the final scores for each trial of the four MBZIRC Challenges. Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive VicePresident, Khalifa University, is the Steering Committee General Co-Chair for MBZIRC 2020. International jurors included Dr Paolo Dario, Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Director, BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy; Dr. Ousama Khatib, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, US; Dr. Satoshi Tadokoro, Professor of Graduate School of Information Sciences (GSIS), Tohoku University, Japan, and Dr Marcelo Ang, Associate Professor, Department
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of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Dr. Rachid Alami, Senior Scientist at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research), Dr. Jianwei Zhang, Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Hamburg, Dr Ron Arkin, Professor of Computer Science, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Dr. Rainer Bischoff, Head of Corporate Research, KUKA Roboter, and Dr Tamim Asfour, Professor, Institute for Anthropomatics and Robotics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The jurors delivered keynote speeches at the MBZIRC Symposium, which took soon after the competition, from 2627 February.
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First-Ever MBZIRC Symposium Attracts Over 400 International Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Experts
The day after MBZIRC 2020 concluded, Khalifa University organized the inaugural MBZIRC Symposium, which welcomed more than 400 international robotics and artificial intelligence experts, who discussed the role of competitions in advancing future innovations.
Engineering Humanoids with Motion Intelligence’, while Dr. Rainer Bischoff (Robotic Industry), Chair of the Department of Analytical Biochemistry, University of Groningen, offered his views on ‘From Challenges to Innovation in RobotBased Automation’.
The two-day symposium (26-27 February) at the ADNEC offered the MBZIRC 2020 teams an opportunity to showcase their projects directly to industry representatives, in order to further increase interest and raise awareness, while facilitating opportunities for research collaborations.
Dr. Jianwei Zhang, Professor and Head of Technical Aspects of Multimodal Systems (TAMS), Department of Informatics, University of Hamburg, spoke about ‘CrossModal Learning of Intelligent Robot Systems’. There were also special sessions on cooperative robotics and aerial robotics.
A plenary discussion by the MBZIRC organizing committee, jury members and the international teams focused on current challenges in robotics development and recommendations for future robotics competitions. They also evaluated to what extent competitions such as MBZIRC 2020 help foster research and innovation robotics and artificial intelligence. Dr. Oussama Khatib, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, spoke about ‘Robotic Divers for Oceanic Discovery’, while Dr. Paolo Dario, Professor of Biomedical Robotics and Director of The BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA), shared his perspectives on ‘Frontiers of Biorobotics and Bionics Science and Engineering’ Dr. Tamim Asfour, Institute for Anthropomatics and Robotics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, focused on
Other leading robotics experts who presented at the symposium included Dr. Pedro Lima, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) University of Lisbon; Dr. Marcello Ang, Associate Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering National University of Singapore; and Dr. Ronald Arkin (Robotic Colonies), Regents’ Professor, Director of Mobile Robot Laboratory, Georgia Tech; and Dr. Rachid Alami, Senior Scientist (Directeur de Recherche) at French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Participating teams and other robotics experts presented papers at the symposium that included an engaging, and informative lineup of invited talks, presentations, and workshops seeking to foster innovation and research excellence in robotics and artificial intelligence. 9 KU TIMES
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Top 300 Students Honored and Invited to Join KU’s Golden Key Chapter The Student Success Department at KU organized “KU Honors Day” to recognize more than 300 students for their excellent academic performance during the 2019-2020 academic year. The event was held at the Main Campus in the presence of Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of KU, Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice President of KU, Dr. Derek Woolins, Provost, Deans, Faculty and the wider KU community on Tuesday, 17 February. During the ceremony, KU inaugurated its Golden Key Honor Society Chapter, which is the first chapter ever in the Middle East, and invited its high-achieving students to join and become part of one of the world’s best networking groups. By extending Golden Key membership to its top-achieving students, KU is not only reaffirming its commitment to help students realize their full potential, but it is also setting a new standard of academic excellence in the region.
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Khalifa University’s Project on UAE’s Values of Tolerance Showcased to Diverse Religious Leaders
Khalifa University today showcased a ‘Digital Repository for Abu Dhabi’s First Non-Muslim Cemetery’ – touch-screens offering details of those buried at the Sas Al Nakhl Non-Muslim Cemetery to various religious leaders as part of the university’s initiative to celebrate the values of tolerance in the UAE. Religious leaders representing the Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox and other Christian churches, as well as leaders from Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths attended the event during which they acknowledged the efforts behind the project. The touch-screens provide details of the deceased, buried from the early 1960s to 2012. According to available records, around 450 known individuals of 15 different faiths were buried at the cemetery between 1963 and 2012. Since the year 2012, all non-Muslim burials have been shifted to the Bani Yas Graveyard.
TOUCH-SCREEN DEVELOPED BY STUDENTS OFFER DETAILS ON MORE THAN 450 INDIVIDUALS OF 15 DIFFERENT FAITHS BURIED BETWEEN 1963 AND 2012 AT SAS AL NAKHL NONMUSLIM CEMETERY
His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Member of the Executive Council, head of the Department of Community Development, was present on the occasion. Religious leaders who attended the event included Rev. Fr. Gandolf Wild, OFM Cap., Vice Secretary to His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder, and Rev Fr Abishai Vase, both from St Joseph’s Cathedral – Abu Dhabi, Rev. Canon Andrew Thompson of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church – Abu Dhabi, Rev Martell Menlove from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – Abu Dhabi, and Rev Father Mikhail Bilmilad Hani Youssef, Coptic Orthodox Church – Al Ain. Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive VicePresident, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “Khalifa University is privileged to have contributed to this historic project and developed these touch-screens as part of its commitment to the values of tolerance, which demonstrates the UAE’s enduring acceptance of other religions, as directed by the country’s leadership.
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The cemetery project is a perfect illustration of the UAE’s diverse and inclusive culture, and the values of co-existence and peace that have been key pillars of the country, right from the beginning. Khalifa University has undertaken this initiative to preserve and promote religious harmony, an important legacy of the UAE.�
Gathered meticulously by several university students including 10 students from Khalifa University, the Sas Al Nakhl (Umm Al Nar) Non-Muslim Cemetery project was the culmination of several months of dedicated work. The project was led by Dr. Athol Yates, Assistant Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, Khalifa University, with support from Abu Dhabi Police. The touchscreen application is designed to mimic a virtual guide to the first non-Muslim cemetery in Abu Dhabi. Details of the individuals, extracted from death certificates, belonged to the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Armenian Apostolic, Apostolic Christian, Coptic Orthodox, Indian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Protestant, Evangelical and various Christian denominations, as well as Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh faiths. The touchscreen offers details of a deceased individual, such as name, religious affiliation and other information as catalogued from the death certificates. Users of the touchscreen will be able to view an aerial photograph of the cemetery showing the location of graves, as well as background information about the cemetery, statistical details and relevant information.
The touchscreen also makes it easy to access the full list of those known to have been buried at the Sas Al Nakhl Non-Muslim Cemetery, with location of individual graves and tombstones.
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KU Undergrad Student Wins 1st Place at the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Imaging Systems and Techniques
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Khalifa University’s BSc in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science student Khadeeja khaled Aljaberi won first place in the Student Poster Competition at the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Imaging Systems and Techniques, which took place from 8 – 10 December 2019 in Abu Dhabi.
resolutions of probes operating at higher frequencies (in the GHz) are better, the cost and complexity of the system increases at higher frequencies, and the system’s stability is compromised. Which is why developing probes that can operate in the lower frequency ranges (e.g. UHF Band), while producing decent quality and high resolution images, is critical.
The poster describes Aljaberi’s experiments on near-field microwave imaging probes, which was conducted as part of her independent study course under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Abou Khousa, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Research Associate Andri Haryono.
Addressing this issue, Aljaberi experimentally investigated the behavior, sensitivity and resolution of three microwave probes labelled as probe A, B and C, which operated at 530MHz, 630MHz and 780 MHz, respectively. These probes were designed with different lateral dimensions of the probe’s spiral resonators. Aljaberi concluded that by reducing the lateral dimensions, the imaging resolution of the probes operating at the UHF band (MHz) was comparable to the imaging resolution of probes operating at higher frequency bands (GHz).
“The project focuses on experimentally investigating the resolution of nearfield microwave imaging probes which are based on a square spiral resonator design. The aim was to enhance the probe’s imaging resolution while the operating frequency is maintained in the UHF band (300MHz – 1000MHz)” Aljaberi shared. Near-field microwave imaging could be used to see hidden or embedded objects in a structure. It is useful for numerous industrial applications, including surface crack detection, mapping of corrosion and inspection of composite materials. Microwave frequency range starts from as low as 3MHz (HF Band) up to 300 GHz (mm Band). While the imaging
“In conclusion, the resolution of the first two probes – A and B – was found to be 4mm. While the third probe – Probe C – had a resolution of 3mm. Each probe successfully produced a 2D image of a metal sample. The images were then compared to the images taken by microwave imaging probes operating at 24, 33 and 70 GHz. It was experimentally proved that Probe C (operating at only 780MHz) had a better resolution compared to the probes operating at 24GHz and 33GHz. Additionally, it had a similar imaging outcome compared to a probe operating at 70GHz frequency,” Aljaberi shared.
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KU Success at the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority Hackathon
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Offering the opportunity for skilled individuals
First place was awarded to the team including
to showcase the future of Abu Dhabi through
Ahmed Al Dhanhani, Farah AlKurdi and Amenah
the applied use of artificial intelligence, the
Abood Salem from KU. This team took the
Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (ADDA) issued four
challenge issued by the Department of Transport
challenges to teams comprising government
and investigated an Adaptive Toll System, based
employees, academia, and private sector
on historical data of traffic throughout the
startups.
capital. Their model predicted traffic behavior and provided a solution for re-routing traffic for
The ADDA Hackathon was in collaboration
decongestion via an adaptive toll system.
with KU’s Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems Institute, with a number of students
Second place went to Ahmad Obeid, Maryam
from KU and EBTIC. At the ADDA Hackathon
AlShehhi, Abdel Gafood Haddad, Mahmoud Khalil
2019, 16 teams competed from various UAE
and Mohamed Alzarooni. This team proposed a
and international universities.
solution for visual animal tagging to solve the Wildlife Management challenge. Their solution
“The Hackathon involved applying artificial
involved replacing physical animal tags with an
intelligence to tackle challenges set by Abu
intelligent visual identification system to help
Dhabi government entities,” explained Dr.
identify patterns and perform predictions on
Ahmed Al Shoaibi, SVP Academic Affairs at
essential day-to-day animal functions.
KU. “The participating teams comprised a mix of government and industry employees,
In third place, Nada Alhashmi, Abdulla
as well as university students. I’m pleased to
Alshimmari and Begad El Houty were the KU
report that the top three awards were won by
team members taking the Government Policy
teams led by KU students.”
Management challenge, in which they developed a virtual assistant to augment ADDA employee
Each challenge was issued by a government
functions around policy and standards enquiries.
department and focused on applying artificial intelligence to a real business challenge.
The winning teams received monetary prizes
The 48-hour hackathon saw teams develop
and official certificates and were also invited
solutions for wildlife management, city traffic
to present their solutions at the preliminary
management, inspection route management,
session in the Digital Next to Global Audience in
and government policy management.
Abu Dhabi in December 2019.
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Khalifa University Receives Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award
Khalifa University was awarded, for the second time, the Innovative Research & Development Award at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Awards ceremony held last 29 January 2020 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. The Global Water Award is an initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage research institutions, individuals, and innovators, not only from the UAE but from around the world, to help solve the water shortage problem that we are experiencing worldwide. The award is given out by the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), which functions under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. It has three main categories, the Innovative Projects Award, Innovative Research and Development Award, and the Innovative Individual Award.
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The Khalifa University research recognized was led by Dr. Banu Yildiz, Assistant Professor of Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering. The project is a low-cost desalination project that uses a distiller coupled with a gravity solar water heater. H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council and Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, honored the 10 Global Water Award recipients. The awards ceremony was also attended by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation; and Dr. Hamad bin Sheikh Ahmed Al Shaibani, Director-General of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai. Directors of government departments, ambassadors,
consuls general, public figures, officials from the public and private sectors, and representatives from local and international universities and research centers were also in attendance. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “At Suqia, we are committed to working on one of the key objectives set by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives foundation, which is Humanitarian Aid and Relief by contributing to providing safe and clean water. In this regard, I thank the Emirates Red Crescent and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment for supporting Suqia in implementing sustainable water projects in 36 countries around the world, to provide drinking water for over 9 million people.� 19 KU TIMES
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Khalifa University and EBTIC Honored at Abu Dhabi Awards for Intellectual Property Khalifa University and Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC) have won the awards for Highest University with Filed Patents and Most Inventive Research Center at the Abu Dhabi Awards for Intellectual Property. EBTIC’s pioneering research in the field of next intelligent ICT technologies has resulted in a robust portfolio of novel intellectual property, totaling 67 filed/being filed patents and 55 issued/allowed patents. Khalifa University has filed over 400 invention disclosures and has a total
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of 126 issued patents. Dr. Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Dr. Yousof Al-Hammadi, Acting Dean of Graduate Studies, and Dr.Nawaf Almoosa, Center Director of EBTIC, received the awards today on behalf of Khalifa University and EBTIC. The awards reflect KU’s and EBTIC’s commitment to translating their innovative research into useful products and services that can benefit society and drive economic growth
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Khalifa University Welcomes New Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students Khalifa University hosted an orientation to welcome incoming undergraduate and postgraduate students of the second term of the 2019-2020 academic year at the KU Main Campus. The new batch of students attended induction activities that introduced them to campus life to help them jumpstart their academic journey.
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During the orientation, the new undergraduate students were able to meet the academic staff and advisors who will help them become future leaders in science, technology, and engineering. The students also toured the campus to familiarize themselves with the different areas such as labs, research centers, and facilities on campus. A Student Peer Mentoring Program session was also conducted to support them in adjusting to university life and help them plan their academic career and goals. A separate orientation was held for new postgraduate students to learn about KU’s Master’s and PhD programs and important resources. They also met with academic staff and heard from current graduate students who shared their academic experiences at KU.
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Introducing Dr.Samuel Mao, Masdar Institute’s New Senior Director
Dr. Samuel Mao joins Khalifa University as the new Senior Director of Masdar Institute to bring his extensive experience in developing cuttingedge technologies, and promoting international collaboration and global commercialization of energy and environmental technologies to the UAE. In July, Dr. Mao delivered a lecture on KU Main Campus discussing the route from innovation to commercialization for sustainable energy technologies. He covered the research of solardriven photocatalytic hydrogen, and the commercialization of the world’s first lithium battery-powered heavy-duty hybrid electric truck. Dr. Mao’s ambitions for Masdar Institute and Khalifa University at large center around delivering sustainable energy technologies to industry as well as academia. His main focus is ensuring the efforts and innovations of staff and researchers at the university can be optimally commercialized.
