Dubai Internships
Dubai Internships
Engineering students develop global network By Megan Detrie
Six LAU engineering students and six students from New York’s Syracuse University participated in a six-week internship in the United Arab Emirates with the Dubai Contracting Company (DCC), giving them a chance to get hands-on with some of the world’s biggest construction projects.
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LAU engineering students get the scoop on Dubai’s biggest construction projects
“I was born in Dubai and love the construction there, and the DCC construction is unique and advanced for construction companies in the Middle East,” says Anthony el Khoury an LAU engineering student who participated in the internship. DCC has multiple construction sites in the region, including ones in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The internship, which ran from May 8 until June 17, gave participants a chance to watch as construction projects shifted from one phase to the next. Days were split between lectures and site visits, which the participants said allowed them to put the theories they were learning into immediate practice. “We were able to experience and sense real-life problems and risks involved in the construction industry, and this practical part of the experience is rarely tangible or shown in other internships,” says Sarah Hijazi, an LAU engineering student. Hijazi added that because of the diversity of the site visits, she was able to learn about a wide variety of equipment, techniques and safety measures. “There are a lot of high-rise towers that simply don’t exist in Lebanon” says LAU intern Pierre Karam, adding, “It was amazing to see these projects.” All engineering students are required to participate in some form of professional practice during the summer before graduation. The DCC internship is unusual in that it offers students a chance to work
not only with their American counterparts, but also with employees from around the world. According to Dr. George E. Nasr, LAU professor and dean of the School of Engineering, who helped bring the internship program to LAU, the international aspect of the internship is a special draw. “As an engineer in the global economy, you will be asked to go abroad and team up with people from very different cultures, to make a project and implement a time plan,” says Nasr. He adds that in the DCC internship, students “are exposed socially to other cultures.” In addition to their educational, social and hands-on experiences, the interns also kept a daily blog (http://dsipprogram. blogspot.com/). This is the third year LAU has participated in the internship. The program launched in 2008 with participants from Syracuse University and the American University in Dubai. But with the help of Abdallah Yabroudi, CEO of DCC and a graduate of LAU, the internship was opened to LAU university students instead. “Our experience with Yabroudi helped make the internship what it was,” says Chris Hasbany, one of the participants. “From the first day, he knew our names, even before seeing us, and came every day to our offices to check on every one of us.” Hasbany adds, “We came to Dubai as six LAU classmates, but now we are leaving as 12 brothers and sisters.”