In collaboration with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the College of Engineering and Information Technology at Al Ain University hosted two-day international workshops in its campus in Al Ain. Dr. Daniela Chrenko from the Institute Supérieur d'Automobile et Transport (ISAT), University of Burgundy, France, and Professor Ke Wu from the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada, delivered the workshops. In attendance was Prof. Ghaleb El Refae, AAU President; Dr. Nayef Abu-Ageel, Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology; and Dr. Nazeeh Mallat, Head of the Networks & Communications Engineering and Computer Engineering Department at AAU, IEEE UAE MTT-S Chapter Chair. The workshops also attracted a large number of interested faculty, students, and professionals in the UAE.

Dr. Daniela Chrenko presented the first day workshop entitled “Development of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles as Components of the Electric Grid in Europe” through which Dr. Chrenko explained the importance which electric cars have started to gain in Europe as they are considered a promising solution for transportation. She also gave an overview of modern trends in electric car applications in France and Germany; the Autolib car sharing project in France, for example. 

The second day workshop, entitled “Wireless Technologies and Applications: Past, Present, and Future”, was conducted by Professor Ke Wu who highlighted the success wireless applications have witnessed commercially in the areas of wireless data, wireless sensing, and wireless power. He also presented the basic features of wireless technology and the correlation with electromagnetic waves and wireless frequencies. In addition, Prof. Wu traced the development of radio waves over time as well as discussing issues relating to the future trends, the fifth generation of communications, the challenges, and possible solutions.

On his part, Dr. Nayef Abu-Ageel, Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology underlined the importance of these workshops in revealing the latest technologies used to develop worldwide successful applications. He also reiterated that such workshops are useful to all IT-related departments and programs.

Dr. Abu-Ageel added that the AAU College of Engineering and Information Technology has planned a number of other workshops and seminars in collaboration with various institutions and organizations with the aim to augment the learning outcomes of the programs and preparing students for the workplace in addition to developing the programs in line with the latest academic trends.

Organizations from the public and private sectors sponsored the event including Al Ain Distribution Company, TRANSCO, EMITAC, Micro Plus computers, and National Instruments. Further, students from the colleges of Engineering from various universities around the UAE attended the workshops namely students from Al Ain University, United Arab Emirates University, American University in RAK, Masdar institute, Higher Colleges of Technology, Ajman University of Science and Technology, Sharjah University, and Khalifah University.

At the end of the event, speakers and sponsors were honored by the AAU administration that reiterated AAU’s commitment to hosting similar international events.