After receiving his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 2000, Dr. Mao established the Institute of New Energy in Shenzhen, China, and began helping to commercialize sustainable energy technology. His background and experience over the last ten years will see him drive similar efforts at Masdar Institute and benefit the university beyond its contributions to science and academia. Dr. Mao has published 160 research articles that have received more than 42,000 citations, and is the holder of 80 patents in the United States and abroad. In addition to co-founding three international materials and energy technology conferences, he also speaks globally and serves as a technical committee member, program review panelist, grant proposal evaluator, and national laboratory observer for the US Department of Energy.
KU/APEC-MIT Joint Workshop Teaches Students to Use a Programmable-System-on-Chip on SAN Campus A revolution is occurring for designers of embedded control systems. New integrated circuits are available that combine analog, digital, and programmable functions in a single package, with flexible pin assignment, voltage, and power levels. Dr. Vinod Khadkikar, Dr. Hatem Zeineldin and Dr. Balanthi Beig from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Advanced Power Energy Center (APEC) organized a workshop to show students how to use
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a programmable-system-on-chip (PSoC), where attendees assembled a mobile robot and control it using a PSoC. This technology is completely changing our ability to make extended measurements for long periods of time in the field, and to make responsive systems that control energy consumption based on these measurements. In collaboration with MIT researchers, KU is using sensing and signal processing technologies to create controls and measurement systems for aerospace systems.
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KU Professional Development Week for New Professors Khalifa University conducted a Professional Development Week for new faculty joining the KU community at The Hive, Building M of the Main Campus. The week-long event included training sessions and workshops designed to enhance teaching practices, strengthen relationships between colleagues, and provide support to faculty members. Some of the topics covered are Design Thinking, Multiple-choice Question (MCQ) Writing, Seven Habits Foundation, The Lecture-free Classroom, Linguistic Knowledge Needs of Science Teachers using English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI), and Teaching with Technology.
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KU Students Develop Airline Chatbot for Travelers A team of Khalifa University students has developed a chatbot that will ease the flight booking process for group travelers. Team Safratna, comprised of BSc in Aerospace Engineering students Ashwaq Alkaabi, Shamsa Alyaarbi, and Amna Almatrooshi, was among the six finalist teams of Etihad Aviation Group’s Fikra University Competition 2019. The competition aims to empower talented university students across the UAE with hands-on experience in solving real-world problems in the aviation industry and encourage them to produce original solutions through creative thinking. The chatbot, called Wahjini, was developed by Team Safratna to help group travelers with basic airline booking. When booking flights, the bot will include the whole group in a chat where they can choose their choice of destination and travel dates. The chatbot will also be able to send high-value upgrade suggestions, targeted offers, personalized recommendations, real-time flight notifications, as well as help check the visa requirements and process for the chosen destination. After everything has been finalized, the bot will then send the details to an Etihad agent to complete the booking. The team presented their project to a judging committee that included Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group and other chiefs and executives from Etihad Aviation Group, SAP, Cognizant, and IBM. Demo day was held at the Abu Dhabi Youth Hub on 15 December 2020.
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Khalifa University Student Receives UAE Student Award for the Advancement of Postgraduate Education 2020
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Yusra Abdulrahman, a recent PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering graduate from Khalifa University, was one of the four distinguished individuals who received the prestigious UAE Student Awards for the Advancement of Postgraduate Education 2020 during the Gulf Intelligence UAE Forum on 8 January 2020 at New York University, Abu Dhabi. The UAE Student Awards for the Advancement of Postgraduate Education aims to promote the importance of research-focused education as a major component in building the knowledge capacity and talent required to deliver an innovative R&D ecosystem in the UAE. The award recognizes outstanding masters and PhD students in the country for their exceptional research achievements and celebrates the country’s future industry and academic leaders and role models who will grow the UAE’s R&D hub. Yusra’s thesis project, which she was recognized for, aims to develop a nondestructive testing and thermal imaging system that tests carbon fiber reinforced plastic and low conductive materials using state-of-the-art techniques and artificial neural networks. It is a new testing technology to improve the testing methods currently used by many industries. The project will help the manufacturing sector in Abu Dhabi adopt the latest technologies and inspection methods, improving the productivity and quality of the
industry. Applying this technology will help Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, achieve sustainable manufacturing growth. Currently, similar technologies are being studied in the USA, Germany, and Canada. Applying this in the UAE will strengthen the country’s global competitiveness. According to Yusra, she is thankful for the great leadership the UAE, which has provided numerous opportunities for its people to grow and learn. She said: “This alone should encourage everyone to always be concerned with helping the society with integrity and passion, find innovative solutions to advance the country in different fields and set themselves as examples for the coming generations.” She added: “His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the father of the nation said, ‘Wealth is not money. Wealth lies in men. This is where true power lies, the power we value. This is what has convinced us to direct all our resources to building the individual, and to using the wealth which God has provided us in the service of the nation.’” Yusra received her BSc in Engineering Management, minor in Systems and Industrial Engineering, from the University of Arizona, USA and her MSc in Engineering Systems Management from Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. She was also a member of the Young Future Energy Leadership program and has co-authored five research papers in scientific ranked journals.
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KU Open Day 2020
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Students from highschools and universities across the UAE had an opportunity to learn about Khalifa University’s Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programs, scholarship opportunities and on-campus life during the 2020 KU Open Day, which took place on Saturday, 15 February. The event witnessed large crowds of potential students seeking information from faculty and current students about the academic programs and activities offered at KU. With 13 Bachelor’s degree programs, 16 Master’s degree programs, one Doctor of Medicine program and two PhD degree programs with 11 optional concentrations, Khalifa University remains one of the most sought-after universities in the UAE for both Emirati and international students to fulfil their professional and career ambitions. Khalifa University has consistently remained a top-ranked institution in the UAE for three successive years while remaining among the top 30 Asian universities. For ‘Engineering & Technology’ subjects, the
university is ranked among the top 200 by the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, while in the US News & World Report’s 2020 Best Global Universities Rankings the university is ranked 114th worldwide. At the same time, the university has become the first-ever in the UAE to be placed among the top 300 academic institutions globally by the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings 2020. Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice-President, Academic and Student Services, Khalifa University, said: “Such international acknowledgements confirm the quality of world-class education, and our status as an eminent academic institution in the UAE and the region. Our university continues to evolve with the UAE’s rapidly expanding national goals and nurture an innovation ecosystem required for the country’s knowledge economy transformation. The university brings together the best in science, technology engineering and medicine in the UAE, offering specialized degrees that can take promising high school graduates all the way to top-rated doctorate degree-holders.” 31 KU TIMES
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Undergraduate Students Receive Future Teacher Scholarships from Ministry of Education Nine KU undergraduate students have received “Future Teacher” full scholarships from the Ministry of Education after signing their MOE contracts on 3 February 2020, bringing the total number of students at KU who have Future Teacher scholarships to 83. We are proud to partner with the MOE and support
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University of Minnesota Students Tour Khalifa University’s Main Campus
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A group of MBA students from the University of Minnesota, USA visited the Khalifa University Main Campus on 12 January 2020 to learn more about KU’s position as a world-class educational institution dedicated to producing academic research that has local and international impact and relevance. Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice President, Academic and Student Services, gave the group an overview of KU’s different graduate programs and research centers and the opportunities, advantages, as well as challenges of higher education in the UAE, specifically, in Abu Dhabi. The visitors also toured the campus, and visited different labs and facilities. They also enjoyed a guided tour of the Body Worlds Museum, where plastinated bodies are displayed to provide a detailed look on how the human body works.
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Over 60 Government Institutions, Companies, and Private Sector Organizations Explore Talent at Khalifa University Career Fair 2020
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More than 60 government institutions, companies and private sector organizations participated in the Khalifa University of Science and Technology annual Career Fair 2020 to identify and recruit talented students and future leaders, capable of becoming full-fledged professionals and contributing to the UAE’s growth. Organized by the Khalifa University Career Services department at the Main Campus, the annual Career Fair 2020 witnessed the participations of organizations including Etisalat, UAE Ministry of Education, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), UAE Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA), Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (TRANSCO), Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Abu Dhabi Municipality, Abu Dhabi Police, DP World, du, Dubai Asset Management, Emaar Group, Emirates Steel, Etihad Aviation, National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, RAK Properties, Smart Dubai, Strata Engineering, Tadweer, and Tawazun Economic Council. Other participants included ABB Industries, Aramex, Baker Hughes, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Diehl Defence, EMITAC Healthcare Solution, Ernst & Young, GE, General Motors, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Mott Mac Donald, Petrofac International, Samsung Engineering, Schlumberger, and Schneider Electric. Each year, Career Services organizes the on-campus Career Fair to create mutual links between upcoming graduates and potential employers. The event provided students with the opportunity to explore careers in a wide range of industries, including healthcare, biotechnology, clean energy, nuclear engineering, aerospace, oil and gas, as well as other advanced technology sectors such as robotics, artificial intelligence, supply chain logistics, and 3D-printing. Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice-President, Academic and Student Services, Khalifa University, said: “We are delighted to witness the participation of a very high number of government institutions, companies and private sector organizations in our annual Career Fair 2020, hunting for the right talent.
We realize that most industries today are going through transformation at the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution and therefore Khalifa University has taken the initiative to offer academic programs which prepare our students for the jobs of the future by equipping them with 21st century skills. Khalifa University has the resources and assets to achieve this because our faculty lead cuttingedge research in their fields. Our students have the distinct advantage of having access to these top researchers and their labs, and therefore they are exposed to the latest technologies as part of their educational journey in Khalifa University.” Shireen Al Romaithi, Head of Scholarship, Talent Acquisition, ADNOC, said: “ADNOC and Khalifa University have a strong and long-established strategic relationship that facilitates closer engagement during participation at events and exhibitions, including the Career Fair. ADNOC seeks to support young Emiratis keen to pursue their graduate studies, and obtain degrees in technical disciplines that meet with ADNOC Group’s future vision. We aim to achieve this through providing academic scholarships to talented students who look for new majors, including different engineering specializations.” A significant number of Khalifa University students have received employment, training or internship offers in the last few years when the annual career fairs were held on campus. Career fairs offer employers an easy way to begin building their recruiting efforts on-campus, while providing a valuable platform for them to interact with students, as Khalifa University remains a key enabler for talented and skilled future professionals. Additionally, such interactions also bring together emerging entrepreneurs, industry experts, and students to continue working towards rapidly changing the market landscape of the future, thus providing an impetus to the UAE’s knowledge economy transformation efforts. Moreover, on-campus career fairs also facilitate graduate placements while enabling talented students to seamlessly integrate with the national workforce amid the rapid redefinitions of careers driven by technology. In addition, these fairs also help students in obtaining internships, and inspire them to chart their future career map.
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Khalifa University Receives AMEE Membership
Continuing to position itself as a premier medical university in the UAE, the College of Medicine and Health Sciences is proud to announce that Khalifa University is now an institution member of the Association of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE). The AMEE supports institutions in developing new approaches to curriculum planning, teaching and learning methods, assessment techniques, and educational management, to keep up-to-date with advances in medicine, changes in healthcare delivery and patient demands, and new educational approaches in the study of medicine. As a member, Khalifa University will be able to take full advantage of AMEE's global network to share ideas, collaborate, and keep abreast with current developments in education of healthcare professions. The AMEE is an international organization with members in 90 countries across five continents. It is the European regional association of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and is a member of the WFME Executive Council. KU TIMES 36
Khalifa University Hosts a University Tour for Armenian Students
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To promote a strong cultural and educational exchange program between the UAE and Armenia, the UAE Embassy in Yerevan has initiated an educational trip for top Armenian students studying IT, Architecture, and Engineering to visit the UAE. On 5 February 2020, Khalifa University welcomed 14 students from different Armenian universities at the KU Main Campus. The KU Outreach Department arranged a special full day tour, starting with a welcome note from Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice President, Academic and Student Services. A presentation about Khalifa University’s academic programs, research centers, and KU initiatives and achievements was also shown to the guests.
The Armenian students also visited KU’s Aerospace Research and Innovation Center (ARIC), Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), and Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC). The directors of the centers, Dr. Wesley Cantwell, Dr. Cesare Stefanini, and Dr. Nawaf Al Moosa, met and discussed with the students about the goals, initiatives, and projects of each of the centers. At the end of the tour, the students also visited the Admissions and Scholarship Office to know more about the admissions procedures, scholarships, and student services offered at KU. 37 KU TIMES
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Cultivating the Youth to Be Social Leaders The Al Ahli Holding Group, through its CSR Division and in collaboration with Khalifa University’s Student Success Department, conducted a twoday UAE Social Leaders Program on 7–8 February 2020 at The Hive, located at Khalifa University’s Main Campus. CSR Al Ahli aims to develop the youth to become global leaders through learning by exposure and cultivating their social enterprise and entrepreneurial skills. Almost 30 Khalifa University students attended the two-day training program that included sessions about the concept of social entrepreneurship, sustainable development goals, and how to become a social leader. KU faculty Dr. Amani Abdullatif Omer, Associate Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences, led the session on Best CSR Practices and Alliya Rose Anderson, Lecturer of the Preparatory Program, led the team formation and team-building activities. One of the goals of the training is to inspire the participants to come up with social enterprise projects. These projects, which are associated with social challenges built upon the needs of the UAE, should be able to address development requirements, and at the same time build strong grassroots initiatives. During the training, the students were able to come up with nine projects that focused on poverty eradication, promotion of education for all, health awareness, and renewable energy and its environmental impacts. There will be a monthlong mentorship and coaching period where the participants will further develop their projects and implementation plans. At the end of the year, the committed projects will compete for the 10,000 USD prize in the annual Social Entrepreneurship Summit organized by CSR Al Ahli. KU TIMES 38
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Elsevier Conducts Research Scientific Research Writing Workshop at KU Khalifa University Libraries organized an Author Workshop led by Marc Chahin from Elsevier to train KU graduate students and faculty on how to improve their scientific research writing skills and better communicate with others the results of their research. The workshop tackled different writing topics specific to scientific research such as gathering key information for research papers, preparing the structure of a scientific research paper, and increasing the academic impact of research work.
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APEC Holds 7th High Voltage and Power Systems Research Workshop
The High-Voltage and Dielectrics Materials research group of the Advanced Power and Energy Center (APEC) at Khalifa University organized the 7th Research Symposium on High Voltage and Power Systems at Sas Al Nakhl Campus, which took place on Thursday, 13 February 2020. The full-day symposium provided a forum for scientists, industry engineers working in the power and energy sector, and researchers to exchange ideas on recent advances in the topic. It was also an occasion to highlight the role of Khalifa University as a key research and educational hub for highvoltage technology and power system applications. Representatives from Khalifa University’s APEC research center, The University of Tokyo, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Aichi Institute of Technology, Hosei University, Tokyo Denki University and local industry presented on a range of topics of current interest in the field, including transformer fault diagnosis and oil insulation, partial discharge measurement, high-voltage measurement and analysis, advanced grounding system research and lightning phenomena, and renewable energy.
