Engineering Axis - American University in Dubai

Engineering AxisC i v i lComputerElectricalComputerElectricalC i v i lINSIDE THISISSUE:The School ofEngineeringField Trip toJebel Ali CementFactoryTrip to DucabCable Company234Working w/PS3 4@ GITEXAUD @ IIT-06 4EVENTCALENDARDecember 16-18, 2006Nature Inspired InnovationsToward a SustainableEnvironment. Organizedby RETBE (Role ofEngineering Toward aBetter EnvironmentAlexandria, EgyptDecember 17-21, 20062nd IEEE InternationalConference on SignalImage TechnologyHammamet, TunisiaFebruary 11-14, 2007Middle East ElectricityExhibition and ConferenceDubai World Trade Center,UAEFebruary 24, 20071st AUD Engineering andTechnology FairAUD, UAEE N G I N E E R I N G A X I SMessage from The DeanDr. Alaa Ashmawy, P.E.Dean of the School of EngineeringSince its official inauguration in 2003, theSchool of Engineering at the AmericanUniversity in Dubai has been the flagshipof engineering education in Dubai. As Icomplete my first semester as Dean of Engineering, Ienvision greater opportunities in the years to come,especially in terms of the relationship between AUDand Dubai’s engineering community. Our short-termplans include a master’s degree in construction managementin collaboration with the School of Business; aprofessional center for design and simulation with emphasison traffic planning and management; and a numberof synergistic activities with AUD’s regional friendsand partners. Next year, we are also slated for accreditationvisits by the Ministry of Higher Education andABET. Our student enrollment has reached recordnumbers , and an aggressive student recruitment campaignis underway to attract the best and brightest toour selective programs.The Engineering Axis will be our link with Dubai’s engineeringcommunity. Its production is a culmination ofour faculty and students efforts. The quality of the publicationis a manifestation of the outstanding abilities ofour students who are assuming all editorial and reportingresponsibilities. I truly hope you will enjoy this andfuture issues which will appear on a quarterly basis. Letus hear from you if you have any comments, suggestions,news, or featured contributions.D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6Research SpotlightDr. Lana ChaarFossil fuels currently supply most ofthe world’s energy, and are expectedto continue for several yearsto come. However, while suppliesare currently abundant, they willnot last forever. Oil production isdeclining while the energy demandis increasing as economy grows andnations develop. The Clean Air Actof 1970 raised concerns about publichealth, as well as effects on theclimate and global warming. Sustainable,green, and clean sources thatproduce very few—if any—pollutants are the solutions to theseconcerns.Besidesnuclear andgeothermal,all otherforms ofrenewableenergy arederived from the most effective andharmless source: the sun. Solar energytechnology is straight forwardto use and is penetrating the marketat a fast rate. Two weeks ago, Iattended the “German Solar EnergySymposium”, organized by the GermanIndustry and Commerce,in Abu Dhabi in a way of supporting(Continued on page 3)March 13-15, 2007Water, Energy, Technologyand EnvironmentExhibition (WETEX 2007)Dubai Wolrd Trade Center,UAEMarch 23-27, 20072nd International Conferenceon Modeling, Simulationand applied Optimization(ICMSAO’07)Petroleum Institute, AbuDhabiAUD Seminar SeriesEvery other week, our schoolhosts an industry or academicprofessional to present as partof our seminar series. Suchpresentations expose studentsto real world applications ofwhat is taught in the classroom.In addition, guest lecturerscan showcase theirorganization’s achievementsand explore collaborationswith faculty and students. Recentspeakers include Dr.Riyad Aboutaha from SyracuseUniversity, USA, whopresented the latest on FRPComposites; Eng. Nazek AlSabbagh from Dubai World,who outlined her Department’sinvolvement in projectsaround Dubai; and Dr.Saman Adham from LogicVision, Canada, who outlinedhis latest work on embeddedmicroprocessors. The Schoolof Engineering appreciates theefforts of the speakers, andlooks forward to additionalpresentations next semester.

