The students of Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University achieved a distinguished victory in the “Dell EMC” competition in its third session for graduation projects for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, titled “Future Perceptions”. In its third year, it witnessed a remarkable growth compared to the previous two sessions with 329 projects presented by it. More than 1,450 undergraduate students, representing 70 universities from 18 countries.
The Dean of the College of Computer and Information Sciences at Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University, Dr. Ohood Al-Faris, mentioned the university's pride in leading innovation and contributing to advancing entrepreneurship among its students, stressing the university's continuous endeavor to "enhance the skills of the future generation of Saudi female professionals," saying: "Our cooperation with The Dell EMC Academic Alliance program plays an important role in preparing our students for future success, and the “Future Envisions” competition provided them with a unique opportunity to showcase their capabilities in the field of emerging technologies, prompting them to harness their technical knowledge for work and employing technologies in real life in a creative manner.
The “Future Envisions” competition, in its third session, which is sponsored by the Egyptian Center for Excellence, aims to provide inspiration and support for technical innovations among youth in the region. » From Dell, which aims to apply its expertise and technologies in order to achieve human progress in communities in need.
The competition witnessed the participation of seven new countries, including Oman, of which the German University of Technology was among the winners, in addition to Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A rigorous review conducted by 25 professors from prominent universities around the world, to ensure a fair evaluation of all participating projects, through criteria that included project idea, implementation and presentation by specialized experts.
The participating students from the German University of Technology presented an automated irrigation system that operates on the basis of the Internet of Things, using various sensors and mobile applications for accurate monitoring of the system. Through specific events, such as hackathons held in the region, to provide in-depth insights through specialized data analysis and interactive visualizations.
Other finalists have used emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things, to prevent traffic accidents related to sleepiness, as in a project submitted by students of King Faisal University, building a medical shield, a project submitted by Alexandria University, a smart home project submitted by students of King Saud University, and a smart home project submitted by students of King Saud University. BitCube encryption from the University of Dammam. King Abdulaziz University also used artificial intelligence techniques to build a smart application based on facial recognition for safe separation procedures for individuals, while Cairo University used big data analysis techniques to present an innovative project in the field of healthcare entitled Microphage.
The "Future Envisions" competition witnessed a remarkable annual growth, as the number of submitted projects grew by 154% compared to last year. The increasing number of participants also witnessed an upward trend for female student participants, after their number increased from 521 female students last year to 794 female students this year. Positive about the growing interest and growing skill among females, who constitute the future female workforce, in technical fields.
This competition motivates the next generation of IT leaders to research a broad range of emerging technologies and apply the knowledge gained from the Dell EMC Academic Alliance program to their universities, by giving students the opportunity to showcase their ability to build world-changing innovations.
Naglaa Rashad (Jeddah) NaglaaRshad