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Attendees had the opportunity to engage in fruitful discussions on these current issues and future research directions. A special visit was also arranged to one of Transco’s high-voltage substations in Abu Dhabi. Lead organizers Dr. Noureddine Harid, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. Huw Griffiths, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, emphasized the need to promote and sustain such activities in future to enrich awareness about the important advances in such strategic areas and to help address the challenges expected from the rapid growth and development in the UAE’s electrical energy infrastructure.
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EBTIC Researchers Win Best Application Paper at SGAI Conference for AI Solutions
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A team of researchers from KU’s Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC), has won Best Application Paper at the Chartered Institute for IT’s 39th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Cambridge. Himadri Sikhar Khargharia and Dr. Siddhartha Shakya, both from EBTIC, collaborated with researchers from BT on the winning paper. The British Computer Society’s Specialist Group on Artificial Intelligence (SGAI) hosted its Annual International Conference, bringing together researchers and developers at the cutting edge of AI solutions. The leading papers presented in each stream of the conference are reprinted as a special issue of an international journal and Khargharia’s paper is set to be among them alongside its publication in Lecture notes in Computer Science. Khargharia presented his paper in the Application Stream, titled ‘Evolving Prediction Models with Genetic Algorithm to Forecast Vehicle Volume in a Service Station.’ This paper is one of many to emerge from the EBTIC smart surveillance system designed to help streamline operations at petrol stations. Using Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure in the form of CCTV cameras and sensors, the system captures the data required to build a demand prediction model and analytical dashboard to provide insight into the large volume of data collected. “In the service industry, having an efficient resource plan is of utmost importance for operational efficiency,” explained Khargharia. “An accurate forecast of demand is crucial in obtaining a resource plan that can be efficient. At the conference in Cambridge, I presented a real world application of an AI forecasting
model for vehicle volume forecasting in service stations. This improved a previously proposed approach by intelligently tuning the hyper parameters of the prediction model, taking into account the variability of the vehicle volume data in a service station.” “We built a genetic algorithm-based model to find the topology of the neural network and to also tune additional parameters related to data filtration, correction, and feature selection. Our results were compared with those from ad hoc parameter settings of the model from previous work and show that the combined genetic algorithm and neural network-based approach further improves forecasting accuracy. Now, service stations can better manage their resource requirements,” added Dr. Shakya. A genetic algorithm is a search heuristic inspired by Charles Darwin’s theory of natural evolution. The algorithm reflects the process of natural selection where the fittest individuals are selected for reproduction. The same principle can be applied to a search problem where a model selects the best solution out of a set. The algorithm assesses the ‘fitness’ of the solution to the problem and produces a score. In the selection phase, the solution with the highest fitness score is selected and then crossed at random with another solution. This new generation of solutions is then used in the next iteration of the algorithm to result in a different, ideally more effective set of solutions. This improvement to the forecasting model is part of phase three of the system’s development in which capabilities are developed and the program can make business intelligence decisions.
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Highlights of the latest important announcements, strategic initiatives, new partnerships, and VIP visits
Khalifa University’s Masdar Institute Showcases Latest Research Innovations in Advanced Sustainable Technologies and Clean Energy at WFES 2020 UNIVERSITY ALSO LED KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE SESSIONS AND SIGNED COLLABORATION AGREEMENTS WITH INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY LEADERS Khalifa University of Science and Technology showcased Masdar Institute’s latest research innovations in advanced sustainable technologies and clean energy during the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2020 that is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2020. As a research-intensive higher education institution focusing on renewable energy, advanced sustainable technology, energy storage, biofuel, and water and environment, Khalifa University signed collaboration agreements, while showcasing its most recent research innovations at its stand (A-411) at WFES 2020. In addition, KU TIMES 46
faculty experts participated and led various dedicated workshops, technical sessions, panel discussions and forums at the event focusing on energy, energy efficiency, water, solar, waste, and smart cities. A total of 28 members of the Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) program were also honored during the summit for successfully completing their year-long schedule of mandatory programs. Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hamadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “We
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are privileged to showcase Masdar Institute’s renewable and sustainable energy technology innovations at the World Future Energy Summit, which serves as the most prominent networking platform for business, innovation, and knowledge exchange. We believe such gathering of technology and industry leaders will give further momentum to expedite the adoption of clean technologies, thus benefiting the communities globally.” He added: “At the same time, we are delighted to host the graduation of YFEL members who are trained to become tomorrow’s decision-makers and industry leaders driving advanced energy and sustainable technology solutions.” Other Khalifa University innovations featured at the event include the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP), and a nuclear project. Dr. Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Khalifa University, shared his perspectives during a keynote panel on ‘Making a City Smart and Sustainable: Closing the Gap Between Public Need and Available Services.’ Dr. Griffiths also shared his thoughts on leveraging artificial intelligence in renewable energy environments and moderated a keynote panel on ‘Happy Cities: The Goal of Sustainable Urban Master Planning.’ From the Khalifa University Center for Membranes & Advanced Water Technology at Masdar Institute, Prof. Hassan A. Arafat, Director, offered his views on socio-political factors impacting the sustainability of desalination during a research and development spotlight. Additionally, Dr. Riaan van der Merwe, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Infrastructure and Environmental
Engineering, shared his views on rethinking brine discharge from regional desalination. Research centers and facilities at Masdar Institute in Khalifa University continue to lead innovation in renewable energy. Most recently, the University’s Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP), in partnership with Wahaj Solar, installed the UAE’s first-of-a-kind concentrator to help achieve higher temperature with less mirror surface, thus enabling conversion of more solar energy into electricity. The MISP is part of the Masdar Solar Hub development launched in 2015 focused on accelerating and testing pilot scale solar technology. Khalifa University’s Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC) completed significant structural improvements to enable better yields of the salt-loving Salicornia plant and the growth of a wider range of fish species. SBRC’s Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS) is the world’s first research facility to grow both food and fuel using desert land irrigated by seawater. Moreover, Masdar Institute’s Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment (ReCREMA) showcased its recently launched Renewable Energy Management System for Saudi Arabia. A global hub for business, innovation, and knowledge exchange at the heart of ADSW, the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) is a global industry platform connecting business and innovation in energy, clean technology and efficiency for a sustainable future. The WFES 2020 was held from 13-16 January 2020 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC). 47 KU TIMES
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VIP visits the KU Stand during WFES 2020
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Her Excellency Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia, learns about KU’s integrated Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS) during her tour of KU’s stand.
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Khalifa University’s 2019 YFEL Members Honored for Successfully Completing Year-Long Program The Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) outreach program is one of the most dynamic platforms in the UAE for fostering tomorrow’s leaders. It aims to educate, inspire, and position students and young professionals to become future leaders capable of solving the world’s most pressing challenges in advanced energy and sustainability. A total of 28 members of the 2019 YFEL program were honored for successfully completing their year-long commitments at a gala ceremony organized during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2020 at the Khalifa University Main Campus. They received certificates of completion by Abdulaziz Abdulla Alhajri, Member of the Khalifa University Board of Trustees and Director of Refining and Petrochemicals Directorate, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). [ECS1] The 2019 YFEL members represent eight countries, out of which 17 were UAE nationals, two international, and nine locally-based students. They now join more than 450 YFEL program alumni. Also present were the 2020 YFEL members, numbering nearly 50, for whom the evening’s proceedings served as an orientation ceremony.
During the ceremony, a video presentation highlighted the achievements of the 2019 YFEL outreach initiative that included their completion of educational courses in three categories—technology, policy, and leadership. The 2019 YFEL members worked on a number of novel projects during the year. A team of YFEL members worked on a case study related to sustainability at the Expo 2020 site. Emirati YFEL 2019 member Ali Jassim Rajab worked on solar cells and machine-learning algorithms to create a model to classify the health of trees at the University of Tokyo. Rajab said: “I am truly grateful to the YFEL program that has academically enriched me and rewarded me in renewable energy-related research.” Sharing his perspectives, Arturo Hernández Rodea of Mexico, another YFEL member said: “Participating in the YFEL program from January 2019 has expanded my horizons and understanding of how we can conceive our future cities and interactions with energy. The network of outstanding and dedicated colleagues we have created continues to inspire me and will help me to deliver better to the world.”
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Rodea started a student’s program in sustainability at his university in Mexico, which in collaboration with Stanford University later became part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network-Youth (SDSN-Youth) and an official SDSN chapter in Mexico for both youth and seniors. He has also worked with General Electric Power Services-Latin America on a project to simplify the weekly planning procedure from 10 hours to five minutes, resulting in substantial annual savings. Moreover, following a successful internship with the French group INCO, he is now their ambassador, looking to create an ecosystem for INCO Mexico. Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Services, said: “Congratulations to the 2019 YFEL members for successfully completing a tough year-long journey towards becoming capable future energy leaders. These youth are now qualified and trained to handle core sustainability issues and I am sure they will effectively contribute to the community. Following the success of the graduating YFEL members, I am equally delighted to welcome the 10th group of YFEL members who I believe will remain even more committed to sustainability and clean energy technologies.” The YFEL program was established in 2010 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, as an initiative to engage the youth in energy and sustainable technology and prepare them to be the future leaders in this field. Over the years, the program has received support from community leaders and corporate sponsors. Notable among them were the Emirati philanthropists His Excellency Mohammed bin Kardous Al Ameri and His Excellency Sultan bin Rashed Al Dhaheri. In addition, German companies BASF and Siemens have sponsored YFEL teams. KU TIMES 50
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Khalifa University Partnering with Morocco’s AMEE on Research in Energy-Efficient Technologies Khalifa University of Science and Technology has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Morocco’s National Agency for Energy Efficiency (L’Agence Marocaine pour l’Efficacité Énergétique – AMEE) for research collaboration in energyefficient technologies. The agreement was signed by Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive VicePresident, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and Said Mouline, Chief Executive Officer, AMEE, recently. Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi said: “Khalifa University is renowned for pioneering innovations in energyefficient technologies covering various renewable energy areas and this MoU will pave way for such innovations to reach communities that require energy. We are delighted to enter into this research collaboration with AMEE and we believe we will be able to offer Morocco the most suitable solutions towards the country’s transition to the clean energy route.” Saïd Mouline, said: “The collaboration with Khalifa University, a well-known university respecting the environment and promoting energy efficiency, is in line with our strategy of long-term partnerships. With this partnership, AMEE will support a major operator, to enable it to take a step forward in its sustainable approach. The operationalization of energy efficiency is nowadays a privileged tool of good
governance and it is essential for reducing the energy consumption and the realization of an increasingly significant green growth rate.” According to the agreement, the two institutions will jointly promote and facilitate technology exchange and development in several aspects of energy efficiency, and renewable energy covering advanced materials, high performance equipment and expertise. The two have also agreed on fostering joint development and demonstration of clean projects in clean technology innovation. In addition, AMEE will offer assistance with regard to accessing data on the hourly electricity demand profile of the entire country, while sharing support materials such as technical presentations, studies and successful case studies. On its part, Khalifa University will investigate possible energy transition pathways to complete substitution of fossil fuel energy resources by renewable energy, using the hourly electricity demand profile by regions and by industries. The collaboration is part of Morocco’s ambitious national energy strategy which targets over 50% of installed electricity production capacity from renewable sources by 2025 and aims to cut energy consumption by 15% by 2030. The country also seeks to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 32% by the year 2030. Khalifa University’s Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and
Assessment (ReCREMA) has become a regional research hub for renewable energy mapping and assessment in desert environment in the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Oman. It is playing a pro-active role in bringing International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) Global Atlas Project to the UAE. The Global atlas servers are presently hosted at the university’s Data Center; operated and maintained by ReCREMA engineers. ReCREMA was also mandated by the Saudi Government (KA-CARE) to develop the Saudi Solar Atlas and is currently operating the solar forecasting system for Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Khalifa University currently has several energy efficient technologies-related projects. These include a project to develop a new blend of refrigerants meant to have little or no global warming potential (GWP), to replace widely used refrigerants like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Khalifa University recently joined the official launch of the Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC) at its campus. A collaboration with partners including the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), and the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR), ENTC aims to support the long-term sustainability of the UAE’s Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program by creating a dedicated innovation hub for peaceful nuclear technologies. 51 KU TIMES
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Experts from Khalifa University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences Discuss Key Topics at Arab Health Congress 2020 TALKS COVERED SIMULATION IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY, RADIOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT OF MULLERIAN ANOMALIES
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Two experts from Khalifa University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences shared their perspectives on some of the latest developments in the medical sector during Arab Health 2020, the largest healthcare event in the Middle East. Khalifa University was the Official Education Partner for Arab Health 2020, which took place from 27-30 January at the Dubai World Trade Centre. At the 12th Obstetrics and Gynecology Conference that is part of the Arab Health Congress 2020, Dr. John Rock, Founding Dean of Khalifa University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences, talked about best practices in the management of Mullerian anomalies. In addition, Dr David Graham, Chair of Medical Imaging and Radiology, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, delivered a talk about ‘Ultrasound in the age of artificial intelligence’ and ‘Simulation in Obstetrics and Gynecology’ at the 20th Total Radiology Conference. Dr. John Rock said: “As the first Abu Dhabi medical school to offer the four-year MD program in the UAE, the Khalifa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences aims to deliver world-class education, while actively involved in knowledge-sharing forums such as Arab Health Congress. We offer unparalleled expertise through our 20 academic departments, and we firmly believe participating in Arab Health will not only raise the profile of our institution among the healthcare sector stakeholders, regionally and globally, but will also help showcase the quality of medical education that is available in the UAE.” The Khalifa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences has a state-of-the-art testing center, created with Prometric and Pearson VUE standards, that could allow Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), National Board of Medical
Examiners (NBME), United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) testing on site. The College has also developed an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) and Simulation Center, which is designed to test clinical skill performance. The program provides a hands-on real-world approach to learning and assessment, while serving hospital residency programs, military training units, and other medical schools in the UAE. The College of Medicine and Health Sciences aims to expand its research portfolio in medicine and health sciences, which currently includes medical genetics, genome sciences, biomaterials for Nano medicine, cellular biomechanics, bio-robotics, tissue regeneration, and bioinformatics. The University is dedicated to graduating professionals who will contribute to the UAE’s healthcare ecosystem through employing innovative educational strategies that leverage its position as a world-class science and technology institution. The College of Medicine and Health Sciences is the first 4X4 allopathic LCME-comparable (Liaison Committee on Medical Education), post-baccalaureate medical college, which prepares its students for residency programs in the US and Canada. A total of 14 conferences and one educational forum covering a broad spectrum of medical specialties and disciplines are part of the Arab Health Congress 2020 that is reputed for delivering the highest quality Continuing Medical Education (CME) Conferences to medical professionals in the region.