PAGE 2Engineering AxisEditorial TeamIntroducing our FacultyEditor-in-ChiefTariq KhwajaJunior Electrical Engineertariq_s_khwaja@yahoo.co.ukFaculty AdvisorsProf. Ahmed BassiouniDr. Ali El-Haj-MahmoudDr. Lana ChaarReportersAli Said JamaleddineJunior Electrical EngineerBashar Al-RawiSenior Computer EngineerShreya DungarwalSophomore Computer EngineerPhotographerLeila HomayouniJunior Civil EngineerContributorMohamad HassounaSenior Electrical EngineerAbout this NewsletterEngineering Axis is publishedby the school of Engineering atthe American University inDubai. All are welcome to sendrelevant information to beincluded in the upcomingeditions.Postal Address:School of EngineeringThe American University in DubaiP.O. Box: 28282Dubai, U.A.EPhone: 04-318-3405Fax: 04-399-8899Email us at:tariq_s_khwaja@yahoo.co.ukThe articles in this publicationexpress the opinions and views ofthe authors and are not necessarilythose of the Engineering Axis or theAmerican University in Dubai. TheEngineering Axis cannot be heldliable for any omissions or errors,however caused. No part of thispublication or any part of the contentsthereof may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system ortransmitted in any form without theexpress permission of the EngineeringAxis.At the AUD School of Engineering, our facultyrepresent diverse backgrounds, with allmembers having earned their degrees andtaught at internationally recognized universities.The faculty cover three engineeringdisciplines: Civil, Computer, and Electrical.Our faculty work very closely with eachother and with their students. The smallsize and the interdisciplinary nature of theSchool of Engineering provide a learningenvironment that is unparalleled in otheruniversities.The Civil Engineering Group comprisesspecialties in geotechnical engineering, behaviorof concrete, structural dynamics, andconstruction management. Dr. Alaa Ashmawy,the Dean of Engineering, receivedboth M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineeringfrom Purdue University, and hisB.S.C.E. from Alexandria University. Beforejoining AUD, he was Associate Professor atthe University of South Florida in Tampa.Dr. Elias Saqan, received both M.S. andPh.D. in Civil Engineering from the Universityof Texas at Austin and B.S. in Civil Engineeringfrom the University ofHouston. He was a facultymember at Birzeit University,and a Fulbright Scholar at PurdueUniversity before joiningAUD.Prof. Ahmad Bassiouni is aPh.D. Candidate in Civil Engineeringat Pennsylvania StateUniversity. He holds a Diplomain Environmental Engineeringand B.S. in Construction Engineeringfrom the American University inCairo.The expertise of the Computer Engineeringfaculty spans the areas of computer architectureand systems, embedded systems,pattern analysis, machine intelligence, mobileand wireless computing, networking, softwareengineering, and neural networks.Dr. Wathiq Mansoor holds a Ph.D. inComputer Engineering fromAston University, an M.S. inElectronic Engineering from theUniversity of Technology, and aB.S. in Electrical Engineeringfrom Baghdad University. Hehas more than 10 years of experience inacademic and industry organizations, and is aregional CISCO certified instructor.Dr. Wael Bazzi received his Ph.D. in Electrical& Computer Engineeringfrom University of Waterlooand both his M.S. in CommunicationEngineering and B.E. inElectrical Engineering from theAmerican University of Beirut.Dr. Ali El-Haj-Mahmoudreceived his Ph.D. and M.Sc. inComputer Engineering fromNorth Carolina State Universityat Raleigh and his B.E. inComputer and CommunicationEngineering from the American University ofBeirut.Our Electrical Engineering faculty possessa wide range of expertise in the areas ofcommunications, digital signal processing,electromagnetics, microwave/antenna design,power electronics, and renewable energy.Dr. Boutheina Tlili received her B.S., M.S.,and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering fromMichigan State University. She was on thefaculty of the prestigious EcoleSupérieure des Communicationsde Tunis before comingto AUD. She is the chair-electof the UAE-IEEE Women inEngineering Committee.Dr. Hamid Shafiee received his Ph.D. inElectrical Engineering from theUniversity of Minnesota andboth his MS and BS in ElectricalEngineering from Iowa StateUniversity. Before joining AUD,he was on the faculty at TeheranUniversity. In addition, he has morethan 10 years of experience as an industryprofessional.Dr. Lana Chaar received herB.S. M.S., and Ph.D. in ElectricalEngineering, from the Universityof Minnesota. She is anIEEE senior member, and a pastlecturer at the American Universityof Beirut. She also worked withSchott Power, a subsidized company of Fordon their electric vehicle charger design.ENGINEERING

