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Abu Dhabi University (ADU), an internationally recognized academic institution for quality education and applied research, has announced the winners of the ADU Chancellor Innovation Awards. The announcement took place during a ceremony in ADU’s Innovation Center at its main campus in Abu Dhabi.

The annual competition serves as a platform for new ideas to be discussed, as well as enhance the overall university experience for members of the ADU community. The theme of this year’s competition was ‘Enhancing Student Experience’ where students, faculty, and staff were invited to submit creative initiatives that could potentially improve the whole University experience.

During the ceremony Professor Waqar Ahmad, ADU’s Chancellor, honored the winners of each competition category. Mohammad Ahmed Shabib Talukder took first place in the student category; Dr. Anne R. van Ewijk won the faculty category; and Sabri Abbas came first in the staff category.

In the faculty category, Dr. Ewijk’s idea focused on introducing team-based teaching, where multiple faculties would teach one course together and each would specialize in one area of the subject. This aims to expose students to different teaching styles that provides them the ability to understand subjects in-depth. The first place winner in the staff category, was awarded for his idea to create a volunteering and community service tracker app that maintains records of students’ volunteering hours to improve efficiency.

On the other hand, Talukder was recognized for his winning idea to start a peer mentoring and student support program that would be led by senior students. The idea aims to further enhance community spirit and expand learning possibilities for students.

Professor Waqar Ahmad commented, “Students continue to remain at the heart of everything we do at ADU. As part of our efforts to support the UAE innovation agenda, our goal is to provide students, faculty and staff with a platform where they can collaborate and exchange innovative ideas to further enhance our institution. By engaging in creative techniques, the ADU community work closely with one another, thereby creating a holistic learning experience for our students, in line with ADU’s vision 2022”.

Mohammad Talukder commented, “I am happy to receive this award in recognition for the student-led mentorship program solution. Working on this project helped me develop the ability to study and analyze challenges, grow my problem-solving skills and turn the knowledge we learn in the classroom into practical solutions that can benefit the wider community.  I am thankful for the support and guidance that I received from our college faculty at ADU.”

The Innovation Awards are one of ADU’s Innovation Center’s long-term initiatives designed to build a culture of innovation within ADU in teaching, research, and operations, as well as to extend this innovation expertise to the wider community. Established in 2017, the Center focuses on engagement with companies, government entities, and schools, reinforcing ADU’s credentials as a thought-leader and innovator in the local business and broader research communities. Current and planned activities include a Talk Series targeted at business leaders and government agencies, Ted Talk events, innovation competitions, conferences, external faculty consulting, and participation in UAE-based education, research & innovation initiatives.

To learn more about ADU’s Innovation Center, please visit the following link:

https://www.adu.ac.ae/research/research-at-adu/innovation-center