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Committed to Space Development Khalifa University is making steady progress towards its aim of becoming a regional leader in space education, research and development. During the latest edition of the International Astronautical Conference, held in Washington DC from 21-25 October 2019, KU became a member of the International Astronautical Federation. The International Astronautical Federation is the world’s leading space advocacy body with 366 members in 68 countries. It organizes several important congresses and events, among which the International Astronautical Conference. The 71st edition of the congress will be held in Dubai from 12-16 October 2020 and will be hosted by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Dr.Elena Fantino, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, represented Dr. Arif Al Hammadi at the event in Washington. A collaboration between KU and the University of Naples “Federico II” in the field of space research is also gathering pace. The MoU was signed in 2018 to support both universities’ ambitions to create competencies in the development of advanced space technology. With knowledge sharing and student exchange a central component of the collaboration, Dr. Fantino delivered a course on “Interplanetary Trajectory Design” for PhD students in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Naples last year. She also co-advises PhD student Giorgio Isoletta, who has since been admitted into the University of Naples’ PhD program in Aerospace Engineering. He will be visiting KU for a month this Spring, to learn directly from expert KU faculty about aerocapture and aerobraking at Mars with innovative shielding technologies.
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Khalifa University, China’s CRRC Qingdao Sifang, and Etihad Rail to Establish China-UAE Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center
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Khalifa University of Science and Technology and China’s CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., a global designer, manufacturer, and maintenance provider of advanced passenger railway vehicles have signed a strategic cooperation memorandum to jointly plan and establish the China-UAE Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center in Abu Dhabi. Etihad Rail, developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway, will also be a key party in developing the center.
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The Center would be the first in the Middle East region for CRRC Sifang, which already has four national R&D institutes in China. CRRC Sifang is one of the vital subsidiaries of CRRC and an industrialization hub for Chinese high speed trains.
to further develop the rail transport systems through Etihad Rail. Moreover, we believe our research track record in artificial intelligence and composite materials will enormously benefit the activities of Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center.”
The memorandum was signed by Dr.Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President, Khalifa University and Dr. Jiangying LIANG, Vice President and Chief Engineer, CRRC Sifang in Abu Dhabi. His Excellency, Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education and Vice Chairman of Khalifa University’s Board of Trustees, and Shadi Malak, CEO, Etihad Rail, were present on the occasion.
Dr. Jiangying LIANG said: “We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Khalifa University to jointly plan and establish the China-UAE Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center in Abu Dhabi. Through this agreement we will also offer our rail transit technology expertise to Etihad Rail that will help strengthen the UAE-China relations. We believe this hub will also help us explore new areas for business expansion in the nearby regions.”
The Center will focus on new technologies in rail transit industry, especially in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and new composite materials for railway applications. Combining CRRC Sifang’s technology application experience and the scientific research capabilities of Khalifa University, the China-UAE Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center will carry out joint projects to significantly enhance the technological innovations for global and regional rail transit markets, while further strengthening the Sino-UAE technological cooperation.
Shadi Malak said: “Combining the skill-sets of these two entities, both renowned experts in their respective fields, will enable Abu Dhabi and the UAE to become a leading hub for research into the application of new rail technologies. With Stage Two of the Etihad Rail network poised to launch, the China-UAE Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center in Abu Dhabi will be able to guide the future of innovation in the region’s rail transportation infrastructure, increasing efficiency and driving sustainability for the future.”
Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi said: “The synergy resulting from this strategic cooperation memorandum with China’s CRRC Qingdao Sifang is intended to significantly benefit the rail transit sector. This partnership will most importantly strengthen the UAE’s plans
The China-UAE Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center will aim to build a hub specialized in the latest rail transit technologies and focus on utilizing competitive advantages of the partners’ technological resources. The partners will additionally explore the possibility
of launching communication forums and training programs between China and the UAE, to cultivate local and international talents. In addition, they will seek to establish a platform and hub for all joint collaborations within the field of ChinaUAE rail transit industries, including co-participation and pushing forward of research projects agreed by all parties. The China-UAE Rail Transit Technologies R&D Center will have an Administrative Board that will include Dr. Jianying Liang, Vice President and Chief Engineer, CRRC, Dr. Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Khalifa University, and Didier Leperou, System Assurance, Etihad Rail. The agreement also enables the establishment of a Working Group, affiliated to the Administrative Board. It will have Dr. Ernesto Damiani, Senior Director, KU Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems Institute, and Dr. Wesley Cantwell, Co-Director, KU Aerospace Research and Innovation Center, as well as Engr. Sébastien Mangeant, Head of System, Etihad Rail. The CRRC representatives on the working group include Dr. Liu Shaoqing, Executive Vice-Director of National Engineering Research Center, Dr. Chen Dawei, Technologies & Development Department, National Engineering Research Center, and Dr. Li Peng, Director of International Cooperation Department, National Engineering Research Center.
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Khalifa University’s Masdar Institute Solar Platform Installs UAE’s First-of-a-Kind Solar Concentrator at Masdar City
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FROM THE NEWSROOM
Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable community Masdar City, and Wahaj Solar jointly announced the installation of a first-of-its-kind solar concentrator in the UAE at the Masdar Institute Solar Platform—a first step in the development of a unique scalable high-temperature Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) system including thermal energy storage for more efficient ondemand and ‘dispatchable’ electricity generation, solar fuels production or industrial process heat applications. The ASC10 model, a 10-meter diameter pre-commercial scale solar concentrator, designed and developed by UAE-based Wahaj Solar, is located at the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP) located at Masdar City. The MISP is also part of the Masdar Solar Hub, which was launched in 2015 with focus on accelerating and testing pilot scale solar technologies. The newly installed concentrator—a metallic reflector-based giant Fresnel lens with fixed focal point relative to the ground—will offer a concentration ratio close to 1,000 suns and temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius, enabling the system to achieve higher temperature with less mirror surface, compared to conventional CSP systems. It can be combined with a more efficient hightemperature power generation system, helping to convert more solar energy into electricity. Moreover, high temperature thermal energy storage can be integrated with the ASC10. Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “The installation of UAE’s first-of-a-kind solar concentrator marks the next stage of Masdar Institute Solar Platform’s advancing research in solar energy technologies. The MISP stands as an example for innovation and we are keen
to contribute to seeking new solutions to increase efficient clean generation of 24/7 power, which remains one of the strategic areas for the UAE. We believe the MISP will further enhance its significance to innovations in the energy sector, especially solar power, while attracting more industry collaborators.” Motasim Al Daour, majority shareholder at Wahaj Solar, said: “After realizing the potential of the ASC technology and its coherence with UAE policies regarding innovative solar energy reliance especially in the topic of CSP, we decided to invest in developing and verifying the ASC and to introduce this breakthrough technology to the world from UAE. We are setting a unique example in the region where a private small company is created for the sole purpose of developing innovative new products with completely private investments”. “Through combining technologies in power generation and storage, solar energy is becoming an increasingly reliable provider of electricity at night as well as during the day,” said Yousef Baselaib, Executive Director for Sustainable Real Estate at Masdar. “The launch of the UAE’s first Solar Concentrator at Masdar City will help to accelerate this exciting industry development, while providing further evidence of the potential for homegrown innovation here in the UAE.” “As the natural home for innovation in clean-tech and sustainable urban development, Masdar City is delighted to be working alongside Khalifa University and Wahaj Solar to support R&D into concentrated solar power, a sector where Masdar is already playing a leading role. The Solar Concentrator will also complement other pilot
projects hosted in the city and attract even more clean-tech businesses to Abu Dhabi and the UAE.” Wahaj Solar proposed an innovative metallic-reflector-based Fresnel lens beam-down concentrator, called Ayman solar concentrator (ASC). A 40cm-prototype of this was successfully demonstrated in 2016 in Jordan. Based on this laboratoryscale proof-of-concept and an optical model, a new design of a 10-meter diameter pre-commercial scale unit was developed. This is currently under experimentation at the MISP in Masdar City. The system is protected by patents registered in the US, European Union Countries, GCC, and the World Intellectual Property Organization covering 150 countries worldwide. Dr. Ayman Al-Maaitah, the inventor of ASC and the managing partner of Wahaj Solar said: “We have decided to launch this breakthrough technology form the UAE because of its vision in supporting innovation, especially in the solar energy field. Khalifa University strongly declares its devotion to research and development and support of innovation. The Masdar Solar Platform at KU is an ideal location for testing and verifying new innovative solar technologies which will help us to obtain a verification from a respected third party of our system and hopefully to further develop its applications.” With the newly installed concentrator, Khalifa University can develop other relevant projects to work on hightemperature thermal energy storage systems including thermochemical energy storage or solar fuel production. At a later stage, this could even lead to consider solar metallurgy by melting metals such as aluminum with solar energy alone. 59 KU TIMES
FROM THE NEWSROOM
Khalifa University and Sandooq Al Watan launch groundbreaking project to develop Direct Solar Desalination Devices GRADUATE STUDENTS, RESEARCH ASSOCIATES AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS TO WORK ON PROJECT THAT PRESENTS THREE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR UAE NATIONAL STUDENTS
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FROM THE NEWSROOM
Khalifa University of Science and Technology and Sandooq Al Watan, the private sector initiative to boost the UAE’s social development, today announced they have signed a sponsored research agreement to collaborate on developing direct solar desalination devices. The agreement was signed by Mohamed Al Qadi, Director General of Sandooq Al Watan and Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive VicePresident, Khalifa University of Science and Technology. Officials and senior management representatives from both partners were present on the occasion. Titled ‘Direct Solar Desalination Devices’, the project aims to bring unmatched scientific understandings and ‘know-how’ towards achieving a reliable desalination technology that offers high efficiency, large scalable capacity, and low energy consumption, in addition to being powered by solar energy. Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive VicePresident, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “The research collaboration with Sandooq Al Watan validates our commitment to effectively address the waterenergy nexus challenges through finding clean energy solutions. Additionally, this partnership will pave the way for our students to work on research in desalination technologies, which remains one of the most important avenues to access water – a scarce resource in our region.” Mohamed Al Qadi from Sandooq Al Watan, said: “This is an extremely important project that will address two big priorities for the UAE. First, the use of renewable energy to desalinate water will
significantly reduce the UAE’s carbon footprint and enable us to advance our climate change agenda. Second, the project will help advance our water security agenda by providing the nation with resilient fresh water supplies. We have full faith in Khalifa University and their Emirati researchers to develop this important and groundbreaking technology. We also would like to thank Aldar for their contribution towards funding Sandooq Al Watan’s research programs in the field of water and the environment. We encourage more researchers to apply through www.researcher.ae” The project will be led by Principal Investigators Dr Faisal Abdulla AlMarzooqi, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, associated with Khalifa University’s Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT) and Dr.Tiejun Zhang, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Materials Engineering. They will work together with a team of MSc students, research associates and postdoctoral fellows, while the research project will present three internship opportunities for UAE national students. The project will be executed through CMAT’s state-of-the-art facilities, proceeding with fabrication, system testing and demonstration, and will conclude with scalability and market feasibility. The project gains relevance because of worldwide interest in the integration of solar energy harvesting devices with desalination. The desalination market, valued at US$16.4 billion in 2017, is estimated to grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5% during the 2018-2026 period, according to market intelligence firm Research and Markets.
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KU Hosts Abu Dhabi Hackathon ABU DHABI HACKATHON IS FIRST STAGE IN SERIES OF EVENTS TO FIND SOLUTIONS FROM DATA ANALYTICS
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) launched the first stage of the UAE Hackathon, which was hosted at Khalifa University from 3-5 February. Participants in the Hackathon were tasked with utilizing data analytics to find solutions to challenges in the areas of education, health and safety, transportation and traffic congestion, sustainable development (post-oil era), environment and climate change, gender balance, and enhancing social relations in the UAE. The opening ceremony was attended by Dr. Arif Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University, Salem Al Housani, Acting Deputy Director General for Information and eGovernment Sector representing TRA, and Mansoor Al Marzooqi, strategy manager at the Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre. The hackathon was opened with a series of training workshops on data and using open data to create solutions and services. The Abu Dhabi Hackathon is the first in a series of six Hackathons across the seven emirates. Al Housani welcomed the participating entities saying: “Our work together on the hackathon is a reflection of the tripartite partnership between the government, the private sector, and the community to achieve the desired happiness and sustainable development, in accordance with the wise leadership directives on future shaping.
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I would like to thank the students, and praise their dedication to this challenge that represents an opportunity to deal with the tools and vocabulary of the era and to provide innovative solutions through the analysis of available government data.” Dr. Al Hammadi said: “We have motivated the students to participate in this event as we, in Khalifa University, believe in the importance of open data and its role in shaping the future vision of many vital sectors on the country’s level. UAE Hackathon is an opportunity for students to learn and share experience and knowledge in one of the most important areas of our time.” Mansoor Al Marzooqi added: “The UAE is committed to the leading approach since its establishment by the founding fathers 46 years ago. The strategic alignment between global developments on the one hand, and local needs based on UAE privacy, on the other, had to be compatible. In this context, the UAE government has launched a series of unprecedented initiatives in the region, such as the UAE strategy for Artificial Intelligence, establishing an Emirati council for Artificial Intelligence, in addition to adding a State Minister of Artificial Intelligence.” The Abu Dhabi Hackathon was followed by events in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah from 11-13 February, two hackathons for Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain from 18-20 February and the Dubai hackathon from 25-27 February.