ENGINEERING AXISField Trip to Jebel Ali Cement FactoryPAGE 3On November 7 th , 2006, civil engineeringstudents enrolled in CENG331 – Engineered Materials went on afield trip organized by the class instructorDr. Ahmed Bassiouni to visitthe Jebel Ali Cement Factory in JebelAli Industrial Area. The purpose wasto let students observe the productionprocess of one of the mostwidely used construction materialswhich is Portland cement. Upon arrival,AUD group was warmly welcomedby Mr. Ajay Acharya, Directorof Strategic Planning and BusinessDevelopment and Mr. K.C. Jha, GeneralManager for Production and Operations.Mr. Jha led the visitors tothe factory control room wherehe thoroughly explained the sequenceof cement productionsteps and how each is being automaticallymonitored by controlroom operators. Afterwards,AUD group went on a tour toexplore the different factoryunits. The tour started by thevast covered storage yard for theimported cement clinker, passedby the grinding mill where clinkersare crushed into cement powderof desired fineness and ended at themulti-compartment silo where theproduced cement is stored. Loosecement is either directly dispensedfrom the bottom of the silo into customertrucks or is moved to thepacking plant to be placed into bags(50 kgs) that are transported by conveyorbelts to storage.Research Spotlight (continued from p.1)(Continued from page 1)German companies in the field ofrenewable energy in entering theUAE Market especially in the field ofsolar power. Since GCC countrieslie within the solar belt with solarradiation of more than 6kWh/m 2 /dayand more than 80% clear skythroughout the year, integrating solarenergy allows the extension offuel life. The solar technology thathas the most impact on our lives isPhotovoltaic, not in terms of amountof power generated but since it issilent, non pollutant and providespower where no other forms ofenergy is available. Photovoltaics(PV) systems are becoming moreand more attractive due to severalfactors such as reliability, modularity,simplicity, and image.The United Arab Emirates is adiligent contender in the pursuit ofrenewable energy due to its climaticand geographic conditions. Thereare on average eight hours ofsunlight per day during winter andeleven hours per day during summer,in addition to the wide spaceswhich can effortlessly accommodatehuge solar panels. However, onemain problem stems from the use ofthese sources of energy in climaticconditions such as the UAE whichexperiences continuous high temperaturesalongside the occasionalstrong winds resulting in perpetualsandstorms. The effect of very littlerainfall, humidity, and sandstormshelps wind-borne particles to accumulateon the surface of PV arrays,thereby affecting the overall efficiencyof the solar panels.All these factors attracted me toinitiate a research program onPhotovoltaic arrays. The researchstudies the effects of the problemsmentioned above, develops andtests mathematical simulation models.Also, some of our students aredeveloping practical solutionsto reduce the problems PVmight face when used in theGulf region. A high efficiencysolar-powered traffic light control(see pictures) was designedand built, and is currently beingimplemented on a large scale.I would like to extend my appreciationto Engineer P. Suri fromMicrosol International, FZE who hasbeen a great support and donated 6PV arrays to maintain this research.Also a sincere thanks to EngineerFadi Maalouf from Specialised &Interactive SystemsLLC for donatinga flexible PV array and a batteryCharger.Dr. Lana Chaar is an Assistant Professorof Electrical Engineering at theAmerican University in Dubai receivedher Ph. D. degree in Electrical Engineeringfrom the University of Minnesotaspecializing in Power Electronics.She taught at several universities, includingthe American University ofBeirut and Beirut Arab University. Hermain research interests are in the areaof Renewable Energy, in particularSolar and Wind Energy.

