Engineering - American University in Dubai

From Programs to Departments:
AUD School of Engineering Restructured
Department of Civil Engineering
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
V O L U M E
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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0
Engineering
Connection
Dubai, October 30th, 2009
T
he American University in
Dubai (AUD) has announced
establishing the
Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering and the
Department of Civil Engineering
within the School of Engineering
(SoE). The SoE has offered degrees
in three programs since its
inception: Civil Engineering, Electrical
Engineering, and Computer
Engineering. Previously, each
program operated under the direct
umbrella of the SoE. With the
Dr. Hamid Shafiee
new changes, the Electrical Engineering
and Computer Engineer-
Department of Electrical and
Chair
ing degree programs are now Computer Engineering
offered by the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Similarly, the Civil Engineering degree program
is offered by the Department of Civil Engineering.
A Chair has been appointed to lead each
department. Dr. Hamid Shafiee is the Chair of the
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
Dr. Elias Saqan is the Chair of the Civil Engineering
Department.
The change was a natural consequence of
the growth witnessed in the SoE over the last few
years. Like structures used in universities worldwide,
the Chairs act as important leaders of their
departments, juggling tasks to keep things running
smoothly.
The change was a natural
consequence of the growth
witnessed in the SoE over
the last few years.
The Chairs
responsibilities
include
m o n i t o r i n g
and finding
ways to extend the department budget, scheduling
courses, balancing teaching loads across the
department, and representing and promoting the
overall department.
About the Chairs
Dr. Elias Saqan
Chair
Department of
Civil Engineering
Dr. Hamid Shafiee, who was recently appointed
as Associate Editor of the IEEE Communication
Letters, is the longest serving member of
the AUD SoE. He earned a PhD in Electrical Engineering
from University of Minnesota and his
research interests include Digital Communication,
Wireless Networks, and Digital Storage Systems.
He is an IBM corporation fellow, has several patents
under his name and is a recipient of several
a w a r d s a n d h o n o r s . V i s i t
http://engr.aud.edu/ece/people/h_shafiee.asp
for more details.
Dr. Elias Saqan joined the AUD SoE in September
2006. He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering
from The University of Texas at Austin and his
research interests include Structural Analysis and
Design, Behavior of Structural Concrete, and
Earthquake Engineering. While a research scholar
at Purdue, Dr. Saqan received the prestigious
Fulbright Scholarship. He continues to publish his
research at prestigious journals. Visit
http://engr.aud.edu/civil/people/e_saqan.asp for
more details.
Engineering Connection Volume 04 Issue 02 January 2010 h t t p : / / e n g r . a u d . e d u /
Dubai, Oct 20th, 2009
T
he School of Engineering at the American
University in Dubai (AUD) hosted recently
the 2nd International Symposium on Architectural
Membranes (ISAM 2009), in collaboration
with Verseidag Indutex GmbH – Germany,
the worldwide manufacturer of quality textile
architecture and tensile fabrics. The two-day symposium
included presentations from prominent
international speakers and was attended by
students and faculty members from the AUD
community, alongside professionals and
leaders from the tensile structures industry,
and construction and engineering sectors in
the region.
Students and professionals during practical sessions in
Manufacturing Tensile Structure Models
this issue
AUD Hosts ISAM 2009 Conference P.1-3
New Faculty - Dr. Reza Khosravani P.3
School of Engineering Restructured P.4
AUD Hosts International Symposium on
Architectural Membranes (ISAM) 2009
First professional Symposium of its kind in the Middle East addresses Technical
Properties of Tensile Structures and Echo-friendly Architecture Fabrics
The objectives of ISAM 2009 were to provide
information on fundamental properties and
present the state-of-the-art in textile roof design
and optimization. The symposium featured some
of the best-suited techniques to realize complex
architectural designs using tensile structures and
eco-friendly architectural fabrics.
The event featured some
of the best-suited techniques
to realize complex
architectural designs using
tensile structures
On the significance
of such conferences,
Dr. Elias
Saqan, Chair and
Associate Professor
of Civil Engineering
at the AUD School
of Engineering said,
“This symposium was a great opportunity
for our students to hear
and learn from renowned authorities
on the subject of tensile structures
and from the designers of
some of the world’s largest projects
of architectural membranes.
It is our goal to provide our students
with unique opportunities
for professional development by
having strong ties with the industry
as well as by exposing them to
the latest advances in the field of
civil engineering.”
(Continued on page 2)

Verseidag Indutex Gmbh organized ISAM
Tensile Structure Models Workshop
The symposium highlighted the theoretical
bases for structural analysis and design
necessary for efficient and robust computer
implementation, and presented the modern
design code for tensile fabric structures. It also
touched upon the technical properties, designs,
and case studies of tensile structures.
Commenting on the educational facet of
the seminar, Mr. Mohammad Bahsh, Duraskin
Segment Regional Manager and member of
the ISAM organizing committee, said, “The
Symposium offered a great opportunity for
delegates from all around the region to meet
in one place, thanks to the School of Engineering
at AUD, and exchange ideas and own experiences,
as this event is the first professional
one of its kind in the Middle East. Our speakers
are of outstanding quality and the Symposium
was deliberately planned with a great
deal of emphasis on challenging case studies
and practical issues.”
Among the symposium’s prominent
speakers:
from UAE-based companies and institutions:
Dr. Elias Saqan of AUD.