FROM THE NEWSROOM
Khalifa University Hosts Second Edition of Mubadala Globalfoundries - SRC Forum on AI Hardware R&D FORUM ON UAE’S AI SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM AND LAUNCH OF HARDWARE RESEARCH PROJECTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH CORPORATION Khalifa University hosted the second ‘MubadalaGlobalfoundries-SRC Forum’ in Abu Dhabi to formulate a vision and to chart future plans for the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor ecosystem in the UAE. Titled ‘UAE AI Semiconductor Ecosystem: Looking Ahead’, the AI R&D forum took place on Thursday, 20 February. It was co-organized by Mubadala Investment Company, Globalfoundries and the US-based Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). It included AI scientists from academia and industry, as well as relevant government organizations such as Hub 71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech hub and flagship initiative of the economic accelerator program – Ghadan 21, and Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO). The forum covered priorities and working-model options to make the semiconductor ecosystem sustainable and successful. Scientists and faculty from NYU-Abu Dhabi, UAE University and Khalifa University presented the status of their latest research in AI, and explored potential collaboration. Hub 71 and ADIO focused on how they are supporting the growing AI community, upskilling developers and outlining startup incubator and funding opportunities for AI startups through the Hub71 Incentive Program, while the private sector initiative Sandooq Al Watan presented its programs on building Emirati talent. The forum’s plenary titled ‘Future of AI Hardware Systems’ was chaired by Dr Baker Mohammed, Professor, Khalifa University, while the session on ‘Academic Perspective on AI Hardware Research’ was chaired by Victor Zhirnov, Chief Scientist, SRC. The session on ‘AI Hardware Ecosystem in the UAE – Key Enablers’ was chaired by Dr Rafic Makki, Global Chief Scientist, Mubadala Capital–Ventures, while Dr Steve Griffith, Senior Vice-President, Research and Development,
Khalifa University, chaired an interactive session on ‘Operating Model for a Successful Ecosystem’. In April 2019, Khalifa University held the first forum on AI hardware, which attracted speakers from a number of top universities in the US and industry leaders. The forum resulted in defining the technology strategy and launching an AI hardware thrust at the Semiconductor Research Corporation. “We are pleased to announce that several projects from Khalifa University are being selected as part of this program,” said Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University. “We thank Mubadala, GlobalFoundries and SRC for their support over the past several years and for contributing to advancing the UAE’s objectives in this vital area of science. We believe the second edition of the Forum will further intensify our efforts towards driving innovation in R&D and bring AI closer towards everyday use,” he added. The research projects cover different aspects of new chip architectures for Artificial Intelligence with a focus on power efficiency. Ken Hansen, President and CEO, SRC, said: “We are in the early stages of unleashing this new technology but already are seeing widespread adoption across many different applications. While an impressive start, there are still unbounded opportunities ahead which are limited only by our ability to innovate AI solutions. Funding university research in AI is a vital element to invent the next generation AI hardware or to add new capability such as perception and cognition.” 63 KU TIMES
FROM THE NEWSROOM
VIP VIST
Khalifa University Welcomes Minister of State for Advanced Sciences Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri
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FROM THE NEWSROOM
Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, visited the main campus of Khalifa University on 6 January 2020. It was a great honor for KU to welcome Her Excellency to the campus. HE Sarah Al Amiri was accompanied by Dr.Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive VicePresident, Khalifa University, as she toured KU’s research centers and labs such as the Aerospace Research and Innovation Center (ARIC) and Emirates ICT Innovation Center. During the tour, she was also briefed on the latest research and projects of the different centers. HE Al Amiri praised KU’s efforts and expressed confidence that the work done at KU will drive excellence and leadership of science and technology research in the UAE. Her Excellency also visited the Body Worlds exhibition that is in the UAE for the first time and is currently on display at Khalifa University. 65 KU TIMES
FROM THE NEWSROOM
King Abdulaziz University Visit Strengthens Ties with Khalifa University
Delegates from King Abdulaziz University visited the Khalifa University main campus on 2 February 2020. Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University welcomed the delegation, which was headed by Dr. Youssef Al Turki, Vice President of Higher Studies and Scientific Research.
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FROM THE NEWSROOM
The purpose of the visit was to discuss the twinning program between Khalifa University and King Abdulaziz University. They identified three areas to strengthen the program between the two universities: support in scientific research, student exchange, and scientific seminars. Both universities agreed to establish student exchanges at the beginning of each semester, starting from the academic year 20202021. The delegates also agreed to organize workshops and seminars at both universities to showcase the results of joint research projects.
Professor David Cardwell FREng, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategy and Planning at the University of Cambridge visited the Khalifa University Main Campus on 11 February 2020.
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FROM THE NEWSROOM
SEMINARS
Prof. Rachid Yazami Talks Lithium Winner of the MBR Distinguished Scientist award, Dr.Rachid Yazami, an eminent scientist best known for his research on lithium ion batteries, spoke at KU about lithium-ion battery development.
Visiting Professor Dr.Anastasia Muliana Delivers Lecture on Compliant Systems
To discuss the development of theoretical and computational models for simulating shape reconfigurations of compliant structures, activated by mechanical or non-mechanical stimulus, Khalifa University welcomed Dr. Anastasia Muliana, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. Muliana’s research focuses on modeling and simulations of nonlinear and time-dependent responses of materials and structures under multiple stimuli. The ultimate goal of her work is to develop digital models of adaptive compliant structures, which is beneficial for designing real multifunctional foldable structures, such as soft robots, polymeric stents and scaffolds, and freeform architecture. Non-linear time-dependent multi-field constitutive models are formulated for the constituents and integrated to structural models that govern the deformations in compliant structures. The outcome of this research will lead to a better understanding of self-folding/unfolding mechanisms of compliant structures while incorporating material and geometrical complexities at various scales.
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FROM THE NEWSROOM
Dr. Athol Yates Invited to Deliver Lecture on the Evolution of the UAE Armed Forces at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
Dr. Athol Yates, Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences teaching security, disaster management, and public policy, was invited to deliver a lecture on the evolution of the UAE Armed Forces and its predecessor forces at a prestigious center in Abu Dhabi. The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) is the leading research center serving decision makers in the UAE and aims to raise awareness and disseminate knowledge among all segments of society about a variety of contemporary issues and developments on a local, regional, and global level. Dr. Yates delivered a lecture at the ECSSR on 15 January titled ‘The Evolution of the UAE Armed Forces and its Predecessor Forces: 1965-1980.’ The first Ruler-controlled military in the Emirates was established by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1965. Within a decade, the Abu Dhabi Defence Force had grown into one of the region’s most capable militaries and fielded supersonic jets and armored vehicles fitted with advanced missiles. When the UAE Armed Forces was established in 1976, merging all armed forces in the UAE, the Abu Dhabi force became the core of the UAE’s military. Dr. Yates detailed the history of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force, other militaries of the Emirates, and the UAE Armed Forces to 1980, and explained how Sheikh Zayed was able to build an advanced military from nothing within 15 years. 69 KU TIMES
FROM THE NEWSROOM
Visiting Professor Dr.Vincenzo Piuri Discusses Artificial Intelligence in Cloud Computing and Internet-of-Things Dr. Vincenzo Piuri visited Khalifa University from the Universita degli Studi di Milano, Italy, to deliver a talk on the use of artificial intelligence in supporting the creation of applications in cloud and IoT infrastructures as well as their use in the various aspects of infrastructure management. Recent years have seen a growing interest among users in the migration of their applications to Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) environments. However, due to their high complexity, Cloud-based and IoT infrastructures need advanced components for supporting applications and advanced management techniques to increase their efficiency. Artificial intelligence, according to Dr. Piuri, can greatly improve both the creation of applications and the management of these infrastructures. The self-adaptation ability of AI is extremely useful in the dynamic adaptation of these infrastructures to the changing needs of the users and essential for non-expert managers and application designers and developers with limited experience in achieving this.
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Dr. Sabina Semiz Delivers First Seminar as Strand Leader in Biomedical Sciences at Khalifa University Bringing her experience leading projects in genomics and pharmacogenomics of Type 2 diabetes and bioethical aspects of precision medicine to Khalifa University, Dr. Sabina Semiz, Professor and Strand Leader in Biomedical Sciences at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, delivered a seminar on KU Main Campus to discuss precision medicine in Type 2 diabetes treatment. Increasing evidence is demonstrating that a patient’s unique genetic profile can be used to detect a disease’s onset, prevent its progression, and optimize its treatment. This has led to enhanced global efforts to implement precision and personalized medicine in clinical practice, using pharmacogenomics, or the study of how a person’s genetics influences drug efficacy. This has been particularly effective in cases of chronic pandemic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, which carry considerable health and economic consequences. Dr. Semiz summarized the results of her recent studies on therapeutic response to metformin, a first-line drug for Type 2 diabetes treatment, which is highly variable partially due to a patient’s genetic variants. Dr. Semiz highlighted the power of personalized medicine in detecting disease risk, preventing disease onset, and optimizing treatment for a patient, as well as in identifying potential new biomarkers for precise diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in other populations.
FROM THE NEWSROOM
Visiting Professor Covers the Key Challenges in Responding to Cybersecurity Incidents Associate Professor, Dr. Atif Ahmad, Deputy Director for the Academic Center of Cyber Security Excellence at the University of Melbourne, visited KU to speak about cybersecurity incident response and emerging threats. Information and IT infrastructure are valuable resources for any modern organization and must be protected from an increasingly complex and evolving threat environment. Dr. Ahmad argued that organizations must develop an ‘agile’ incident response capability if they are able to effectively respond to the potent Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). Drawing on theory from Information Systems, Management Science and Warfare, Dr. Ahmad presented insights from a leading Australian Financial organization to explain how an agile response can be developed.
A Critical Review of the Smart Home of the Future Presented at Khalifa University Dylan D. Furszyfer Del Rio visited Khalifa University to deliver a critical review of risks, opportunities, barriers and benefits of the smart home of the future in a seminar on Main Campus. A Conacyt-Mexico scholar at Imperial College London’s Center for Environmental Policy, he answered several questions pertaining to smart homes and explored if technologies could help meet urgent carbon migration policies and the deployment of such technologies.
Visiting Professor Reviews the Generalized Uncertainty Principle and its Deformation Parameter Dr. Fabio Scardigli, adjunct professor at the Department of Mathematics at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, visited Khalifa University to give a short review of the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) and focus on the bounds recently found for the deformation parameter of GUP, particularly bounds of gravitational origin. He highlighted possible violations of the Equivalence Principle and proposed a technique to compute the deformation parameter using the leading quantum corrections to the Newtonian potential. Dr. Scardigli discussed and compared this specific numerical value with previously obtained bounds on the deformation parameter.
Chief Scientist at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center Discusses Weather and Environmental Remote Sensing Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow and Chief Scientist for the Advanced Technology Center Gary Thunen visited Khalifa University to discuss highly advanced weather satellites using instruments developed at the Advanced Technology Center. The Geostationary Lightning Mapper is the first operational lightning mapper in a geostationary orbit that provides early warning of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and lightning ground strikes across the western hemisphere. The Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Imager has continued full-disk coverage of the solar transition region and corona providing critical data for protection of human-engineered assets such as satellites, aircraft, radio communications systems, and power grids. The presentation also examined the next generation weather and earth science instruments in development and trends that can be expected in space-based weather instruments in the future. 71 KU TIMES
FROM THE NEWSROOM
Dr. Jorge Zubelli Delivers Seminar on Multidisciplinary Aspects and Opportunities in Quantitative Finance
Visiting Professor Covers Optimization, Machine Learning and AI in Seminar on Main Campus
Dr. Zubelli, Chair of the Mathematics Department at KU, delivered a seminar on Main Campus discussing some of the challenges motivated by real applications of quantitative finance, such as options and futures in energy markets.
Dr. Panos Pardalos, Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida, visited Khalifa University to discuss a broad spectrum of areas in science and engineering, including theory and applications on networks, energy, supply chain, data analysis algorithms, and non-convex optimization and control.
Modern financial markets involve a large number of transactions with thousands of players and stocks being traded at very high speed with large volumes of money changing hands quickly. To model and take advantage of these markets, financial institutions have been continuously hiring highly skilled academics to employ quantitative finance. This has emerged as a highly mathematical subject in the last few years and sits in the cross-roads of stochastic analysis, optimization, control theory, and numerical analysis.
Visiting Professor Presents the Flow of Ion Through Nanopores in 2D Materials
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Dr.Pardalos also summarized his vision for an interdisciplinary program on optimization, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Advances in machine learning and Ai are progressing rapidly and demonstrate the potential to transform our lives. Their spectacular success relies in part on their sophisticated mathematical underpinnings and Dr. Pardalos’ seminar focused on this.
Dr. Slaven Garaj, from the National University of Singapore’s Departments of Physics and Biomedical Engineering, visited Khalifa University to present his investigation of the flow of ions and the translocation of DNA molecules through nanopores and nanochannels in 2D materials. Water, ions, and molecules show curious behavior when constricted by 2D materials at scales of a few nanometers or less, including edge-enhanced ionic current and high DNA selectivity in graphene nanopores, anomalous ionic flow in nanotubes, and frictionless water transport in graphenebased materials. Dr. Garaj’s presentation used nanostructures to investigate equilibrium knot dynamics in long DNA molecules, develop new osmotic energy harvesting devices based on nanochannels, and develop new classes of membranes for desalination.
FROM THE NEWSROOM
Visiting Professor Explains the Role of Lattice Thermal Conductivity in 2D Thermoelectric Materials Dr. Udo Schwingenschlögl, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at KAUST, visited Khalifa University to give an overview of abinitio calculations addressing the thermoelectric performance of MXenes. He offered specific examples, including Ti2CO2, Zr2CO2 and Hf2CO2, to evaluate the role of the metal atom, with lattice thermal conductivity demonstrated to grow along the series Ti-Zr-HF in the temperature range of 300 to 700 K.
KU Student Delivers Seminar on Inhibition of Protein Aggregation and Cellular Toxicity by Small Molecules
KU Professor Delivers Lecture on Translational Science and Medicine Using Renin Inhibitors Case Study Dr. Ovidiu Constantin Baltatu, Professor and Leader for Research, Technology and Innovation, recently delivered a lecture on the application of translational science and medicine to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical trials. Using renin inhibitors as an example, he explained how they underwent several challenges in translating basic scientific knowledge through clinical trials—from bench to bedside. Dr. Baltatu explained that one major challenge is finding the right model of disease for proof-of-concept studies, but also in choosing the biomarkers for proof of efficacy and optimizing the use of a therapeutic agent in clinical practice. He concluded with an explanation of the successful development of the first in a class of drugs called direct renin inhibitor and a new generation of orally-active renin inhibitors.
Visiting Professor Gives Overview of Lithium Ion Batteries Science and Technology
Kenana Muaiad Al Adem, PhD student at KU, delivered a seminar at KU’s Main Campus on her project involving the prevention of protein aggregation in Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes. The misfolding of native proteins and peptides into intractable deposits is the hallmark of numerous debilitating human disorders.
The inventor involved in over 150 patents related to battery technology and the graphite anode used in most commercial lithium ion batteries, Dr. Rachid Yazami, visited Khalifa University to deliver a unique perspective on the history and development of the lithium ion battery.
Al Adem explained that the use of small molecules in protein aggregation inhibition is among the well-studied therapeutic approaches, but drugs are typically only tested against one form of aggregation. Al Adem’s work involves testing the inhibitory effect against both amyloid and non-amyloid deposits and studies the aggregation of disease-implicated peptides to screen for potential novel inhibitors.
Dr. Yazami offered the audience an overview of lithium ion batteries science and technology from early development to a successful industrial story, as well as future technology and market perspectives.
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Expert insights from KU’s worldclass faculty
KU’s Quantum Computing Research Highlighted at International Symposium Google’s quantum processor solved a problem in 200 seconds that a state-of the-art supercomputer would have require 10,000 years to solve.