ENGINEERING AXISTrip to Ducab Cable CompanyPAGE 4By Ali Said JamaleddineUndergrad Elec. EngineerAt AUD, engineering is not just abouttheory or laboratory experiments. It isthe chance to reach out and explorethe industry. To make sure studentsare aware of the industry they willgraduate into. To further that goal, onthe 16 th of November, 2006 Junior andSenior Electrical Engineering studentsvisited the Ducab to see how whatthey learnt in class applied to themanufacture of cables.Upon arrival, the health and safetymanager, Mr. George greeted the students.A set of presentations followedregarding the history, the missionstatement, the excellences of Ducab,the employment and the details onmanufacturing power cables.Students were then toured aroundthe factory. They saw manufacture ofcables beginning with raw copper rodsto the final product as per application.The sites visited in the factory were notlimited to the actual manufacturing only;students were also exposed to the controlmechanisms implemented inthe factory. These are used toensured that Ducab always producesthe highest quality cables.Most students were able tocomprehend and understand thetechnicalities of the manufacturingprocess. This may have been dueto the Energy Engineering(CEEE395) / Power Systems(CEEE371) courses every student wasenrolled in.Dr. Lana Chaar (Assistant Professorof Electrical Engineering) who teachesboth courses organized the trip. Sheespecially wanted to thank to Dr. Graham,Mr. George, and Ms. Raeisy ofDucab for their cooperation in organizingwhat was a very educational trip.Working w/PS3 @ GITEX10001001001100101100100111010100010100101101001001010010010010001001110101011011110100Shreya DungarwalJunior,Computer EngineeringNot until it was only 2weeks for the GITEX tokick-off, had I decidedwhether or not I should take up a parttime job at the exhibition. I kept jugglingbetween the two ideas - Havingto miss school for 7 days (and for engineeringstudents, this isn't a joke),work long hours at the exhibition andyet come back home and work onmeeting deadlines for assignments,over the attraction of actually workingwith a multinational company and tastingwhat they call the 'real world'. Inevitably,I foundmyself at theinterview forthe Sony PS3GITEX exhibitionthe week prior to college, andsoon after realized that I was alreadyselected. Glad I was at the fact that Iwould present a much-awaited productto more than 1000 potential consumers.Yet, worried I also was for mystudies. I decided to take the challengeand make the best I could of it. Wewere trained rigorously for two and ahalf days and I brushed up a lot of mypresentation skills. Considering that it'sbeen 2 years since the PSP class at college,this was a good revision! Theyalso trained us on the technology behindPS3 and its features so that was la learningin itself too. Then the D-day arrived,the first day of GITEX when wewere going to give live demos of theproducts and present to the audience itsfeatures .The presentations took off reallywell - I battled the butterflies of nervousnessfor the first 2-3 presentations Igave, but soon I took off in such a way Isurprised even myself. Before the end ofone presentation, I could see a line of20 people waiting for me to begin again.This went on for 5 days all day, andapart frombeing rigorous,it wasexhilarating. Iused tocome back home excited because witheach new day you met so many differentpeople, interacted with so many others.The part that I loved the most about myjob was the time we got to interact withthe Sony PS3 employees. I learnt a lotabout their work, their organization,their work life, etc. by simplychatting with them during ourBefore the end of one presentation,I could see a line of 20 peoplewaiting for me to begin againbreaks. All these plusses aside, one ofthe biggest advantages of working atGITEX is the extra pocket money youmake. The money is good enough toseize one of the GITEX offers for yourself!All in all. a fantastic experience noone, in my opinion, should miss duringcollege years.AUD @ IIT-06The 3rd International Conference onInnovations in Information Technology(IIT) was held at Jumeira Beach Hotelfrom the 19th – 21st of Nov. 2006. Therenowned conference was inauguratedby H.H. Sheikh Maktoom BinMohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoom,and witnessed the advent of two distinguishedkeynote speakers: Mr. Bill Thomas,Executive Vice President of ElectronicData Systems, and Dr. PeterFreeman, Assistant Director of the USNational Science Foundation for Computer& Information Science & Engineering.AUD Engineering and IT facultychaired technical talks and tutorialsduring the event. Bashar Al-Rawi, aSenior Computer Engineering studentat AUD, presented a paper entitled:Solving Employee Timetabling ProblemsUsing Boolean Satisfiability.