Engineer Gaby Awad of SAS Fabric Industries.
Maqsood Ahmed of the Affan Innovative
Structures.
from Germany-based companies:
Engineer Henric Leuer of Verseidag
Indutex GmbH.
Prof. Dr. Robert Off of the Institute for
Membrane and Shell Technologies.
Dr. Heidrun Bögner-Balz of Laboratorium
Blum.
Dr. Dieter Ströbel of Technet.
Engineer Jörg Tritthardt of Tritthardt
AUD Hosts ISAM 2009 (cont. from page 1)
Engineering.
Engineer Klaus Gipperich of CenoTech.
Architect Martin Glass of GMP Architects.
Engineer Michal Wolf of Hightex.
from an Italian-based company
Engineer Gerry d'Anza of Baku Group.
from an Iranian-based company
Architect Leila Araghian of the BIBA
Research Center.
and from a Jordanian-based branch company
Mr. Mohammad El Bahsh of Verseidag
Indutex.
A series of fifteen presentations were
delivered on topics of a highly practical nature,
such as:
Architectural and Technical Principles
of Tensioned Structures.
Technical and Physical Properties of
Architectural Fabrics.
Form finding and Analysis with Easy
Software.
Detailing Design of Membrane Structures
Process from Drawing to Final
Form.
New Design Guide for Fabric Structures.
A Case Study of the Rhein-Neckar
Arena.
A Case Study of Current Tensile Structure
Projects.
Form finding and Analysis with Forten
Software.
Building Physics.
Introduction to the Tensile Structures in
Iran.
The Enhancement of Green Environment
by Reducing Carbon Foot Print in
Architecture Fabrics.
A Case Study of Soccer City - Stadium in
Johannesburg.
The UAE Tensile Structure Market Experience.
A Case Study of a Special Master Degree
Program in Tensile Architecture.
A Focus Group Session.
During the second day of the symposium,
both professionals and students enjoyed the
practical sessions in manufacturing tensile
structure models and software training.
“[Participants] had a chance to have hands-on
experience in building models of tensile structures
and to learn about the design software
packages used for such structures”, said Dr.
Saqan.
Many saw great value in such a focused
two-day event and requested that events of a
similar nature be organized in the future. Ahmed
Shalaby, Area Manager at Masy International
in Bahrain, asserted, “The seminar was
well-organized and I believe everybody benefited
from the lectures delivered by valuable
experts and professionals in the field of tensile
structures. The interaction between people of
different nationalities and professional backgrounds
– from all over the world – was also
another extraordinary feature of the seminar.”
The symposium was very educational,
interactive and dynamic. Participants commented
that many of the presentations were
evocative and would help practicing engineers
and architects to think outside the box when
considering solutions to tensile structures and
architectural roofing problems.
Introducing New
Member of Faculty
Dr. Reza Khosravani
D
r. Reza Khosravani
recently
joined
the Department of
Electrical and Computer
Engineering at
AUD in Fall 2009. His
professional career
spans a broad range
of academic and
industry experiences.
Dr. Khosravani received his Ph. D from the
University of Southern California (USC). In 2000,
he joined Phaethon Communications as a
photonic scientist working on tunable dispersion
compensation technologies. In 2003, he joined
the Sonoma State University in California as an
assistant professor. During his 3 years at SSU,
Prof. Khosravani taught 14 different courses including
10 graduate-level courses, and was a
recipient of a major National Science Foundation
(NSF) grant and the summer fellowship award. In
2006, he joined Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) as a
Lead Scientist working on advanced predictive
models for financial fraud detection. Professor
Khosravani has authored 2 book chapters, 27
papers in refereed conferences and journals, and
holds 5 patents.
He is a recipient of USC Outstanding Academic
Achievement Award, Phi-Kappa-Phi Outstanding
Doctoral Scholarship Award, and the
Fair Isaac “Technology of Year” award. He is a
frequent reviewer of IEEE journals and has
served as panel reviewer for the NSF.
His Research Interests
High capacity optical fiber communication
systems and networks
WDM and photonics technologies
Advanced statistical modeling
Data mining and artificial intelligence
The Engineering Connection extends a warm welcome
to Dr. Khosravani and looks forward to his
substantial contributions to the engineering student
body, their respective departments, and
Dubai’s professional community.
Editorial
Team
Editor-in-Chief
Tariq Khwaja
Laboratory Engineer
Assistant
Emman Al Masry
Administrative Assistant
Reporter
Reem Al Douri
Civil Engineering Student
Photographers
Layal Al Alam
Marketing Communications
Coordinator
About this
Newsletter
Engineering Connection is published
by the School of Engineering
at the American University
in Dubai. Readers are welcome
to send relevant information
to be included in the upcoming
editions.
Postal Address:
School of Engineering
American University in Dubai
P.O. Box: 28282
Dubai, U.A.E
Phone: 04-318-3405
Fax: 04-399-8899
Email us at:
tkhwaja@aud.edu
The articles in this publication express
the opinions and views of the
authors and are not necessarily
those of the Engineering Connection
or the American University in Dubai.
The Engineering Connection cannot
be held liable for any omissions or
errors, however caused. No part of
this publication or any part of the
contents thereof may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form without the express
permission of the Engineering
Connection.
Tensile Structure Models Workshop
h t t p : / / e n g r . a u d . e d u /
Engineering Connection Volume 04 Issue 02 January 2010