Dr. Faisal Khan, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and a Principle Investigator in the Center for Cyber-Physical Systems (C2PS) at Khalifa University, brought international attention to KU’s expertise in quantum computing at a mini-symposium he organized on Wednesday, 12 February 2020 in Seattle, Washington, USA, during the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics’ (SIAM) Conference on Parallel Processing for Scientific Computing. Quantum computers can in principle be millions of times faster than conventional computers, and the current first generation of these machines can solve certain industrial optimization problems significantly faster than traditional computers. For example, in October 2019, KU TIMES 74
Quantum computers are capable of such powerful, high-speed analysis and computation because unlike conventional computing, quantum computing is not limited to two bit values, 0 or 1. Rather a qubit can be 0 or 1, or have properties of both of these values simultaneously, which is called superposition. Dr. Khan, who heads the University’s Quantum Computing Research Group, showcased the fundamental contributions he and other KU faculty are making to the field of quantum computing; a market which is expected to exceed US$495 million by 2023, according to a report by market research analysts Markets and Markets. His presentation, titled “Nash embedding: A roadmap to realizing quantum hardware” described “an approach to engineer hardware for quantum computers that – unlike current ‘synthetic’ or ‘quasiquantum’ hardware prototypes – is robust against classical noise arising from the environment in a mathematically and physically
precise way,” Dr. Khan explained. The approach is based on the work of the Noble Laureate, John Nash, in differential geometry. The symposium participants included individuals who are at the forefront of research in the field of quantum computing and its applications to industry. They answered questions like: What are quantum computers (QCs) today and what will they be like in the next five to 15 years? In what mathematical models should subject-matter experts formulate their problems so applications will benefit from QCs in a sustainable way? How will subjectmatter experts develop applications for QCs? What are to be considered best practices in developing and programming quantum computing architectures? And what opportunities for quasi-automatic transformation by new compiler-like tools can exploit the power of wellmatched mathematical models? By organizing a mini-symposium that facilitated dialogue among some of the world’s leading quantum computing researchers and academics, Dr. Khan is helping to position the UAE as a reference for knowledge and innovation in quantum computing.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
KU Professor wins Scientific Medal from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid
Dr. Lourdes Vega, Director of the Research and Innovation Center on CO2 and Hydrogen at Khalifa University and Professor of Chemical Engineering, won the Mohammed Bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Excellence in February. Dr. Vega holds five patents, has authored 200 research papers & is an editorial board member on 5 journals. She has raised over $50 million for her research. In December, Dr. Vega was featured in the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research’s 110th anniversary video, which celebrates what the journal means for chemical engineers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV3uHsDilYo 75 KU TIMES
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
How Nature Can Lead the Next Robotic Revolution DR. FEDERICO RENDA, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT KU, DISCUSSES HOW ROBOTS CAN USE BIOINSPIRATION TO ACHIEVE MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS.
Nature is a rich source of knowledge, and presentday human life has undoubtedly progressed because of our ability to be inspired by nature and to then innovate solutions to our problems through biomimicry. Biomimicry is exactly what it suggests: it’s imitating biological systems, features, and elements to solve engineering problems for humans. Biomimicry differs from bionics in that it involves conscious copying of examples and mechanisms from nature, while bionics implements a function. When we consider that biological systems have been in development for billions of years, it makes intuitive sense to copy the solutions for many different classes of problems that have been provided through optimization of designs adapted to changing conditions on Earth. We’ve looked at nature for answers to our problems
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
throughout our existence—Velcro tape was inspired by the tiny hooks on bur fruits while Leonardo da Vinci based his sketches for a flying machine on bat wings. Our research and development cycles can be glacial and researchers are realizing that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel—we can copy it. Robots everywhere could use some bioinspiration. For example, the robots used today to inspect and repair the world’s most critical underwater infrastructure, from sea-floor water pipelines and electrical power cables to offshore drilling platforms and submarines, could use serious improvement. Most commercial underwater robots are bulky and rigid, restricted to travelling only in open stretches of the sea, and sometimes even wreak havoc on sensitive equipment when they navigate too close. Soft robots would offer a much better solution to the complex underwater tasks of the mysterious and largely unexplored subsea world. My team and I took inspiration from the E. Coli bacteria which use flagella to move seamlessly through fluids. These “tails” are slender, threadlike appendages and have been described as the only known example of a biological “wheel”. They operate as a “system capable of providing continuous propulsive torque about a fixed body” and propel the bacteria through liquids. Our soft robot physically resembles the flagellum and moves in a similar whipping motion; it even mimics the intracellular motor that flagella use to propel forwards, making it capable of continuous locomotion. A bioinspired robot using a bioinspired propulsion system to effectively navigate the ocean world—just one example of how bio-inspiration is leading the transition from industrial robots, caged in inaccessible spaces within factories, to collaborative robots, machines designed to interact with natural and unstructured environments on the sea, land, and sky. Biomimicry also extends to taking inspiration from human movement and behavior. My colleagues in the Khalifa University Center for Autonomous Robotic Systems (KUCARS) are developing compliant robotic
manipulators—compliant actuators to allow a robot to move more dynamically in its space. In industrial robotics, the term ‘compliant’ refers to a robot’s flexibility and suppleness. An actuator inspired by human motion and learning behavior will endow robots with versatile and constantly adaptive movements, offering an unprecedented aptitude for integrating in our environments. Having robots that can undertake repetitive or potentially risky tasks with high levels of dexterity and autonomy will help make industrial processes more efficient as well as offer unprecedented and potentially disruptive innovative opportunities. Other colleagues in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are working on giving robots this dexterity by mimicking the functionality, if not the structure and mechanisms, of human skin. Naturally, the development of a sense of touch is a real engineering challenge and requires development spanning materials and electronics to communication and processing. Humans interact with unstructured and uncertain environments by sensing and perceiving everything from location, temperature, and elasticity, to stiffness, texture and pressure. Mimicking the way the human finger experiences the physical world will allow robots to respond to multiple stimuli and better interact with the world around them. Inspiration from human biology can lead to huge breakthroughs in robotics and human-robot interaction. Humans are endlessly inventive but we’ve only been inventing for the blink of an evolutionary eye. Nature and biology offer a wealth of painstakingly developed adaptations for innumerable problems and we’re only scratching the surface of what our future robots could do. Dr. Federico Renda is Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Khalifa University and a member of the Khalifa University Center for Autonomous Robotic Systems (KUCARS). DR. FEDERICO RENDA IS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT KHALIFA UNIVERSITY AND A MEMBER OF THE KHALIFA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR AUTONOMOUS ROBOTIC SYSTEMS (KUCARS). 77 KU TIMES
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Speaking at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January, Dr. Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Khalifa University, discussed how a city can become both smart and sustainable and the obstacles present in designing the cities of the future. In an article published recently in Energy Research and Social Science, Dr. Griffiths explores this topic by covering the making of Masdar City.
The Cities of the Future: Rethinking Smart and Sustainable
“Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and by 2050, this number will increase to nearly 70 percent,” explained Dr. Griffiths. “Cities will soon account for 90 percent of global population growth as well as about 75 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 75 percent of energy consumption. Despite this, urbanization will continue because cities are where 80 percent of global wealth is created and where people find opportunities for work and leisure.” Cities are hubs of economic growth and innovation for any country and attract people from rural regions, nearby and far afield, seeking opportunities for employment, education and a better lifestyle. Yet with all these advantages, urbanization also brings certain challenges. Urban challenges include poor air and water equality, insufficient water supplies, waste-disposal problems, and high energy consumption. These challenges are exacerbated by continuously expanding urban populations and, in the GCC, further compounded by unique regional environmental challenges that include extreme temperatures, sand, and high humidity. “Rural to urban migration following the industrial revolution has led cities to grow rapidly and spontaneously in response to the evolving needs of inhabitants,” explained Dr. Griffiths. “This reactive, patchwork-like approach to city design has left many cities with inefficient layouts, technologies and infrastructure that consume large amounts of energy and water, and [contribute] significant amounts of pollution.” However, urbanization is expected to continue and it is estimated that 60 percent of future urban environments are yet to be built.
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
It is clear that sustainable cities need to be more connected and less fragmented, taking into consideration the needs of citizens at work and during their downtime. New developments offer the opportunity to revolutionize urban planning and management and create sustainable environments, but as Dr. Griffiths explained, this hasn’t been an easy task: “Sustainability is incredibly difficult to implement at the scale of a city, even one being built from the ground up.” Masdar City in Abu Dhabi has been frequently labelled as an eco-city in the making. Masdar City, meaning ‘source city’ in Arabic, is a planned city project and sustainable mixed-use development envisioned to function on its own grid with full carbon neutrality. Today, Masdar City has moved away from its original vision of being zero-carbon and zero-waste, but retains its focus on sustainability. “In spite of the apparent progress Masdar City is making on the economic and environmental front, the city continues to deflect criticism about deviation from its original vision and lack of progress relative to the original plan,” explained Dr. Griffiths. “Planning for future cities is a daunting task.” Current approaches to building sustainable cities typically focus on technical solutions as disruptive and innovative technology promise to solve the urbanization challenges. ICT solutions can be used in infrastructure, technologies and everyday life in the city, as well as the entire life-cycle of the products and services consumed by its citizens. In this way, a city can become a smart city. The concept of smart cities can be traced back to the business sector: it is a catchword that draws interest from companies involved in ICT and infrastructure. Much of the ICT included in smart city concepts already exists and it is their interconnection and synchronization that present the promise and the challenge. Many smart city initiatives have already been developed around the world, with aims of improving efficiency and effectiveness of urban operations and resource management. They promise to generate economic, social and environmental value through seamless connection, but both smart and sustainable narratives have been
widely criticized for promoting economic development while giving scant attention to environmental and societal concerns, with proponents of the smart city offering only a technocratic perspective, reducing sustainability to a buzzword. “Smart is not necessarily sustainable,” concluded Dr.Griffiths. A smart and sustainable city should be seen as an aggregate concept. A city can be sustainable without the use of smart technology, and smart technologies can be used in a city without contributing to any sustainable development. It is only where smart technologies are used to make a city more sustainable that a city could be considered both. “A city’s sustainability and performance depend on how technologies and policies are mobilized to enhance energy, water, waste, healthcare, mobility, security, economic development, and community engagement,” added Dr. Griffiths. “Masdar City is a test-bed for new technologies required to meet extremely demanding sustainability targets.” There are a number of different ways a city can become smart but ultimately, they all take the unprecedented ability to collect data, analyze it, and do something with it for the city’s residents. Digitalization and urbanization combine to augment the human experience in city living. With 70 percent of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050, cities are at the forefront of sustainable thought and need to be resilient. In Masdar City’s case, the hope for the development to become “an exemplary eco-city” is not yet lost. “If Masdar City works as currently planned it would underline the importance of integrating city planning, passive design, energy supply, transport, water, and recycling efforts so that the entire community is lowcarbon,” explained Dr. Griffiths. “However, challenges and barriers remain for the city in its path ahead. It may be that the true legacy of the city will not be evolving into a model eco-city but rather continuing to serve as a beacon for broader societal change towards sustainability in the UAE and the Gulf region.” 79 KU TIMES
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Prolific Professors
Book Published
Title
Power Management for Wearable Electronic Devices
Publisher
Springer
KU Authors
Dr. Dima Kilani, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Baker Mohammad, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. Hani Saleh, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Link
https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030378837
Title
Remarkably efficient removal of toxic bromate from drinking water with a porphyrin–viologen covalent organic framework
Journal
Chemical Science
KU Authors
Dr. Dinesh Shetty
Link
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2020/SC/C9SC04663A#!divAbstract
Summary
This collaborative research reports the smart design and development of a covalent organic framework based efficient sorbent material for the removal of carcinogenic toxic bromate, formed during the process of ozonolysis and electrolysis of both fresh and seawater, from drinking water.
Title
A benzenesulfonamide derivative as a novel PET radioligand for CXCR4.
Journal
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
KU Authors
Dr. Dinesh Shetty
Link
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2019.115240
Summary
This collaborative research reports the development of small molecule inflammation (important in early diagnosis of cancer) imaging agent targeting chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR-4; prominent target in more than 20 different cancers).
Title
Sustainable synthesis of graphene-based adsorbent using date syrup
Journal
Scientific Report
KU Authors
Dr. Fawzi Banat, Shaihroz Khan and Anjali Edathil
Link
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54597-x
Summary
In this article, we reported a simple and facile in-situ strategy for the production of graphene sand hybrid using date syrup (D-GSH) via one-step pyrolysis and further evaluated the applicability of D-GSH as an eco-adsorbent for decontaminating wastewater. The adsorption capacity of the as-prepared adsorbent far surpassed the adsorption capacity of similar reported graphene-based adsorbents.
KU TIMES 80
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Title
Minimum Orbital Intersection Distance: Asymptotic Approach
Journal
Astronomy & Astrophysics
KU Authors
Dr. Elena Fantino, Dr. J. Pelรกez, and Dr. J.M. Hedo
Link
https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.02609
Title
Non-singular recursion formulas for third-body perturbations in mean vectorial elements
Journal
Astronomy & Astrophysics
KU Authors
Dr. Elena Fantino
Link
https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.00963
Title
Asymmetric Alliances and High Polarity: Evaluating Regional Security Complexes in the Middle East and Horn of Africa
Journal
Third World Quarterly
KU Authors
Brendon J. Cannon, Assistant Professor, Institute of International and Civil Security (IICS)
Link
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01436597.2019.1693255
Summary
The Middle East and the Horn of Africa exist in two distinct regional security complexes (RSCs), groupings of states exhibiting intense security interdependence within a distinct region, but rarely between regions. Recent geopolitical changes and related analyses, however, point to either a subsuming or a joining of the two RSCs, potentially leading to a high degree of uncertainty in two conflict-prone regions. Given the importance of such developments, we question this theory of RSC expansion by offering a concise review of recent security interactions between the two RSCs as well as quantitatively and qualitatively measuring the material power capabilities of relevant states.
Title
Modelling of a recirculating photocatalytic microreactor implementing mesoporous N-TiO2 modified with graphene
Journal
Chemical Engineering Journal
KU Authors
Dr. Giovanni Palmisiano, Dr. Ahmed Yusuf, Dr. Habeebllah Oladipo, Dr. Lutfiye Yildiz Ozer, Dr. Corrado Garlisi, Dr. Mohammad Abu-Zahra,
Link
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894719329894
81 KU TIMES
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Title
Kinetic modelling of acyl glucuronide and glucoside reactivity and development of structure– property relationships
Journal
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
KU Authors
Dr. Selena E. Richards, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Link
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2020/ob/c9ob02008j
Title
Asymmetric Alliances and High Polarity: Evaluating Regional Security Complexes in the Middle East and Horn of Africa
Journal
Third World Quarterly
KU Authors
Brendon J. Cannon, Assistant Professor, Institute of International and Civil Security (IICS)
Link
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01436597.2019.1693255
Summary
The Middle East and the Horn of Africa exist in two distinct regional security complexes (RSCs), groupings of states exhibiting intense security interdependence within a distinct region, but rarely between regions. Recent geopolitical changes and related analyses, however, point to either a subsuming or a joining of the two RSCs, potentially leading to a high degree of uncertainty in two conflict-prone regions. Given the importance of such developments, we question this theory of RSC expansion by offering a concise review of recent security interactions between the two RSCs as well as quantitatively and qualitatively measuring the material power capabilities of relevant states.
Title
Modelling of a recirculating photocatalytic microreactor implementing mesoporous N-TiO2 modified with graphene
Journal
Chemical Engineering Journal
KU Authors
Dr. Giovanni Palmisiano, Dr. Ahmed Yusuf, Dr. Habeebllah Oladipo, Dr. Lutfiye Yildiz Ozer, Dr.Corrado Garlisi, Dr. Mohammad Abu-Zahra,
Link
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894719329894
Title
Kinetic modelling of acyl glucuronide and glucoside reactivity and development of structure– property relationships
Journal
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
KU Authors
Dr. Selena E. Richards, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Link
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2020/ob/c9ob02008j
KU TIMES 82
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Title
Holey Graphene: an emerging versatile material
Journal
Journal of Materials Chemistry A
KU Authors
Dr. Abhishek Lokhande, Postdoctoral Researcher, Dr. Issam Qattan, Associate Professor of Physics, and Dr. Shashikant P. Patole, Assistant Professor of Physics
Link
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/ta/c9ta10667g#!divAbstract
Title
Performance enhancement of CO2 capture adsorbents by UV treatment: The case of selfsupported graphene oxide foam
Journal
Chemical Engineering Journal
KU Authors
Dr. Georgios Karanikolos, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Anish Mathai Varghese, Research Associate, Dr. Suresh Kumar Reddy Kuppireddy, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Swati Singh, Research Associate
Link
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.124022
Title
Silver/(sub-10 nm)hafnium-oxide-based resistive switching devices on silicon: characteristics and switching mechanism
Journal
Nanotechnology
KU Authors
Dr. Sueda Saylan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Maguy Abi Jaoude, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Khaled Humood, Research Associate, Dr. Florent Ravaux, Research Scientist, and Dr. Baker Mohammad, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Link
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6528/ab68fb/meta
Title
Countrywide optimization of natural gas supply chain: From wells to consumers
Journal
Energy
KU Authors
Satyadileep Dara, Haytham Abdulqader, Dr. Yasser Al Wahedi, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Abdallah S. Berrouk, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Link
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544220302322?via%3Dihub
83 KU TIMES
INNOVATION FORWARD
KU Research Develops Novel Drug Delivery System Using White Blood Cells to Target Atherosclerosis
Cutting-edge research and breakthroughs
Research at Khalifa University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Sungmun Lee, has developed a target-specific delivery system encapsulating antioxidants to ensure their successful delivery to cells damaged by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the inside of an artery narrows due to the build-up of plaque. For unknown reasons, white blood cells—also known as leukocytes—begin to attack the endothelium of the artery, and the ensuing inflammation leads to the formation of the atheromatous plaques, which accumulate over several years. Inflammation is a natural defense mechanism induced by the body’s immune system to facilitate tissue repair. When inflammation is prolonged, there is a progressive shift in the type of cells present at the site of the inflammation, characterized by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process. Oxidative stress induced by the generation of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS)—a group of small reactive molecules that play critical roles in the regulation of various cell functions and biological processes— is now understood to be implicated
KU TIMES 84
in the kind of vascular injury seen in atherosclerosis. “Overproduction of ROS accelerates the process of inflammation and induces many inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease and cancers, as well as atherosclerosis,” explained Dr. Lee. ROS are produced as by-products of normal cellular metabolism and are very useful tools to destroy biological pathogens. However, they are not pathogen-specific. To avoid toxicity to host cells, the body produces oxygen scavengers known as antioxidants. These antioxidants can convert ROS into less reactive and non-toxic compounds such as water and oxygen. Organisms usually maintain complex systems of overlapping antioxidants, such as glutathione and enzymes produced internally, and the dietary antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E. At low concentrations, ROS serve complex signaling functions, but when their production is uncontrolled through an imbalance in the oxidant/ antioxidant mechanisms of the body, oxidative stress occurs. As the ROS activate endothelial cells, the endothelial cells then generate more ROS, and atherosclerosis becomes a self-propagating health concern if left unchecked.
INNOVATION FORWARD
“Scavenging of reactive oxygen species by antioxidants holds great promise to alleviate the symptoms of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis,” said Dr. Lee. “In atherosclerosis, damaged endothelial cells generate more ROS and inflammatory drug candidates; however, antioxidant enzymes such as catalase are easily degraded in the body, and superoxide dismutase antioxidants such as tempol and tempo can diffuse into any type of cells indiscriminately.” For antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) to be employed as therapeutic drugs in the treatment of atherosclerosis, an effective drug delivery system is required as these antioxidants are not membranepermeable and easily degrade in vivo. Even membrane-permeable
antioxidants, such as tempol or tempo (both SOD enzymes), need a target-specific drug delivery method due to their non-specificity, or their tendency to catalyze more than one specific reaction. Additionally, biomaterials originating from the host are much less likely to cause a response to their use as drug delivery vehicles. To minimize response, Dr. Lee used human acute monocytic leukemia cells (THP-1 cells) grown in the lab to encapsulate antioxidants including catalase, tempol and tempo. The results showed that monocytes (a type of white blood cell) can encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic antioxidants and scavenge ROS to the same level as free antioxidants in vitro.
“We found that antioxidant-loaded monocytes effectively targeted the damaged endothelial cells rather than other types of cells and the antioxidants scavenged more than 90 percent of the intercellular ROS generated by cytokines or exogenous ROS,” said Dr. Lee. The results from this research promise a novel monocyte-based drug delivery system that will have numerous applications in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and other disease associated with free radical damage, such as kidney disease and diabetes. Dr. Lee’s research was presented at the first International Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC) Workshop, held at KU Main Campus in November. 85 KU TIMES
Is There Magnetism on Mars? DATA SHOWS THAT THERE ARE MAGNETIC ANOMALIES ON THE MARTIAN CRUST IN THE ABSENCE OF A GLOBAL MAGNETIC FIELD. THIS STRONG CRUSTAL MAGNETISM IS UNEXPLAINED GIVEN THAT PREVIOUS MODELS OF MARS’ ANCIENT CORE DYNAMO ARE OF APPROXIMATE STRENGTH TO EARTH’S CURRENT FIELD AND WOULD NOT PRODUCE SUCH STRONG REMNANT MAGNETIZATION IF EARTHLIKE LITHOLOGIES ARE ASSUMED.
Ahmed AlHantoobi, Aerospace Engineering student, has presented his research project titled “The Relationship of Martian Crustal Remnant Magnetism and Mineralogy” at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San Francisco in December 2019. AlHantoobi developed his project during his summer experience with the Emirates Mars Mission Research Experience for Undergraduates program. “Orbital magnetometers and the InSight lander discovered strong crustal magnetic fields in some regions of Mars, despite the lack of a detectable core dynamo,” explained AlHantoobi to a room full of respected and established researchers in their field. “This strong crustal magnetism is unexplained given that previous models of Mars’ ancient core dynamo are of approximate strength to Earth’s current field and would not produce such strong remnant magnetization if Earth-like lithologies are assumed. However, the crust on Mars is more ironrich than Earth’s crust, which may lead to rocks with significant proportions of magnetic phases such as magnetite, hematite, pyrrhotite, and titanomagnetite.” The lithology of a rock unit is the description of its physical characteristics to map and investigate areas by correlation between different rock types. The dynamo theory proposes a mechanism by which a celestial body, such as Earth or Mars, generates a magnetic field, a process through which a rotating, convecting, and electrically conducting fluid can maintain KU TIMES 86
a magnetic field over astronomical time scales. This conductive fluid in a geodynamo, like a planetary body, is liquid iron in the outer core, with the magnetic field induced and maintained by the convection of the liquid iron in the outer core. As the Earth rotates, the Coriolis effect supplies the rotation in the outer core, and it is this rotating fluid that induces the magnetic field. While Mars lacks a detectable magnetic field of global scale, it boasts a rich spectrum of magnetic fields at smaller spatial scales. On average, the Mars crust is ten times more intensely magnetized than the Earth’s, and theories suggest that the Mars crust acquired this remnant magnetism from its dynamo shutting down for reasons as yet unknown. “Previous models of Mars’ ancient core dynamo suggest that its strength was similar to that of Earth’s current magnetic field and would not produce such strong magnetic anomalies as seen,” explained AlHantoobi. “We know that Mars contains more iron than Earth when considering proportions, so the presence of very ironrich rocks isn’t unexpected in the crust. The Mars Global Surveyor Mission in 1996 provided a wealth of data into Mars’ evolution and the magnetic record of the crust. However, its data was collected from orbit, at great distance from the rocks containing the history of the planet’s magnetism. Until space exploration missions can use surface or aerial magnetometer surveys or even return a piece of
INNOVATION FORWARD
Noachian crust (from an early time period on Mars) to Earth, researchers like AlHantoobi are using the data they already have to propose explanations for the remnant magnetism. “The data from the magnetometer shows that there are magnetic anomalies on the Martian crust in the absence of a global magnetic field,” said AlHantoobi. “The magnetic field recorded from orbit is suggested to be a result of rocks containing magnetic minerals acquiring remnant magnetization from the time Mars presumably had a global magnetic field. The most likely cause of this remnant magnetization is thermoremanent magnetization.” When an igneous rock, formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava, cools, it acquires a thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) from the Earth’s field. This remanence can be very stable and last without significant change for millions of years. If a rock is heated above its Curie temperature— the temperature above which certain materials lose their permanent magnetic properties—it can be permanently demagnetized. “The lack of magnetic anomalies in regions with large impact basins and large shield volcanoes implies that Mars’ dynamo shut down before heavy bombardment and volcanism,” said AlHantoobi. “Magnetic minerals in regions of volcanic activities are susceptible to heat above the Curie temperature, leading to demagnetization if the global magnetic field is no longer present.” It appears that around four billion years ago, the global magnetic field on Mars collapsed. Now, the history of its magnetic field is archived in its crust. “We can see that in the five regions where Mars’ crustal field is particularly strong, there is a strong positive correlation coefficient between magnetic field strength and iron content,” said AlHantoobi. “It’s possible that this is due to thermoremanent magnetization of ironrich basalt with abundant single-domain magnetic carriers such as magnetite, and therefore high magnetic susceptibility. “This theory hasn’t been explored before. We used a model of the magnetic field created using data from the Mars Global Surveyor mission and MAVEN, and mineral maps from TES to explore the potential relationships
between the magnetic field observed and the mineralogy of the Martian crust. “A possible explanation for some of the strong crustal magnetic fields observed from orbit is local mineralogical enhancements of those regions,” explained AlHantoobi. “Therefore, Mars’ ancient core dynamo does not need to produce an extremely strong global magnetic field to explain the strong magnetic anomalies. Instead, the rocks may be much better recorders for the magnetic field than typical lithologies available on Earth. “The methods we used rely on the presence of a recorded magnetic field, so we couldn’t comment on the crustal regions where there isn’t a recorded magnetic field. However, we can see that in both the individual and the linked correlation maps of the geologic units, there are regions with strong positive correlation, and others with a strong negative correlation. Unfortunately, the areas with the highest recorded magnetic fields comprised many small geologic units and didn’t contain enough data sets to provide us with a reliable correlation value.” Research such as AlHantoobi’s is crucial for better understanding the universe around us and offers unprecedented access to the history of Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor. NASA’s InSight lander touched down on Mars in November 2018 to investigate the Martian crust and measure the strength and direction of the planet’s magnetic field, among many other intelligence gathering missions. Data from InSight will hopefully clarify whether the strong magnetic signal coming from the rocks beneath the lander is coming from rocks deep underground or closer to the surface. If the magnetism is coming from rocks nearer the surface, it would imply the strong magnetic field persisted around Mars for longer than currently thought. Additionally, the Hope Mars Mission from the Emirates Mohamed Bin Rashid Space Center will study the atmospheric layers of Mars and help explain how the collapse of the planet’s global magnetic field contributed to the stripping of the atmosphere that could have sustained liquid water. Understanding the magnetic history of the red planet could help researchers determine whether there ever was any life on Mars. 87 KU TIMES
INNOVATION FORWARD
sports stadium or large music venue relied solely on a nearby cell tower to provide coverage to all its users, the tower and the local network would quickly become overwhelmed and unstable. An in-building distributed antenna system (IB-DAS) would therefore aid in providing high capacity, but in other situations, they can also offer greater coverage. For example, in a high-rise building, an IB-DAS is often deployed because the radio frequency noise levels at higher altitudes can make the signal unusable.
Designing an In-Building Distributed Antenna System with Evolutionary Algorithms and Many Objectives AS DATA TRAFFIC CONTINUES TO INCREASE EXPONENTIALLY, IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO RELY ON OUTDOOR BASE STATIONS TO SUPPORT THE TRAFFIC GENERATED INDOORS, MAINLY DUE TO PENETRATION ISSUES OF WIRELESS SIGNALS THROUGH BUILDING MATERIALS. PASSIVE IN-BUILDING DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEMS (IB-DAS) ARE ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT METHODS TO PROVIDING AN INDOOR SOLUTION THAT MEETS SIGNAL STRENGTH REQUIREMENTS. Khawla Al Shanqiti, Msc in Engineering Systems and Management student, was invited to present her published scientific paper at the SGAI International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in December 2019. Her paper, titled A Multi-Objective Design of In-building Distributed Antenna System using Evolutionary Algorithms, was shared in the Application Stream of the conference, which is the largest annual showcase in Europe of real applications using Artificial Intelligence technology. As data traffic continues to increase exponentially, it has become increasingly difficult to rely on outdoor base stations to support the traffic generated indoors, mainly due to penetration issues of wireless signals through building materials. Not to mention, many indoor locations experience significantly more cellular data usage than others: if a KU TIMES 88
“The complexity of indoor environments makes it very difficult for a wireless signal to pass from the outside through the buildings without suffering some form of attenuation, such as wall penetration and the multipath effect,” explained Al Shanqiti. “Sometimes, signals coming from the outside can be completely blocked.” Previously, outdoor cellular coverage solutions had been successful at providing all the coverage and capacity needed, but as predictions show, mobile data traffic will increase to 49 billion gigabytes globally by 2021. With more than 70 percent consumed indoors, coverage providers need to consider indoor environments.
INNOVATION FORWARD
“The increasing data traffic inside buildings requires maintaining good cellular network coverage for indoor mobile users,” explained Al Shanqiti. “Passive In-building Distributed Antenna Systems (IB-DAS) are one of the most efficient methods to providing an indoor solution that meets signal strength requirements.” These systems have become a critical part of both carrier cellular networks and infrastructure. A network of antennas sends and receives cellular signals, distributing the signals fed from a variety of possible sources. In a passive IB-DAS, the base transmission station (BTS) provides the amplified signal that is distributed to the antennas through passive components that do not require any electrical power. Passive RF components include coaxial cables, splitters, taps and couplers. The farther the antenna is from the signal source and any amplifiers, the more attenuation—or loss—there will be in the power broadcast from that antenna. Designing a passive IBDAS correctly requires calculating precisely the link budgets to make sure the power output at each antenna is equal. This can get expensive. “An IB-DAS comprises a network of spatially distributed antennas in a building connected to telephone rooms, which are then connected to the BTS,” explained Al Shanqiti. “Designing an IB-DAS can be challenging due to the powersharing property resulting in two contradicting objectives: minimizing the power usage at the BTS and minimizing the design components cost.” A passive IB-DAS is less expensive due to its fewer components but they can be more challenging to implement than other systems. Their design can be evaluated using different performance metrics, with Al Shanqiti and team using a tree structure to represent an IB-DAS design.
Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II), to handle the contradictory objectives and produce multiple possible solutions. “The NSGA II is one of the popular multi-objective optimization algorithms that have been successfully used to solve many real-world optimization problems,” said Al Shanqiti. “Our results showed that NSGA II was capable of achieving our objectives and simultaneously generating results that could not be obtained by a combined-objectives GA approach, where all the costs are combined into a single objective as a weighted sum of all the objectives.” The team’s three optimization sub-problems involved optimizing the location of the antennas on each floor to achieve required cellular coverage, determining the optimal connections between the antennas and the telephone room through splitters and coaxial cables (known as the horizontal design), and finding the optimal connections between the telephone rooms and the BTS (the vertical design). For this project, the antenna locations and the horizontal design were already determined by the building planners, so the team focused on the vertical design. The NSGA II algorithm obtained a tree structure to connect the telephone rooms on each floor to the BTS using cables, and different splitters and tappers. The algorithm had to consider the number of floors in the building, the power requirement on each floor, and the base station location. While these parameters comprise the inputs to the design, a fourth parameter—the splitters and tappers used—is a set of decision variables that determines the full IB-DAS design. There’s plenty to consider with the splitters and tappers: their floor location, type, and connections mean there are many variables. There are also two costs to include in the system design: the total equipment cost, comprising the cost of cabling, splitters, tappers, and the power deviation, and the BTS power demand cost.
A genetic algorithm, giving consideration to different factors such as minimizing cabling and passive splitter costs, reducing spillage and power deviation between the required and supplied power for antennas, is used to assist their system’s design. The team focused on two objectives: minimizing the power required by the base station, and minimizing the cost of the equipment.
“We found that converting from a single-objective approach to a multi-objective approach provided a set of options for different trade-off solutions, which is beneficial for the decision-maker,” explained Al Shanqiti. “In fact, this was the motivation for this work and was inspired by a real-world requirement from our partners. Our algorithm is scalable and can accommodate high rise buildings and in the future, we will use other advanced multi-objective evolutionary algorithms to see if we can get even better results.
Reducing the power demand is important for minimizing the risk of interference with outside signals and achieving longterm consistent savings, while lower equipment costs bring the short-term cost down. The team used a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, called Non-Dominated Sorting
“I was extremely happy and proud to take this opportunity to represent the UAE, EBTIC, and KU in a highly sophisticated and world-class scientific environment that gathers AI experts. I am also immensely grateful to everyone who supported me in reaching this achievement.”
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Catalysis Research Shared at International Conference
Two PhD students under the supervision of Dr. Kyriaki Polychronopoulou, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the KU Center for Catalysis and Separation (CeCaS), presented papers at the Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit & Exhibition (SIPS), which took place in Cyprus in October, demonstrating KU’s strong research capabilities in the field of catalysis. Ayesha Alkhoori presented a paper titled “H2 Production from Glycerol Steam Reforming.” Her paper describes how she has developed an improved catalyst capable of producing high yields of hydrogen by steam reforming glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production, at a low temperature.
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A recent spike in the production of biodiesel in the UAE – brought about by local efforts to reduce the country’s carbon footprint through greener fuels – has led to an increase in the production of crude glycerol. “For every one ton of biodiesel, 100 kg of crude glycerol is generated as the main byproduct,” Alkhoori explained.
student Sara AlKhoori, describes a ‘smart’ design for a catalyst used to convert methane, a greenhouse gas, into a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen known as syngas, which can be used to produce ethanol, methanol, or other clean liquid fuels.
While glycerol is an important feedstock for the manufacture of value-added chemicals and clean fuels, including hydrogen, most of this surplus crude glycerol gets incinerated. This is because current methods for turning glycerol into useful chemicals – which is done through a catalytic process called glycerol steam reforming – requires very high operating temperatures above 500 degrees Celsius, and high costs.
Methane is converted into syngas through a process known as “dry reforming of methane.” The process is typically carried out with noble metal elements, which are known for their high activity and stability. But noble metal elements are very costly, making the process too expensive to perform at an industrial scale.
Currently, when glycerol is steam reformed using a nickel-based catalyst, carbonaceous chunks of waste called ‘coke’ build up on the surface of the catalyst, blocking the reaction sites and reducing efficiency. To overcome this issue, Alkhoori designed a catalyst made of copper and cerium to be highly reducible, which means that it provides the key ingredient of oxygen to the reaction sites, to convert the glycerol into hydrogen gas more efficiently. The activated oxygen carries out the chemical reactions at lower temperatures and lower cost, without sacrificing the hydrogen yield. The research began last year at CeCaS under the supervision of Dr. Kyriaki Polychronopoulou, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and involves collaborators from the University of Western Macedonia. This work was published in early 2019 in the Sustainable Energy & Fuels, journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). A second PhD student, Aseel Hussein, presented a paper titled “Improving Metal Oxide Catalysts for Biogas Dry Reforming: Coupling of Mechanochemical Modification with Enhanced Microwave Chemistry.” Her paper, which was done in collaboration with MSc
Hussein proposes using catalysts made from much lower cost nickel and cobalt. The challenge with these type of transition-based catalysts, however, is that they are prone to coking, which blocks the reaction sites and ultimately stops the catalytic activity. To get around this issue, Hussein designed her nickel-based catalysts with increased oxygen storage capacity. By increasing its oxygen storage capacity, the catalyst can leverage the carbon buildup for more efficient gasification, which is process needed to convert the methane into syngas. Hussein’s research started in 2017 and is being sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Department of Educational and Knowledge (ADEK) through the Research Excellence Award (AARE) 2017. She is also being supervised by Dr. Polychronopoulou. She is collaborating with research teams from University of Western Macedonia in Greece, the University of Surrey in the UK, and University of Zaragosa in Spain. She plans to continue testing the best catalytic system in terms of selectivity and stability to better control the coking.
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KU’s Advanced Materials Science Research Highlighted at MRS Conference
KU researchers presented eight conference papers at the Materials Research Society’s (MRS) flagship conference, the 2019 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibition, which took place from 1 – 6 December, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The eight papers presented by KU faculty, researchers and students demonstrated the university’s robust materials science research activities.
Caption: GeS Field Effect Transistor for High Temperature Applications
Two KU faculty members are the principal investigators for the papers presented at the conference – Dr. Matteo Chiesa Profesor of Mechanical Engineering and head of the Laboratory for Energy and Nano Science (LENS), and Dr. Rashid Abu Al-Rub, Professor and Acting Chair of Aerospace Engineering, Director of Advanced Digital and Additive Manufacturing Centre (ADAM) and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Chiesa presented two papers. In the first paper, titled “GeS Field Effect Transistor for High Temperature
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Applications,” Dr. Chiesa describes how his team investigated the effects that intrinsic crystal defects in an ultrathin, 2D germanium sulfide (GeS) material have on the material’s electrical properties at different temperatures. More specifically, he studied how the crystal defects effect the germanium sulfide’s behavior as a field effect transistor (FET) that amplify and switch electronic signals. In his second paper, titled “Spectroscopy Studies on MultiLayer InSe with Visible Range Band Gap,” Dr. Chiesa revealed important properties of the 2D material indium selenide (InSe). His team used Raman spectroscopy, a technique involving light scattering to understand material properties, to determine the electronic band structure and lattice vibrations of indium selenide and indium selenide coated with graphene. Both papers’ co-authors include Dr. Srinivasa Tamalampudi, Dr. Raman Sankar, Dr. Ibraheem Almansouri, and Dr. Jin-You Lu. Boulos Alfakes, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Chiesa, also presented two papers. His first paper was titled “Effect of Hf Doping on ZnO Photo-Anode.” In this project, Alfakes and his team developed an enhanced zinc oxide-based anode for use in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell – a device that splits water and produces hydrogen. The researchers doped the zinc oxide with the chemical element hafnium, using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) approach. They observed a 250% increase in the photocurrent, or the electric current induced from light, travelling in the anode. Alfakes’ second paper was titled “Hf Doped ZnO Engineering for Various Solar Cells Architectures.” In this study, Alfakes and his team took precise measurements using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Kelvin probe force microscopy, and other characterization techniques to provide conclusive evidence that hafnium doped zinc oxide produces a tunable band gap and work function, as well as decreases electrical resistivity, making it an ideal material for solar cell applications. Dr. ChunYu Lu, Postdoctoral Fellow working under Dr.Chiesa, presented a paper titled “Density Functional Theory Simulation on Material Science—Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Experiment.” In this research, Dr. Lu and his team performed Density Functional Theory (DFT) – a computational modeling method to investigate electronic structures – on 2D materials, including indium selenide, graphene, and doped zinc oxide, to characterize the materials and design ideal material properties for different applications.
Dr. Nitul Rajput, Postdoctoral Fellow working under Dr.Chiesa, presented his research titled “EELS study of Vertically grown Graphene sheets on Ge.” The poster describes how his team used transmission electron microscopes (TEM) – a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons instead of light to see through a material – and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) – a technique to measure the change in kinetic energy of electrons after they interact with a specimen – to study and investigate the carbon bonds within a vertically grown carbon material on germanium. This study will bring new insight into the growth mechanism of graphene sheets on semiconductor materials. Juveiriah M. Ashraf, an MSc student in Materials Science and Engineering supervised by Prof. Rashid Abu AlRub and Prof. Kin Liao, presented two papers. The first was titled “Three-Dimensional Architected Graphene Lattices from Additively-Manufactured Polymer Templates.” Juveiriah described how her team developed a simple, scalable, and architecturally versatile additive manufacturing approach to creating 3D graphene structures based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), which are cellular lattices that have perfectly curved surfaces with no self-intersecting or enfolded surfaces. Being able to translate graphene’s unique 2D properties – particularly, its exceptional strength and conductivity – into a 3D form will extend the potential application of graphene into numerous fields. Juveiriah’s second papers was titled “Effective Thermal/ Electrical Conductivities of Three-Dimensional Cellular Architectures based on Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces.” She compared the electrical and thermal conductivity of three different types of TPMS structures – Gyroid, IWP and Diamond shapes using computational modelling. Her findings indicate that the sheet network version of each structure demonstrated higher conductivities compared to the solid networks, and that the IWP sheet network demonstrated the highest conductivity overall. The research was then used to compare the thermal and electrical conductivities of graphene-based TPMS structures that were fabricated experimentally. The Fall Meeting & Exhibit is the world’s foremost international scientific gathering for materials research. The meeting provided an opportunity to spotlight some of the innovative materials science research and advanced capabilities being developed at KU. 93 KU TIMES
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The Impact of PV Shades in Reducing Heat Stress in Oil and Gas Industry
Corrections: We apologize for the mistake that appeared in the January 2020 Edition of KU Times. The article titled “The Impact of PV Shades in Reducing Heat Stress in Oil and Gas Industry� was misprinted. We include the full story here.
Beyond just providing cover, PV panels can be part of a hybrid electrical generating system, with storage batteries and diesel generators. The PV panels reduce the need to operate the generators and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Heat stress is a common phenomenon in the UAE. During the harsh summer months, residents across the country suffer from the heat, but for outdoors workers, like those on oil rigs, summer can be a potentially dangerous time of year. To keep workers safe, a team of researchers from Khalifa University have investigated using a system of photovoltaic (PV) panels to provide shade for the workers, significantly reducing the temperatures in which the employees are working. Dr. Clarence Rodrigues and Dr. Rodney Simmons, both Associate Professors of Industrial and Systems Engineering supported Abdul Hasib Siddique, graduate student from the M. Eng. in Health, Safety and Environmental Engineering (HSE) program, with his efforts conducted for the 1-credit research course requirement for the program.
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“Excessive heat in an oil or natural gas drilling environment can have negative effects on workers, production levels and work efficiency,” explained Siddique. “The summer temperature in the UAE can reach as high as 51⁰ C, which is extremely high for continuous outside work, especially considering that a 12-hour work shift is normal on the rigs.” Heat stress is a common, yet often ignored hazard in the workplace. Research shows that working in hot environments is linked with lower mental alertness and physical performance, and subsequently, more injuries. When elevated body temperature and physical discomfort are added to the mix, it’s understandable that workers may divert their attention from hazardous tasks and overlook common safety procedures. “In occupational settings, heat stress is the thermal load to which a worker is exposed, and heat strain is the body’s physiological response to that stress,” explained Siddique. “The body has coping mechanisms that allow it to function in very hot environments, but in extreme conditions, these coping mechanisms can be overwhelmed. As the UAE has long hot summers, heat stress becomes an issue for every worker who is outside in the sun.” “With the establishment of the new ADNOC campaign ‘100% HSE’, a stricter personal protective equipment (PPE) policy has been implemented,” explained Siddique. “Workers wear more protective gear, like helmets, masks, safety shoes, gloves and other job-specific PPE, and wear them more consistently than they once did. As a result, high workplace temperatures make the same task more stressful and exhausting.” Siddique’s work proposes area cooling on drilling rigs by providing photovoltaic shades as a roof cover. His system covers the entire mud tank area with PV panels to reduce radiant load and provide shade, reducing direct radiation. Each panel is movable to prevent delaying operation during rig moves and has a minimum headroom of 10 feet to accommodate free movement beneath them. “Out in the open sky, a person feels hotter because the sun’s rays landing on the skin adds energy to the body in the form of heat,” explained Siddique. “As the radiant heat load on the body is reduced or eliminated under the shade, it will always feel cooler in that shaded area. The body usually loses or gains 60 percent of heat exchange from radiant heat gain or loss, so it’s evident it will be much better for workers if a PV array is implemented as shade in the tank area.”
Shade generated from roofs covered by PV panels significantly reduces surface temperatures below the covered areas in both moderate and high temperature conditions and although a cooling effect may be relatively small, it can improve the thermal comfort of the affected humans significantly. The Thermal Work Limit (TWL) is an indication of how long a person can do work in a certain environment—it predicts the maximum work that can be carried out without a worker’s body temperature exceeding 38.2⁰ C or a safe sweat rate. The TWL is assessed by measuring temperature, wind speed, radiation, and relative humidity, as human performance is directly impacted by these factors. “Companies have been trying to come up with engineering and administrative controls to reduce the effect of summer heat in this region,” said Siddique. “We proposed photovoltaic array shades to improve conditions for the workers and help reduce thermal stress. “Due to global warming, average ambient temperatures in the summer are now generally higher than experienced in the past,” said Siddique. “Although the differences are of only a few degrees, these small differences can make a big change in the work environment.” Beyond just providing cover, PV panels can be part of a hybrid electrical generating system, with storage batteries and diesel generators. The PV panels reduce the need to operate the generators and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The UAE receives an average 9.7 hours of sunshine each day, with one of the highest solar exposure rates in the world, giving the country tremendous potential for renewable energy supply. “According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Planet Report 2010, the UAE is one of the leading countries contributing towards the per capita carbon footprint,” said Siddique. “A photovoltaic system will help reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and we calculated a total reduction of about 135 kilotons per year. Installing solar panels will decrease the heat stress experienced by workers while also producing energy and contributing to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.” 95 KU TIMES
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